Control of multiple filamentation in air

Science.gov (United States)

Fibich, Gadi; Eisenmann, Shmuel; Ilan, Boaz; Zigler, Arie

2004-08-01

In this Letter we provide what is believed to be the first experimental evidence of suppression of the number of filaments for high-intensity laser pulses propagating in air by beam astigmatism. We also show that the number, pattern, and spatial stability of the filaments can be controlled by varying the angle that a focusing lens makes with the axial direction of propagation. This new methodology can be useful for applications involving atmospheric propagation, such as remote sensing.

Force-velocity measurements of a few growing actin filaments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coraline Brangbour

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The polymerization of actin in filaments generates forces that play a pivotal role in many cellular processes. We introduce a novel technique to determine the force-velocity relation when a few independent anchored filaments grow between magnetic colloidal particles. When a magnetic field is applied, the colloidal particles assemble into chains under controlled loading or spacing. As the filaments elongate, the beads separate, allowing the force-velocity curve to be precisely measured. In the widely accepted Brownian ratchet model, the transduced force is associated with the slowing down of the on-rate polymerization. Unexpectedly, in our experiments, filaments are shown to grow at the same rate as when they are free in solution. However, as they elongate, filaments are more confined in the interspace between beads. Higher repulsive forces result from this higher confinement, which is associated with a lower entropy. In this mechanism, the production of force is not controlled by the polymerization rate, but is a consequence of the restriction of filaments' orientational fluctuations at their attachment point.

The Antibacterial Cell Division Inhibitor PC190723 Is an FtsZ Polymer-stabilizing Agent That Induces Filament Assembly and Condensation*

OpenAIRE

Andreu, José M.; Schaffner-Barbero, Claudia; Huecas, Sonia; Alonso, Dulce; Lopez-Rodriguez, María L.; Ruiz-Avila, Laura B.; Núñez-Ramírez, Rafael; Llorca, Oscar; Martín-Galiano, Antonio J.

2010-01-01

Cell division protein FtsZ can form single-stranded filaments with a cooperative behavior by self-switching assembly. Subsequent condensation and bending of FtsZ filaments are important for the formation and constriction of the cytokinetic ring. PC190723 is an effective bactericidal cell division inhibitor that targets FtsZ in the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and does not affect Escherichia coli cells, which apparently binds to a zone equivalent to the binding site of ...

A control scheme for filament stretching rheometers with application to polymer melts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Román Marín, José Manuel; Huusom, Jakob Kjøbsted; Javier Alvarez, Nicolas

2013-01-01

We propose a new control scheme to maintain a constant strain rate of the mid-filament diameter in a filament stretching rheometer for polymer melts. The scheme is cast as a velocity algorithm and consists of a feed-back and a feed-forward contribution. The performance of the controller is demons......We propose a new control scheme to maintain a constant strain rate of the mid-filament diameter in a filament stretching rheometer for polymer melts. The scheme is cast as a velocity algorithm and consists of a feed-back and a feed-forward contribution. The performance of the controller...

Design of the klystron filament power supply control system for EAST LHCD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Zege; Wang, Mao; Hu, Huaichuan; Ma, Wendong; Zhou, Taian; Zhou, Faxin; Liu, Fukun; Shan, Jiafang [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)

2016-09-15

A filament is a critical component of the klystron used to heat the cathode. There are totally 44 klystrons in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) systems. All klystron filaments are powered by AC power suppliers through isolated transformers. In order to achieve better klystron preheat, a klystron filament power supply control system is designed to obtain the automatic control of all filament power suppliers. Klystron filament current is measured by PLC and the interlock between filament current and klystron high voltage system is also implemented. This design has already been deployed in two LHCD systems and proves feasible completely.

Self-Assembly of Hierarchical DNA Nanotube Architectures with Well-Defined Geometries.

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgenson, Tyler D; Mohammed, Abdul M; Agrawal, Deepak K; Schulman, Rebecca

2017-02-28

An essential motif for the assembly of biological materials such as actin at the scale of hundreds of nanometers and beyond is a network of one-dimensional fibers with well-defined geometry. Here, we demonstrate the programmed organization of DNA filaments into micron-scale architectures where component filaments are oriented at preprogrammed angles. We assemble L-, T-, and Y-shaped DNA origami junctions that nucleate two or three micron length DNA nanotubes at high yields. The angles between the nanotubes mirror the angles between the templates on the junctions, demonstrating that nanoscale structures can control precisely how micron-scale architectures form. The ability to precisely program filament orientation could allow the assembly of complex filament architectures in two and three dimensions, including circuit structures, bundles, and extended materials.

Structure determination of helical filaments by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Mumdooh; Spehr, Johannes; König, Renate; Lünsdorf, Heinrich; Rand, Ulfert; Lührs, Thorsten; Ritter, Christiane

2016-01-01

The controlled formation of filamentous protein complexes plays a crucial role in many biological systems and represents an emerging paradigm in signal transduction. The mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is a central signal transduction hub in innate immunity that is activated by a receptor-induced conversion into helical superstructures (filaments) assembled from its globular caspase activation and recruitment domain. Solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy has become one of the most powerful techniques for atomic resolution structures of protein fibrils. However, for helical filaments, the determination of the correct symmetry parameters has remained a significant hurdle for any structural technique and could thus far not be precisely derived from ssNMR data. Here, we solved the atomic resolution structure of helical MAVSCARD filaments exclusively from ssNMR data. We present a generally applicable approach that systematically explores the helical symmetry space by efficient modeling of the helical structure restrained by interprotomer ssNMR distance restraints. Together with classical automated NMR structure calculation, this allowed us to faithfully determine the symmetry that defines the entire assembly. To validate our structure, we probed the protomer arrangement by solvent paramagnetic resonance enhancement, analysis of chemical shift differences relative to the solution NMR structure of the monomer, and mutagenesis. We provide detailed information on the atomic contacts that determine filament stability and describe mechanistic details on the formation of signaling-competent MAVS filaments from inactive monomers. PMID:26733681

Graphene-based filament material for thermal ionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hewitt, J. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Shick, C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Siegfried, M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-09-19

The use of graphene oxide materials for thermal ionization mass spectrometry analysis of plutonium and uranium has been investigated. Filament made from graphene oxide slurries have been 3-D printed. A method for attaching these filaments to commercial thermal ionization post assemblies has been devised. Resistive heating of the graphene based filaments under high vacuum showed stable operation in excess of 4 hours. Plutonium ion production has been observed in an initial set of filaments spiked with the Pu 128 Certified Reference Material.

Probing the Energetics of Dynactin Filament Assembly and the Binding of Cargo Adaptor Proteins Using Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Electrostatics-Based Structural Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Wenjun

2017-01-10

Dynactin, a large multiprotein complex, binds with the cytoplasmic dynein-1 motor and various adaptor proteins to allow recruitment and transportation of cellular cargoes toward the minus end of microtubules. The structure of the dynactin complex is built around an actin-like minifilament with a defined length, which has been visualized in a high-resolution structure of the dynactin filament determined by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). To understand the energetic basis of dynactin filament assembly, we used molecular dynamics simulation to probe the intersubunit interactions among the actin-like proteins, various capping proteins, and four extended regions of the dynactin shoulder. Our simulations revealed stronger intersubunit interactions at the barbed and pointed ends of the filament and involving the extended regions (compared with the interactions within the filament), which may energetically drive filament termination by the capping proteins and recruitment of the actin-like proteins by the extended regions, two key features of the dynactin filament assembly process. Next, we modeled the unknown binding configuration among dynactin, dynein tails, and a number of coiled-coil adaptor proteins (including several Bicaudal-D and related proteins and three HOOK proteins), and predicted a key set of charged residues involved in their electrostatic interactions. Our modeling is consistent with previous findings of conserved regions, functional sites, and disease mutations in the adaptor proteins and will provide a structural framework for future functional and mutational studies of these adaptor proteins. In sum, this study yielded rich structural and energetic information about dynactin and associated adaptor proteins that cannot be directly obtained from the cryo-EM structures with limited resolutions.

Controlling Plasma Channels through Ultrashort Laser Pulse Filamentation

Science.gov (United States)

Ionin, Andrey; Seleznev, Leonid; Sunchugasheva, Elena

2013-09-01

A review of studies fulfilled at the Lebedev Institute in collaboration with the Moscow State University and Institute of Atmospheric Optics in Tomsk on influence of various characteristics of ultrashort laser pulse on plasma channels formed under its filamentation is presented. Filamentation of high-power laser pulses with wavefront controlled by a deformable mirror, with cross-sections spatially formed by various diaphragms and with different wavelengths was experimentally and numerically studied. An application of plasma channels formed due to filamentation of ultrashort laser pulse including a train of such pulses for triggering and guiding long electric discharges is discussed. The research was supported by RFBR Grants 11-02-12061-ofi-m and 11-02-01100, and EOARD Grant 097007 through ISTC Project 4073 P

Recruitment Kinetics of Tropomyosin Tpm3.1 to Actin Filament Bundles in the Cytoskeleton Is Independent of Actin Filament Kinetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Appaduray, Mark A; Masedunskas, Andrius; Bryce, Nicole S; Lucas, Christine A; Warren, Sean C; Timpson, Paul; Stear, Jeffrey H; Gunning, Peter W; Hardeman, Edna C

2016-01-01

The actin cytoskeleton is a dynamic network of filaments that is involved in virtually every cellular process. Most actin filaments in metazoa exist as a co-polymer of actin and tropomyosin (Tpm) and the function of an actin filament is primarily defined by the specific Tpm isoform associated with it. However, there is little information on the interdependence of these co-polymers during filament assembly and disassembly. We addressed this by investigating the recovery kinetics of fluorescently tagged isoform Tpm3.1 into actin filament bundles using FRAP analysis in cell culture and in vivo in rats using intracellular intravital microscopy, in the presence or absence of the actin-targeting drug jasplakinolide. The mobile fraction of Tpm3.1 is between 50% and 70% depending on whether the tag is at the C- or N-terminus and whether the analysis is in vivo or in cultured cells. We find that the continuous dynamic exchange of Tpm3.1 is not significantly impacted by jasplakinolide, unlike tagged actin. We conclude that tagged Tpm3.1 may be able to undergo exchange in actin filament bundles largely independent of the assembly and turnover of actin.

Self-assembling enzymes and the origins of the cytoskeleton

Science.gov (United States)

Barry, Rachael; Gitai, Zemer

2011-01-01

The bacterial cytoskeleton is composed of a complex and diverse group of proteins that self-assemble into linear filaments. These filaments support and organize cellular architecture and provide a dynamic network controlling transport and localization within the cell. Here, we review recent discoveries related to a newly appreciated class of self-assembling proteins that expand our view of the bacterial cytoskeleton and provide potential explanations for its evolutionary origins. Specifically, several types of metabolic enzymes can form structures similar to established cytoskeletal filaments and, in some cases, these structures have been repurposed for structural uses independent of their normal role. The behaviors of these enzymes suggest that some modern cytoskeletal proteins may have evolved from dual-role proteins with catalytic and structural functions. PMID:22014508

Fast, controlled stepping drive for D2 filament ejection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amenda, W.; Lang, R.S.

1985-01-01

Centrifugal pellet injectors are required to refuel plasma machines. The pellet feed into the centrifuge should, if possible, be direct to keep the exit angle divergence small. The D 2 filaments used are first stored in a cryostat and then rapidly transported to the intake region of the centrifuge. An intermittent drive for fast, controlled ejection of D 2 filaments is described here. Mean filament speed of up to 0.6 m/s per step (1.2 mm) are achieved for the centrifugal pellet injector which refuels the ASDEX tokamak at Garching. The timing of the (81) step shifts can be synchronized with the rotor motion. The drive allows rates of up to 50 pellets per second. The drive method also seems to be suitable for direct feeding of other known centrifugal pellet injectors

Cytosolic chaperones mediate quality control of higher-order septin assembly in budding yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Courtney R; Weems, Andrew D; Brewer, Jennifer M; Thorner, Jeremy; McMurray, Michael A

2015-04-01

Septin hetero-oligomers polymerize into cytoskeletal filaments with essential functions in many eukaryotic cell types. Mutations within the oligomerization interface that encompasses the GTP-binding pocket of a septin (its "G interface") cause thermoinstability of yeast septin hetero-oligomer assembly, and human disease. When coexpressed with its wild-type counterpart, a G interface mutant is excluded from septin filaments, even at moderate temperatures. We show that this quality control mechanism is specific to G interface mutants, operates during de novo septin hetero-oligomer assembly, and requires specific cytosolic chaperones. Chaperone overexpression lowers the temperature permissive for proliferation of cells expressing a G interface mutant as the sole source of a given septin. Mutations that perturb the septin G interface retard release from these chaperones, imposing a kinetic delay on the availability of nascent septin molecules for higher-order assembly. Un-expectedly, the disaggregase Hsp104 contributes to this delay in a manner that does not require its "unfoldase" activity, indicating a latent "holdase" activity toward mutant septins. These findings provide new roles for chaperone-mediated kinetic partitioning of non-native proteins and may help explain the etiology of septin-linked human diseases. © 2015 Johnson et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Dynamic Regulation of Sarcomeric Actin Filaments in Striated Muscle

OpenAIRE

Ono, Shoichiro

2010-01-01

In striated muscle, the actin cytoskeleton is differentiated into myofibrils. Actin and myosin filaments are organized in sarcomeres and specialized for producing contractile forces. Regular arrangement of actin filaments with uniform length and polarity is critical for the contractile function. However, the mechanisms of assembly and maintenance of sarcomeric actin filaments in striated muscle are not completely understood. Live imaging of actin in striated muscle has revealed that actin sub...

MIDAS: A Modular DNA Assembly System for Synthetic Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dolleweerd, Craig J; Kessans, Sarah A; Van de Bittner, Kyle C; Bustamante, Leyla Y; Bundela, Rudranuj; Scott, Barry; Nicholson, Matthew J; Parker, Emily J

2018-04-20

A modular and hierarchical DNA assembly platform for synthetic biology based on Golden Gate (Type IIS restriction enzyme) cloning is described. This enabling technology, termed MIDAS (for Modular Idempotent DNA Assembly System), can be used to precisely assemble multiple DNA fragments in a single reaction using a standardized assembly design. It can be used to build genes from libraries of sequence-verified, reusable parts and to assemble multiple genes in a single vector, with full user control over gene order and orientation, as well as control of the direction of growth (polarity) of the multigene assembly, a feature that allows genes to be nested between other genes or genetic elements. We describe the detailed design and use of MIDAS, exemplified by the reconstruction, in the filamentous fungus Penicillium paxilli, of the metabolic pathway for production of paspaline and paxilline, key intermediates in the biosynthesis of a range of indole diterpenes-a class of secondary metabolites produced by several species of filamentous fungi. MIDAS was used to efficiently assemble a 25.2 kb plasmid from 21 different modules (seven genes, each composed of three basic parts). By using a parts library-based system for construction of complex assemblies, and a unique set of vectors, MIDAS can provide a flexible route to assembling tailored combinations of genes and other genetic elements, thereby supporting synthetic biology applications in a wide range of expression hosts.

The Antibacterial Cell Division Inhibitor PC190723 Is an FtsZ Polymer-stabilizing Agent That Induces Filament Assembly and Condensation*

Science.gov (United States)

Andreu, José M.; Schaffner-Barbero, Claudia; Huecas, Sonia; Alonso, Dulce; Lopez-Rodriguez, María L.; Ruiz-Avila, Laura B.; Núñez-Ramírez, Rafael; Llorca, Oscar; Martín-Galiano, Antonio J.

2010-01-01

Cell division protein FtsZ can form single-stranded filaments with a cooperative behavior by self-switching assembly. Subsequent condensation and bending of FtsZ filaments are important for the formation and constriction of the cytokinetic ring. PC190723 is an effective bactericidal cell division inhibitor that targets FtsZ in the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and does not affect Escherichia coli cells, which apparently binds to a zone equivalent to the binding site of the antitumor drug taxol in tubulin (Haydon, D. J., Stokes, N. R., Ure, R., Galbraith, G., Bennett, J. M., Brown, D. R., Baker, P. J., Barynin, V. V., Rice, D. W., Sedelnikova, S. E., Heal, J. R., Sheridan, J. M., Aiwale, S. T., Chauhan, P. K., Srivastava, A., Taneja, A., Collins, I., Errington, J., and Czaplewski, L. G. (2008) Science 312, 1673–1675). We have found that the benzamide derivative PC190723 is an FtsZ polymer-stabilizing agent. PC190723 induced nucleated assembly of Bs-FtsZ into single-stranded coiled protofilaments and polymorphic condensates, including bundles, coils, and toroids, whose formation could be modulated with different solution conditions. Under conditions for reversible assembly of Bs-FtsZ, PC190723 binding reduced the GTPase activity and induced the formation of straight bundles and ribbons, which was also observed with Sa-FtsZ but not with nonsusceptible Ec-FtsZ. The fragment 2,6-difluoro-3-methoxybenzamide also induced Bs-FtsZ bundling. We propose that polymer stabilization by PC190723 suppresses in vivo FtsZ polymer dynamics and bacterial division. The biochemical action of PC190723 on FtsZ parallels that of the microtubule-stabilizing agent taxol on the eukaryotic structural homologue tubulin. Both taxol and PC190723 stabilize polymers against disassembly by preferential binding to each assembled protein. It is yet to be investigated whether both ligands target structurally related assembly switches. PMID:20212044

High-resolution Observations of Sympathetic Filament Eruptions by NVST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Shangwei; Su, Yingna; Zhou, Tuanhui; Ji, Haisheng [Key Laboratory for Dark Matter and Space Science, Purple Mountain Observatory, CAS, Nanjing 210008 (China); Van Ballegooijen, Adriaan [5001 Riverwood Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34231 (United States); Sun, Xudong, E-mail: ynsu@pmo.ac.cn [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)

2017-07-20

We investigate two sympathetic filament eruptions observed by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope on 2015 October 15. The full picture of the eruptions is obtained from the corresponding Solar Dynamics Observatory ( SDO )/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) observations. The two filaments start from active region NOAA 12434 in the north and end in one large quiescent filament channel in the south. The left filament erupts first, followed by the right filament eruption about 10 minutes later. Clear twist structure and rotating motion are observed in both filaments during the eruption. Both eruptions failed, since the filaments first rise up, then flow toward the south and merge into the southern large quiescent filament. We also observe repeated activations of mini filaments below the right filament after its eruption. Using magnetic field models constructed based on SDO /HMI magnetograms via the flux rope insertion method, we find that the left filament eruption is likely to be triggered by kink instability, while the weakening of overlying magnetic fields due to magnetic reconnection at an X-point between the two filament systems might play an important role in the onset of the right filament eruption.

Development of controller strategies for a robotized filament winding equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Lobo, Edgar; Machado, José; Mendonça, João P.

2013-10-01

The composites reinforced with continuous fibers of polymeric material are increasingly used in applications where it is essential to reduce weight, mainly due to their high ratio of strength/weight and rigidity/weight. A conventional application are pressure vessels, used for storing liquids or gases subjected to low or high pressure, where the tape continuous fiber-reinforced polymeric matrix material is wound around a mandrel defining the final geometry. In this context the filament winding process is a very attractive process for the production of composite components. For optimal structural performance, and greater weight saving, an optimal path should be adopted, resulting only in axial tension in the longitudinal direction (slip). Such path is the geodesic winding and diverse equipment may be used to guarantee the process automation of the winding. This work herein presented is focused on the study and development of the controller program for a robotized filament winding equipment, taking into account customization of possible trajectories controlling filament winding. The automation of the custom path according to user needs increases exponentially the capabilities, where the use of a robotized solution increases process flexibility and repeatability.

The assembly of MreB, a prokaryotic homolog of actin.

Science.gov (United States)

Esue, Osigwe; Cordero, Maria; Wirtz, Denis; Tseng, Yiider

2005-01-28

MreB, a major component of the bacterial cytoskeleton, exhibits high structural homology to its eukaryotic counterpart actin. Live cell microscopy studies suggest that MreB molecules organize into large filamentous spirals that support the cell membrane and play a key shape-determining function. However, the basic properties of MreB filament assembly remain unknown. Here, we studied the assembly of Thermotoga maritima MreB triggered by ATP in vitro and compared it to the well-studied assembly of actin. These studies show that MreB filament ultrastructure and polymerization depend crucially on temperature as well as the ions present on solution. At the optimal growth temperature of T. maritima, MreB assembly proceeded much faster than that of actin, without nucleation (or nucleation is highly favorable and fast) and with little or no contribution from filament end-to-end annealing. MreB exhibited rates of ATP hydrolysis and phosphate release similar to that of F-actin, however, with a critical concentration of approximately 3 nm, which is approximately 100-fold lower than that of actin. Furthermore, MreB assembled into filamentous bundles that have the ability to spontaneously form ring-like structures without auxiliary proteins. These findings suggest that despite high structural homology, MreB and actin display significantly different assembly properties.

Plasma Brightenings in a Failed Solar Filament Eruption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Y.; Ding, M. D., E-mail: yingli@nju.edu.cn [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023 (China)

2017-03-20

Failed filament eruptions are solar eruptions that are not associated with coronal mass ejections. In a failed filament eruption, the filament materials usually show some ascending and falling motions as well as generating bright EUV emissions. Here we report a failed filament eruption (SOL2016-07-22) that occurred in a quiet-Sun region observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory . In this event, the filament spreads out but gets confined by the surrounding magnetic field. When interacting with the ambient magnetic field, the filament material brightens up and flows along the magnetic field lines through the corona to the chromosphere. We find that some materials slide down along the lifting magnetic structure containing the filament and impact the chromosphere, and through kinetic energy dissipation, cause two ribbon-like brightenings in a wide temperature range. There is evidence suggesting that magnetic reconnection occurs between the filament magnetic structure and the surrounding magnetic fields where filament plasma is heated to coronal temperatures. In addition, thread-like brightenings show up on top of the erupting magnetic fields at low temperatures, which might be produced by an energy imbalance from a fast drop of radiative cooling due to plasma rarefaction. Thus, this single event of a failed filament eruption shows the existence of a variety of plasma brightenings that may be caused by completely different heating mechanisms.

Amyloid oligomers and protofibrils, but not filaments, self-replicate from native lysozyme.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulaj, Mentor; Foley, Joseph; Muschol, Martin

2014-06-25

Self-assembly of amyloid fibrils is the molecular mechanism best known for its connection with debilitating human disorders such as Alzheimer's disease but is also associated with various functional cellular responses. There is increasing evidence that amyloid formation proceeds along two distinct assembly pathways involving either globular oligomers and protofibrils or rigid monomeric filaments. Oligomers, in particular, have been implicated as the dominant molecular species responsible for pathogenesis. Yet the molecular mechanisms regulating their self-assembly have remained elusive. Here we show that oligomers/protofibrils and monomeric filaments, formed along distinct assembly pathways, display critical differences in their ability to template amyloid growth at physiological vs denaturing temperatures. At physiological temperatures, amyloid filaments remained stable but could not seed growth of native monomers. In contrast, oligomers and protofibrils not only remained intact but were capable of self-replication using native monomers as the substrate. Kinetic data further suggested that this prion-like growth mode of oligomers/protofibrils involved two distinct activities operating orthogonal from each other: autocatalytic self-replication of oligomers from native monomers and nucleated polymerization of oligomers into protofibrils. The environmental changes to stability and templating competence of these different amyloid species in different environments are likely to be important for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying both pathogenic and functional amyloid self-assembly.

Advanced gray rod control assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Drudy, Keith J; Carlson, William R; Conner, Michael E; Goldenfield, Mark; Hone, Michael J; Long, Jr., Carroll J; Parkinson, Jerod; Pomirleanu, Radu O

2013-09-17

An advanced gray rod control assembly (GRCA) for a nuclear reactor. The GRCA provides controlled insertion of gray rod assemblies into the reactor, thereby controlling the rate of power produced by the reactor and providing reactivity control at full power. Each gray rod assembly includes an elongated tubular member, a primary neutron-absorber disposed within the tubular member said neutron-absorber comprising an absorber material, preferably tungsten, having a 2200 m/s neutron absorption microscopic capture cross-section of from 10 to 30 barns. An internal support tube can be positioned between the primary absorber and the tubular member as a secondary absorber to enhance neutron absorption, absorber depletion, assembly weight, and assembly heat transfer characteristics.

Type III intermediate filaments desmin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, and peripherin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hol, Elly M.; Capetanaki, Yassemi

2017-01-01

Type III intermediate filament (IF) proteins assemble into cytoplasmic homopolymeric and heteropolymeric filaments with other type III and some type IV IFs. These highly dynamic structures form an integral component of the cytoskeleton of muscle, brain, and mesenchymal cells. Here, we review the

Type III Intermediate Filaments Desmin, Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Vimentin, and Peripherin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hol, Elly M; Capetanaki, Yassemi

2017-01-01

SummaryType III intermediate filament (IF) proteins assemble into cytoplasmic homopolymeric and heteropolymeric filaments with other type III and some type IV IFs. These highly dynamic structures form an integral component of the cytoskeleton of muscle, brain, and mesenchymal cells. Here, we review

Filament structure, organization, and dynamics in MreB sheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Popp, David; Narita, Akihiro; Maeda, Kayo; Fujisawa, Tetsuro; Ghoshdastider, Umesh; Iwasa, Mitsusada; Maéda, Yuichiro; Robinson, Robert C

2010-05-21

In vivo fluorescence microscopy studies of bacterial cells have shown that the bacterial shape-determining protein and actin homolog, MreB, forms cable-like structures that spiral around the periphery of the cell. The molecular structure of these cables has yet to be established. Here we show by electron microscopy that Thermatoga maritime MreB forms complex, several mum long multilayered sheets consisting of diagonally interwoven filaments in the presence of either ATP or GTP. This architecture, in agreement with recent rheological measurements on MreB cables, may have superior mechanical properties and could be an important feature for maintaining bacterial cell shape. MreB polymers within the sheets appear to be single-stranded helical filaments rather than the linear protofilaments found in the MreB crystal structure. Sheet assembly occurs over a wide range of pH, ionic strength, and temperature. Polymerization kinetics are consistent with a cooperative assembly mechanism requiring only two steps: monomer activation followed by elongation. Steady-state TIRF microscopy studies of MreB suggest filament treadmilling while high pressure small angle x-ray scattering measurements indicate that the stability of MreB polymers is similar to that of F-actin filaments. In the presence of ADP or GDP, long, thin cables formed in which MreB was arranged in parallel as linear protofilaments. This suggests that the bacterial cell may exploit various nucleotides to generate different filament structures within cables for specific MreB-based functions.

Shaping meiotic chromosomes with SUMO: a feedback loop controls the assembly of the synaptonemal complex in budding yeast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hideo Tsubouchi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The synaptonemal complex (SC is a meiosis-specific chromosomal structure in which homologous chromosomes are intimately linked through arrays of specialized proteins called transverse filaments (TF. Widely conserved in eukaryote meiosis, the SC forms during prophase I and is essential for accurate segregation of homologous chromosomes at meiosis I. However, the basic mechanism overlooking formation and regulation of the SC has been poorly understood. By using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we recently showed that SC formation is controlled through the attachment of multiple molecules of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO to a regulator of TF assembly. Intriguingly, this SUMOylation is activated by TF, implicating the involvement of a positive feedback loop in the control of SC assembly. We discuss the implication of this finding and possible involvement of a similar mechanism in regulating other processes.

Stochastic Severing of Actin Filaments by Actin Depolymerizing Factor/Cofilin Controls the Emergence of a Steady Dynamical Regime

Science.gov (United States)

Roland, Jeremy; Berro, Julien; Michelot, Alphée; Blanchoin, Laurent; Martiel, Jean-Louis

2008-01-01

Actin dynamics (i.e., polymerization/depolymerization) powers a large number of cellular processes. However, a great deal remains to be learned to explain the rapid actin filament turnover observed in vivo. Here, we developed a minimal kinetic model that describes key details of actin filament dynamics in the presence of actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin. We limited the molecular mechanism to 1), the spontaneous growth of filaments by polymerization of actin monomers, 2), the ageing of actin subunits in filaments, 3), the cooperative binding of ADF/cofilin to actin filament subunits, and 4), filament severing by ADF/cofilin. First, from numerical simulations and mathematical analysis, we found that the average filament length, 〈L〉, is controlled by the concentration of actin monomers (power law: 5/6) and ADF/cofilin (power law: −2/3). We also showed that the average subunit residence time inside the filament, 〈T〉, depends on the actin monomer (power law: −1/6) and ADF/cofilin (power law: −2/3) concentrations. In addition, filament length fluctuations are ∼20% of the average filament length. Moreover, ADF/cofilin fragmentation while modulating filament length keeps filaments in a high molar ratio of ATP- or ADP-Pi versus ADP-bound subunits. This latter property has a protective effect against a too high severing activity of ADF/cofilin. We propose that the activity of ADF/cofilin in vivo is under the control of an affinity gradient that builds up dynamically along growing actin filaments. Our analysis shows that ADF/cofilin regulation maintains actin filaments in a highly dynamical state compatible with the cytoskeleton dynamics observed in vivo. PMID:18065447

Helical filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbieri, Nicholas; Lim, Khan; Durand, Magali; Baudelet, Matthieu; Richardson, Martin [Townes Laser Institute, CREOL—The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816 (United States); Hosseinimakarem, Zahra; Johnson, Eric [Micro-Photonics Laboratory – Center for Optical Material Science, Clemson, Anderson, South Carolina 29634 (United States)

2014-06-30

The shaping of laser-induced filamenting plasma channels into helical structures by guiding the process with a non-diffracting beam is demonstrated. This was achieved using a Bessel beam superposition to control the phase of an ultrafast laser beam possessing intensities sufficient to induce Kerr effect driven non-linear self-focusing. Several experimental methods were used to characterize the resulting beams and confirm the observed structures are laser air filaments.

Nuclear lamina and nuclear matrix organization in sperm pronuclei assembled in Xenopus egg extract.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, C; Jenkins, H; Goldberg, M W; Allen, T D; Hutchison, C J

1996-09-01

Nuclear lamina and matrices were prepared from sperm pronuclei assembled in Xenopus egg extracts using a fractionation and extraction procedure. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed that while chromatin was efficiently removed from nuclei during the extraction procedure, the distribution of lamins was unaffected. Consistent with this data, the amount of lamin B3, determined by immunoblotting, was not affected through the extraction procedure. Nuclear matrices were visualised in DGD sections by TEM. Within these sections filaments were observed both at the boundary of the nucleus (the lamina) and within the body of the nucleus (internal nuclear matrix filaments). To improve resolution, nuclear matrices were also prepared as whole mounts and viewed using field emission in lens scanning electron microscopy (FEISEM). This technique revealed two distinct networks of filaments. Filaments lying at the surface of nuclear matrices interconnected nuclear pores. These filaments were readily labelled with monoclonal anti-lamin B3 antibodies. Filaments lying within the body of the nuclear matrix were highly branched but were not readily labelled with antilamin B3 antibodies. Nuclear matrices were also prepared from sperm pronuclei assembled in lamin B3 depleted extracts. Using FEISEM, filaments were also detected in these preparations. However, these filaments were poorly organised and often appeared to aggregate. To confirm these results nuclear matrices were also observed as whole mounts using TEM. Nuclear matrices prepared from control nuclei contained a dense array of interconnected filaments. Many (but not all) of these filaments were labelled with anti-lamin B3 antibodies. In contrast, nuclear matrices prepared from "lamin depleted nuclei' contained poorly organised or aggregated filaments which were not specifically labelled with anti-lamin B3 antibodies.

Dependence of the length of solar filament threads on the magnetic configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Yu-Hao; Chen Peng-Fei; Fang Cheng; Zhang Qing-Min

2014-01-01

High-resolution Hα observations indicate that filaments consist of an assembly of thin threads. In quiescent filaments, the threads are generally short, whereas in active region filaments, the threads are generally long. In order to explain these observational features, we performed one-dimensional radiative hydrodynamic simulations of filament formation along a dipped magnetic flux tube in the framework of the chromospheric evaporation-coronal condensation model. The geometry of a dipped magnetic flux tube is characterized by three parameters, i.e., the depth (D), the half-width (w) and the altitude (h) of the magnetic dip. A survey of the parameters in numerical simulations shows that when allowing the filament thread to grow in 5 days, the maximum length (L th ) of the filament thread increases linearly with w, and decreases linearly with D and h. The dependence is fitted into a linear function L th = 0.84w − 0.88D − 2.78h+17.31(Mm). Such a relation can qualitatively explain why quiescent filaments have shorter threads and active region filaments have longer threads

Shock buffer for nuclear control assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bevilacqua, F.

1977-01-01

A shock buffer is provided for the gradual deceleration of a rapidly descending control element assembly in a nuclear reactor. The interactive buffer components are associated respectively with the movable control element assembly and part of the upper guide structure independent of and spaced from the fuel assemblies of the reactor

Flux Cancellation Leading to CME Filament Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Popescu, Roxana M.; Panesar, Navdeep K.; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.

2016-01-01

Solar filaments are strands of relatively cool, dense plasma magnetically suspended in the lower density hotter solar corona. They trace magnetic polarity inversion lines (PILs) in the photosphere below, and are supported against gravity at heights of up to approx.100 Mm above the chromosphere by the magnetic field in and around them. This field erupts when it is rendered unstable, often by magnetic flux cancellation or emergence at or near the PIL. We have studied the evolution of photospheric magnetic flux leading to ten observed filament eruptions. Specifically, we look for gradual magnetic changes in the neighborhood of the PIL prior to and during eruption. We use Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), and magnetograms from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), both on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), to study filament eruptions and their photospheric magnetic fields. We examine whether flux cancellation or/and emergence leads to filament eruptions. We find that continuous flux cancellation was present at the PIL for many hours prior to each eruption. We present two CME-producing eruptions in detail and find the following: (a) the pre-eruption filament-holding core field is highly sheared and appears in the shape of a sigmoid above the PIL; (b) at the start of the eruption the opposite arms of the sigmoid reconnect in the middle above the site of (tether-cutting) flux cancellation at the PIL; (c) the filaments first show a slow-rise, followed by a fast-rise as they erupt. We conclude that these two filament eruptions result from flux cancellation in the middle of the sheared field, and thereafter evolve in agreement with the standard model for a CME/flare filament eruption from a closed bipolar magnetic field [flux cancellation (van Ballegooijen and Martens 1989 and Moore and Roumelrotis 1992) and runaway tether-cutting (Moore et. al 2001)].

Snubber assembly for a control rod drive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, J.C.

1978-01-01

A snubber cartridge assembly is mounted to the nozzle of a control rod drive mechanism to insure that the snubber assembly will be located within the liquid filled section of a nuclear reactor vessel whenever the control rod drive is assembled thereto. The snubber assembly includes a piston mounted proximate to the control rod connecting end of the control rod drive leadscrew to allow the piston to travel within the liquid filled snubber cartridge and controllably exhaust liquid therefrom during a ''scram'' condition. The snubber cartridge provides three separate areas of increasing resistance to piston travel to insure a speedy but safe ''scram'' of the control rod into the reactor

Structure of a filament of stacked octamers of human DMC1 recombinase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Liqin; Luo, Yu

2013-01-01

Octameric rings of DMC1 stacked into filaments in the crystal. Similar DMC1–DNA filaments have been observed previously using electron microscopy. Eukaryal DMC1 proteins play a central role in homologous recombination in meiosis by assembling at the sites of programmed DNA double-strand breaks and carrying out a search for allelic DNA sequences located on homologous chromatids. They are close homologs of eukaryal Rad51 and archaeal RadA proteins and are remote homologs of bacterial RecA proteins. These recombinases (also called DNA strand-exchange proteins) promote a pivotal strand-exchange reaction between homologous single-stranded and double-stranded DNA substrates. An octameric form of a truncated human DMC1 devoid of its small N-terminal domain (residues 1–83) has been crystallized. The structure of the truncated DMC1 octamer is similar to that of the previously reported full-length DMC1 octamer, which has disordered N-terminal domains. In each protomer, only the ATP cap regions (Asp317–Glu323) show a noticeable conformational difference. The truncated DMC1 octamers further stack with alternate polarity into a filament. Similar filamentous assemblies of DMC1 have been observed to form on DNA by electron microscopy

Movement and equipositioning of plasmids by ParA filament disassembly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ringgaard, Simon; van Zon, Jeroen; Howard, Martin

2009-01-01

, plasmids consistently migrate behind disassembling ParA cytoskeletal structures, suggesting that ParA filaments pull plasmids by depolymerization. The perpetual cycles of ParA assembly and disassembly result in continuous relocation of plasmids, which, on time averaging, results in equidistribution...

Nuclear reactor control assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Negron, S.B.

1991-01-01

This patent describes an assembly for providing global power control in a nuclear reactor having the core split into two halves. It comprises a disk assembly formed from at least two disks each machined with an identical surface hole pattern such that rotation of one disk relative to the other causes the hole pattern to open or close, the disk assembly being positioned substantially at the longitudinal center of and coaxial with the core halves; and means for rotating at least one of the disks relative to the other

The Selective Autophagy Receptor p62 Forms a Flexible Filamentous Helical Scaffold

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodolfo Ciuffa

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The scaffold protein p62/SQSTM1 is involved in protein turnover and signaling and is commonly found in dense protein bodies in eukaryotic cells. In autophagy, p62 acts as a selective autophagy receptor that recognizes and shuttles ubiquitinated proteins to the autophagosome for degradation. The structural organization of p62 in cellular bodies and the interplay of these assemblies with ubiquitin and the autophagic marker LC3 remain to be elucidated. Here, we present a cryo-EM structural analysis of p62. Together with structures of assemblies from the PB1 domain, we show that p62 is organized in flexible polymers with the PB1 domain constituting a helical scaffold. Filamentous p62 is capable of binding LC3 and addition of long ubiquitin chains induces disassembly and shortening of filaments. These studies explain how p62 assemblies provide a large molecular scaffold for the nascent autophagosome and reveal how they can bind ubiquitinated cargo.

Control rod guide tube assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jabsen, F.S.

1979-01-01

A nuclear fuel assembly including sleeves telescoped over end portions of control rod guide tubes which bear against internal shoulders of the sleeves. Upper ends of the sleeves protrude beyond a control rod guide tube spider and are locked in place by means of a resilient cellular lattice or lock that is seated in mating grooves in the outer surfaces of the sleeves. A grapple is provided for disengaging the entire lock structure spider and associated washers, springs and a grill from the end of the fuel assembly in order to enable these components to be removed and subsequently replaced on the fuel assembly after inspection and repair. (UK)

Filament heater current modulation for increased filament lifetime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, J.D.; Williams, H.E. III.

1996-01-01

The surface conversion H-minus ion source employs two 60 mil tungsten filaments which are approximately 17 centimeters in length. These filaments are heated to approximately 2,800 degrees centigrade by 95--100 amperes of DC heater current. The arc is struck at a 120 hertz rate, for 800 microseconds and is generally run at 30 amperes peak current. Although sputtering is considered a contributing factor in the demise of the filament, evaporation is of greater concern. If the peak arc current can be maintained with less average heater current, the filament evaporation rate for this arc current will diminish. In the vacuum of an ion source, the authors expect the filaments to retain much of their heat throughout a 1 millisecond (12% duty) loss of heater current. A circuit to eliminate 100 ampere heater currents from filaments during the arc pulse was developed. The magnetic field due to the 100 ampere current tends to hold electrons to the filament, decreasing the arc current. By eliminating this magnetic field, the arc should be more efficient, allowing the filaments to run at a lower average heater current. This should extend the filament lifetime. The circuit development and preliminary filament results are discussed

Evaluation of plant-wide WWTP control strategies including the effects of filamentous bulking sludge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flores Alsina, Xavier; Comas, J.S.; Rodríguez Roda, I.

2009-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the effect of filamentous bulking sludge on the predicted performance of simulated plant-wide WWTP control strategies. First, as a reference case, several control strategies are implemented, simulated and evaluated using the IWA Benchmark Simulation...

Decidable and undecidable arithmetic functions in actin filament networks

Science.gov (United States)

Schumann, Andrew

2018-01-01

The plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum is very sensitive to its environment, and reacts to stimuli with appropriate motions. Both the sensory and motor stages of these reactions are explained by hydrodynamic processes, based on fluid dynamics, with the participation of actin filament networks. This paper is devoted to actin filament networks as a computational medium. The point is that actin filaments, with contributions from many other proteins like myosin, are sensitive to extracellular stimuli (attractants as well as repellents), and appear and disappear at different places in the cell to change aspects of the cell structure—e.g. its shape. By assembling and disassembling actin filaments, some unicellular organisms, like Amoeba proteus, can move in response to various stimuli. As a result, these organisms can be considered a simple reversible logic gate—extracellular signals being its inputs and motions its outputs. In this way, we can implement various logic gates on amoeboid behaviours. These networks can embody arithmetic functions within p-adic valued logic. Furthermore, within these networks we can define the so-called diagonalization for deducing undecidable arithmetic functions.

PRE-ERUPTION OSCILLATIONS IN THIN AND LONG FEATURES IN A QUIESCENT FILAMENT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joshi, Anand D.; Hanaoka, Yoichiro; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Morita, Satoshi; Yurchyshyn, Vasyl; Cho, Kyung-Suk

2016-01-01

We investigate the eruption of a quiescent filament located close to an active region. Large-scale activation was observed in only half of the filament in the form of pre-eruption oscillations. Consequently only this half erupted nearly 30 hr after the oscillations commenced. Time-slice diagrams of 171 Å images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly were used to study the oscillations. These were observed in several thin and long features connecting the filament spine to the chromosphere below. This study traces the origin of such features and proposes their possible interpretation. Small-scale magnetic flux cancellation accompanied by a brightening was observed at the footpoint of the features shortly before their appearance, in images recorded by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager. A slow rise of the filament was detected in addition to the oscillations, indicating a gradual loss of equilibrium. Our analysis indicates that a change in magnetic field connectivity between two neighbouring active regions and the quiescent filament resulted in a weakening of the overlying arcade of the filament, leading to its eruption. It is also suggested that the oscillating features are filament barbs, and the oscillations are a manifestation during the pre-eruption phase of the filaments.

PRE-ERUPTION OSCILLATIONS IN THIN AND LONG FEATURES IN A QUIESCENT FILAMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joshi, Anand D.; Hanaoka, Yoichiro; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Morita, Satoshi [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Yurchyshyn, Vasyl; Cho, Kyung-Suk, E-mail: anand.joshi@nao.ac.jp [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-20

We investigate the eruption of a quiescent filament located close to an active region. Large-scale activation was observed in only half of the filament in the form of pre-eruption oscillations. Consequently only this half erupted nearly 30 hr after the oscillations commenced. Time-slice diagrams of 171 Å images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly were used to study the oscillations. These were observed in several thin and long features connecting the filament spine to the chromosphere below. This study traces the origin of such features and proposes their possible interpretation. Small-scale magnetic flux cancellation accompanied by a brightening was observed at the footpoint of the features shortly before their appearance, in images recorded by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager. A slow rise of the filament was detected in addition to the oscillations, indicating a gradual loss of equilibrium. Our analysis indicates that a change in magnetic field connectivity between two neighbouring active regions and the quiescent filament resulted in a weakening of the overlying arcade of the filament, leading to its eruption. It is also suggested that the oscillating features are filament barbs, and the oscillations are a manifestation during the pre-eruption phase of the filaments.

Intermediate Filaments at the Junction of Mechanotransduction, Migration, and Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rucha Sanghvi-Shah

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Mechanically induced signal transduction has an essential role in development. Cells actively transduce and respond to mechanical signals and their internal architecture must manage the associated forces while also being dynamically responsive. With unique assembly-disassembly dynamics and physical properties, cytoplasmic intermediate filaments play an important role in regulating cell shape and mechanical integrity. While this function has been recognized and appreciated for more than 30 years, continually emerging data also demonstrate important roles of intermediate filaments in cell signal transduction. In this review, with a particular focus on keratins and vimentin, the relationship between the physical state of intermediate filaments and their role in mechanotransduction signaling is illustrated through a survey of current literature. Association with adhesion receptors such as cadherins and integrins provides a critical interface through which intermediate filaments are exposed to forces from a cell's environment. As a consequence, these cytoskeletal networks are posttranslationally modified, remodeled and reorganized with direct impacts on local signal transduction events and cell migratory behaviors important to development. We propose that intermediate filaments provide an opportune platform for cells to both cope with mechanical forces and modulate signal transduction.

Snubber assembly for a control rod drive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

A snubber cartridge assembly is described which is mounted to the nozzle of a control rod drive mechanism to insure that it will be located within the liquid filled section of a nuclear reactor vessel whenever the control rod drive is assembled thereto. The snubber assembly includes a piston-mounted proximate to the control rod connecting end of the control rod drive leadscrew to allow the piston to travel within the liquid filled snubber cartridge and controllable exhaust the liquid during a 'scram' condition. The snubber cartridge provides three separate areas of increasing resistance to piston travel to insure a speedy but safe 'scram' of the control rod into the reactor

Shock buffer for nuclear control element assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bevilacqua, F.

1977-01-01

A shock buffer for a control element assembly in a nuclear reactor is described, comprising a piston and a cylinder. The piston is affixed to and extends upward from the control rod guide structure; the cylinder is supported by the upper portion of the control element assembly and is vertically oriented with open end downward for receiving the piston. Coolant liquid normally has free access to the cylinder. The piston displaces liquid from the cylinder when inserted, thereby decelerating the control element assembly near its lower extent of travel. (LL)

Functions of nonmuscle myosin II in assembly of the cellular contractile system.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Shutova

Full Text Available The contractile system of nonmuscle cells consists of interconnected actomyosin networks and bundles anchored to focal adhesions. The initiation of the contractile system assembly is poorly understood structurally and mechanistically, whereas system's maturation heavily depends on nonmuscle myosin II (NMII. Using platinum replica electron microscopy in combination with fluorescence microscopy, we characterized the structural mechanisms of the contractile system assembly and roles of NMII at early stages of this process. We show that inhibition of NMII by a specific inhibitor, blebbistatin, in addition to known effects, such as disassembly of stress fibers and mature focal adhesions, also causes transformation of lamellipodia into unattached ruffles, loss of immature focal complexes, loss of cytoskeleton-associated NMII filaments and peripheral accumulation of activated, but unpolymerized NMII. After blebbistatin washout, assembly of the contractile system begins with quick and coordinated recovery of lamellipodia and focal complexes that occurs before reappearance of NMII bipolar filaments. The initial formation of focal complexes and subsequent assembly of NMII filaments preferentially occurred in association with filopodial bundles and concave actin bundles formed by filopodial roots at the lamellipodial base. Over time, accumulating NMII filaments help to transform the precursor structures, focal complexes and associated thin bundles, into stress fibers and mature focal adhesions. However, semi-sarcomeric organization of stress fibers develops at much slower rate. Together, our data suggest that activation of NMII motor activity by light chain phosphorylation occurs at the cell edge and is uncoupled from NMII assembly into bipolar filaments. We propose that activated, but unpolymerized NMII initiates focal complexes, thus providing traction for lamellipodial protrusion. Subsequently, the mechanical resistance of focal complexes activates a

Role of Intermediate Filaments in Vesicular Traffic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azzurra Margiotta

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Intermediate filaments are an important component of the cellular cytoskeleton. The first established role attributed to intermediate filaments was the mechanical support to cells. However, it is now clear that intermediate filaments have many different roles affecting a variety of other biological functions, such as the organization of microtubules and microfilaments, the regulation of nuclear structure and activity, the control of cell cycle and the regulation of signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, a number of intermediate filament proteins have been involved in the acquisition of tumorigenic properties. Over the last years, a strong involvement of intermediate filament proteins in the regulation of several aspects of intracellular trafficking has strongly emerged. Here, we review the functions of intermediate filaments proteins focusing mainly on the recent knowledge gained from the discovery that intermediate filaments associate with key proteins of the vesicular membrane transport machinery. In particular, we analyze the current understanding of the contribution of intermediate filaments to the endocytic pathway.

Self-assembly behaviours of peptide-drug conjugates: influence of multiple factors on aggregate morphology and potential self-assembly mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Qin; Ji, Yujie; Wang, Jingjing; Wu, Li; Li, Weidong; Chen, Rui; Chen, Zhipeng

2018-04-01

Peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) as self-assembly prodrugs have the unique and specific features to build one-component nanomedicines. Supramolecular structure based on PDCs could form various morphologies ranging from nanotube, nanofibre, nanobelt to hydrogel. However, the assembly process of PDCs is too complex to predict or control. Herein, we investigated the effects of extrinsic factors on assembly morphology and the possible formation of nanostructures based on PDCs. To this end, we designed a PDC consisting of hydrophobic drug (S)-ketoprofen (Ket) and valine-glutamic acid dimeric repeats peptide (L-VEVE) to study their assembly behaviour. Our results showed that the critical assembly concentration of Ket-L-VEVE was 0.32 mM in water to form various nanostructures which experienced from micelle, nanorod, nanofibre to nanoribbon. The morphology was influenced by multiple factors including molecular design, assembly time, pH and hydrogen bond inhibitor. On the basis of experimental results, we speculated the possible assembly mechanism of Ket-L-VEVE. The π-π stacking interaction between Ket molecules could serve as an anchor, and hydrogen bonded-induced β-sheets and hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance between L-VEVE peptide play structure-directing role in forming filament-like or nanoribbon morphology. This work provides a new sight to rationally design and precisely control the nanostructure of PDCs based on aromatic fragment.

A novel model-based control strategy for aerobic filamentous fungal fed-batch fermentation processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mears, Lisa; Stocks, Stuart M.; Albaek, Mads O.

2017-01-01

A novel model-based control strategy has been developed for filamentous fungal fed-batch fermentation processes. The system of interest is a pilot scale (550 L) filamentous fungus process operating at Novozymes A/S. In such processes, it is desirable to maximize the total product achieved...... is recursively updated using on-line measurements. The model was applied in order to predict the current system states, including the biomass concentration, and to simulate the expected future trajectory of the system until a specified end time. In this way, the desired feed rate is updated along the progress...

Design and optimize of 3-axis filament winding machine

Science.gov (United States)

Quanjin, Ma; Rejab, M. R. M.; Idris, M. S.; Bachtiar, B.; Siregar, J. P.; Harith, M. N.

2017-10-01

Filament winding technique is developed as the primary process for composite cylindrical structures fabrication at low cost. Fibres are wound on a rotating mandrel by a filament winding machine where resin impregnated fibres pass through a pay-out eye. This paper aims to develop and optimize a 3-axis, lightweight, practical, efficient, portable filament winding machine to satisfy the customer demand, which can fabricate pipes and round shape cylinders with resins. There are 3 main units on the 3-axis filament winding machine, which are the rotary unit, the delivery unit and control system unit. Comparison with previous existing filament winding machines in the factory, it has 3 degrees of freedom and can fabricate more complex shape specimens based on the mandrel shape and particular control system. The machine has been designed and fabricated on 3 axes movements with control system. The x-axis is for movement of the carriage, the y-axis is the rotation of mandrel and the z-axis is the movement of the pay-out eye. Cylindrical specimens with different dimensions and winding angles were produced. 3-axis automated filament winding machine has been successfully designed with simple control system.

Light-Controlled Swarming and Assembly of Colloidal Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianhua Zhang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Swarms and assemblies are ubiquitous in nature and they can perform complex collective behaviors and cooperative functions that they cannot accomplish individually. In response to light, some colloidal particles (CPs, including light active and passive CPs, can mimic their counterparts in nature and organize into complex structures that exhibit collective functions with remote controllability and high temporospatial precision. In this review, we firstly analyze the structural characteristics of swarms and assemblies of CPs and point out that light-controlled swarming and assembly of CPs are generally achieved by constructing light-responsive interactions between CPs. Then, we summarize in detail the recent advances in light-controlled swarming and assembly of CPs based on the interactions arisen from optical forces, photochemical reactions, photothermal effects, and photoisomerizations, as well as their potential applications. In the end, we also envision some challenges and future prospects of light-controlled swarming and assembly of CPs. With the increasing innovations in mechanisms and control strategies with easy operation, low cost, and arbitrary applicability, light-controlled swarming and assembly of CPs may be employed to manufacture programmable materials and reconfigurable robots for cooperative grasping, collective cargo transportation, and micro- and nanoengineering.

Renovating process for Pressurized Water Reactor control rod assemblies and corresponding control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahnke, S.; Ple, P.

1989-01-01

In the first PWRs the control rods are moving by the intermediary of electromagnetic mechanisms where the power fed to the electromagnets is selected by a hard wired logic circuit connected to the controldesh by another logic control. For renovating the control rod assemblies each power assembly is replaced by an electronic assembly containing an ordinator and power supply interfaces [fr

Actin-interacting protein 1 controls assembly and permeability of intestinal epithelial apical junctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lechuga, Susana; Baranwal, Somesh; Ivanov, Andrei I

2015-05-01

Adherens junctions (AJs) and tight junctions (TJs) are crucial regulators of the integrity and restitution of the intestinal epithelial barrier. The structure and function of epithelial junctions depend on their association with the cortical actin cytoskeleton that, in polarized epithelial cells, is represented by a prominent perijunctional actomyosin belt. The assembly and stability of the perijunctional cytoskeleton is controlled by constant turnover (disassembly and reassembly) of actin filaments. Actin-interacting protein (Aip) 1 is an emerging regulator of the actin cytoskeleton, playing a critical role in filament disassembly. In this study, we examined the roles of Aip1 in regulating the structure and remodeling of AJs and TJs in human intestinal epithelium. Aip1 was enriched at apical junctions in polarized human intestinal epithelial cells and normal mouse colonic mucosa. Knockdown of Aip1 by RNA interference increased the paracellular permeability of epithelial cell monolayers, decreased recruitment of AJ/TJ proteins to steady-state intercellular contacts, and attenuated junctional reassembly in a calcium-switch model. The observed defects of AJ/TJ structure and functions were accompanied by abnormal organization and dynamics of the perijunctional F-actin cytoskeleton. Moreover, loss of Aip1 impaired the apico-basal polarity of intestinal epithelial cell monolayers and inhibited formation of polarized epithelial cysts in 3-D Matrigel. Our findings demonstrate a previously unanticipated role of Aip1 in regulating the structure and remodeling of intestinal epithelial junctions and early steps of epithelial morphogenesis. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Consequences of Molecular-Scale Non-Equilibrium Activity on the Dynamics and Mechanics of Self-Assembled Actin-Based Structures and Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall Mccall, Patrick

-equilibrium turnover on the steady-state properties of collections of filaments remained unclear. Here, I reconstituted tunable, non-equilibrium actin turnover dynamics in entangled solutions of actin filaments as a model of the actin cortex of living cells. We found that this non-equilibrium turnover decouples solution mechanics from microstructure, enabling structurally indistinguishable materials to behave effectively as either viscous fluids or elastic gels. Additionally, we employed computer simulations to identify the dynamical regime in which actin turnover controls the effective viscosity of 2D cross-linked actin networks in the presence of motors. Additionally, I examine in this thesis the localization and self-assembly of actin filaments in condensed liquid phases called polyelectrolyte coacervates as a model membrane-less organelle. We find that concentration of actin through spontaneous partitioning preferentially to the coacervate phase accelerates the assembly of filaments. These filaments then localize to the coacervate-bulk interface, generating particles with visco-elastic shells surrounding liquid cores. In this case, the properties of the condensed phase enable regulation of actin assembly dynamics.

Cations Stiffen Actin Filaments by Adhering a Key Structural Element to Adjacent Subunits

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Ions regulate the assembly and mechanical properties of actin filaments. Recent work using structural bioinformatics and site-specific mutagenesis favors the existence of two discrete and specific divalent cation binding sites on actin filaments, positioned in the long axis between actin subunits. Cation binding at one site drives polymerization, while the other modulates filament stiffness and plays a role in filament severing by the regulatory protein, cofilin. Existing structural methods have not been able to resolve filament-associated cations, and so in this work we turn to molecular dynamics simulations to suggest a candidate binding pocket geometry for each site and to elucidate the mechanism by which occupancy of the “stiffness site” affects filament mechanical properties. Incorporating a magnesium ion in the “polymerization site” does not seem to require any large-scale change to an actin subunit’s conformation. Binding of a magnesium ion in the “stiffness site” adheres the actin DNase-binding loop (D-loop) to its long-axis neighbor, which increases the filament torsional stiffness and bending persistence length. Our analysis shows that bound D-loops occupy a smaller region of accessible conformational space. Cation occupancy buries key conserved residues of the D-loop, restricting accessibility to regulatory proteins and enzymes that target these amino acids. PMID:27146246

Binding and assembly of actin filaments by plasma membranes from dictyostelium discoideum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, M.A.; Luna, E.J.

1986-01-01

The binding of native, 125 I-Bolton-Hunter-labeled actin to purified Dictyostelium discoideum plasma membranes was measured using a sedimentation assay. Binding was saturable only in the presence of the actin capping protein, gelsolin. The binding curves were sigmoidal, indicating positive cooperativity at low actin concentrations. This cooperativity appeared to be due to actin-actin associations during polymerization, since phalloidin converted the curve to a hyperbolic shape. This membrane-bound actin stained with rhodamine-phalloidin and was cross-linked by m-maleimidobenzoyl succinimide ester, a bifunctional cross-linker, into multimers with the same pattern observed for cross-linked F-actin. The authors conclude that D. discoideum plasma membranes bind actin specifically and saturably and that these membranes organize actin into filaments below the normal critical concentration for polymerization. This interaction probably occurs between multiple binding sites on the membrane and the side of the actin filament, and may be related to the clustering of membrane proteins

Structure of human Rad51 protein filament from molecular modeling and site-specific linear dichroism spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Reymer, A.

2009-07-08

To get mechanistic insight into the DNA strand-exchange reaction of homologous recombination, we solved a filament structure of a human Rad51 protein, combining molecular modeling with experimental data. We build our structure on reported structures for central and N-terminal parts of pure (uncomplexed) Rad51 protein by aid of linear dichroism spectroscopy, providing angular orientations of substituted tyrosine residues of Rad51-dsDNA filaments in solution. The structure, validated by comparison with an electron microscopy density map and results from mutation analysis, is proposed to represent an active solution structure of the nucleo-protein complex. An inhomogeneously stretched double-stranded DNA fitted into the filament emphasizes the strategic positioning of 2 putative DNA-binding loops in a way that allows us speculate about their possibly distinct roles in nucleo-protein filament assembly and DNA strand-exchange reaction. The model suggests that the extension of a single-stranded DNA molecule upon binding of Rad51 is ensured by intercalation of Tyr-232 of the L1 loop, which might act as a docking tool, aligning protein monomers along the DNA strand upon filament assembly. Arg-235, also sitting on L1, is in the right position to make electrostatic contact with the phosphate backbone of the other DNA strand. The L2 loop position and its more ordered compact conformation makes us propose that this loop has another role, as a binding site for an incoming double-stranded DNA. Our filament structure and spectroscopic approach open the possibility of analyzing details along the multistep path of the strand-exchange reaction.

STEM Analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans muscle thick filaments: evidence for microdifferentiated substructures

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, S. A.; Haner, M.; Ortiz, I.; Aebi, U.; Epstein, H. F.

2001-01-01

In the thick filaments of body muscle in Caenorhabditis elegans, myosin A and myosin B isoforms and a subpopulation of paramyosin, a homologue of myosin heavy chain rods, are organized about a tubular core. As determined by scanning transmission electron microscopy, the thick filaments show a continuous decrease in mass-per-length (MPL) from their central zones to their polar regions. This is consistent with previously reported morphological studies and suggests that both their content and structural organization are microdifferentiated as a function of position. The cores are composed of a second distinct subpopulation of paramyosin in association with the alpha, beta, and gamma-filagenins. MPL measurements suggest that cores are formed from seven subfilaments containing four strands of paramyosin molecules, rather than the two originally proposed. The periodic locations of the filagenins within different regions and the presence of a central zone where myosin A is located, implies that the cores are also microdifferentiated with respect to molecular content and structure. This differentiation may result from a novel "induced strain" assembly mechanism based upon the interaction of the filagenins, paramyosin and myosin A. The cores may then serve as "differentiated templates" for the assembly of myosin B and paramyosin in the tapering, microdifferentiated polar regions of the thick filaments.

Axon initial segment cytoskeleton comprises a multiprotein submembranous coat containing sparse actin filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Steven L.; Korobova, Farida

2014-01-01

The axon initial segment (AIS) of differentiated neurons regulates action potential initiation and axon–dendritic polarity. The latter function depends on actin dynamics, but actin structure and functions at the AIS remain unclear. Using platinum replica electron microscopy (PREM), we have characterized the architecture of the AIS cytoskeleton in mature and developing hippocampal neurons. The AIS cytoskeleton assembly begins with bundling of microtubules and culminates in formation of a dense, fibrillar–globular coat over microtubule bundles. Immunogold PREM revealed that the coat contains a network of known AIS proteins, including ankyrin G, spectrin βIV, neurofascin, neuronal cell adhesion molecule, voltage-gated sodium channels, and actin filaments. Contrary to existing models, we find neither polarized actin arrays, nor dense actin meshworks in the AIS. Instead, the AIS contains two populations of sparse actin filaments: short, stable filaments and slightly longer dynamic filaments. We propose that stable actin filaments play a structural role for formation of the AIS diffusion barrier, whereas dynamic actin may promote AIS coat remodeling. PMID:24711503

Molecular Precision at Micrometer Length Scales: Hierarchical Assembly of DNA-Protein Nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiffels, Daniel; Szalai, Veronika A; Liddle, J Alexander

2017-07-25

Robust self-assembly across length scales is a ubiquitous feature of biological systems but remains challenging for synthetic structures. Taking a cue from biology-where disparate molecules work together to produce large, functional assemblies-we demonstrate how to engineer microscale structures with nanoscale features: Our self-assembly approach begins by using DNA polymerase to controllably create double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) sections on a single-stranded template. The single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) sections are then folded into a mechanically flexible skeleton by the origami method. This process simultaneously shapes the structure at the nanoscale and directs the large-scale geometry. The DNA skeleton guides the assembly of RecA protein filaments, which provides rigidity at the micrometer scale. We use our modular design strategy to assemble tetrahedral, rectangular, and linear shapes of defined dimensions. This method enables the robust construction of complex assemblies, greatly extending the range of DNA-based self-assembly methods.

Mutation-specific effects on thin filament length in thin filament myopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Josine M de; Joureau, Barbara; Lee, Eun-Jeong; Kiss, Balázs; Yuen, Michaela; Gupta, Vandana A; Pappas, Christopher T; Gregorio, Carol C; Stienen, Ger J M; Edvardson, Simon; Wallgren-Pettersson, Carina; Lehtokari, Vilma-Lotta; Pelin, Katarina; Malfatti, Edoardo; Romero, Norma B; Engelen, Baziel G van; Voermans, Nicol C; Donkervoort, Sandra; Bönnemann, C G; Clarke, Nigel F; Beggs, Alan H; Granzier, Henk; Ottenheijm, Coen A C

2016-06-01

Thin filament myopathies are among the most common nondystrophic congenital muscular disorders, and are caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins that are associated with the skeletal muscle thin filament. Mechanisms underlying muscle weakness are poorly understood, but might involve the length of the thin filament, an important determinant of force generation. We investigated the sarcomere length-dependence of force, a functional assay that provides insights into the contractile strength of muscle fibers as well as the length of the thin filaments, in muscle fibers from 51 patients with thin filament myopathy caused by mutations in NEB, ACTA1, TPM2, TPM3, TNNT1, KBTBD13, KLHL40, and KLHL41. Lower force generation was observed in muscle fibers from patients of all genotypes. In a subset of patients who harbor mutations in NEB and ACTA1, the lower force was associated with downward shifted force-sarcomere length relations, indicative of shorter thin filaments. Confocal microscopy confirmed shorter thin filaments in muscle fibers of these patients. A conditional Neb knockout mouse model, which recapitulates thin filament myopathy, revealed a compensatory mechanism; the lower force generation that was associated with shorter thin filaments was compensated for by increasing the number of sarcomeres in series. This allowed muscle fibers to operate at a shorter sarcomere length and maintain optimal thin-thick filament overlap. These findings might provide a novel direction for the development of therapeutic strategies for thin filament myopathy patients with shortened thin filament lengths. Ann Neurol 2016;79:959-969. © 2016 American Neurological Association.

Radiological characterization of spent control rod assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lepel, E.A.; Robertson, D.E.; Thomas, C.W.; Pratt, S.L.; Haggard, D.L.

1995-10-01

This document represents the final report of an ongoing study to provide radiological characterizations, classifications, and assessments in support of the decommissioning of nuclear power stations. This report describes the results of non-destructive and laboratory radionuclide measurements, as well as waste classification assessments, of BWR and PWR spent control rod assemblies. The radionuclide inventories of these spent control rods were determined by three separate methodologies, including (1) direct assay techniques, (2) calculational techniques, and (3) by sampling and laboratory radiochemical analyses. For the BWR control rod blade (CRB) and PWR burnable poison rod assembly (BPRA), 60 Co and 63 Ni, present in the stainless steel cladding, were the most abundant neutron activation products. The most abundant radionuclide in the PWR rod cluster control assembly (RCCA) was 108m Ag (130 yr halflife) produced in the Ag-In-Cd alloy used as the neutron poison. This radionuclide will be the dominant contributor to the gamma dose rate for many hundreds of years. The results of the direct assay methods agree very well (±10%) with the sampling/radiochemical measurements. The results of the calculational methods agreed fairly well with the empirical measurements for the BPRA, but often varied by a factor of 5 to 10 for the CRB and the RCCA assemblies. If concentration averaging and encapsulation, as allowed by 10CFR61.55, is performed, then each of the entire control assemblies would be classified as Class C low-level radioactive waste

A Polymerization-Associated Structural Switch in FtsZ That Enables Treadmilling of Model Filaments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James M. Wagstaff

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Bacterial cell division in many organisms involves a constricting cytokinetic ring that is orchestrated by the tubulin-like protein FtsZ. FtsZ forms dynamic filaments close to the membrane at the site of division that have recently been shown to treadmill around the division ring, guiding septal wall synthesis. Here, using X-ray crystallography of Staphylococcus aureus FtsZ (SaFtsZ, we reveal how an FtsZ can adopt two functionally distinct conformations, open and closed. The open form is found in SaFtsZ filaments formed in crystals and also in soluble filaments of Escherichia coli FtsZ as deduced by electron cryomicroscopy. The closed form is found within several crystal forms of two nonpolymerizing SaFtsZ mutants and corresponds to many previous FtsZ structures from other organisms. We argue that FtsZ’s conformational switch is polymerization-associated, driven by the formation of the longitudinal intersubunit interfaces along the filament. We show that such a switch provides explanations for both how treadmilling may occur within a single-stranded filament and why filament assembly is cooperative.

Control rod guide tube assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jabsen, F.S.

1982-01-01

An improved fuel assembly is described as consisting of a sleeve that engages one end of a control rod guide tube essentially fixing the guide tube to one of the fuel assembly end structures. The end of the sleeve protrudes above the surface of the end fitting. The outer surface of the sleeve has a peripheral groove that engages the resilient sides of a cellular grid or lattice shaped lock. This lock fixes the sleeve in position between the various elements that comprise the end fitting, thereby eliminating a profusion of costly and potentially troublesome nuts, threaded studs and the like that are frequently employed in the fuel assemblies that are presently in use

Extending Femtosecond Filamentation of High Power Laser Propagating in the Atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenmann, Shmuel; Sivan, Yonatan; Fibich, Gadi; Zigler, Arie

2008-06-01

We show experimentally for ultrashort laser pulses propagating in air, that the filamentation distance of intense laser pulses in the atmosphere can be extended and controlled with a simple double-lens setup. Using this method we were able to achieve a 20-fold delay of the filamentation distance of non-chirped 120 fs pulses propagating in air, from 16 m to 330 m. At 330 m, the collapsing pulse is sufficiently powerful to create plasma filaments. We also show that the scatter of the filaments at 330 m can be significantly reduced by tilting the second lens. We derive a simple formula for the filamentation distance, and confirm its agreement with the experimental results. We also observe that delaying the onset of filamentation increases the filament length. To the best of our knowledge, this is the longest distance reported in the literature at which plasma filaments were created and controlled. Finally, we show that the peak power at the onset of collapse is significantly higher with the double-lens setup, compared with the standard negative chirping approach.

Reconstitutable control assembly having removable control rods with detachable split upper end plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gjertsen, R.K.; Knott, R.P.; Sparrow, J.A.

1989-01-01

This patent describes, in a reconstitutable control assembly for use with a nuclear fuel assembly, the control assembly including a spider structure and at least one control rod, an attachment joint for detachable fastening the control rod to the spider structure. The attachment joint comprising: a hollow connecting finger on the spider structure; and an elongated detachable split upper end plug on the control rod having a pair of separate upper and lower plug portions, the upper plug portion having integrally-connected tandemly- arranged upper, middle and lower sections. The lower plug portion having integrally-connected tandemly-arranged upper, middle and lower segments

Modeling Vertical Plasma Flows in Solar Filament Barbs

Science.gov (United States)

Litvinenko, Y.

2003-12-01

Speeds of observed flows in quiescent solar filaments are typically much less than the local Alfvén speed. This is why the flows in filament barbs can be modeled by perturbing a local magnetostatic solution describing the balance between the Lorentz force, gravity, and gas pressure in a barb. Similarly, large-scale filament flows can be treated as adiabatically slow deformations of a force-free magnetic equilibrium that describes the global structure of a filament. This approach reconciles current theoretical models with the puzzling observational result that some of the flows appear to be neither aligned with the magnetic field nor controlled by gravity.

Optical spectroscopy using gas-phase femtosecond laser filamentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Odhner, Johanan; Levis, Robert

2014-01-01

Femtosecond laser filamentation occurs as a dynamic balance between the self-focusing and plasma defocusing of a laser pulse to produce ultrashort radiation as brief as a few optical cycles. This unique source has many properties that make it attractive as a nonlinear optical tool for spectroscopy, such as propagation at high intensities over extended distances, self-shortening, white-light generation, and the formation of an underdense plasma. The plasma channel that constitutes a single filament and whose position in space can be controlled by its input parameters can span meters-long distances, whereas multifilamentation of a laser beam can be sustained up to hundreds of meters in the atmosphere. In this review, we briefly summarize the current understanding and use of laser filaments for spectroscopic investigations of molecules. A theoretical framework of filamentation is presented, along with recent experimental evidence supporting the established understanding of filamentation. Investigations carried out on vibrational and rotational spectroscopy, filament-induced breakdown, fluorescence spectroscopy, and backward lasing are discussed.

The Effects of Hsp90α1 Mutations on Myosin Thick Filament Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Qiuxia; Liu, Kechun; Tian, Zhenjun; Du, Shao Jun

2015-01-01

Heat shock protein 90α plays a key role in myosin folding and thick filament assembly in muscle cells. To assess the structure and function of Hsp90α and its potential regulation by post-translational modification, we developed a combined knockdown and rescue assay in zebrafish embryos to systematically analyze the effects of various mutations on Hsp90α function in myosin thick filament organization. DNA constructs expressing the Hsp90α1 mutants with altered putative ATP binding, phosphorylation, acetylation or methylation sites were co-injected with Hsp90α1 specific morpholino into zebrafish embryos. Myosin thick filament organization was analyzed in skeletal muscles of the injected embryos by immunostaining. The results showed that mutating the conserved D90 residue in the Hsp90α1 ATP binding domain abolished its function in thick filament organization. In addition, phosphorylation mimicking mutations of T33D, T33E and T87E compromised Hsp90α1 function in myosin thick filament organization. Similarly, K287Q acetylation mimicking mutation repressed Hsp90α1 function in myosin thick filament organization. In contrast, K206R and K608R hypomethylation mimicking mutations had not effect on Hsp90α1 function in thick filament organization. Given that T33 and T87 are highly conserved residues involved post-translational modification (PTM) in yeast, mouse and human Hsp90 proteins, data from this study could indicate that Hsp90α1 function in myosin thick filament organization is potentially regulated by PTMs involving phosphorylation and acetylation.

Regulation of Contraction by the Thick Filaments in Skeletal Muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Irving, Malcolm

2017-12-19

Contraction of skeletal muscle cells is initiated by a well-known signaling pathway. An action potential in a motor nerve triggers an action potential in a muscle cell membrane, a transient increase of intracellular calcium concentration, binding of calcium to troponin in the actin-containing thin filaments, and a structural change in the thin filaments that allows myosin motors from the thick filaments to bind to actin and generate force. This calcium/thin filament mediated pathway provides the "START" signal for contraction, but it is argued that the functional response of the muscle cell, including the speed of its contraction and relaxation, adaptation to the external load, and the metabolic cost of contraction is largely determined by additional mechanisms. This review considers the role of the thick filaments in those mechanisms, and puts forward a paradigm for the control of contraction in skeletal muscle in which both the thick and thin filaments have a regulatory function. The OFF state of the thick filament is characterized by helical packing of most of the myosin head or motor domains on the thick filament surface in a conformation that makes them unavailable for actin binding or ATP hydrolysis, although a small fraction of the myosin heads are constitutively ON. The availability of the majority fraction of the myosin heads for contraction is controlled in part by the external load on the muscle, so that these heads only attach to actin and hydrolyze ATP when they are required. This phenomenon seems to be the major determinant of the well-known force-velocity relationship of muscle, and controls the metabolic cost of contraction. The regulatory state of the thick filament also seems to control the dynamics of both muscle activation and relaxation. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tracking Filament Evolution in the Low Solar Corona Using Remote Sensing and In Situ Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Kocher, Manan; Landi, Enrico; Lepri, Susan. T.

2018-06-01

In the present work, we analyze a filament eruption associated with an interplanetary coronal mass ejection that arrived at L1 on 2011 August 5. In multiwavelength Solar Dynamic Observatory/Advanced Imaging Assembly (AIA) images, three plasma parcels within the filament were tracked at high cadence along the solar corona. A novel absorption diagnostic technique was applied to the filament material traveling along the three chosen trajectories to compute the column density and temperature evolution in time. Kinematics of the filamentary material were estimated using STEREO/Extreme Ultraviolet Imager and STEREO/COR1 observations. The Michigan Ionization Code used inputs of these density, temperature, and speed profiles for the computation of ionization profiles of the filament plasma. Based on these measurements, we conclude that the core plasma was in near ionization equilibrium, and the ionization states were still evolving at the altitudes where they were visible in absorption in AIA images. Additionally, we report that the filament plasma was heterogeneous, and the filamentary material was continuously heated as it expanded in the low solar corona.

Compactable control element assembly for a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupen, C.F.G.

1976-01-01

A description is given of a compactable control element assembly for a nuclear reactor in which the absorber pins of the assembly are compacted during downward movement of the pin and are returned to their uncompacted state when downward movement is stopped. The control element assembly comprises a support member longitudinally movable within a control assembly duct and a plurality of absorber pins supported laterally outward of the support member and within the duct by pairs of support arms. The absorber pins are pivotably mounted to the support arms and the support arms in turn are supported from the support member for upward pivotable movement in a longitudinal plane. As the support member is moved downward, the support arms pivot upwardly and the absorber pins move upwardly and inwardly towards the support member. When the support member is stopped the absorber pins return to their uncompacted position

Directed Assembly of Janus Cylinders by Controlling the Solvent Polarity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jongmin; Choi, Chang-Hyung; Yeom, Su-Jin; Eom, Naye; Kang, Kyoung-Ku; Lee, Chang-Soo

2017-08-01

This study demonstrates the possibility of controlling the directed self-assembly of microsized Janus cylinders by changing the solvent polarity of the assembly media. Experimental results are analyzed and theoretical calculations of the free energy of adhesion (ΔG ad ) are performed to elucidate the underlying basic principles and investigate the effects of the solvent on the self-assembled structures. This approach will pave a predictive route for controlling the structures of assembly depending on the solvent polarity. In particular, we find that a binary solvent system with precisely controlled polarity induces directional assembly of the microsized Janus cylinders. Thus, the formation of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) assembled clusters can be reliably tuned by controlling the numbers of constituent Janus cylinders in a binary solvent system. Finally, this approach is expanded to stepwise assembly, which forms unique microstructures via secondary growth of primary seed clusters formed by the Janus cylinders. We envision that this investigation is highly promising for the construction of desired superstructures using a wide variety of polymeric Janus microparticles with chemical and physical multicompartments.

Demonstration of mechanical connections between integrins, cytoskeletal filaments, and nucleoplasm that stabilize nuclear structure

Science.gov (United States)

Maniotis, A. J.; Chen, C. S.; Ingber, D. E.

1997-01-01

We report here that living cells and nuclei are hard-wired such that a mechanical tug on cell surface receptors can immediately change the organization of molecular assemblies in the cytoplasm and nucleus. When integrins were pulled by micromanipulating bound microbeads or micropipettes, cytoskeletal filaments reoriented, nuclei distorted, and nucleoli redistributed along the axis of the applied tension field. These effects were specific for integrins, independent of cortical membrane distortion, and were mediated by direct linkages between the cytoskeleton and nucleus. Actin microfilaments mediated force transfer to the nucleus at low strain; however, tearing of the actin gel resulted with greater distortion. In contrast, intermediate filaments effectively mediated force transfer to the nucleus under both conditions. These filament systems also acted as molecular guy wires to mechanically stiffen the nucleus and anchor it in place, whereas microtubules acted to hold open the intermediate filament lattice and to stabilize the nucleus against lateral compression. Molecular connections between integrins, cytoskeletal filaments, and nuclear scaffolds may therefore provide a discrete path for mechanical signal transfer through cells as well as a mechanism for producing integrated changes in cell and nuclear structure in response to changes in extracellular matrix adhesivity or mechanics.

Design requirement on KALIMER control rod assembly duct

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, W.; Kang, H. Y.; Nam, C.; Kim, J. O.; Kim, Y. J.

1998-03-01

This document establishes the design guidelines which are needs for designing the control rod assembly duct of the KALIMER as design requirements. it describes control rod assembly duct of the KALIMER and its requirements that includes functional requirements, performance requirements, interfacing systems, design limits and strength requirements, seismic requirements, structural requirements, environmental requirements, reliability and safety requirements, standard and codes, QA programs, and other requirements. The control rod system consists of three parts, which are drive mechanism, drive-line, and absorber bundle. This report deals with the absorber bundle and its outer duct only because the others are beyond the scope of fuel system design. The guidelines for design requirements intend to be used for an improved design of the control rod assembly duct of the KALIMER. (author). 19 refs

Design requirement on KALIMER control rod assembly duct

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, W.; Kang, H. Y.; Nam, C.; Kim, J. O.; Kim, Y. J

1998-03-01

This document establishes the design guidelines which are needs for designing the control rod assembly duct of the KALIMER as design requirements. it describes control rod assembly duct of the KALIMER and its requirements that includes functional requirements, performance requirements, interfacing systems, design limits and strength requirements, seismic requirements, structural requirements, environmental requirements, reliability and safety requirements, standard and codes, QA programs, and other requirements. The control rod system consists of three parts, which are drive mechanism, drive-line, and absorber bundle. This report deals with the absorber bundle and its outer duct only because the others are beyond the scope of fuel system design. The guidelines for design requirements intend to be used for an improved design of the control rod assembly duct of the KALIMER. (author). 19 refs.

Reactor core and control rod assembly in FBR type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimura, Koji; Kawashima, Katsuyuki; Itooka, Satoshi.

1993-01-01

Fuel assemblies and control rod assemblies are attached respectively to reactor core support plates each in a cantilever fashion. Intermediate spacer pads are disposed to the lateral side of a wrapper tube just above the fuel rod region. Intermediate space pads are disposed to the lateral side of a control rod guide tube just above a fuel rod region. The thickness of the intermediate spacer pad for the control rod assembly is made smaller than the thickness of the intermediate spacer pad for the fuel assembly. This can prevent contact between intermediate spacer pads of the control guide tube and the fuel assembly even if the temperature of coolants is elevated to thermally expand the intermediate spacer pad, by which the radial displacement amount of the reactor core region along the direction of the height of the control guide tube is reduced substantially to zero. Accordingly, contribution of the control rod assembly to the radial expansion reactivity can be reduced to zero or negative level, by which the effect of the negative radial expansion reactivity of the reactor is increased to improve the safety upon thermal transient stage, for example, loss of coolant flow rate accident. (I.N.)

Inlet for fuel assembly having finger control rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berglund, A.; Suvanto, A.; Tornblom, L.

1975-01-01

A nuclear reactor with vertically arranged fuel assemblies positioned on supporting members and with control rods displaceably arranged in guide tubes between the fuel rods inside the fuel assemblies is described. The supporting plate is provided with a transverse end piece with throttling means for the liquid flow which passes from below up through the supporting member and past the fuel rods in the fuel assembly. The inlets for the guide tubes for the control rods are located below the end piece and the throttling means. In this way a higher pressure prevails at the inlet to the guide tubes than above the end piece, so that a stronger flow of coolant is produced through guide tubes than through the fuel assembly. (U.S.)

System and method for controlling a combustor assembly

Science.gov (United States)

York, William David; Ziminsky, Willy Steve; Johnson, Thomas Edward; Stevenson, Christian Xavier

2013-03-05

A system and method for controlling a combustor assembly are disclosed. The system includes a combustor assembly. The combustor assembly includes a combustor and a fuel nozzle assembly. The combustor includes a casing. The fuel nozzle assembly is positioned at least partially within the casing and includes a fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle assembly further defines a head end. The system further includes a viewing device configured for capturing an image of at least a portion of the head end, and a processor communicatively coupled to the viewing device, the processor configured to compare the image to a standard image for the head end.

Status of control assembly materials in Indian water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Date, V.G.; Kulkarni, P.G.

2000-01-01

India's present operating water cooled power reactors comprise boiling water reactors of Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) and pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) at Kota (RAPS), Kalpakkam (MAPS), Narora (NAPS) and Kakrapara (KAPS). Boiling water reactors of TAPS use boron carbide control blades for control of power as well as for shut down (scram). PHWRs use boron steel and cobalt absorber rods for power control and Cd sandwiched shut off rods (primary shut down system) and liquid poison rods (secondary shut down system) for shut down. In TAPS, Gadolinium rods (burnable poison rods) are also incorporated in fuel assembly for flux flattening. Boron carbide control blades and Gadolinium rods for TAPS, cobalt absorber rods and shut down assemblies for PHWRs are fabricated indigenously. Considerable development work was carried out for evolving material specifications, component and assembly drawings, and fabrication processes. Details of various control and shut off assemblies being fabricated currently are highlighted in the paper. (author)

Rift Valley fever phlebovirus NSs protein core domain structure suggests molecular basis for nuclear filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Barski, Michal; Brennan, Benjamin; Miller, Ona K; Potter, Jane A; Vijayakrishnan, Swetha; Bhella, David; Naismith, James H; Elliott, Richard M; Schwarz-Linek, Ulrich

2017-09-15

Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV) is a clinically and economically important pathogen increasingly likely to cause widespread epidemics. RVFV virulence depends on the interferon antagonist non-structural protein (NSs), which remains poorly characterized. We identified a stable core domain of RVFV NSs (residues 83-248), and solved its crystal structure, a novel all-helical fold organized into highly ordered fibrils. A hallmark of RVFV pathology is NSs filament formation in infected cell nuclei. Recombinant virus encoding the NSs core domain induced intranuclear filaments, suggesting it contains all essential determinants for nuclear translocation and filament formation. Mutations of key crystal fibril interface residues in viruses encoding full-length NSs completely abrogated intranuclear filament formation in infected cells. We propose the fibrillar arrangement of the NSs core domain in crystals reveals the molecular basis of assembly of this key virulence factor in cell nuclei. Our findings have important implications for fundamental understanding of RVFV virulence.

Filamentary structures in dense plasma focus: Current filaments or vortex filaments?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soto, Leopoldo, E-mail: lsoto@cchen.cl; Pavez, Cristian; Moreno, José [Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear, CCHEN, Casilla 188-D, Santiago (Chile); Center for Research and Applications in Plasma Physics and Pulsed Power, P4, Departamento de Ciencias Físicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andrés Bello, República 220, Santiago (Chile); Castillo, Fermin [Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México (Mexico); Veloso, Felipe [Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 7820436 Santiago (Chile); Auluck, S. K. H. [Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400 085 (India)

2014-07-15

Recent observations of an azimuthally distributed array of sub-millimeter size sources of fusion protons and correlation between extreme ultraviolet (XUV) images of filaments with neutron yield in PF-1000 plasma focus have re-kindled interest in their significance. These filaments have been described variously in literature as current filaments and vortex filaments, with very little experimental evidence in support of either nomenclature. This paper provides, for the first time, experimental observations of filaments on a table-top plasma focus device using three techniques: framing photography of visible self-luminosity from the plasma, schlieren photography, and interferometry. Quantitative evaluation of density profile of filaments from interferometry reveals that their radius closely agrees with the collision-less ion skin depth. This is a signature of relaxed state of a Hall fluid, which has significant mass flow with equipartition between kinetic and magnetic energy, supporting the “vortex filament” description. This interpretation is consistent with empirical evidence of an efficient energy concentration mechanism inferred from nuclear reaction yields.

Structure and assembly of the mouse ASC inflammasome by combined NMR spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Sborgi, Lorenzo; Ravotti, Francesco; Dandey, Venkata P.; Dick, Mathias S.; Mazur, Adam; Reckel, Sina; Chami, Mohamed; Scherer, Sebastian; Huber, Matthias; Böckmann, Anja; Egelman, Edward H.; Stahlberg, Henning; Broz, Petr; Meier, Beat H.; Hiller, Sebastian

2015-01-01

Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes that control the innate immune response by activating caspase-1, thus promoting the secretion of cytokines in response to invading pathogens and endogenous triggers. Assembly of inflammasomes is induced by activation of a receptor protein. Many inflammasome receptors require the adapter protein ASC [apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain (CARD)], which consists of two domains, the N-terminal pyrin domain (PYD) and the C-terminal CARD. Upon activation, ASC forms large oligomeric filaments, which facilitate procaspase-1 recruitment. Here, we characterize the structure and filament formation of mouse ASC in vitro at atomic resolution. Information from cryo-electron microscopy and solid-state NMR spectroscopy is combined in a single structure calculation to obtain the atomic-resolution structure of the ASC filament. Perturbations of NMR resonances upon filament formation monitor the specific binding interfaces of ASC-PYD association. Importantly, NMR experiments show the rigidity of the PYD forming the core of the filament as well as the high mobility of the CARD relative to this core. The findings are validated by structure-based mutagenesis experiments in cultured macrophages. The 3D structure of the mouse ASC-PYD filament is highly similar to the recently determined human ASC-PYD filament, suggesting evolutionary conservation of ASC-dependent inflammasome mechanisms. PMID:26464513

Filament Activation in Response to Magnetic Flux Emergence and Cancellation in Filament Channels

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ting; Zhang, Jun; Ji, Haisheng

2015-06-01

We conducted a comparative analysis of two filaments that showed a quite different activation in response to the flux emergence within the filament channels. The observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) were made to analyze the two filaments on 2013 August 17 - 20 (SOL2013-08-17) and September 29 (SOL2013-09-29). The first event showed that the main body of the filament was separated into two parts when an active region (AR) emerged with a maximum magnetic flux of about 6.4×1021 Mx underlying the filament. The close neighborhood and common direction of the bright threads in the filament and the open AR fan loops suggest a similar magnetic connectivity of these two flux systems. The equilibrium of the filament was not destroyed three days after the start of the emergence of the AR. To our knowledge, similar observations have never been reported before. In the second event, the emerging flux occurred nearby a barb of the filament with a maximum magnetic flux of 4.2×1020 Mx, about one order of magnitude lower than that of the first event. Two patches of parasitic polarity in the vicinity of the barb merged, then cancelled with nearby network fields. About 20 hours after the onset of the emergence, the filament erupted. Our findings imply that the location of emerging flux within the filament channel is probably crucial to filament evolution. If the flux emergence appears nearby the barbs, it is highly likely that the emerging flux and the filament magnetic fields will cancel, which may lead to the eruption of the filament. The comparison of the two events shows that the emergence of a small AR may still not be enough to disrupt the stability of a filament system, and the actual eruption only occurs after the flux cancellation sets in.

Thick filament mechano-sensing is a calcium-independent regulatory mechanism in skeletal muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Fusi, L; Brunello, E; Yan, Z; Irving, M

2016-10-31

Recent X-ray diffraction studies on actively contracting fibres from skeletal muscle showed that the number of myosin motors available to interact with actin-containing thin filaments is controlled by the stress in the myosin-containing thick filaments. Those results suggested that thick filament mechano-sensing might constitute a novel regulatory mechanism in striated muscles that acts independently of the well-known thin filament-mediated calcium signalling pathway. Here we test that hypothesis using probes attached to the myosin regulatory light chain in demembranated muscle fibres. We show that both the extent and kinetics of thick filament activation depend on thick filament stress but are independent of intracellular calcium concentration in the physiological range. These results establish direct control of myosin motors by thick filament mechano-sensing as a general regulatory mechanism in skeletal muscle that is independent of the canonical calcium signalling pathway.

Infrared Radiation Filament And Metnod Of Manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Edward A.

1998-11-17

An improved IR radiation source is provided by the invention. A radiation filament has a textured surface produced by seeded ion bombardment of a metal foil which is cut to a serpentine shape and mounted in a windowed housing. Specific ion bombardment texturing techniques tune the surface to maximize emissions in the desired wavelength range and to limit emissions outside that narrow range, particularly at longer wavelengths. A combination of filament surface texture, thickness, material, shape and power circuit feedback control produce wavelength controlled and efficient radiation at much lower power requirements than devices of the prior art.

Topology of interaction between titin and myosin thick filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kellermayer, Miklós; Sziklai, Dominik; Papp, Zsombor; Decker, Brennan; Lakatos, Eszter; Mártonfalvi, Zsolt

2018-05-05

Titin is a giant protein spanning between the Z- and M-lines of the sarcomere. In the A-band titin is associated with the myosin thick filament. It has been speculated that titin may serve as a blueprint for thick-filament formation due to the super-repeat structure of its A-band domains. Accordingly, titin might provide a template that determines the length and structural periodicity of the thick filament. Here we tested the titin ruler hypothesis by mixing titin and myosin at in situ stoichiometric ratios (300 myosins per 12 titins) in buffers of different ionic strength (KCl concentration range 100-300 mM). The topology of the filamentous complexes was investigated with atomic force microscopy. We found that the samples contained distinct, segregated populations of titin molecules and myosin thick filaments. We were unable to identify complexes in which myosin molecules were regularly associated to either mono- or oligomeric titin in either relaxed or stretched states of the titin filaments. Thus, the electrostatically driven self-association is stronger in both myosin and titin than their binding to each other, and it is unlikely that titin functions as a geometrical template for thick-filament formation. However, when allowed to equilibrate configurationally, long myosin thick filaments appeared with titin oligomers attached to their surface. The titin meshwork formed on the thick-filament surface may play a role in controlling thick-filament length by regulating the structural dynamics of myosin molecules and placing a mechanical limit on the filament length. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electron emission regulator for an x-ray tube filament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daniels, H.E.; Randall, H.G.

1982-01-01

An x-ray tube ma regulator has an scr phase shift voltage regulator supplying the primary winding of a transformer whose secondary is coupled to the x-ray tube filament. Prior to initiation of an x-ray exposure, the filament is preheated to a temperature corresponding substantially to the electron emissivity needed for obtaining the desired tube ma during an exposure. During the preexposure interval, the phase shift regulator is controlled by a signal corresponding to the sum of signals representative of the voltage applied to the filament transformer, the desired filament voltage and the space charge compensation needed for the selected x-ray tube anode to cathode voltage. When an exposure is initiated, control of the voltage regulator is switched to a circuit that responds to the tube current by controlling the amount of phase shift and, hence, the voltage supplied to the transformer. Transformer leakage current compensation is provided during the exposure interval with a circuit that includes an element whose impedance is varied in accordance with the anode-to-cathode voltage setting so the element drains off tube current as required to cancel the effect of leakage current variations

Electrostatics Control Actin Filament Nucleation and Elongation Kinetics*

Science.gov (United States)

Crevenna, Alvaro H.; Naredi-Rainer, Nikolaus; Schönichen, André; Dzubiella, Joachim; Barber, Diane L.; Lamb, Don C.; Wedlich-Söldner, Roland

2013-01-01

The actin cytoskeleton is a central mediator of cellular morphogenesis, and rapid actin reorganization drives essential processes such as cell migration and cell division. Whereas several actin-binding proteins are known to be regulated by changes in intracellular pH, detailed information regarding the effect of pH on the actin dynamics itself is still lacking. Here, we combine bulk assays, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy techniques, and theory to comprehensively characterize the effect of pH on actin polymerization. We show that both nucleation and elongation are strongly enhanced at acidic pH, with a maximum close to the pI of actin. Monomer association rates are similarly affected by pH at both ends, although dissociation rates are differentially affected. This indicates that electrostatics control the diffusional encounter but not the dissociation rate, which is critical for the establishment of actin filament asymmetry. A generic model of protein-protein interaction, including electrostatics, explains the observed pH sensitivity as a consequence of charge repulsion. The observed pH effect on actin in vitro agrees with measurements of Listeria propulsion in pH-controlled cells. pH regulation should therefore be considered as a modulator of actin dynamics in a cellular environment. PMID:23486468

Electrostatics control actin filament nucleation and elongation kinetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Crevenna, Alvaro H; Naredi-Rainer, Nikolaus; Schönichen, André; Dzubiella, Joachim; Barber, Diane L; Lamb, Don C; Wedlich-Söldner, Roland

2013-04-26

The actin cytoskeleton is a central mediator of cellular morphogenesis, and rapid actin reorganization drives essential processes such as cell migration and cell division. Whereas several actin-binding proteins are known to be regulated by changes in intracellular pH, detailed information regarding the effect of pH on the actin dynamics itself is still lacking. Here, we combine bulk assays, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy techniques, and theory to comprehensively characterize the effect of pH on actin polymerization. We show that both nucleation and elongation are strongly enhanced at acidic pH, with a maximum close to the pI of actin. Monomer association rates are similarly affected by pH at both ends, although dissociation rates are differentially affected. This indicates that electrostatics control the diffusional encounter but not the dissociation rate, which is critical for the establishment of actin filament asymmetry. A generic model of protein-protein interaction, including electrostatics, explains the observed pH sensitivity as a consequence of charge repulsion. The observed pH effect on actin in vitro agrees with measurements of Listeria propulsion in pH-controlled cells. pH regulation should therefore be considered as a modulator of actin dynamics in a cellular environment.

Filament Substructures and their Interrelation

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Y.; Martin, S. F.; Engvold, O.

The main structural components of solar filaments, their spines, barbs, and legs at the extreme ends of the spine, are illustrated from recent high-resolution observations. The thread-like structures appear to be present in filaments everywhere and at all times. They are the fundamental elements of solar filaments. The interrelation of the spines, barbs and legs are discussed. From observations, we present a conceptual model of the magnetic field of a filament. We suggest that only a single physical model is needed to explain filaments in a continuous spectrum represented by active region filaments at one end and quiescent filaments at the other end.

Quality and reliability control on assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, H.

1976-01-01

Taking as an example electronic assemblies in printed circuit board engineering, quality control during manufacture is dealt with. After giving a survey of four phases of quality and reliability control, some specific methods of quality control are dealt with by means of a flowchart, and by some examples the necessity and the success of these measures are shown. (RW) [de

High aspect ratio, remote controlled pumping assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Steve B.; Milanovich, Fred P.

1995-01-01

A miniature dual syringe-type pump assembly which has a high aspect ratio and which is remotely controlled, for use such as in a small diameter penetrometer cone or well packer used in water contamination applications. The pump assembly may be used to supply and remove a reagent to a water contamination sensor, for example, and includes a motor, gearhead and motor encoder assembly for turning a drive screw for an actuator which provides pushing on one syringe and pulling on the other syringe for injecting new reagent and withdrawing used reagent from an associated sensor.

Amyloid Structure and Assembly: Insights from Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldsbury, C.; Wall, J.; Baxa, U.; Simon, M. N.; Steven, A. C.; Engel, A.; Aebi, U.; Muller, S. A.

2011-01-01

Amyloid fibrils are filamentous protein aggregates implicated in several common diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes. Similar structures are also the molecular principle of the infectious spongiform encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, scrapie in sheep, and of the so-called yeast prions, inherited non-chromosomal elements found in yeast and fungi. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is often used to delineate the assembly mechanism and structural properties of amyloid aggregates. In this review we consider specifically contributions and limitations of STEM for the investigation of amyloid assembly pathways, fibril polymorphisms and structural models of amyloid fibrils. This type of microscopy provides the only method to directly measure the mass-per-length (MPL) of individual filaments. Made on both in vitro assembled and ex vivo samples, STEM mass measurements have illuminated the hierarchical relationships between amyloid fibrils and revealed that polymorphic fibrils and various globular oligomers can assemble simultaneously from a single polypeptide. The MPLs also impose strong constraints on possible packing schemes, assisting in molecular model building when combined with high-resolution methods like solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).

Assembly of presynaptic filaments. Factors affecting the assembly of RecA protein onto single-stranded DNA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thresher, RJ; Christiansen, Gunna; Griffith, JD

1988-01-01

We have previously shown that the assembly of RecA protein onto single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) facilitated by SSB protein occurs in three steps: (1) rapid binding of SSB protein to the ssDNA; (2) nucleation of RecA protein onto this template; and (3) co-operative polymerization of additional Rec......M in the presence of 12 mM-Mg2+), and relatively low concentrations of SSB protein (1 monomer per 18 nucleotides). Assembly was depressed threefold when SSB protein was added to one monomer per nine nucleotides. These effects appeared to be exerted at the nucleation step. Following nucleation, RecA protein...... assembled onto ssDNA at net rates that varied from 250 to 900 RecA protein monomers per minute, with the rate inversely related to the concentration of SSB protein. Combined sucrose sedimentation and electron microscope analysis established that SSB protein was displaced from the ssDNA during RecA protein...

“Dandelion” Filament Eruption and Coronal Waves Associated with a Solar Flare on 2011 February 16

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabezas, Denis P.; Ishitsuka, Mutsumi; Ishitsuka, José K.; Martínez, Lurdes M.; Buleje, Yovanny J.; Morita, Satoshi; Asai, Ayumi; UeNo, Satoru; Ishii, Takako T.; Kitai, Reizaburo; Takasao, Shinsuke; Yoshinaga, Yusuke; Otsuji, Kenichi; Shibata, Kazunari

2017-01-01

Coronal disturbances associated with solar flares, such as H α Moreton waves, X-ray waves, and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) coronal waves, are discussed herein in relation to magnetohydrodynamic fast-mode waves or shocks in the corona. To understand the mechanism of coronal disturbances, full-disk solar observations with high spatial and temporal resolution over multiple wavelengths are of crucial importance. We observed a filament eruption, whose shape is like a “dandelion,” associated with the M1.6 flare that occurred on 2011 February 16 in H α images taken by the Flare Monitoring Telescope at Ica University, Peru. We derive the three-dimensional velocity field of the erupting filament. We also identify winking filaments that are located far from the flare site in the H α images, whereas no Moreton wave is observed. By comparing the temporal evolution of the winking filaments with those of the coronal wave seen in the EUV images data taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead , we confirm that the winking filaments were activated by the EUV coronal wave.

“Dandelion” Filament Eruption and Coronal Waves Associated with a Solar Flare on 2011 February 16

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabezas, Denis P.; Ishitsuka, Mutsumi; Ishitsuka, José K. [Geophysical Institute of Peru, Calle Badajoz 169, Mayorazgo IV Etapa, Ate Vitarte, Lima (Peru); Martínez, Lurdes M.; Buleje, Yovanny J. [Centro de Investigación del Estudio de la Actividad Solar y sus Efectos Sobre la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional San Luis Gonzaga de Ica, Av. Los Maestros S/N, Ica (Peru); Morita, Satoshi [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo, 181-8588 (Japan); Asai, Ayumi [Unit of Synergetic Studies for Space, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502 (Japan); UeNo, Satoru; Ishii, Takako T.; Kitai, Reizaburo; Takasao, Shinsuke; Yoshinaga, Yusuke; Otsuji, Kenichi; Shibata, Kazunari, E-mail: denis@kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Kwasan and Hida Observatories, Kyoto University, Yamashina, Kyoto, 607-8471 (Japan)

2017-02-10

Coronal disturbances associated with solar flares, such as H α Moreton waves, X-ray waves, and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) coronal waves, are discussed herein in relation to magnetohydrodynamic fast-mode waves or shocks in the corona. To understand the mechanism of coronal disturbances, full-disk solar observations with high spatial and temporal resolution over multiple wavelengths are of crucial importance. We observed a filament eruption, whose shape is like a “dandelion,” associated with the M1.6 flare that occurred on 2011 February 16 in H α images taken by the Flare Monitoring Telescope at Ica University, Peru. We derive the three-dimensional velocity field of the erupting filament. We also identify winking filaments that are located far from the flare site in the H α images, whereas no Moreton wave is observed. By comparing the temporal evolution of the winking filaments with those of the coronal wave seen in the EUV images data taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead , we confirm that the winking filaments were activated by the EUV coronal wave.

The Weak Lensing Masses of Filaments between Luminous Red Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Epps, Seth D.; Hudson, Michael J.

2017-07-01

In the standard model of non-linear structure formation, a cosmic web of dark-matter-dominated filaments connects dark matter haloes. In this paper, we stack the weak lensing signal of an ensemble of filaments between groups and clusters of galaxies. Specifically, we detect the weak lensing signal, using CFHTLenS galaxy ellipticities, from stacked filaments between Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-III/Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey luminous red galaxies (LRGs). As a control, we compare the physical LRG pairs with projected LRG pairs that are more widely separated in redshift space. We detect the excess filament mass density in the projected pairs at the 5σ level, finding a mass of (1.6 ± 0.3) × 1013 M⊙ for a stacked filament region 7.1 h-1 Mpc long and 2.5 h-1 Mpc wide. This filament signal is compared with a model based on the three-point galaxy-galaxy-convergence correlation function, as developed in Clampitt et al., yielding reasonable agreement.

SYMPATHETIC SOLAR FILAMENT ERUPTIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Rui; Liu, Ying D.; Zimovets, Ivan; Hu, Huidong; Yang, Zhongwei [State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Dai, Xinghua, E-mail: liuxying@spaceweather.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2016-08-10

The 2015 March 15 coronal mass ejection as one of the two that together drove the largest geomagnetic storm of solar cycle 24 so far was associated with sympathetic filament eruptions. We investigate the relations between the different filaments involved in the eruption. A surge-like small-scale filament motion is confirmed as the trigger that initiated the erupting filament with multi-wavelength observations and using a forced magnetic field extrapolation method. When the erupting filament moved to an open magnetic field region, it experienced an obvious acceleration process and was accompanied by a C-class flare and the rise of another larger filament that eventually failed to erupt. We measure the decay index of the background magnetic field, which presents a critical height of 118 Mm. Combining with a potential field source surface extrapolation method, we analyze the distributions of the large-scale magnetic field, which indicates that the open magnetic field region may provide a favorable condition for F2 rapid acceleration and have some relation with the largest solar storm. The comparison between the successful and failed filament eruptions suggests that the confining magnetic field plays an important role in the preconditions for an eruption.

The giant protein titin regulates the length of the striated muscle thick filament.

Science.gov (United States)

Tonino, Paola; Kiss, Balazs; Strom, Josh; Methawasin, Mei; Smith, John E; Kolb, Justin; Labeit, Siegfried; Granzier, Henk

2017-10-19

The contractile machinery of heart and skeletal muscles has as an essential component the thick filament, comprised of the molecular motor myosin. The thick filament is of a precisely controlled length, defining thereby the force level that muscles generate and how this force varies with muscle length. It has been speculated that the mechanism by which thick filament length is controlled involves the giant protein titin, but no conclusive support for this hypothesis exists. Here we show that in a mouse model in which we deleted two of titin's C-zone super-repeats, thick filament length is reduced in cardiac and skeletal muscles. In addition, functional studies reveal reduced force generation and a dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) phenotype. Thus, regulation of thick filament length depends on titin and is critical for maintaining muscle health.

Modern filaments for composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krivelli-Viskonti, I.

1982-01-01

Analysis of modern state and ways to improve properties of different filaments for the forecast of the filament application in composite materials has been conducted. In the near future as before the greatest attention will be paid to fibre glass, as this material is widely used in the reinforcing of organic matrices. Carbon and kevlar filaments are the most prospective ones. For the service at medium, high or superhigh temperatures selection of matrix material is more significant than selection of filament. Organic matrices can not be used at temperatures > 250 deg C: this is already the range of metal matrix application. Though at temperatures above room one many filaments can be used, boron filaments and metal wire are the only reinforcing materials, inspite of the fact that carbon filaments are successfully used for metal matrix reinforcing. At very high temperatures only carbon filaments or silicon carbide ones can be used, but their cost is very high and besides economical problems there are many difficulties of technical character

Morphology and Pattern Control of Diphenylalanine Self-Assembly via Evaporative Dewetting.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiarui; Qin, Shuyu; Wu, Xinglong; Chu, And Paul K

2016-01-26

Self-assembled peptide nanostructures have unique physical and biological properties and promising applications in electrical devices and functional molecular recognition. Although solution-based peptide molecules can self-assemble into different morphologies, it is challenging to control the self-assembly process. Herein, controllable self-assembly of diphenylalanine (FF) in an evaporative dewetting solution is reported. The fluid mechanical dimensionless numbers, namely Rayleigh, Marangoni, and capillary numbers, are introduced to control the interaction between the solution and FF molecules in the self-assembly process. The difference in the film thickness reflects the effects of Rayleigh and Marangoni convection, and the water vapor flow rate reveals the role of viscous fingering in the emergence of aligned FF flakes. By employing dewetting, various FF self-assembled patterns, like concentric and spokelike, and morphologies, like strips and hexagonal tubes/rods, can be produced, and there are no significant lattice structural changes in the FF nanostructures.

Spindles and active vortices in a model of confined filament-motor mixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Head, David A; Briels, Wj; Gompper, Gerhard

2011-11-16

Robust self-organization of subcellular structures is a key principle governing the dynamics and evolution of cellular life. In fission yeast cells undergoing division, the mitotic spindle spontaneously emerges from the interaction of microtubules, motor proteins and the confining cell walls, and asters and vortices have been observed to self-assemble in quasi-two dimensional microtubule-kinesin assays. There is no clear microscopic picture of the role of the active motors driving this pattern formation, and the relevance of continuum modeling to filament-scale structures remains uncertain. Here we present results of numerical simulations of a discrete filament-motor protein model confined to a pressurised cylindrical box. Stable spindles, nematic configurations, asters and high-density semi-asters spontaneously emerge, the latter pair having also been observed in cytosol confined within emulsion droplets. State diagrams are presented delineating each stationary state as the pressure, motor speed and motor density are varied. We further highlight a parameter regime where vortices form exhibiting collective rotation of all filaments, but have a finite life-time before contracting to a semi-aster. Quantifying the distribution of life-times suggests this contraction is a Poisson process. Equivalent systems with fixed volume exhibit persistent vortices with stochastic switching in the direction of rotation, with switching times obeying similar statistics to contraction times in pressurised systems. Furthermore, we show that increasing the detachment rate of motors from filament plus-ends can both destroy vortices and turn some asters into vortices. We have shown that discrete filament-motor protein models provide new insights into the stationary and dynamical behavior of active gels and subcellular structures, because many phenomena occur on the length-scale of single filaments. Based on our findings, we argue the need for a deeper understanding of the microscopic

Transient Analysis of a Gas-cooled Fast Reactor for Single Control Assembly Withdrawal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hangbok

2014-01-01

The Energy Multiplier Module (EMZ) system response has been evaluated for control assembly withdrawal transients. Currently the EM2 core is equipped with six cylindrical drum-type control assemblies in the reflector zone for excess reactivity control and power maneuvering during the operating core life. This study investigates the system response to the control assembly withdrawal accident with various rotational speeds and reactivity worth to determine feasible control assembly design requirements from the physics viewpoint. The simulations have been conducted for single control assembly withdrawal transients without scram by a gas-cooled reactor plant simulator, which is based on a simplified plant nodal model, including the point reactor kinetics, single channel core thermal-fluid model, and a turbo-machinery performance model. Simulations were conducted for the middle-of- cycle core, when the excess reactivity of the core is the highest. Control assembly withdrawal times were varied from 1 (runaway) to 180 sec and reactivity worth was varied from 100 to 400 pcm. For a single control assembly withdrawal, the simulation has shown that the peak fuel temperature is expected to be ~1820°C when the assembly worth is 200 pcm and the runaway time is 1 sec per 180 degree rotation. The peak temperature could be reduced to ~1780°C if the assembly is rotated out in a moderate speed such as 1 degree/sec. These peak temperatures give a thermal margin of 22 to 24% to the melting point of uranium carbide fuel. The results also indicate that the current design with a single control assembly worth of 314 pcm may need adjustments in the future design. (author)

Solar Filament Extraction and Characterizing

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Yuan; Shih, F. Y.; Jing, J.; Wang, H.

2010-05-01

This paper presents a new method to extract and characterize solar filaments from H-alpha full-disk images produced by Big Bear Solar Observatory. A cascading Hough Transform method is designed to identify solar disk center location and radius. Solar disks are segmented from the background, and unbalanced illumination on the surface of solar disks is removed using polynomial surface fitting. And then a localized adaptive thresholding is employed to extract solar filament candidates. After the removal of small solar filament candidates, the remaining larger candidates are used as the seeds of region growing. The procedure of region growing not only connects broken filaments but also generate complete shape for each filament. Mathematical morphology thinning is adopted to produce the skeleton of each filament, and graph theory is used to prune branches and barbs to get the main skeleton. The length and the location of the main skeleton is characterized. The proposed method can help scientists and researches study the evolution of solar filament, for instance, to detect solar filament eruption. The presented method has already been used by Space Weather Research Lab of New Jersey Institute of Technology (http://swrl.njit.edu) to generate the solar filament online catalog using H-alpha full-disk images of Global H-alpha Network (http://swrl.njit.edu/ghn_web/).

Electron microscopy of intermediate filaments: teaming up with atomic force and confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreplak, Laurent; Richter, Karsten; Aebi, Ueli; Herrmann, Harald

2008-01-01

Intermediate filaments (IFs) were originally discovered and defined by electron microscopy in myoblasts. In the following it was demonstrated and confirmed that they constitute, in addition to microtubules and microfilaments, a third independent, general filament system in the cytoplasm of most metazoan cells. In contrast to the other two systems, IFs are present in cells in two principally distinct cytoskeletal forms: (i) extended and free-running filament arrays in the cytoplasm that are integrated into the cytoskeleton by associated proteins of the plakin type; and (ii) a membrane- and chromatin-bound thin 'lamina' of a more or less regular network of interconnected filaments made from nuclear IF proteins, the lamins, which differ in several important structural aspects from cytoplasmic IF proteins. In man, more than 65 genes code for distinct IF proteins that are expressed during embryogenesis in various routes of differentiation in a tightly controlled manner. IF proteins exhibit rather limited sequence identity implying that the different types of IFs have distinct biochemical properties. Hence, to characterize the structural properties of the various IFs, in vitro assembly regimes have been developed in combination with different visualization methods such as transmission electron microscopy of fixed and negatively stained samples as well as methods that do not use staining such as scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and cryoelectron microscopy as well as atomic force microscopy. Moreover, with the generation of both IF-type specific antibodies and chimeras of fluorescent proteins and IF proteins, it has become possible to investigate the subcellular organization of IFs by correlative fluorescence and electron microscopic methods. The combination of these powerful methods should help to further develop our understanding of nuclear architecture, in particular how nuclear subcompartments are organized and in which way lamins are involved.

Combing and self-assembly phenomena in dry films of Taxol-stabilized microtubules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rose Franck

2007-01-01

Full Text Available AbstractMicrotubules are filamentous proteins that act as a substrate for the translocation of motor proteins. As such, they may be envisioned as a scaffold for the self-assembly of functional materials and devices. Physisorption, self-assembly and combing are here investigated as a potential prelude to microtubule-templated self-assembly. Dense films of self-assembled microtubules were successfully produced, as well as patterns of both dendritic and non-dendritic bundles of microtubules. They are presented in the present paper and the mechanism of their formation is discussed.

Temporal symmetry of individual filaments in different spatial symmetry filaments pattern in a dielectric barrier discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong, L. F.; Xiao, H.; Fan, W. L.; Yin, Z. Q.; Zhao, H. T.

2010-01-01

The temporal behavior of individual filament in different spatial symmetry filaments patterns in dielectric barrier discharge is investigated by using an optical method. A series of return maps of the discharge moments of individual filaments is given. It is found that the temporal symmetry of individual filament changes with the change of the spatial symmetry of filaments pattern as the applied voltage increases. The role of wall charges for this phenomenon is analyzed.

Magnetic helicity and active filament configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, P.; Zuccarello, F.; Poedts, S.; Soenen, A.; Zuccarello, F. P.

2009-11-01

Context: The role of magnetic helicity in active filament formation and destabilization is still under debate. Aims: Although active filaments usually show a sigmoid shape and a twisted configuration before and during their eruption, it is unclear which mechanism leads to these topologies. In order to provide an observational contribution to clarify these issues, we describe a filament evolution whose characteristics seem to be directly linked to the magnetic helicity transport in corona. Methods: We applied different methods to determine the helicity sign and the chirality of the filament magnetic field. We also computed the magnetic helicity transport rate at the filament footpoints. Results: All the observational signatures provided information on the positive helicity and sinistral chirality of the flux rope containing the filament material: its forward S shape, the orientation of its barbs, the bright and dark threads at 195 Å. Moreover, the magnetic helicity transport rate at the filament footpoints showed a clear accumulation of positive helicity. Conclusions: The study of this event showed a correspondence between several signatures of the sinistral chirality of the filament and several evidences of the positive magnetic helicity of the filament magnetic field. We also found that the magnetic helicity transported along the filament footpoints showed an increase just before the change of the filament shape observed in Hα images. We argued that the photospheric regions where the filament was rooted might be the preferential ways where the magnetic helicity was injected along the filament itself and where the conditions to trigger the eruption were yielded.

The step-wise pathway of septin hetero-octamer assembly in budding yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Weems, Andrew; McMurray, Michael

2017-05-25

Septin proteins bind guanine nucleotides and form rod-shaped hetero-oligomers. Cells choose from a variety of available septins to assemble distinct hetero-oligomers, but the underlying mechanism was unknown. Using a new in vivo assay, we find that a stepwise assembly pathway produces the two species of budding yeast septin hetero-octamers: Cdc11/Shs1-Cdc12-Cdc3-Cdc10-Cdc10-Cdc3-Cdc12-Cdc11/Shs1. Rapid GTP hydrolysis by monomeric Cdc10 drives assembly of the core Cdc10 homodimer. The extended Cdc3 N terminus autoinhibits Cdc3 association with Cdc10 homodimers until prior Cdc3-Cdc12 interaction. Slow hydrolysis by monomeric Cdc12 and specific affinity of Cdc11 for transient Cdc12•GTP drive assembly of distinct trimers, Cdc11-Cdc12-Cdc3 or Shs1-Cdc12-Cdc3. Decreasing the cytosolic GTP:GDP ratio increases the incorporation of Shs1 vs Cdc11, which alters the curvature of filamentous septin rings. Our findings explain how GTP hydrolysis controls septin assembly, and uncover mechanisms by which cells construct defined septin complexes.

Femtosecond Laser Filamentation

CERN Document Server

Chin, See Leang

2010-01-01

Femtosecond Laser Filamentation gives a comprehensive review of the physics of propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses in optical media (principally air) and the applications and challenges of this new technique. This book presents the modern understanding of the physics of femtosecond laser pulse propagation, including unusual new effects such as the self-transformation of the pulse into a white light laser pulse, intensity clamping, the physics of multiple filamentation and competition, and how filaments’ ability to melt glass leads to wave guide writing. The potential applications of laser filamentation in atmospheric sensing and the generation of other electromagnetic pulses from the UV to the radio frequency are treated, together with possible future challenges in the excitation of super-excited states of molecules. Exciting new phenomena such as filament induced ultrafast birefringence and the excitation of molecular rotational wave packets and their multiple revivals in air (gases) will also ...

Can we determine the filament chirality by the filament footpoint location or the barb-bearing?

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Qi; Guo, Yang; Fang, Cheng; Chen, Peng-Fei; Cao, Wen-Da

2016-01-01

We attempt to propose a method for automatically detecting the solar filament chirality and barb bearing. We first introduce the concept of an unweighted undirected graph and adopt the Dijkstra shortest path algorithm to recognize the filament spine. Then, we use the polarity inversion line (PIL) shift method for measuring the polarities on both sides of the filament, and employ the connected components labeling method to identify the barbs and calculate the angle between each barb and the spine to determine the bearing of the barbs, i.e., left or right. We test the automatic detection method with Hα filtergrams from the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) Hα archive and magnetograms observed with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Four filaments are automatically detected and illustrated to show the results. The barbs in different parts of a filament may have opposite bearings. The filaments in the southern hemisphere (northern hemisphere) mainly have left-bearing (right-bearing) barbs and positive (negative) magnetic helicity, respectively. The tested results demonstrate that our method is efficient and effective in detecting the bearing of filament barbs. It is demonstrated that the conventionally believed one-to-one correspondence between filament chirality and barb bearing is not valid. The correct detection of the filament axis chirality should be done by combining both imaging morphology and magnetic field observations.

Can we determine the filament chirality by the filament footpoint location or the barb-bearing?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Qi; Guo, Yang; Fang, Cheng; Chen, Peng-Fei; Cao, Wen-Da

2016-01-01

We attempt to propose a method for automatically detecting the solar filament chirality and barb bearing. We first introduce the concept of an unweighted undirected graph and adopt the Dijkstra shortest path algorithm to recognize the filament spine. Then, we use the polarity inversion line (PIL) shift method for measuring the polarities on both sides of the filament, and employ the connected components labeling method to identify the barbs and calculate the angle between each barb and the spine to determine the bearing of the barbs, i.e., left or right. We test the automatic detection method with Hα filtergrams from the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) Hα archive and magnetograms observed with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Four filaments are automatically detected and illustrated to show the results. The barbs in different parts of a filament may have opposite bearings. The filaments in the southern hemisphere (northern hemisphere) mainly have left-bearing (right-bearing) barbs and positive (negative) magnetic helicity, respectively. The tested results demonstrate that our method is efficient and effective in detecting the bearing of filament barbs. It is demonstrated that the conventionally believed one-to-one correspondence between filament chirality and barb bearing is not valid. The correct detection of the filament axis chirality should be done by combining both imaging morphology and magnetic field observations. (paper)

Bidirectional Interplay between Vimentin Intermediate Filaments and Contractile Actin Stress Fibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaming Jiu

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The actin cytoskeleton and cytoplasmic intermediate filaments contribute to cell migration and morphogenesis, but the interplay between these two central cytoskeletal elements has remained elusive. Here, we find that specific actin stress fiber structures, transverse arcs, interact with vimentin intermediate filaments and promote their retrograde flow. Consequently, myosin-II-containing arcs are important for perinuclear localization of the vimentin network in cells. The vimentin network reciprocally restricts retrograde movement of arcs and hence controls the width of flat lamellum at the leading edge of the cell. Depletion of plectin recapitulates the vimentin organization phenotype of arc-deficient cells without affecting the integrity of vimentin filaments or stress fibers, demonstrating that this cytoskeletal cross-linker is required for productive interactions between vimentin and arcs. Collectively, our results reveal that plectin-mediated interplay between contractile actomyosin arcs and vimentin intermediate filaments controls the localization and dynamics of these two cytoskeletal systems and is consequently important for cell morphogenesis.

Dynamic DNA devices and assemblies formed by shape-complementary, non-base pairing 3D components

Science.gov (United States)

Gerling, Thomas; Wagenbauer, Klaus F.; Neuner, Andrea M.; Dietz, Hendrik

2015-03-01

We demonstrate that discrete three-dimensional (3D) DNA components can specifically self-assemble in solution on the basis of shape-complementarity and without base pairing. Using this principle, we produced homo- and heteromultimeric objects, including micrometer-scale one- and two-stranded filaments and lattices, as well as reconfigurable devices, including an actuator, a switchable gear, an unfoldable nanobook, and a nanorobot. These multidomain assemblies were stabilized via short-ranged nucleobase stacking bonds that compete against electrostatic repulsion between the components’ interfaces. Using imaging by electron microscopy, ensemble and single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer spectroscopy, and electrophoretic mobility analysis, we show that the balance between attractive and repulsive interactions, and thus the conformation of the assemblies, may be finely controlled by global parameters such as cation concentration or temperature and by an allosteric mechanism based on strand-displacement reactions.

Filament poisoning at typical carbon nanotube deposition conditions by hot-filament CVD

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Oliphant, CJ

2009-05-01

Full Text Available extensively used for the deposition of various materials, including diamond [1], polymers [2], silicon thin films [3], boron-carbon-nitride layers [4] and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [5]. The process relies on the catalytic decomposition of precursor gases... (Ho) twice as efficient as a W filament during the deposition of microcrystalline silicon thin films [6]. Reactions between the precursor gases and the heated filament result in changes of the structural properties of the filaments; a process...

Filament wound structure and method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dritt, W.S.; Gerth, H.L.; Knight, C.E. Jr.; Pardue, R.M.

1977-01-01

A filament wound spherical structure is described comprising a plurality of filament band sets disposed about the surface of a mandrel with each band of each set formed of a continuous filament circumferentially wound about the mandrel a selected number of circuits and with each circuit of filament being wound parallel to and contiguous with an immediate previously wound circuit. Each filament band in each band set is wound at the same helix angle from the axis of revolution of the mandrel and all of the bands of each set are uniformly distributed about the mandrel circumference. The pole-to-equator wall thickness taper associated with each band set, as several contiguous band sets are wound about the mandrel starting at the poles, is accumulative as the band sets are nested to provide a complete filament wound sphere of essentially uniform thickness

Bacterial actin MreB forms antiparallel double filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Ent, Fusinita; Izoré, Thierry; Bharat, Tanmay Am; Johnson, Christopher M; Löwe, Jan

2014-05-02

Filaments of all actin-like proteins known to date are assembled from pairs of protofilaments that are arranged in a parallel fashion, generating polarity. In this study, we show that the prokaryotic actin homologue MreB forms pairs of protofilaments that adopt an antiparallel arrangement in vitro and in vivo. We provide an atomic view of antiparallel protofilaments of Caulobacter MreB as apparent from crystal structures. We show that a protofilament doublet is essential for MreB's function in cell shape maintenance and demonstrate by in vivo site-specific cross-linking the antiparallel orientation of MreB protofilaments in E. coli. 3D cryo-EM shows that pairs of protofilaments of Caulobacter MreB tightly bind to membranes. Crystal structures of different nucleotide and polymerisation states of Caulobacter MreB reveal conserved conformational changes accompanying antiparallel filament formation. Finally, the antimicrobial agents A22/MP265 are shown to bind close to the bound nucleotide of MreB, presumably preventing nucleotide hydrolysis and destabilising double protofilaments.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02634.001. Copyright © 2014, van den Ent et al.

Performance of FFTF reference fuel and control assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leggett, R.D.; Weber, E.T.

1984-11-01

This paper describes the performance of the reference fuel and control assemblies used in FFTF through the first four cycles of irradiation (446 equivalent full power days, EFPD). These assemblies performed flawlessly through the rigors of the Startup Testing Program, STP, (beginning in late 1979) with its cyclic operation and continued to do so throughout Cycles 1, 2, 3 and 4, the latter ending in April 1984

Filament winding technique, experiment and simulation analysis on tubular structure

Science.gov (United States)

Quanjin, Ma; Rejab, M. R. M.; Kaige, Jiang; Idris, M. S.; Harith, M. N.

2018-04-01

Filament winding process has emerged as one of the potential composite fabrication processes with lower costs. Filament wound products involve classic axisymmetric parts (pipes, rings, driveshafts, high-pressure vessels and storage tanks), non-axisymmetric parts (prismatic nonround sections and pipe fittings). Based on the 3-axis filament winding machine has been designed with the inexpensive control system, it is completely necessary to make a relative comparison between experiment and simulation on tubular structure. In this technical paper, the aim of this paper is to perform a dry winding experiment using the 3-axis filament winding machine and simulate winding process on the tubular structure using CADWIND software with 30°, 45°, 60° winding angle. The main result indicates that the 3-axis filament winding machine can produce tubular structure with high winding pattern performance with different winding angle. This developed 3-axis winding machine still has weakness compared to CAWIND software simulation results with high axes winding machine about winding pattern, turnaround impact, process error, thickness, friction impact etc. In conclusion, the 3-axis filament winding machine improvements and recommendations come up with its comparison results, which can intuitively understand its limitations and characteristics.

Microwave processing of ceramic oxide filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogt, G.J.; Katz, J.D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States)

1995-05-01

The objective of the microwave filament processing project is to develop microwave techniques at 2.45 GHZ to manufacture continuous ceramic oxide filaments. Microwave processing uses the volumetric absorption of microwave power in oxide filament tows to drive off process solvents, to burn out organic binders, and to sinter the dried fibers to produce flexible, high-strength ceramic filaments. The technical goal is to advance filament processing technology by microwave heating more rapidly with less energy and at a lower cost than conventional processing, but with the same quality as conventional processing. The manufacturing goal is to collaborate with the 3M Company, a US manufacturer of ceramic oxide filaments, to evaluate the technology using a prototype filament system and to transfer the microwave technology to the 3M Company.

Solar Features - Prominences and Filaments - Filaments

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Filaments are formed in magnetic loops that hold relatively cool, dense gas suspended above the surface of the Sun (David Hathaway/NASA)

Dynamic gradients of an intermediate filament-like cytoskeleton are recruited by a polarity landmark during apical growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchino, Katsuya; Bagchi, Sonchita; Cantlay, Stuart; Sandblad, Linda; Wu, Di; Bergman, Jessica; Kamali-Moghaddam, Masood; Flärdh, Klas; Ausmees, Nora

2013-05-21

Intermediate filament (IF)-like cytoskeleton emerges as a versatile tool for cellular organization in all kingdoms of life, underscoring the importance of mechanistically understanding its diverse manifestations. We showed previously that, in Streptomyces (a bacterium with a mycelial lifestyle similar to that of filamentous fungi, including extreme cell and growth polarity), the IF protein FilP confers rigidity to the hyphae by an unknown mechanism. Here, we provide a possible explanation for the IF-like function of FilP by demonstrating its ability to self-assemble into a cis-interconnected regular network in vitro and its localization into structures consistent with a cytoskeletal network in vivo. Furthermore, we reveal that a spatially restricted interaction between FilP and DivIVA, the main component of the Streptomyces polarisome complex, leads to formation of apical gradients of FilP in hyphae undergoing active tip extension. We propose that the coupling between the mechanism driving polar growth and the assembly of an IF cytoskeleton provides each new hypha with an additional stress-bearing structure at its tip, where the nascent cell wall is inevitably more flexible and compliant while it is being assembled and matured. Our data suggest that recruitment of cytoskeleton around a cell polarity landmark is a broadly conserved strategy in tip-growing cells.

Multi-sensor control for precise assembly of optical components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Li

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In order to perform an optical assembly accurately, a multi-sensor control strategy is developed which includes an attitude measurement system, a vision system, a loss measurement system and a force sensor. A 3-DOF attitude measuring method using linear variable differential transformers (LVDT is designed to adjust the relation of position and attitude between the spherical mirror and the resonator. A micro vision feedback system is set up to extract the light beam and the diaphragm, which can achieve the coarse positioning of the spherical mirror in the optical assembly process. A rapid self-correlation method is presented to analyze the spectrum signal for the fine positioning. In order to prevent the damage of the optical components and realize sealing of the resonator, a hybrid force-position control is constructed to control the contact force of the optical components. The experimental results show that the proposed multi-sensor control strategy succeeds in accomplishing the precise assembly of the optical components, which consists of parallel adjustment, macro coarse adjustment, macro approach, micro fine adjustment, micro approach and optical contact. Therefore, the results validate the multi-sensor control strategy.

Calculation of drop course of control rod assembly in PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Xiaojia; Mao Fei; Min Peng; Lin Shaoxuan

2013-01-01

The validation of control rod drop performance is an important part of safety analysis of nuclear power plant. Development of computer code for calculating control rod drop course will be useful for validating and improving the design of control rod drive line. Based on structural features of the drive line, the driving force on moving assembly was analyzed and decomposed, the transient value of each component of the driving force was calculated by choosing either theoretical method or numerical method, and the simulation code for calculating rod cluster control assembly (RCCA) drop course by time step increase was achieved. The analysis results of control rod assembly drop course calculated by theoretical model and numerical method were validated by comparing with RCCA drop test data of Qinshan Phase Ⅱ 600 MW PWR. It is shown that the developed RCCA drop course calculation code is suitable for RCCA in PWR and can correctly simulate the drop course and the stress of RCCA. (authors)

Tungsten Filament Fire

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Michael J.; Perkins, James

2016-01-01

We safely remove the outer glass bulb from an incandescent lamp and burn up the tungsten filament after the glass is removed. This demonstration dramatically illustrates the necessity of a vacuum or inert gas for the environment surrounding the tungsten filament inside the bulb. Our approach has added historical importance since the incandescent…

Fine filament NbTi superconductive composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, S.; Grabinsky, G.; Marancik, W.; Pattanayak, D.

1986-01-01

The large superconducting magnet for the high energy physics accelerator requires fine filament composite to minimize the field error due to the persistent current in the filaments. New concepts toward the fine filament composite and its cable fabrication are discussed. Two-stage cables of fine wire with intermediate number of filaments were introduced. The first stage was six wires cables around one and in the second stage this was used to produce a Rutherford cable. The advantage of this process is in the ease of billet fabrication since the number of filaments in a single wire is within the range of easy billet fabrication. The disadvantage is in the cable fabrication. One of the major concerns in the fabrication of fine NbTi filaments composite in a copper matrix is the intermetallic compound formation during the extrusion and heat treatment steps. The hard intermetallic particles degrade the uniformity of the filaments and reduce the critical current density. The process of using Nb barrier between the filaments and copper matrix in order to prevent this CuTi intermetallic particle formation is described

Solo and keratin filaments regulate epithelial tubule morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishimura, Ryosuke; Kato, Kagayaki; Fujiwara, Sachiko; Ohashi, Kazumasa; Mizuno, Kensaku

2018-04-28

Epithelial tubules, consisting of the epithelial cell sheet with a central lumen, are the basic structure of many organs. Mechanical forces play an important role in epithelial tubulogenesis; however, little is known about the mechanisms controlling the mechanical forces during epithelial tubule morphogenesis. Solo (also known as ARHGEF40) is a RhoA-targeting guanine-nucleotide exchange factor that is involved in mechanical force-induced RhoA activation and stress fiber formation. Solo binds to keratin-8/keratin-18 (K8/K18) filaments, and this interaction plays a crucial role in mechanotransduction. In this study, we examined the roles of Solo and K8/K18 filaments in epithelial tubulogenesis using MDCK cells cultured in 3D collagen gels. Knockdown of either Solo or K18 resulted in rounder tubules with increased lumen size, indicating that Solo and K8/K18 filaments play critical roles in forming the elongated morphology of epithelial tubules. Moreover, knockdown of Solo or K18 decreased the level of diphosphorylated myosin light chain (a marker of contractile force) at the luminal and outer surfaces of tubules, suggesting that Solo and K8/K18 filaments are involved in the generation of the myosin II-mediated contractile force during epithelial tubule morphogenesis. In addition, K18 filaments were normally oriented along the long axis of the tubule, but knockdown of Solo perturbed their orientation. These results suggest that Solo plays crucial roles in forming the elongated morphology of epithelial tubules and in regulating myosin II activity and K18 filament organization during epithelial tubule formation.

Stability of two-dimensional vorticity filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elhmaidi, D.; Provenzale, A.; Lili, T.; Babiano, A.

2004-01-01

We discuss the results of a numerical study on the stability of two-dimensional vorticity filaments around a circular vortex. We illustrate how the stability of the filaments depends on the balance between the strain associated with the far field of the vortex and the local vorticity of the filament, and we discuss an empirical criterion for filament stability

Design parameters for voltage-controllable directed assembly of single nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, Benjamin F; Bhaskaran, Harish; Abelmann, Leon

2013-01-01

Techniques to reliably pick-and-place single nanoparticles into functional assemblies are required to incorporate exotic nanoparticles into standard electronic circuits. In this paper we explore the use of electric fields to drive and direct the assembly process, which has the advantage of being able to control the nano-assembly process at the single nanoparticle level. To achieve this, we design an electrostatic gating system, thus enabling a voltage-controllable nanoparticle picking technique. Simulating this system with the nonlinear Poisson–Boltzmann equation, we can successfully characterize the parameters required for single particle placement, the key being single particle selectivity, in effect designing a system that can achieve this controllably. We then present the optimum design parameters required for successful single nanoparticle placement at ambient temperature, an important requirement for nanomanufacturing processes. (paper)

Simulating the formation of keratin filament networks by a piecewise-deterministic Markov process.

Science.gov (United States)

Beil, Michael; Lück, Sebastian; Fleischer, Frank; Portet, Stéphanie; Arendt, Wolfgang; Schmidt, Volker

2009-02-21

Keratin intermediate filament networks are part of the cytoskeleton in epithelial cells. They were found to regulate viscoelastic properties and motility of cancer cells. Due to unique biochemical properties of keratin polymers, the knowledge of the mechanisms controlling keratin network formation is incomplete. A combination of deterministic and stochastic modeling techniques can be a valuable source of information since they can describe known mechanisms of network evolution while reflecting the uncertainty with respect to a variety of molecular events. We applied the concept of piecewise-deterministic Markov processes to the modeling of keratin network formation with high spatiotemporal resolution. The deterministic component describes the diffusion-driven evolution of a pool of soluble keratin filament precursors fueling various network formation processes. Instants of network formation events are determined by a stochastic point process on the time axis. A probability distribution controlled by model parameters exercises control over the frequency of different mechanisms of network formation to be triggered. Locations of the network formation events are assigned dependent on the spatial distribution of the soluble pool of filament precursors. Based on this modeling approach, simulation studies revealed that the architecture of keratin networks mostly depends on the balance between filament elongation and branching processes. The spatial distribution of network mesh size, which strongly influences the mechanical characteristics of filament networks, is modulated by lateral annealing processes. This mechanism which is a specific feature of intermediate filament networks appears to be a major and fast regulator of cell mechanics.

Bidirectional Interplay between Vimentin Intermediate Filaments and Contractile Actin Stress Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiu, Yaming; Lehtimäki, Jaakko; Tojkander, Sari; Cheng, Fang; Jäälinoja, Harri; Liu, Xiaonan; Varjosalo, Markku; Eriksson, John E; Lappalainen, Pekka

2015-06-16

The actin cytoskeleton and cytoplasmic intermediate filaments contribute to cell migration and morphogenesis, but the interplay between these two central cytoskeletal elements has remained elusive. Here, we find that specific actin stress fiber structures, transverse arcs, interact with vimentin intermediate filaments and promote their retrograde flow. Consequently, myosin-II-containing arcs are important for perinuclear localization of the vimentin network in cells. The vimentin network reciprocally restricts retrograde movement of arcs and hence controls the width of flat lamellum at the leading edge of the cell. Depletion of plectin recapitulates the vimentin organization phenotype of arc-deficient cells without affecting the integrity of vimentin filaments or stress fibers, demonstrating that this cytoskeletal cross-linker is required for productive interactions between vimentin and arcs. Collectively, our results reveal that plectin-mediated interplay between contractile actomyosin arcs and vimentin intermediate filaments controls the localization and dynamics of these two cytoskeletal systems and is consequently important for cell morphogenesis. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unwinding motion of a twisted active region filament

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, X. L.; Xue, Z. K.; Kong, D. F. [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China); Liu, J. H. [Department of Physics, Shijiazhuang University, Shijiazhuang 050035 (China); Xu, C. L. [Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650092 (China)

2014-12-10

To better understand the structures of active region filaments and the eruption process, we study an active region filament eruption in active region NOAA 11082 in detail on 2010 June 22. Before the filament eruption, the opposite unidirectional material flows appeared in succession along the spine of the filament. The rising of the filament triggered two B-class flares at the upper part of the filament. As the bright material was injected into the filament from the sites of the flares, the filament exhibited a rapid uplift accompanying the counterclockwise rotation of the filament body. From the expansion of the filament, we can see that the filament consisted of twisted magnetic field lines. The total twist of the filament is at least 5π obtained by using a time slice method. According to the morphology change during the filament eruption, it is found that the active region filament was a twisted flux rope and its unwinding motion was like a solar tornado. We also find that there was a continuous magnetic helicity injection before and during the filament eruption. It is confirmed that magnetic helicity can be transferred from the photosphere to the filament. Using the extrapolated potential fields, the average decay index of the background magnetic fields over the filament is 0.91. Consequently, these findings imply that the mechanism of solar filament eruption could be due to the kink instability and magnetic helicity accumulation.

Filaments and clusters of galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soltan, A.

1987-01-01

A statistical test to investigate filaments of galaxies is performed. Only particular form of filaments is considered, viz. filaments connecting Abell clusters of galaxies. Relative position of triplets ''cluster - field object - cluster'' is analysed. Though neither cluster sample nor field object sample are homogeneous and complete only peculiar form of selection effects could affect the present statistics. Comparison of observational data with simulations shows that less than 15 per cent of all field galaxies is concentrated in filaments connecting rich clusters. Most of the field objects used in the analysis are not normal galaxies and it is possible that this conclusion is not in conflict with apparent filaments seen in the Lick counts and in some nearby 3D maps of the galaxy distribution. 26 refs., 2 figs. (author)

Weak-lensing detection of intracluster filaments with ground-based data

Science.gov (United States)

Maturi, Matteo; Merten, Julian

2013-11-01

According to the current standard model of cosmology, matter in the Universe arranges itself along a network of filamentary structure. These filaments connect the main nodes of this so-called "cosmic web", which are clusters of galaxies. Although its large-scale distribution is clearly characterized by numerical simulations, constraining the dark-matter content of the cosmic web in reality turns out to be difficult. The natural method of choice is gravitational lensing. However, the direct detection and mapping of the elusive filament signal is challenging and in this work we present two methods that are specifically tailored to achieve this task. A linear matched filter aims at detecting the smooth mass-component of filaments and is optimized to perform a shear decomposition that follows the anisotropic component of the lensing signal. Filaments clearly inherit this property due to their morphology. At the same time, the contamination arising from the central massive cluster is controlled in a natural way. The filament 1σ detection is of about κ ~ 0.01 - 0.005 according to the filter's template width and length, enabling the detection of structures beyond reach with other approaches. The second, complementary method seeks to detect the clumpy component of filaments. The detection is determined by the number density of subclump identifications in an area enclosing the potential filament, as was found within the observed field with the filter approach. We tested both methods against mocked observations based on realistic N-body simulations of filamentary structure and proved the feasibility of detecting filaments with ground-based data.

Spindles and active vortices in a model of confined filament-motor mixtures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Head David A

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Robust self-organization of subcellular structures is a key principle governing the dynamics and evolution of cellular life. In fission yeast cells undergoing division, the mitotic spindle spontaneously emerges from the interaction of microtubules, motor proteins and the confining cell walls, and asters and vortices have been observed to self-assemble in quasi-two dimensional microtubule-kinesin assays. There is no clear microscopic picture of the role of the active motors driving this pattern formation, and the relevance of continuum modeling to filament-scale structures remains uncertain. Results Here we present results of numerical simulations of a discrete filament-motor protein model confined to a pressurised cylindrical box. Stable spindles, nematic configurations, asters and high-density semi-asters spontaneously emerge, the latter pair having also been observed in cytosol confined within emulsion droplets. State diagrams are presented delineating each stationary state as the pressure, motor speed and motor density are varied. We further highlight a parameter regime where vortices form exhibiting collective rotation of all filaments, but have a finite life-time before contracting to a semi-aster. Quantifying the distribution of life-times suggests this contraction is a Poisson process. Equivalent systems with fixed volume exhibit persistent vortices with stochastic switching in the direction of rotation, with switching times obeying similar statistics to contraction times in pressurised systems. Furthermore, we show that increasing the detachment rate of motors from filament plus-ends can both destroy vortices and turn some asters into vortices. Conclusions We have shown that discrete filament-motor protein models provide new insights into the stationary and dynamical behavior of active gels and subcellular structures, because many phenomena occur on the length-scale of single filaments. Based on our findings, we argue

On the association of magnetic clouds with disappearing filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, R.M.; Hildner, E.

1986-01-01

We present evidence that an interplanetary magnetic cloud preceding an interaction region, observed at earth January 24, 1974, is associated with the eruptive filament or disparition brusque (DB) near central meridian on January 18. The DB also was associated with a long-decay soft X ray transient (LDE) and a long-duration gradual-rise-and-fall (GRF) radio burst. To assess whether magnetic clouds are generally associated with DBs, we present results from statistical testing of the relation of 33 magnetic clouds (and 33 control samples without magnetic clouds) to disappearing filaments near central meridian (approx. 99% confidence. There is a suggestion that clouds following shocks, probably launched at times of solar flares, are not as strongly associated with disappearing filaments as are clouds launched less violently

Evolution of Filament Barbs

OpenAIRE

Liu, Rui; Xu, Yan; Wang, Haimin

2010-01-01

We present a selected few cases in which the sense of chirality of filament barbs changed within as short as hours. We investigate in detail a quiescent filament on 2003 September 10 and 11. Of its four barbs displaying such changes only one overlay a small polarity inversion line inside the EUV filament channel (EFC). No magnetic elements with magnitude above the noise level were detected at the endpoints of all barbs. In particular, a pair of barbs first approached toward and then departed ...

Myosin binding protein-C activates thin filaments and inhibits thick filaments in heart muscle cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kampourakis, Thomas; Yan, Ziqian; Gautel, Mathias; Sun, Yin-Biao; Irving, Malcolm

2014-12-30

Myosin binding protein-C (MyBP-C) is a key regulatory protein in heart muscle, and mutations in the MYBPC3 gene are frequently associated with cardiomyopathy. However, the mechanism of action of MyBP-C remains poorly understood, and both activating and inhibitory effects of MyBP-C on contractility have been reported. To clarify the function of the regulatory N-terminal domains of MyBP-C, we determined their effects on the structure of thick (myosin-containing) and thin (actin-containing) filaments in intact sarcomeres of heart muscle. We used fluorescent probes on troponin C in the thin filaments and on myosin regulatory light chain in the thick filaments to monitor structural changes associated with activation of demembranated trabeculae from rat ventricle by the C1mC2 region of rat MyBP-C. C1mC2 induced larger structural changes in thin filaments than calcium activation, and these were still present when active force was blocked with blebbistatin, showing that C1mC2 directly activates the thin filaments. In contrast, structural changes in thick filaments induced by C1mC2 were smaller than those associated with calcium activation and were abolished or reversed by blebbistatin. Low concentrations of C1mC2 did not affect resting force but increased calcium sensitivity and reduced cooperativity of force and structural changes in both thin and thick filaments. These results show that the N-terminal region of MyBP-C stabilizes the ON state of thin filaments and the OFF state of thick filaments and lead to a novel hypothesis for the physiological role of MyBP-C in the regulation of cardiac contractility.

Reconstitutable control rod spider assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shallenberger, J.M.; Ferian, S.J.

1990-01-01

A reconstitutable control rod/spider assembly includes a hollow connecting finger of the spider having a pair of opposing flat segments formed on the interior thereof and engaging a pair of opposing flat sectors formed on the exterior of a stem extending form the upper end of control rod. The stem also has an externally-threaded portion engaging a nut and a pilot aligning portion for the nut. The nut has a radially flexible and expandable thread-defining element captured in its bore. The segments and sectors allow the rod to be removed and reattached after turning through 180 0 to allow more even wear on the rod. (author)

Controlled assembly of multi-segment nanowires by histidine-tagged peptides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Aijun A; Lee, Joun; Jenikova, Gabriela; Mulchandani, Ashok; Myung, Nosang V; Chen, Wilfred [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States)

2006-07-28

A facile technique was demonstrated for the controlled assembly and alignment of multi-segment nanowires using bioengineered polypeptides. An elastin-like-polypeptide (ELP)-based biopolymer consisting of a hexahistine cluster at each end (His{sub 6}-ELP-His{sub 6}) was generated and purified by taking advantage of the reversible phase transition property of ELP. The affinity between the His{sub 6} domain of biopolymers and the nickel segment of multi-segment nickel/gold/nickel nanowires was exploited for the directed assembly of nanowires onto peptide-functionalized electrode surfaces. The presence of the ferromagnetic nickel segments on the nanowires allowed the control of directionality by an external magnetic field. Using this method, the directed assembly and positioning of multi-segment nanowires across two microfabricated nickel electrodes in a controlled manner was accomplished with the expected ohmic contact.

ZOMG - III. The effect of halo assembly on the satellite population

Science.gov (United States)

Garaldi, Enrico; Romano-Díaz, Emilio; Borzyszkowski, Mikolaj; Porciani, Cristiano

2018-01-01

We use zoom hydrodynamical simulations to investigate the properties of satellites within galaxy-sized dark-matter haloes with different assembly histories. We consider two classes of haloes at redshift z = 0: 'stalled' haloes that assembled at z > 1 and 'accreting' ones that are still forming nowadays. Previously, we showed that the stalled haloes are embedded within thick filaments of the cosmic web, while the accreting ones lie where multiple thin filaments converge. We find that satellites in the two classes have both similar and different properties. Their mass spectra, radial count profiles, baryonic and stellar content, and the amount of material they shed are indistinguishable. However, the mass fraction locked in satellites is substantially larger for the accreting haloes as they experience more mergers at late times. The largest difference is found in the satellite kinematics. Substructures fall towards the accreting haloes along quasi-radial trajectories whereas an important tangential velocity component is developed, before accretion, while orbiting the filament that surrounds the stalled haloes. Thus, the velocity anisotropy parameter of the satellites (β) is positive for the accreting haloes and negative for the stalled ones. This signature enables us to tentatively categorize the Milky Way halo as stalled based on a recent measurement of β. Half of our haloes contain clusters of satellites with aligned orbital angular momenta corresponding to flattened structures in space. These features are not driven by baryonic physics and are only found in haloes hosting grand-design spiral galaxies, independently of their assembly history.

Electron emitting filaments for electron discharge devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, K.N.; Pincosy, P.A.; Ehlers, K.W.

1988-01-01

This patent describes an electron emitting device for use in an electron discharge system. It comprises: a filament having a pair of terminal ends, electrical supply means for supplying electrical power to the terminal ends of the filament for directly heating the filament by the passage of an electrical current along the filament between the terminal ends, the filament being substantially tapered in cross section continuously in one direction from one of its pair of terminal ends to another of its pair of terminal ends to achieve uniform heating of the filament along the length thereof by compensating for the nonuniform current along the filament due to the emission of electrons therefrom

Analysis of a filament stretching rheometer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolte, Mette Irene; Rasmussen, Henrik K.; Hassager, Ole

1996-01-01

A finite element analysis of the stretching filament rheometer of Tirtaadmadja and Sridhar (1993) is presenetd. Simulations of the stretching of a filament of the polymet test solution, fluid A, between two plates are shown.......A finite element analysis of the stretching filament rheometer of Tirtaadmadja and Sridhar (1993) is presenetd. Simulations of the stretching of a filament of the polymet test solution, fluid A, between two plates are shown....

The detection of the imprint of filaments on cosmic microwave background lensing

Science.gov (United States)

He, Siyu; Alam, Shadab; Ferraro, Simone; Chen, Yen-Chi; Ho, Shirley

2018-05-01

Galaxy redshift surveys, such as the 2-Degree-Field Survey (2dF)1, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)2, 6-Degree-Field Survey (6dF)3, Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey (GAMA)4 and VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS)5, have shown that the spatial distribution of matter forms a rich web, known as the cosmic web6. Most galaxy survey analyses measure the amplitude of galaxy clustering as a function of scale, ignoring information beyond a small number of summary statistics. Because the matter density field becomes highly non-Gaussian as structure evolves under gravity, we expect other statistical descriptions of the field to provide us with additional information. One way to study the non-Gaussianity is to study filaments, which evolve non-linearly from the initial density fluctuations produced in the primordial Universe. In our study, we report the detection of lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by filaments, and we apply a null test to confirm our detection. Furthermore, we propose a phenomenological model to interpret the detected signal, and we measure how filaments trace the matter distribution on large scales through filament bias, which we measure to be around 1.5. Our study provides new scope to understand the environmental dependence of galaxy formation. In the future, the joint analysis of lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich observations might reveal the properties of `missing baryons', the vast majority of the gas that resides in the intergalactic medium, which has so far evaded most observations.

The detection of the imprint of filaments on cosmic microwave background lensing

Science.gov (United States)

He, Siyu; Alam, Shadab; Ferraro, Simone; Chen, Yen-Chi; Ho, Shirley

2018-04-01

Galaxy redshift surveys, such as the 2-Degree-Field Survey (2dF)1, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)2, 6-Degree-Field Survey (6dF)3, Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey (GAMA)4 and VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS)5, have shown that the spatial distribution of matter forms a rich web, known as the cosmic web6. Most galaxy survey analyses measure the amplitude of galaxy clustering as a function of scale, ignoring information beyond a small number of summary statistics. Because the matter density field becomes highly non-Gaussian as structure evolves under gravity, we expect other statistical descriptions of the field to provide us with additional information. One way to study the non-Gaussianity is to study filaments, which evolve non-linearly from the initial density fluctuations produced in the primordial Universe. In our study, we report the detection of lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by filaments, and we apply a null test to confirm our detection. Furthermore, we propose a phenomenological model to interpret the detected signal, and we measure how filaments trace the matter distribution on large scales through filament bias, which we measure to be around 1.5. Our study provides new scope to understand the environmental dependence of galaxy formation. In the future, the joint analysis of lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich observations might reveal the properties of `missing baryons', the vast majority of the gas that resides in the intergalactic medium, which has so far evaded most observations.

Daam1 regulates fascin for actin assembly in mouse oocyte meiosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yujie; Zhang, Yu; Pan, Meng-Hao; Kim, Nam-Hyung; Sun, Shao-Chen; Cui, Xiang-Shun

2017-07-18

As a formin protein, Daam1 (Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1) is reported to regulate series of cell processes like endocytosis, cell morphology and migration via its effects on actin assembly in mitosis. However, whether Daam1 plays roles in female meiosis remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated the expression and functions of Daam1 during mouse oocyte meiosis. Our results indicated that Daam1 localized at the cortex of oocytes, which was similar with actin filaments. After Daam1 morpholino (MO) microinjection, the expression of Daam1 significantly decreased, which resulted in the failure of oocyte polar body extrusion. These results might be due to the defects of actin assembly, since the decreased fluorescence intensity of actin filaments in oocyte cortex and cytoplasm were observed. However, Daam1 knockdown seemed not to affect the meiotic spindle movement. In addition, we found that fascin might be the down effector of Daam1, since the protein expression of fascin decreased after Daam1 knockdown. Thus, our data suggested that Daam1 affected actin assembly during oocyte meiotic division via the regulation of fascin expression.

An approximation for kanban controlled assembly systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Topan, E.; Avsar, Z.M.

2011-01-01

An approximation is proposed to evaluate the steady-state performance of kanban controlled two-stage assembly systems. The development of the approximation is as follows. The considered continuous-time Markov chain is aggregated keeping the model exact, and this aggregate model is approximated

Proteomics of Filamentous Fungi

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Passel, van M.W.J.; Schaap, P.J.; Graaff, de L.H.

2013-01-01

Filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae traditionally have had an important role in providing enzymes and enzyme cocktails that are used in food industry. In recent years the genome sequences of many filamentous fungi have become available. This combined with

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Alden, C. R.

2016-12-01

Coronal Mass Ejections, or CMEs, are large solar eruptions that can have major debilitating impacts on society. Typically, these eruptions have the three following key structures: the leading edge, the empty chamber known as the cavity, and the filament which often is the brightest part of the CME. When we can see all three structures clearly with a coronagraph, it is called a classic three-part CME, also referred to as a 'lightbulb' CME. According to current knowledge, when a CME erupts, a filament should also erupt or lift off the Sun in order to have the bright center within the CME. However, we do not always see a filament erupt at the surface, and yet we still get a 'filament' within the coronagraph CME. To better understand what might be occurring with these missing filaments, we looked at three-part CMEs using the SOHO LASCO CME Catalog and filaments from the SDO AIA Filament Catalog in order to create a list of 50 CMEs without a listed filament erupting at the surface. For those CMEs without filaments in the list we closely inspected the AIA images for evidence of filament eruption. To ensure that there were no filaments past the limb of the Sun, we used data from the STEREO-A and STEREO-B spacecraft's to look at the Sun from other angles. We have found numerous events where no filament erupts from the surface, but we still see the classic three-part CME. We believe this may be due to an optical illusion occurring from the twisting of the flux rope.

Controlling Photoconductivity in PBI Films by Supramolecular Assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Draper, Emily R; Archibald, Lewis J; Nolan, Michael C; Schweins, Ralf; Zwijnenburg, Martijn A; Sproules, Stephen; Adams, Dave J

2018-03-15

Perylene bisimides (PBIs) self-assemble in solution. The solubility of the PBIs is commonly changed through the choice of substituents at the imide positions. It is generally assumed this substitution does not affect the electronic properties of the PBI, and that the properties of the self-assembled aggregate are essentially that of the isolated molecule. However, substituents do affect the self-assembly, resulting in potentially different packing in the formed aggregates. Here, we show that the photoconductivity of films formed from a library of substituted PBIs varies strongly with the substituent and demonstrate that this is due to the different ways in which they pack. Our results open the possibility for tuning the optoelectronic properties of self-assembled PBIs by controlling the aggregate structure through careful choice of substituent, as demonstrated by us here optimising the photoconductivity of PBI films in this way. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Developments in hot-filament metal oxide deposition (HFMOD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durrant, Steven F.; Trasferetti, Benedito C.; Scarminio, Jair; Davanzo, Celso U.; Rouxinol, Francisco P.M.; Gelamo, Rogerio V.; Bica de Moraes, Mario A.

2008-01-01

Hot-filament metal oxide deposition (HFMOD) is a variant of conventional hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) recently developed in our laboratory and successfully used to obtain high-quality, uniform films of MO x , WO x and VO x . The method employs the controlled oxidation of a filament of a transition metal heated to 1000 deg. C or more in a rarefied oxygen atmosphere (typically, of about 1 Pa). Metal oxide vapor formed on the surface of the filament is transported a few centimetres to deposit on a suitable substrate. Key system parameters include the choice of filament material and diameter, the applied current and the partial pressures of oxygen in the chamber. Relatively high film deposition rates, such as 31 nm min -1 for MoO x , are obtained. The film stoichiometry depends on the exact deposition conditions. MoO x films, for example, present a mixture of MoO 2 and MoO 3 phases, as revealed by XPS. As determined by Li + intercalation using an electrochemical cell, these films also show a colouration efficiency of 19.5 cm 2 C -1 at a wavelength of 700 nm. MO x and WO x films are promising in applications involving electrochromism and characteristics of their colouring/bleaching cycles are presented. The chemical composition and structure of VO x films examined using IRRAS (infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy), RBS (Rutherford backscattering spectrometry) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectrometry) are also presented

Soliton on thin vortex filament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konno, Kimiaki; Mituhashi, Masahiko; Ichikawa, Y.H.

1990-12-01

Showing that one of the equations found by Wadati, Konno and Ichikawa is equivalent to the equation of motion of a thin vortex filament, we investigate solitons on the vortex filament. N vortex soliton solution is given in terms of the inverse scattering method. We examine two soliton collision processes on the filament. Our analysis provides the theoretical foundation of two soliton collision processes observed numerically by Aref and Flinchem. (author)

Striation and convection in penumbral filaments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spruit, H.C.; Scharmer, G.B.; Löfdahl, M.G.

2010-01-01

Observations with the 1-m Swedish Solar Telescope of the flows seen in penumbral filaments are presented. Time sequences of bright filaments show overturning motions strikingly similar to those seen along the walls of small isolated structures in the active regions. The filaments show outward

On-line system for control of plasma filament position in the Tokamak-10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britousov, N.N.; Valuev, S.F.; Sychev, G.I.; Shchedrov, V.M.

1982-01-01

The plasma filament position on-line control system (OCS) in the T-10 tokamak is described. Results of adjustment and operation of the system are given. The OCS is a structure of a direct negative feedback (DNF) versus deflection and a local DNF circuit. The OCS experimental studying is carried out under the following conditions: 200 kA plasma current, 32 cm diaphragm radius, 2.2-2.5 stability margin, 440 V anode voltage. The response time for 2 cm deflection jumps is 15-20 ns. The OCS demonstrated a particular efficiency while operating in parallel with the plasma current stabilizer providing a high discharge repetition and considerably reducing the number of substandard pulses

Boolean gates on actin filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siccardi, Stefano; Tuszynski, Jack A.; Adamatzky, Andrew

2016-01-01

Actin is a globular protein which forms long polar filaments in the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Actin networks play a key role in cell mechanics and cell motility. They have also been implicated in information transmission and processing, memory and learning in neuronal cells. The actin filaments have been shown to support propagation of voltage pulses. Here we apply a coupled nonlinear transmission line model of actin filaments to study interactions between voltage pulses. To represent digital information we assign a logical TRUTH value to the presence of a voltage pulse in a given location of the actin filament, and FALSE to the pulse's absence, so that information flows along the filament with pulse transmission. When two pulses, representing Boolean values of input variables, interact, then they can facilitate or inhibit further propagation of each other. We explore this phenomenon to construct Boolean logical gates and a one-bit half-adder with interacting voltage pulses. We discuss implications of these findings on cellular process and technological applications. - Highlights: • We simulate interaction between voltage pulses using on actin filaments. • We use a coupled nonlinear transmission line model. • We design Boolean logical gates via interactions between the voltage pulses. • We construct one-bit half-adder with interacting voltage pulses.

Boolean gates on actin filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siccardi, Stefano, E-mail: ssiccardi@2ssas.it [The Unconventional Computing Centre, University of the West of England, Bristol (United Kingdom); Tuszynski, Jack A., E-mail: jackt@ualberta.ca [Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada); Adamatzky, Andrew, E-mail: andrew.adamatzky@uwe.ac.uk [The Unconventional Computing Centre, University of the West of England, Bristol (United Kingdom)

2016-01-08

Actin is a globular protein which forms long polar filaments in the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Actin networks play a key role in cell mechanics and cell motility. They have also been implicated in information transmission and processing, memory and learning in neuronal cells. The actin filaments have been shown to support propagation of voltage pulses. Here we apply a coupled nonlinear transmission line model of actin filaments to study interactions between voltage pulses. To represent digital information we assign a logical TRUTH value to the presence of a voltage pulse in a given location of the actin filament, and FALSE to the pulse's absence, so that information flows along the filament with pulse transmission. When two pulses, representing Boolean values of input variables, interact, then they can facilitate or inhibit further propagation of each other. We explore this phenomenon to construct Boolean logical gates and a one-bit half-adder with interacting voltage pulses. We discuss implications of these findings on cellular process and technological applications. - Highlights: • We simulate interaction between voltage pulses using on actin filaments. • We use a coupled nonlinear transmission line model. • We design Boolean logical gates via interactions between the voltage pulses. • We construct one-bit half-adder with interacting voltage pulses.

Manipulation by multiple filamentation of subpicosecond TW KrF laser beam

Science.gov (United States)

Zvorykin, V. D.; Smetanin, I. V.; Ustinovskii, N. N.; Shutov, A. V.

2018-05-01

A self-focusing of TW-level subpicosecond UV KrF laser pulses in ambient air produces a few 100 randomly distributed filaments over 100-m propagation distance. A control of multiple filamentation process by a number of methods was demonstrated in the present work envisaging applications for a HV discharge guiding, remote excitation of an atmospheric air laser, MW radiation transfer by virtual plasma waveguide, as well as filamentation suppression to improve short pulse parameters in direct amplification scheme. Under the laser beam focusing, a multitude of filaments coalesced into a superfilament with highly increased intensity and plasma conductivity. A superradiant forward lasing was obtained in the superfilament around 1.07-µm wavelength of atmospheric nitrogen. A regular 2D array of a 100 superfilaments was configured over 20-m distance by Fresnel diffraction on periodic amplitude masks. Effective Kerr defocusing and a subsequent filaments suppression over 50-m distance was demonstrated in Xe due to 2-photon resonance of laser radiation with 6p state being accompanied by a narrow-angle coherent conical emission at 828-nm wavelength.

Balancing the intermolecular forces in peptide amphiphiles for controlling self-assembly transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Buettner, C J; Wallace, A J; Ok, S; Manos, A A; Nicholl, M J; Ghosh, A; Tweedle, M F; Goldberger, J E

2017-06-21

While the influence of alkyl chain length and headgroup size on self-assembly behaviour has been well-established for simple surfactants, the rational control over the pH- and concentration-dependent self-assembly behaviour in stimuli responsive peptides remains an elusive goal. Here, we show that different amphiphilic peptides can have similar self-assembly phase diagrams, providing the relative strengths of the attractive and repulsive forces are balanced. Using palmitoyl-YYAAEEEEK(DO3A:Gd)-NH 2 and palmitoyl-YAAEEEEK(DO3A:Gd)-NH 2 as controls, we show that reducing hydrophobic attractive forces through fewer methylene groups in the alkyl chain will lead to a similar self-assembly phase diagram as increasing the electrostatic repulsive forces via the addition of a glutamic acid residue. These changes allow creation of self-assembled MRI vehicles with slightly different micelle and nanofiber diameters but with minimal changes in the spin-lattice T 1 relaxivity. These findings reveal a powerful strategy to design self-assembled vehicles with different sizes but with similar self-assembly profiles.

Myosin IIA interacts with the spectrin-actin membrane skeleton to control red blood cell membrane curvature and deformability.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Alyson S; Nowak, Roberta B; Zhou, Sitong; Giannetto, Michael; Gokhin, David S; Papoin, Julien; Ghiran, Ionita C; Blanc, Lionel; Wan, Jiandi; Fowler, Velia M

2018-05-08

The biconcave disk shape and deformability of mammalian RBCs rely on the membrane skeleton, a viscoelastic network of short, membrane-associated actin filaments (F-actin) cross-linked by long, flexible spectrin tetramers. Nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) motors exert force on diverse F-actin networks to control cell shapes, but a function for NMII contractility in the 2D spectrin-F-actin network of RBCs has not been tested. Here, we show that RBCs contain membrane skeleton-associated NMIIA puncta, identified as bipolar filaments by superresolution fluorescence microscopy. MgATP disrupts NMIIA association with the membrane skeleton, consistent with NMIIA motor domains binding to membrane skeleton F-actin and contributing to membrane mechanical properties. In addition, the phosphorylation of the RBC NMIIA heavy and light chains in vivo indicates active regulation of NMIIA motor activity and filament assembly, while reduced heavy chain phosphorylation of membrane skeleton-associated NMIIA indicates assembly of stable filaments at the membrane. Treatment of RBCs with blebbistatin, an inhibitor of NMII motor activity, decreases the number of NMIIA filaments associated with the membrane and enhances local, nanoscale membrane oscillations, suggesting decreased membrane tension. Blebbistatin-treated RBCs also exhibit elongated shapes, loss of membrane curvature, and enhanced deformability, indicating a role for NMIIA contractility in promoting membrane stiffness and maintaining RBC biconcave disk cell shape. As structures similar to the RBC membrane skeleton exist in many metazoan cell types, these data demonstrate a general function for NMII in controlling specialized membrane morphology and mechanical properties through contractile interactions with short F-actin in spectrin-F-actin networks.

Solar filament material oscillations and drainage before eruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bi, Yi; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Hong, Junchao; Li, Haidong; Yang, Dan; Yang, Bo

2014-01-01

Both large-amplitude longitudinal (LAL) oscillations and material drainage in a solar filament are associated with the flow of material along the filament axis, often followed by an eruption. However, the relationship between these two motions and a subsequent eruption event is poorly understood. We analyze a filament eruption using EUV imaging data captured by the Atmospheric Imaging Array on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Hα images from the Global Oscillation Network Group. Hours before the eruption, the filament was activated, with one of its legs undergoing a slow rising motion. The asymmetric activation inclined the filament relative to the solar surface. After the active phase, LAL oscillations were observed in the inclined filament. The oscillation period increased slightly over time, which may suggest that the magnetic fields supporting the filament evolve to be flatter during the slow rising phase. After the oscillations, a significant amount of filament material was drained toward one filament endpoint, followed immediately by the violent eruption of the filament. The material drainage may further support the change in magnetic topology prior to the eruption. Moreover, we suggest that the filament material drainage could play a role in the transition from a slow to a fast rise of the erupting filament.

Towards Robust Predictive Fault–Tolerant Control for a Battery Assembly System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seybold Lothar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the modeling and fault-tolerant control of a real battery assembly system which is under implementation at the RAFI GmbH company (one of the leading electronic manufacturing service providers in Germany. To model and control the battery assembly system, a unified max-plus algebra and model predictive control framework is introduced. Subsequently, the control strategy is enhanced with fault-tolerance features that increase the overall performance of the production system being considered. In particular, it enables tolerating (up to some degree mobile robot, processing and transportation faults. The paper discusses also robustness issues, which are inevitable in real production systems. As a result, a novel robust predictive fault-tolerant strategy is developed that is applied to the battery assembly system. The last part of the paper shows illustrative examples, which clearly exhibit the performance of the proposed approach.

Prediction of Solar Eruptions Using Filament Metadata

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Ashna; Schanche, Nicole; Reeves, Katharine K.; Kempton, Dustin; Angryk, Rafal

2018-05-01

We perform a statistical analysis of erupting and non-erupting solar filaments to determine the properties related to the eruption potential. In order to perform this study, we correlate filament eruptions documented in the Heliophysics Event Knowledgebase (HEK) with HEK filaments that have been grouped together using a spatiotemporal tracking algorithm. The HEK provides metadata about each filament instance, including values for length, area, tilt, and chirality. We add additional metadata properties such as the distance from the nearest active region and the magnetic field decay index. We compare trends in the metadata from erupting and non-erupting filament tracks to discover which properties present signs of an eruption. We find that a change in filament length over time is the most important factor in discriminating between erupting and non-erupting filament tracks, with erupting tracks being more likely to have decreasing length. We attempt to find an ensemble of predictive filament metadata using a Random Forest Classifier approach, but find the probability of correctly predicting an eruption with the current metadata is only slightly better than chance.

Vortex Filaments in Grids for Scalable, Fine Smoke Simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Zhang; Weixin, Si; Yinling, Qian; Hanqiu, Sun; Jing, Qin; Heng, Pheng-Ann

2015-01-01

Vortex modeling can produce attractive visual effects of dynamic fluids, which are widely applicable for dynamic media, computer games, special effects, and virtual reality systems. However, it is challenging to effectively simulate intensive and fine detailed fluids such as smoke with fast increasing vortex filaments and smoke particles. The authors propose a novel vortex filaments in grids scheme in which the uniform grids dynamically bridge the vortex filaments and smoke particles for scalable, fine smoke simulation with macroscopic vortex structures. Using the vortex model, their approach supports the trade-off between simulation speed and scale of details. After computing the whole velocity, external control can be easily exerted on the embedded grid to guide the vortex-based smoke motion. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of using the proposed scheme for a visually plausible smoke simulation with macroscopic vortex structures.

Temperature distributions of a conductively heated filament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamura, Koji; Ohba, Hironori; Shibata, Takemasa

1999-07-01

Temperature distributions of a heated filament were measured. A W-Re(5%) filament (0.25 mm in diameter, 24.7 mm in length) was conductively heated by currents between 5A and 7A with a DC power supply, and the surface of the filament was imaged with a charge coupled device (CCD) camera through a monochromatic filter. The spectral radiation intensity at the filament center region was almost uniform. Since the temperature distribution was also uniform and the energy loss by thermal conduction was negligible, temperature in this region was determined from the energy balance between applied power and radiation loss. Temperature distribution of the filament was determined based on the Planck's law of radiation from the spectral radiation intensity ratio of the filament surface using obtained temperature as a reference. It was found that temperature distribution of a filament was easily measured by this method. (author)

Measuring Filament Orientation: A New Quantitative, Local Approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, C.-E.; Cunningham, M. R.; Jones, P. A. [School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052 (Australia); Dawson, J. R. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Australia Telescope National Facility, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia); Novak, G. [Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Fissel, L. M. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22903 (United States)

2017-09-01

The relative orientation between filamentary structures in molecular clouds and the ambient magnetic field provides insight into filament formation and stability. To calculate the relative orientation, a measurement of filament orientation is first required. We propose a new method to calculate the orientation of the one-pixel-wide filament skeleton that is output by filament identification algorithms such as filfinder. We derive the local filament orientation from the direction of the intensity gradient in the skeleton image using the Sobel filter and a few simple post-processing steps. We call this the “Sobel-gradient method.” The resulting filament orientation map can be compared quantitatively on a local scale with the magnetic field orientation map to then find the relative orientation of the filament with respect to the magnetic field at each point along the filament. It can also be used for constructing radial profiles for filament width fitting. The proposed method facilitates automation in analyses of filament skeletons, which is imperative in this era of “big data.”.

Measuring Filament Orientation: A New Quantitative, Local Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Green, C.-E.; Dawson, J. R.; Cunningham, M. R.; Jones, P. A.; Novak, G.; Fissel, L. M.

2017-09-01

The relative orientation between filamentary structures in molecular clouds and the ambient magnetic field provides insight into filament formation and stability. To calculate the relative orientation, a measurement of filament orientation is first required. We propose a new method to calculate the orientation of the one-pixel-wide filament skeleton that is output by filament identification algorithms such as filfinder. We derive the local filament orientation from the direction of the intensity gradient in the skeleton image using the Sobel filter and a few simple post-processing steps. We call this the “Sobel-gradient method.” The resulting filament orientation map can be compared quantitatively on a local scale with the magnetic field orientation map to then find the relative orientation of the filament with respect to the magnetic field at each point along the filament. It can also be used for constructing radial profiles for filament width fitting. The proposed method facilitates automation in analyses of filament skeletons, which is imperative in this era of “big data.”

Measuring Filament Orientation: A New Quantitative, Local Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, C.-E.; Cunningham, M. R.; Jones, P. A.; Dawson, J. R.; Novak, G.; Fissel, L. M.

2017-01-01

The relative orientation between filamentary structures in molecular clouds and the ambient magnetic field provides insight into filament formation and stability. To calculate the relative orientation, a measurement of filament orientation is first required. We propose a new method to calculate the orientation of the one-pixel-wide filament skeleton that is output by filament identification algorithms such as filfinder. We derive the local filament orientation from the direction of the intensity gradient in the skeleton image using the Sobel filter and a few simple post-processing steps. We call this the “Sobel-gradient method.” The resulting filament orientation map can be compared quantitatively on a local scale with the magnetic field orientation map to then find the relative orientation of the filament with respect to the magnetic field at each point along the filament. It can also be used for constructing radial profiles for filament width fitting. The proposed method facilitates automation in analyses of filament skeletons, which is imperative in this era of “big data.”

A novel model-based control strategy for aerobic filamentous fungal fed-batch fermentation processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mears, Lisa; Stocks, Stuart M; Albaek, Mads O; Cassells, Benny; Sin, Gürkan; Gernaey, Krist V

2017-07-01

A novel model-based control strategy has been developed for filamentous fungal fed-batch fermentation processes. The system of interest is a pilot scale (550 L) filamentous fungus process operating at Novozymes A/S. In such processes, it is desirable to maximize the total product achieved in a batch in a defined process time. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to maximize both the product concentration, and also the total final mass in the fed-batch system. To this end, we describe the development of a control strategy which aims to achieve maximum tank fill, while avoiding oxygen limited conditions. This requires a two stage approach: (i) calculation of the tank start fill; and (ii) on-line control in order to maximize fill subject to oxygen transfer limitations. First, a mechanistic model was applied off-line in order to determine the appropriate start fill for processes with four different sets of process operating conditions for the stirrer speed, headspace pressure, and aeration rate. The start fills were tested with eight pilot scale experiments using a reference process operation. An on-line control strategy was then developed, utilizing the mechanistic model which is recursively updated using on-line measurements. The model was applied in order to predict the current system states, including the biomass concentration, and to simulate the expected future trajectory of the system until a specified end time. In this way, the desired feed rate is updated along the progress of the batch taking into account the oxygen mass transfer conditions and the expected future trajectory of the mass. The final results show that the target fill was achieved to within 5% under the maximum fill when tested using eight pilot scale batches, and over filling was avoided. The results were reproducible, unlike the reference experiments which show over 10% variation in the final tank fill, and this also includes over filling. The variance of the final tank fill is

Developments in hot-filament metal oxide deposition (HFMOD)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durrant, Steven F. [Laboratorio de Plasmas Tecnologicos, Campus Experimental de Sorocaba, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida Tres de Marco, 511, Alto de Boa Vista, 18087-180 Sorocaba, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: steve@sorocaba.unesp.br; Trasferetti, Benedito C. [Departamento de Policia Federal, Superintendencia Regional no Piaui, Setor Tecnico-Cientifico, Avenida Maranhao, 1022/N, 64.000-010, Teresina, PI (Brazil); Scarminio, Jair [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), 86051-990, Londrina, PR (Brazil); Davanzo, Celso U. [Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-970, Campinas, SP (Brazil); Rouxinol, Francisco P.M.; Gelamo, Rogerio V.; Bica de Moraes, Mario A. [Laboratorio de Processos de Plasma, Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-970, Campinas, SP (Brazil)

2008-01-15

Hot-filament metal oxide deposition (HFMOD) is a variant of conventional hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) recently developed in our laboratory and successfully used to obtain high-quality, uniform films of MO{sub x}, WO{sub x} and VO{sub x}. The method employs the controlled oxidation of a filament of a transition metal heated to 1000 deg. C or more in a rarefied oxygen atmosphere (typically, of about 1 Pa). Metal oxide vapor formed on the surface of the filament is transported a few centimetres to deposit on a suitable substrate. Key system parameters include the choice of filament material and diameter, the applied current and the partial pressures of oxygen in the chamber. Relatively high film deposition rates, such as 31 nm min{sup -1} for MoO{sub x}, are obtained. The film stoichiometry depends on the exact deposition conditions. MoO{sub x} films, for example, present a mixture of MoO{sub 2} and MoO{sub 3} phases, as revealed by XPS. As determined by Li{sup +} intercalation using an electrochemical cell, these films also show a colouration efficiency of 19.5 cm{sup 2} C{sup -1} at a wavelength of 700 nm. MO{sub x} and WO{sub x} films are promising in applications involving electrochromism and characteristics of their colouring/bleaching cycles are presented. The chemical composition and structure of VO{sub x} films examined using IRRAS (infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy), RBS (Rutherford backscattering spectrometry) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectrometry) are also presented.

Solar Features - Prominences and Filaments

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Prominences and filaments are two manifestations of the same phenomenon. Both prominences and filaments are features formed above the chromosphere by cool dense...

Analysis of filament statistics in fast camera data on MAST

Science.gov (United States)

Farley, Tom; Militello, Fulvio; Walkden, Nick; Harrison, James; Silburn, Scott; Bradley, James

2017-10-01

Coherent filamentary structures have been shown to play a dominant role in turbulent cross-field particle transport [D'Ippolito 2011]. An improved understanding of filaments is vital in order to control scrape off layer (SOL) density profiles and thus control first wall erosion, impurity flushing and coupling of radio frequency heating in future devices. The Elzar code [T. Farley, 2017 in prep.] is applied to MAST data. The code uses information about the magnetic equilibrium to calculate the intensity of light emission along field lines as seen in the camera images, as a function of the field lines' radial and toroidal locations at the mid-plane. In this way a `pseudo-inversion' of the intensity profiles in the camera images is achieved from which filaments can be identified and measured. In this work, a statistical analysis of the intensity fluctuations along field lines in the camera field of view is performed using techniques similar to those typically applied in standard Langmuir probe analyses. These filament statistics are interpreted in terms of the theoretical ergodic framework presented by F. Militello & J.T. Omotani, 2016, in order to better understand how time averaged filament dynamics produce the more familiar SOL density profiles. This work has received funding from the RCUK Energy programme (Grant Number EP/P012450/1), from Euratom (Grant Agreement No. 633053) and from the EUROfusion consortium.

Controlled capillary assembly of magnetic Janus Particles at fluid-fluid interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xie, Q.; Davies, G.B.; Harting, J.D.R.

2016-01-01

Capillary interactions can be used to direct assembly of particles adsorbed at fluid-fluid interfaces. Precisely controlling the magnitude and direction of capillary interactions to assemble particles into favoured structures for materials science purposes is desirable but challenging. In this

Quality control of FWC during assembly/commissioning on SST-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, Hiteshkumar; Santra, Prosenjit; Jaiswal, Snehal

2015-01-01

First Wall components (FWC) of SST-1 tokamak, which are in the immediate vicinity of plasma comprises of limiters, divertors, baffles, passive stabilizers are designed to operate long duration (1000 s) discharges of elongated plasma. All FWC consists of a copper alloy heat sink modules with SS cooling tubes brazed onto it, graphite tiles acting as armour material facing the plasma, and are mounted to the vacuum vessels with suitable Inconel support structures at ring and port locations. The FWC are very recently assembled and commissioned successfully inside the vacuum vessel of SST-1 under going a rigorous quality control and checks at every stage of the assembly process. This paper will present the quality control and checks of FWC from commencement of assembly procedure, namely material test reports, leak testing of high temperature baked components, assembled dimensional tolerances, leak testing of all welded joints, graphite tile tightening torques, electrical continuity of passive stabilizers, and electrical isolation of passive stabilizers from vacuum vessel, baking and cooling hydraulic connections inside vacuum vessel. (author)

Further development of the Dynamic Control Assemblies Worth Measurement Method for Advanced Reactivity Computers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petenyi, V.; Strmensky, C.; Jagrik, J.; Minarcin, M.; Sarvaic, I.

2005-01-01

The dynamic control assemblies worth measurement technique is a quick method for validation of predicted control assemblies worth. The dynamic control assemblies worth measurement utilize space-time corrections for the measured out of core ionization chamber readings calculated by DYN 3D computer code. The space-time correction arising from the prompt neutron density redistribution in the measured ionization chamber reading can be directly applied in the advanced reactivity computer. The second correction concerning the difference of spatial distribution of delayed neutrons can be calculated by simulation the measurement procedure by dynamic version of the DYN 3D code. In the paper some results of dynamic control assemblies worth measurement applied for NPP Mochovce are presented (Authors)

Dynamics and mechanics of motor-filament systems

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, K.; Jülicher, F.

2006-08-01

Motivated by the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells, we develop a general framework for describing the large-scale dynamics of an active filament network. In the cytoskeleton, active cross-links are formed by motor proteins that are able to induce relative motion between filaments. Starting from pair-wise interactions of filaments via such active processes, our framework is based on momentum conservation and an analysis of the momentum flux. This allows us to calculate the stresses in the filament network generated by the action of motor proteins. We derive effective theories for the filament dynamics which can be related to continuum theories of active polar gels. As an example, we discuss the stability of homogenous isotropic filament distributions in two spatial dimensions.

De novo assembly of a 40 Mb eukaryotic genome from short sequence reads: Sordaria macrospora, a model organism for fungal morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowrousian, Minou; Stajich, Jason E; Chu, Meiling; Engh, Ines; Espagne, Eric; Halliday, Karen; Kamerewerd, Jens; Kempken, Frank; Knab, Birgit; Kuo, Hsiao-Che; Osiewacz, Heinz D; Pöggeler, Stefanie; Read, Nick D; Seiler, Stephan; Smith, Kristina M; Zickler, Denise; Kück, Ulrich; Freitag, Michael

2010-04-08

Filamentous fungi are of great importance in ecology, agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology. Thus, it is not surprising that genomes for more than 100 filamentous fungi have been sequenced, most of them by Sanger sequencing. While next-generation sequencing techniques have revolutionized genome resequencing, e.g. for strain comparisons, genetic mapping, or transcriptome and ChIP analyses, de novo assembly of eukaryotic genomes still presents significant hurdles, because of their large size and stretches of repetitive sequences. Filamentous fungi contain few repetitive regions in their 30-90 Mb genomes and thus are suitable candidates to test de novo genome assembly from short sequence reads. Here, we present a high-quality draft sequence of the Sordaria macrospora genome that was obtained by a combination of Illumina/Solexa and Roche/454 sequencing. Paired-end Solexa sequencing of genomic DNA to 85-fold coverage and an additional 10-fold coverage by single-end 454 sequencing resulted in approximately 4 Gb of DNA sequence. Reads were assembled to a 40 Mb draft version (N50 of 117 kb) with the Velvet assembler. Comparative analysis with Neurospora genomes increased the N50 to 498 kb. The S. macrospora genome contains even fewer repeat regions than its closest sequenced relative, Neurospora crassa. Comparison with genomes of other fungi showed that S. macrospora, a model organism for morphogenesis and meiosis, harbors duplications of several genes involved in self/nonself-recognition. Furthermore, S. macrospora contains more polyketide biosynthesis genes than N. crassa. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that some of these genes may have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer from a distantly related ascomycete group. Our study shows that, for typical filamentous fungi, de novo assembly of genomes from short sequence reads alone is feasible, that a mixture of Solexa and 454 sequencing substantially improves the assembly, and that the resulting data can be used for

De novo assembly of a 40 Mb eukaryotic genome from short sequence reads: Sordaria macrospora, a model organism for fungal morphogenesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minou Nowrousian

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Filamentous fungi are of great importance in ecology, agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology. Thus, it is not surprising that genomes for more than 100 filamentous fungi have been sequenced, most of them by Sanger sequencing. While next-generation sequencing techniques have revolutionized genome resequencing, e.g. for strain comparisons, genetic mapping, or transcriptome and ChIP analyses, de novo assembly of eukaryotic genomes still presents significant hurdles, because of their large size and stretches of repetitive sequences. Filamentous fungi contain few repetitive regions in their 30-90 Mb genomes and thus are suitable candidates to test de novo genome assembly from short sequence reads. Here, we present a high-quality draft sequence of the Sordaria macrospora genome that was obtained by a combination of Illumina/Solexa and Roche/454 sequencing. Paired-end Solexa sequencing of genomic DNA to 85-fold coverage and an additional 10-fold coverage by single-end 454 sequencing resulted in approximately 4 Gb of DNA sequence. Reads were assembled to a 40 Mb draft version (N50 of 117 kb with the Velvet assembler. Comparative analysis with Neurospora genomes increased the N50 to 498 kb. The S. macrospora genome contains even fewer repeat regions than its closest sequenced relative, Neurospora crassa. Comparison with genomes of other fungi showed that S. macrospora, a model organism for morphogenesis and meiosis, harbors duplications of several genes involved in self/nonself-recognition. Furthermore, S. macrospora contains more polyketide biosynthesis genes than N. crassa. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that some of these genes may have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer from a distantly related ascomycete group. Our study shows that, for typical filamentous fungi, de novo assembly of genomes from short sequence reads alone is feasible, that a mixture of Solexa and 454 sequencing substantially improves the assembly, and that the resulting data

Automatic coolant flow control device for a nuclear reactor assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Hutter, Ernest

1986-01-01

A device which controls coolant flow through a nuclear reactor assembly comprises a baffle means at the exit end of said assembly having a plurality of orifices, and a bimetallic member in operative relation to the baffle means such that at increased temperatures said bimetallic member deforms to unblock some of said orifices and allow increased coolant flow therethrough.

Analytical Core Mass Function (CMF) from Filaments: Under Which Circumstances Can Filament Fragmentation Reproduce the CMF?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yueh-Ning; Hennebelle, Patrick [IRFU, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Chabrier, Gilles, E-mail: yueh-ning.lee@cea.fr [École normale supérieure de Lyon, CRAL, UMR CNRS 5574, Université de Lyon, F-69364 Lyon Cedex 07 (France)

2017-10-01

Observations suggest that star formation in filamentary molecular clouds occurs in a two-step process, with the formation of filaments preceding that of prestellar cores and stars. Here, we apply the gravoturbulent fragmentation theory of Hennebelle and Chabrier to a filamentary environment, taking into account magnetic support. We discuss the induced geometrical effect on the cores, with a transition from 3D geometry at small scales to 1D at large ones. The model predicts the fragmentation behavior of a filament for a given mass per unit length (MpL) and level of magnetization. This core mass function (CMF) for individual filaments is then convolved with the distribution of filaments to obtain the final system CMF. The model yields two major results. (i) The filamentary geometry naturally induces a hierarchical fragmentation process, first into groups of cores, separated by a length equal to a few filament Jeans lengths, i.e., a few times the filament width. These groups then fragment into individual cores. (ii) Non-magnetized filaments with high MpL are found to fragment excessively, at odds with observations. This is resolved by taking into account the magnetic field (treated simply as additional pressure support). The present theory suggests two complementary modes of star formation: although small (spherical or filamentary) structures will collapse directly into prestellar cores, according to the standard Hennebelle–Chabrier theory, the large (filamentary) ones, the dominant population according to observations, will follow the aforedescribed two-step process.

Automatic Detect and Trace of Solar Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Cheng; Chen, P. F.; Tang, Yu-hua; Hao, Qi; Guo, Yang

We developed a series of methods to automatically detect and trace solar filaments in solar Hα images. The programs are able to not only recognize filaments and determine their properties, such as the position, the area and other relevant parameters, but also to trace the daily evolution of the filaments. For solar full disk Hα images, the method consists of three parts: first, preprocessing is applied to correct the original images; second, the Canny edge-detection method is used to detect the filaments; third, filament properties are recognized through the morphological operators. For each Hα filament and its barb features, we introduced the unweighted undirected graph concept and adopted Dijkstra shortest-path algorithm to recognize the filament spine; then, using polarity inversion line shift method for measuring the polarities in both sides of the filament to determine the filament axis chirality; finally, employing connected components labeling method to identify the barbs and calculating the angle between each barb and spine to indicate the barb chirality. Our algorithms are applied to the observations from varied observatories, including the Optical & Near Infrared Solar Eruption Tracer (ONSET) in Nanjing University, Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO) and Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). The programs are demonstrated to be effective and efficient. We used our method to automatically process and analyze 3470 images obtained by MLSO from January 1998 to December 2009, and a butterfly diagram of filaments is obtained. It shows that the latitudinal migration of solar filaments has three trends in the Solar Cycle 23: The drift velocity was fast from 1998 to the solar maximum; after the solar maximum, it became relatively slow and after 2006, the migration became divergent, signifying the solar minimum. About 60% filaments with the latitudes larger than 50 degree migrate towards the Polar Regions with relatively high velocities, and the latitudinal migrating

Design, construction and installation of the electromechanical components of the current control of filament of the Pelletron Electron Accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilar J, R.A.; Valdovinos A, M.; Lopez V, H.

1985-01-01

For the operation of the Pelletron electron accelerator is required to have control of the filament current. For it was designed, built and installed an electromechanical system located in the Acceleration Unit inside the Accelerator tank and operated from the Control console. All the components located inside the tank operated under the following conditions: Pressure: until 7.03 Kg/cm 2 ; High voltage: 10 6 V (only the insulating arrow); Atmosphere: mixture of N 2 and CO 2 or SF 6 . (Author)

Striation and convection in penumbral filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Spruit, H. C.; Scharmer, G. B.; Löfdahl, M. G.

2010-10-01

Observations with the 1-m Swedish Solar Telescope of the flows seen in penumbral filaments are presented. Time sequences of bright filaments show overturning motions strikingly similar to those seen along the walls of small isolated structures in the active regions. The filaments show outward propagating striations with inclination angles suggesting that they are aligned with the local magnetic field. We interpret it as the equivalent of the striations seen in the walls of small isolated magnetic structures. Their origin is then a corrugation of the boundary between an overturning convective flow inside the filament and the magnetic field wrapping around it. The outward propagation is a combination of a pattern motion due to the downflow observed along the sides of bright filaments, and the Evershed flow. The observed short wavelength of the striation argues against the existence of a dynamically significant horizontal field inside the bright filaments. Its intensity contrast is explained by the same physical effect that causes the dark cores of filaments, light bridges and “canals”. In this way striation represents an important clue to the physics of penumbral structure and its relation with other magnetic structures on the solar surface. We put this in perspective with results from the recent 3-D radiative hydrodynamic simulations. 4 movies are only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Elastic deformation and failure in protein filament bundles: Atomistic simulations and coarse-grained modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, Nathan A; Kamm, Roger D

2008-07-01

The synthetic peptide RAD16-II has shown promise in tissue engineering and drug delivery. It has been studied as a vehicle for cell delivery and controlled release of IGF-1 to repair infarcted cardiac tissue, and as a scaffold to promote capillary formation for an in vitro model of angiogenesis. The structure of RAD16-II is hierarchical, with monomers forming long beta-sheets that pair together to form filaments; filaments form bundles approximately 30-60 nm in diameter; branching networks of filament bundles form macroscopic gels. We investigate the mechanics of shearing between the two beta-sheets constituting one filament, and between cohered filaments of RAD16-II. This shear loading is found in filament bundle bending or in tensile loading of fibers composed of partial-length filaments. Molecular dynamics simulations show that time to failure is a stochastic function of applied shear stress, and that for a given loading time behavior is elastic for sufficiently small shear loads. We propose a coarse-grained model based on Langevin dynamics that matches molecular dynamics results and facilities extending simulations in space and time. The model treats a filament as an elastic string of particles, each having potential energy that is a periodic function of its position relative to the neighboring filament. With insight from these simulations, we discuss strategies for strengthening RAD16-II and similar materials.

Fluid-Mediated Stochastic Self-Assembly at Centimetric and Sub-Millimetric Scales: Design, Modeling, and Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahar Haghighat

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Stochastic self-assembly provides promising means for building micro-/nano-structures with a variety of properties and functionalities. Numerous studies have been conducted on the control and modeling of the process in engineered self-assembling systems constituted of modules with varied capabilities ranging from completely reactive nano-/micro-particles to intelligent miniaturized robots. Depending on the capabilities of the constituting modules, different approaches have been utilized for controlling and modeling these systems. In the quest of a unifying control and modeling framework and within the broader perspective of investigating how stochastic control strategies can be adapted from the centimeter-scale down to the (sub-millimeter-scale, as well as from mechatronic to MEMS-based technology, this work presents the outcomes of our research on self-assembly during the past few years. As the first step, we leverage an experimental platform to study self-assembly of water-floating passive modules at the centimeter scale. A dedicated computational framework is developed for real-time tracking, modeling and control of the formation of specific structures. Using a similar approach, we then demonstrate controlled self-assembly of microparticles into clusters of a preset dimension in a microfluidic chamber, where the control loop is closed again through real-time tracking customized for a much faster system dynamics. Finally, with the aim of distributing the intelligence and realizing programmable self-assembly, we present a novel experimental system for fluid-mediated programmable stochastic self-assembly of active modules at the centimeter scale. The system is built around the water-floating 3-cm-sized Lily robots specifically designed to be operative in large swarms and allows for exploring the whole range of fully-centralized to fully-distributed control strategies. The outcomes of our research efforts extend the state-of-the-art methodologies

Assembly of α-synuclein fibrils in nanoscale studied by peptide truncation and AFM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Feng; Lin Xiaojing; Ji Lina; Du Haining; Tang Lin; He Jianhua; Hu Jun; Hu Hongyu

2008-01-01

α-Synuclein (α-Syn) fibrils are the major component of Lewy bodies that are closely associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, but the mechanism for the fibril assembly remains poorly understood. Here we report using a combination of peptide truncation and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to elucidate the self-assembly and morphology of the α-Syn fibrils. The results show that protease K significantly slims the fibrils from the mean height of ∼6.6 to ∼4.7 nm, whereas chaotropic denaturant urea completely breaks down the fibrils into small particles. The in situ enzymatic digestion also results in thinning of the fibrils, giving rise to some nicks on the fibrils. Moreover, N- or C-terminally truncated α-Syn fragments assemble into thinner filaments with the heights depending on the peptide lengths. A nine-residue peptide corresponding to the homologous GAV-motif sequence can form very thin (∼2.2 nm) but long (>1 μm) filaments. Thus, the central sequence of α-Syn forms a fibrillar core by cross-β-structure that is flanked by two flexible termini, and the orientation of the fibril growth is perpendicular to the β-sheet structures

Evolution of filament barbs.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, R.; Xu, Y.; Wang, H.

We present a selected few cases in which the sense of chirality of filament barbs changed within periods as short as hours. We investigate in detail a quiescent filament on 2003 September 10 and 11. Of its four barbs displaying such changes, only one overlays a small polarity inversion line inside the EUV filament channel (EFC). No magnetic elements with magnitude above the noise level were detected at the endpoints of all barbs. In particular, a pair of barbs first approached toward, and then departed from, each other in Halpha , with the barb endpoints migrating as far as ˜ 10 arcsec. We conclude that the evolution of the barbs was driven by flux emergence and cancellation of small bipolar units at the EFC border.

A pH-Regulated Quality Control Cycle for Surveillance of Secretory Protein Assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Vavassori, Stefano; Cortini, Margherita; Masui, Shoji; Sannino, Sara; Anelli, Tiziana; Caserta, Imma R.; Fagioli, Claudio; Mossuto, Maria F.; Fornili, Arianna; van Anken, Eelco; Degano, Massimo; Inaba, Kenji; Sitia, Roberto

2013-01-01

Summary To warrant the quality of the secretory proteome, stringent control systems operate at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi interface, preventing the release of nonnative products. Incompletely assembled oligomeric proteins that are deemed correctly folded must rely on additional quality control mechanisms dedicated to proper assembly. Here we unveil how ERp44 cycles between cisGolgi and ER in a pH-regulated manner, patrolling assembly of disulfide-linked oligomers such as IgM and adiponectin. At neutral, ER-equivalent pH, the ERp44 carboxy-terminal tail occludes the substrate-binding site. At the lower pH of the cisGolgi, conformational rearrangements of this peptide, likely involving protonation of ERp44’s active cysteine, simultaneously unmask the substrate binding site and −RDEL motif, allowing capture of orphan secretory protein subunits and ER retrieval via KDEL receptors. The ERp44 assembly control cycle couples secretion fidelity and efficiency downstream of the calnexin/calreticulin and BiP-dependent quality control cycles. PMID:23685074

Stoichiometry-Controlled Inversion of Supramolecular Chirality in Nanostructures Co-assembled with Bipyridines.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fang; Feng, Chuan-Liang

2018-02-01

To control supramolecular chirality of the co-assembled nanostructures, one of the remaining issues is how stoichiometry of the different molecules involved in co-assembly influence chiral transformation. Through co-assembly of achiral 1,4-bis(pyrid-4-yl)benzene and chiral phenylalanine-glycine derivative hydrogelators, stoichiometry is found to be an effective tool for controlling supramolecular chirality inversion processes. This inversion is mainly mediated by a delicate balance between intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions and π-π stacking of the two components, which may subtly change the stacking of the molecules, in turn, the self-assembled nanostructures. This study exemplifies a simplistic way to invert the handedness of chiral nanostructures and provide fundamental understanding of the inherent principles of supramolecular chirality. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Filamentation of Campylobacter in broth cultures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nacheervan M Ghaffar

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The transition from rod to filamentous cell morphology has been identified as a response to stressful conditions in many bacterial species and has been ascribed to confer certain survival advantages. Filamentation of Campylobacter jejuni was demonstrated to occur spontaneously on entry in to stationary phase distinguishing it from many other bacteria where a reduction in size is more common. The aim of this study was to investigate the cues that give rise to filamentation of C. jejuni and C. coli and gain insights into the process. Using minimal medium, augmentation of filamentation occurred and it was observed that this morphological change was wide spread amongst C. jejuni strains tested but was not universal in C. coli strains. Filamentation did not appear to be due to release of diffusible molecules, toxic metabolites, or be in response to oxidative stress in the medium. Separated filaments exhibited greater intracellular ATP contents (2.66 to 17.4 fg than spiral forms (0.99 to 1.7 fg and showed enhanced survival in water at 4oC and 37oC compared to spiral cells. These observations support the conclusion that the filaments are adapted to survive extra-intestinal environments. Differences in cell morphology and physiology need to be considered in the context of the design of experimental studies and the methods adopted for the isolation of campylobacters from food, clinical and environmental sources.

Tropomyosin 4 defines novel filaments in skeletal muscle associated with muscle remodelling/regeneration in normal and diseased muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Vlahovich, Nicole; Schevzov, Galina; Nair-Shaliker, Visalini; Ilkovski, Biljana; Artap, Stanley T; Joya, Josephine E; Kee, Anthony J; North, Kathryn N; Gunning, Peter W; Hardeman, Edna C

2008-01-01

The organisation of structural proteins in muscle into highly ordered sarcomeres occurs during development, regeneration and focal repair of skeletal muscle fibers. The involvement of cytoskeletal proteins in this process has been documented, with nonmuscle gamma-actin found to play a role in sarcomere assembly during muscle differentiation and also shown to be up-regulated in dystrophic muscles which undergo regeneration and repair [Lloyd et al.,2004; Hanft et al.,2006]. Here, we show that a cytoskeletal tropomyosin (Tm), Tm4, defines actin filaments in two novel compartments in muscle fibers: a Z-line associated cytoskeleton (Z-LAC), similar to a structure we have reported previously [Kee et al.,2004], and longitudinal filaments that are orientated parallel to the sarcomeric apparatus, present during myofiber growth and repair/regeneration. Tm4 is upregulated in paradigms of muscle repair including induced regeneration and focal repair and in muscle diseases with repair/regeneration features, muscular dystrophy and nemaline myopathy. Longitudinal Tm4-defined filaments also are present in diseased muscle. Transition of the Tm4-defined filaments from a longitudinal to a Z-LAC orientation is observed during the course of muscle regeneration. This Tm4-defined cytoskeleton is a marker of growth and repair/regeneration in response to injury, disease state and stress in skeletal muscle.

An LCLC resonant topology based filament power supply for 300 KeV DC accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasliwal, A.; Gauttam, V.K.; Banwari, R.; Pandit, T.G.; Thakurta, A.C.

2013-01-01

A compact, low energy dc accelerator for industrial applications requiring beam energy in the range of 100 to 300 keV is under development at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore. The accelerator uses an indirectly heated LaB6 disc type filament of 4 mm diameter as an electron emitter which is floating at terminal voltage of the accelerator. A power supply is required to heat the filament for its full range of emission. A high frequency inverter operating at fixed frequency feeds the power to the filament through high frequency transformers and capacitive isolation column. A buck chopper controls the dc bus voltage of the inverter so as to control the terminal voltage of the filament thus controlling the beam current. This paper presents the analysis and design of the filament supply that implements a 40 kHz high order LCLC series parallel resonant inverter that utilizes the reflected capacitance of the HV transformer and capacitive isolation column as its tank circuit component. The operating characteristics and analysis of series resonant (SRC), parallel resonant (PRC) and series parallel (SPRC) resonant converters have been reported for fixed frequency operation. It has been shown that SPRC takes the advantage of both SRC and PRC curtailing their disadvantages. Hence a series parallel LCLC combination has been used as it gives the advantage of low device currents and a better load regulation. (author)

Footpoint detection and mass-motion in chromospheric filaments

Science.gov (United States)

V, Aparna; Hardersen, P. S.; Martin, S. F.

2013-07-01

A quiescent region on the Sun containing three filaments is used to study the properties of mass motion. This study determines if the footpoints or end-points of the filaments are the locations from where mass gets injected into the filaments. Several hypotheses have been put forth in the past to determine how a filament acquires mass. Trapping of coronal mass in the filament channel due to condensation (Martin, 1996) and injection of mass into the filaments during magnetic reconnection (Priest, et al., 1995) are some of the speculations. This study looks for indications for injection of mass via chromospheric footpoints. The data consists of blue (Hα-0.5 Å) and red (Hα+0.5 Å) wing high resolution Hα images of the W29N37 region of the Sun taken on Oct 30, 2010, from 1200 - 1600 UT. The Dutch Open Telescope was used to obtain the data. The images are aligned and animated to see Doppler motion in the fibrils. Smaller fibrils merge to form longer ones; barbs appear and disappear in one of the long filaments and is seen moving along the length of the filament. A region with no typical filament-like absorption feature is observed to be continuously receiving mass. Fibrils appear to be converging from opposite sides along what appears to be a neutral line; mass motion is seen in these fibrils as well. An eruption occurs in a region of fibrils lumped together at the end of the first hour (1300 UT) followed by plage brightening at 1430 UT near one of the filament regions. Helioviewer (Panasenco, et al., 2011) is used for aligning the images; GIMP is used for precision alignment and animation. Each frame in the sequence is studied carefully to note changes in the filament regions. The footpoints of the filaments are determined by the changes observed in the position of the filament ‘legs’ in each frame. Variations in the magnetic polarity corresponding to changes observed in the chromosphere are analyzed using HMI magnetograms. Bright and dark points on the

Thick Filament Protein Network, Functions, and Disease Association.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li; Geist, Janelle; Grogan, Alyssa; Hu, Li-Yen R; Kontrogianni-Konstantopoulos, Aikaterini

2018-03-13

Sarcomeres consist of highly ordered arrays of thick myosin and thin actin filaments along with accessory proteins. Thick filaments occupy the center of sarcomeres where they partially overlap with thin filaments. The sliding of thick filaments past thin filaments is a highly regulated process that occurs in an ATP-dependent manner driving muscle contraction. In addition to myosin that makes up the backbone of the thick filament, four other proteins which are intimately bound to the thick filament, myosin binding protein-C, titin, myomesin, and obscurin play important structural and regulatory roles. Consistent with this, mutations in the respective genes have been associated with idiopathic and congenital forms of skeletal and cardiac myopathies. In this review, we aim to summarize our current knowledge on the molecular structure, subcellular localization, interacting partners, function, modulation via posttranslational modifications, and disease involvement of these five major proteins that comprise the thick filament of striated muscle cells. © 2018 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 8:631-709, 2018. Copyright © 2018 American Physiological Society. All rights reserved.

Filament shape versus coronal potential magnetic field structure

Science.gov (United States)

Filippov, B.

2016-01-01

Solar filament shape in projection on disc depends on the structure of the coronal magnetic field. We calculate the position of polarity inversion lines (PILs) of coronal potential magnetic field at different heights above the photosphere, which compose the magnetic neutral surface, and compare with them the distribution of the filament material in Hα chromospheric images. We found that the most of the filament material is enclosed between two PILs, one at a lower height close to the chromosphere and one at a higher level, which can be considered as a height of the filament spine. Observations of the same filament on the limb by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft confirm that the height of the spine is really very close to the value obtained from the PIL and filament border matching. Such matching can be used for filament height estimations in on-disc observations. Filament barbs are housed within protruding sections of the low-level PIL. On the base of simple model, we show that the similarity of the neutral surfaces in potential and non-potential fields with the same sub-photospheric sources is the reason for the found tendency for the filament material to gather near the potential-field neutral surface.

PLC based control system for RAM assembly test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, S.S.; Kumar, Vinaya; Chandra, Umesh

1994-01-01

The flexibility, expandability, ease of programming and diagnostic features makes the programmable logic controller (PLC) suitable for a variety of control applications in engineering system test facilities. A PLC based control system for RAM assembly test facility (RATF) and for testing the related hydraulic components is being developed and installed at BARC. This paper describes the approach taken for meeting the control requirements and illustrates the PLC software that has been developed. (author). 1 fig

Self-consistent field theory for the interactions between keratin intermediate filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akinshina, Anna; Jambon-Puillet, Etienne; Warren, Patrick B; Noro, Massimo G

2013-01-01

Keratins are important structural proteins found in skin, hair and nails. Keratin Intermediate Filaments are major components of corneocytes, nonviable horny cells of the Stratum Corneum, the outermost layer of skin. It is considered that interactions between unstructured domains of Keratin Intermediate Filaments are the key factor in maintaining the elasticity of the skin. We have developed a model for the interactions between keratin intermediate filaments based on self-consistent field theory. The intermediate filaments are represented by charged surfaces, and the disordered terminal domains of the keratins are represented by charged heteropolymers grafted to these surfaces. We estimate the system is close to a charge compensation point where the heteropolymer grafting density is matched to the surface charge density. Using a protein model with amino acid resolution for the terminal domains, we find that the terminal chains can mediate a weak attraction between the keratin surfaces. The origin of the attraction is a combination of bridging and electrostatics. The attraction disappears when the system moves away from the charge compensation point, or when excess small ions and/or NMF-representing free amino acids are added. These results are in concordance with experimental observations, and support the idea that the interaction between keratin filaments, and ultimately in part the elastic properties of the keratin-containing tissue, is controlled by a combination of the physico-chemical properties of the disordered terminal domains and the composition of the medium in the inter-filament region

The role of cladding material for performance of LWR control assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dewes, P.; Roppelt, A.

2000-01-01

The lifetime of control assemblies in LWRs can be limited presently by mechanical failure of the absorber cladding. The major cause of failure is mechanical interaction of the absorber with the cladding due to irradiation induced dimensional changes such as absorber swelling and cladding creep, resulting in cracking of the clad. Such failures occurred in both BWRs and PWRs. Experience and in-reactor tests revealed that cracking can be avoided principally by two ways: First, if strain rates and hence, stresses in the cladding are kept low (well below the yield strength), significant strains can be tolerated. This is the case for the cladding of PWR control assemblies with slowly swelling Ag-In-Cd absorber. Recent examinations of highly exposed PWR control assemblies confirmed the design correlation up to the presently used strain limit. Second, in such cases where strongly swelling absorber material like boron carbide is still preferred, materials which are resistant against irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) can be used. The influence of material composition and condition on IASCC was studied in-reactor using tubular samples of various stainless steels and Ni-base alloys stressed by swelling mandrels. In several programme steps high purity materials with special features had been identified as resistant to IASCC. Another process of cladding damage which may occur in PWRs is wear caused by friction of the control rods in the surrounding guide structure. For replacement control assemblies this problem is solved by coating of the cladding. There exists meanwhile excellent experience of up to 18 operation cycles with coated claddings. (author)

Missing Links in Antibody Assembly Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiziana Anelli

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Fidelity of the humoral immune response requires that quiescent B lymphocytes display membrane bound immunoglobulin M (IgM on B lymphocytes surface as part of the B cell receptor, whose function is to recognize an antigen. At the same time B lymphocytes should not secrete IgM until recognition of the antigen has occurred. The heavy chains of the secretory IgM have a C-terminal tail with a cysteine instead of a membrane anchor, which serves to covalently link the IgM subunits by disulfide bonds to form “pentamers” or “hexamers.” By virtue of the same cysteine, unassembled secretory IgM subunits are recognized and retained (via mixed disulfide bonds by members of the protein disulfide isomerase family, in particular ERp44. This so-called “thiol-mediated retention” bars assembly intermediates from prematurely leaving the cell and thereby exerts quality control on the humoral immune response. In this essay we discuss recent findings on how ERp44 governs such assembly control in a pH-dependent manner, shuttling between the cisGolgi and endoplasmic reticulum, and finally on how pERp1/MZB1, possibly as a co-chaperone of GRP94, may help to overrule the thiol-mediated retention in the activated B cell to give way to antibody secretion.

Fabrication of PLA Filaments and its Printable Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wenjie; Zhou, Jianping; Ma, Yuming; Wang, Jie; Xu, Jie

2017-12-01

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a typical 3D printing technology and preparation of qualified filaments is the basis. In order to prepare polylactic acid (PLA) filaments suitable for personalized FDM 3D printing, this article investigated the effect of factors such as extrusion temperature and screw speed on the diameter, surface roughness and ultimate tensile stress of the obtained PLA filaments. The optimal process parameters for fabrication of qualified filaments were determined. Further, the printable performance of the obtained PLA filaments for 3D objects was preliminarily explored.

Supervisory Control Technique For An Assembly Workstation As A Dynamic Discrete Event System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Cristina CERNEGA

2001-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a control problem statement in the framework of supervisory control technique for the assembly workstations. A desired behaviour of an assembly workstation is analysed. The behaviour of such a workstation is cyclic and some linguistic properties are established. In this paper, it is proposed an algorithm for the computation of the supremal controllable language of the closed system desired language. Copyright © 2001 IFAC.

Terahertz waves radiated from two noncollinear femtosecond plasma filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du, Hai-Wei; Hoshina, Hiromichi; Otani, Chiko, E-mail: otani@riken.jp [Terahertz Sensing and Imaging Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, RIKEN, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0845 (Japan); Midorikawa, Katsumi [Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan)

2015-11-23

Terahertz (THz) waves radiated from two noncollinear femtosecond plasma filaments with a crossing angle of 25° are investigated. The irradiated THz waves from the crossing filaments show a small THz pulse after the main THz pulse, which was not observed in those from single-filament scheme. Since the position of the small THz pulse changes with the time-delay of two filaments, this phenomenon can be explained by a model in which the small THz pulse is from the second filament. The denser plasma in the overlap region of the filaments changes the movement of space charges in the plasma, thereby changing the angular distribution of THz radiation. As a result, this schematic induces some THz wave from the second filament to propagate along the path of the THz wave from the first filament. Thus, this schematic alters the direction of the THz radiation from the filamentation, which can be used in THz wave remote sensing.

Intermediate filament mechanics in vitro and in the cell: From coiled coils to filaments, fibers and networks

OpenAIRE

Köster, Sarah; Weitz, David; Goldman, Robert D.; Aebi, Ueli; Herrmann, Harald

2015-01-01

Intermediate filament proteins form filaments, fibers and networks both in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of metazoan cells. Their general structural building plan accommodates highly varying amino acid sequences to yield extended dimeric α-helical coiled coils of highly conserved design. These “rod” particles are the basic building blocks of intrinsically flexible, filamentous structures that are able to resist high mechanical stresses, i.e. bending and stretching to a considerable degree, bo...

Power peak in vicinity of WWER-440 control assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikus, J.

2002-01-01

This paper presents information concerning the WWER-440 local power peaking problem induced by a control assembly and corresponding investigation possibilities on the light-water zero-power reactor LR-O at the Nuclear Research Institute Rez plc. Brief description of the disposable CA model, experimental arrangement and conditions on the LR-O reactor, preparation of the relevant measurements in the WWER-440 type cores with CA model, as well as some preliminary results of the fission density distribution obtained in a core without boron and with fuel assemblies having profiled enrichment are mentioned too (Author)

Counter-streaming flows in a giant quiet-Sun filament observed in the extreme ultraviolet

Science.gov (United States)

Diercke, A.; Kuckein, C.; Verma, M.; Denker, C.

2018-03-01

Aim. The giant solar filament was visible on the solar surface from 2011 November 8-23. Multiwavelength data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) were used to examine counter-streaming flows within the spine of the filament. Methods: We use data from two SDO instruments, the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), covering the whole filament, which stretched over more than half a solar diameter. Hα images from the Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory (KSO) provide context information of where the spine of the filament is defined and the barbs are located. We apply local correlation tracking (LCT) to a two-hour time series on 2011 November 16 of the AIA images to derive horizontal flow velocities of the filament. To enhance the contrast of the AIA images, noise adaptive fuzzy equalization (NAFE) is employed, which allows us to identify and quantify counter-streaming flows in the filament. We observe the same cool filament plasma in absorption in both Hα and EUV images. Hence, the counter-streaming flows are directly related to this filament material in the spine. In addition, we use directional flow maps to highlight the counter-streaming flows. Results: We detect counter-streaming flows in the filament, which are visible in the time-lapse movies in all four examined AIA wavelength bands (λ171 Å, λ193 Å, λ304 Å, and λ211 Å). In the time-lapse movies we see that these persistent flows lasted for at least two hours, although they became less prominent towards the end of the time series. Furthermore, by applying LCT to the images we clearly determine counter-streaming flows in time series of λ171 Å and λ193 Å images. In the λ304 Å wavelength band, we only see minor indications for counter-streaming flows with LCT, while in the λ211 Å wavelength band the counter-streaming flows are not detectable with this method. The diverse morphology of the filament in Hα and EUV images is caused by different absorption

A comparison study of a solar active-region eruptive filament and a neighboring non-eruptive filament

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Chao-Wei; Wu, Shi-Tsan; Feng, Xue-Shang; Hu, Qiang

2016-01-01

Solar active region (AR) 11283 is a very magnetically complex region and it has produced many eruptions. However, there exists a non-eruptive filament in the plage region just next to an eruptive one in the AR, which gives us an opportunity to perform a comparison analysis of these two filaments. The coronal magnetic field extrapolated using our CESE-MHD-NLFFF code reveals that two magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) exist in the same extrapolation box supporting these two filaments, respectively. Analysis of the magnetic field shows that the eruptive MFR contains a bald-patch separatrix surface (BPSS) cospatial very well with a pre-eruptive EUV sigmoid, which is consistent with the BPSS model for coronal sigmoids. The magnetic dips of the non-eruptive MFRs match Hα observation of the non-eruptive filament strikingly well, which strongly supports the MFR-dip model for filaments. Compared with the non-eruptive MFR/filament (with a length of about 200 Mm), the eruptive MFR/filament is much smaller (with a length of about 20 Mm), but it contains most of the magnetic free energy in the extrapolation box and holds a much higher free energy density than the non-eruptive one. Both the MFRs are weakly twisted and cannot trigger kink instability. The AR eruptive MFR is unstable because its axis reaches above a critical height for torus instability, at which the overlying closed arcades can no longer confine the MFR stably. On the contrary, the quiescent MFR is very firmly held by its overlying field, as its axis apex is far below the torus-instability threshold height. Overall, this comparison investigation supports that an MFR can exist prior to eruption and the ideal MHD instability can trigger an MFR eruption.

A comparison study of a solar active-region eruptive filament and a neighboring non-eruptive filament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Chao-Wei; Feng, Xue-Shang; Wu, Shi-Tsan; Hu, Qiang

2016-01-01

Solar active region (AR) 11283 is a very magnetically complex region and it has produced many eruptions. However, there exists a non-eruptive filament in the plage region just next to an eruptive one in the AR, which gives us an opportunity to perform a comparison analysis of these two filaments. The coronal magnetic field extrapolated using our CESE–MHD–NLFFF code reveals that two magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) exist in the same extrapolation box supporting these two filaments, respectively. Analysis of the magnetic field shows that the eruptive MFR contains a bald-patch separatrix surface (BPSS) cospatial very well with a pre-eruptive EUV sigmoid, which is consistent with the BPSS model for coronal sigmoids. The magnetic dips of the non-eruptive MFRs match Hα observation of the non-eruptive filament strikingly well, which strongly supports the MFR-dip model for filaments. Compared with the non-eruptive MFR/filament (with a length of about 200 Mm), the eruptive MFR/filament is much smaller (with a length of about 20 Mm), but it contains most of the magnetic free energy in the extrapolation box and holds a much higher free energy density than the non-eruptive one. Both the MFRs are weakly twisted and cannot trigger kink instability. The AR eruptive MFR is unstable because its axis reaches above a critical height for torus instability, at which the overlying closed arcades can no longer confine the MFR stably. On the contrary, the quiescent MFR is very firmly held by its overlying field, as its axis apex is far below the torus-instability threshold height. Overall, this comparison investigation supports that an MFR can exist prior to eruption and the ideal MHD instability can trigger an MFR eruption. (paper)

Influence of different anoxic time exposures on active biomass, protozoa and filamentous bacteria in activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Perez, S; Fermoso, F G; Arnaiz, C

Medium-sized wastewater treatment plants are considered too small to implement anaerobic digestion technologies and too large for extensive treatments. A promising option as a sewage sludge reduction method is the inclusion of anoxic time exposures. In the present study, three different anoxic time exposures of 12, 6 and 4 hours have been studied to reduce sewage sludge production. The best anoxic time exposure was observed under anoxic/oxic cycles of 6 hours, which reduced 29.63% of the biomass production compared with the oxic control conditions. The sludge under different anoxic time exposures, even with a lower active biomass concentration than the oxic control conditions, showed a much higher metabolic activity than the oxic control conditions. Microbiological results suggested that both protozoa density and abundance of filamentous bacteria decrease under anoxic time exposures compared to oxic control conditions. The anoxic time exposures 6/6 showed the highest reduction in both protozoa density, 37.5%, and abundance of filamentous bacteria, 41.1%, in comparison to the oxic control conditions. The groups of crawling ciliates, carnivorous ciliates and filamentous bacteria were highly influenced by the anoxic time exposures. Protozoa density and abundance of filamentous bacteria have been shown as promising bioindicators of biomass production reduction.

Superresolution imaging of dynamic MreB filaments in B. subtilis--a multiple-motor-driven transport?

Science.gov (United States)

Olshausen, Philipp V; Defeu Soufo, Hervé Joël; Wicker, Kai; Heintzmann, Rainer; Graumann, Peter L; Rohrbach, Alexander

2013-09-03

The cytoskeletal protein MreB is an essential component of the bacterial cell-shape generation system. Using a superresolution variant of total internal reflection microscopy with structured illumination, as well as three-dimensional stacks of deconvolved epifluorescence microscopy, we found that inside living Bacillus subtilis cells, MreB forms filamentous structures of variable lengths, typically not longer than 1 μm. These filaments move along their orientation and mainly perpendicular to the long bacterial axis, revealing a maximal velocity at an intermediate length and a decreasing velocity with increasing filament length. Filaments move along straight trajectories but can reverse or alter their direction of propagation. Based on our measurements, we provide a mechanistic model that is consistent with all observations. In this model, MreB filaments mechanically couple several motors that putatively synthesize the cell wall, whereas the filaments' traces mirror the trajectories of the motors. On the basis of our mechanistic model, we developed a mathematical model that can explain the nonlinear velocity length dependence. We deduce that the coupling of cell wall synthesis motors determines the MreB filament transport velocity, and the filament mechanically controls a concerted synthesis of parallel peptidoglycan strands to improve cell wall stability. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Helical beating of an actuated elastic filament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coq, Nais; Roure, Olivia du; Fermigier, Marc; Bartolo, Denis

2009-01-01

We investigate the propulsive force resulting from the rotation of a flexible filament in the low Reynolds number regime. Using a simple linear model, we establish the nonlinear torque-force relations for two torque-driven actuation modes. When the rotation of the filament is induced by two perpendicular transverse oscillating torques, the propulsive force increases monotonically with the torque amplitude. Conversely, when a constant axial torque is applied, the torque-force characteristics displays an unstable branch, related to a discontinuous transition in the shape of the filament. We characterize this shape transition using two geometrical parameters, quantifying the wrapping around and the collapse on the axis of the filament. The proposed theoretical description correctly accounts for our experimental observations and reveals a strong dependence of the filament dynamics on the anchoring conditions.

Fundamentals of Filament Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-19

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2017-0110 FUNDAMENTALS OF FILAMENT INTERACTION Martin Richardson UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA Final Report 06/02/2017 DISTRIBUTION...of Filament Interaction 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER FA95501110001 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Martin Richardson 5d. PROJECT...NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON Martin Richardson a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) 407-823-6819 Standard Form

Filaments in simulations of molecular cloud formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gómez, Gilberto C.; Vázquez-Semadeni, Enrique [Centro de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia Apartado Postal 3-72, 58090 Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico)

2014-08-20

We report on the filaments that develop self-consistently in a new numerical simulation of cloud formation by colliding flows. As in previous studies, the forming cloud begins to undergo gravitational collapse because it rapidly acquires a mass much larger than the average Jeans mass. Thus, the collapse soon becomes nearly pressureless, proceeding along its shortest dimension first. This naturally produces filaments in the cloud and clumps within the filaments. The filaments are not in equilibrium at any time, but instead are long-lived flow features through which the gas flows from the cloud to the clumps. The filaments are long-lived because they accrete from their environment while simultaneously accreting onto the clumps within them; they are essentially the locus where the flow changes from accreting in two dimensions to accreting in one dimension. Moreover, the clumps also exhibit a hierarchical nature: the gas in a filament flows onto a main, central clump but other, smaller-scale clumps form along the infalling gas. Correspondingly, the velocity along the filament exhibits a hierarchy of jumps at the locations of the clumps. Two prominent filaments in the simulation have lengths ∼15 pc and masses ∼600 M {sub ☉} above density n ∼ 10{sup 3} cm{sup –3} (∼2 × 10{sup 3} M {sub ☉} at n > 50 cm{sup –3}). The density profile exhibits a central flattened core of size ∼0.3 pc and an envelope that decays as r {sup –2.5} in reasonable agreement with observations. Accretion onto the filament reaches a maximum linear density rate of ∼30 M {sub ☉} Myr{sup –1} pc{sup –1}.

Thermal and Chemical Evolution of Collapsing Filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gray, William J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Scannapieco, Evan [Arizona State Univ., Mesa, AZ (United States). School of Earth and Space Exploration

2013-01-15

Intergalactic filaments form the foundation of the cosmic web that connect galaxies together, and provide an important reservoir of gas for galaxy growth and accretion. Here we present very high resolution two-dimensional simulations of the thermal and chemical evolution of such filaments, making use of a 32 species chemistry network that tracks the evolution of key molecules formed from hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. We study the evolution of filaments over a wide range of parameters including the initial density, initial temperature, strength of the dissociating UV background, and metallicity. In low-redshift, Z ≈ 0.1Z_⊙ filaments, the evolution is determined completely by the initial cooling time. If this is sufficiently short, the center of the filament always collapses to form dense, cold core containing a substantial fraction of molecules. In high-redshift, Z = 10^-3Z_⊙ filaments, the collapse proceeds much more slowly. This is due mostly to the lower initial temperatures, which leads to a much more modest increase in density before the atomic cooling limit is reached, making subsequent molecular cooling much less efficient. Finally, we study how the gravitational potential from a nearby dwarf galaxy affects the collapse of the filament and compare this to NGC 5253, a nearby starbusting dwarf galaxy thought to be fueled by the accretion of filament gas. In contrast to our fiducial case, a substantial density peak forms at the center of the potential. This peak evolves faster than the rest of the filament due to the increased rate at which chemical species form and cooling occur. We find that we achieve similar accretion rates as NGC 5253, but our two-dimensional simulations do not recover the formation of the giant molecular clouds that are seen in radio observations.

Force-controlled robotic assembly processes of rigid and flexible objects methodologies and applications

CERN Document Server

Ghalyan, Ibrahim Fahad Jasim

2016-01-01

This book provides comprehensive and integrated approaches for rigid and flexible object assembly. It presents comparison studies with the available force-guided robotic processes and covers contact-state modeling, scheme control strategies, and position searching algorithms. Further, it includes experimental validations for different assembly situations, including those for the assembly of industrial parts taken from the automotive industry. .

Nano-functionalized filamentous fungus hyphae with fast reversible macroscopic assembly & disassembly features.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haiying; Li, Xiaorui; Chai, Liyuan; Zhang, Liyuan

2015-05-18

A uniform decoration of hyphae by polyaniline nanoparticles (PANI NPs) was achieved here. This novel hybrid structure can be effectively assembled into a film by filtration and disassembled in water by shaking. This reversible process is very fast, which promises applications in nanomaterials including adsorption.

Ultraviolet treatment on high performance filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu Huang

2005-01-01

Quartz, Kevlar, carbon, and glass filaments were irradiated by ultraviolet ray with various periods. Tensile strength of the treated fibres was tested and analyzed, and the outward appearance of the treated filaments was shown

Filamentation of ultrashort laser pulses of different wavelengths in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2017-01-17

Jan 17, 2017 ... and alluring application prospects of filament are dis- covered, e.g. control of a ... (1) are the linear effects, accounting for the spatial diffraction and the ... The input electric field envelope is modelled by a. Gaussian profile with ...

gamma-Tubulin has a conserved intrinsic property of self-polymerization into double stranded filaments and fibrillar networks

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Chumová, Jana; Trögelová, Lucie; Kourová, Hana; Volc, Jindřich; Sulimenko, Vadym; Halada, Petr; Kučera, Ondřej; Benada, Oldřich; Kuchařová, A.; Klebanovych, Anastasiya; Dráber, Pavel; Daniel, G.; Binarová, Pavla

2018-01-01

Roč. 1865, č. 5 (2018), s. 734-748 ISSN 0167-4889 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-11657S; GA ČR GA16-25159S; GA ČR GA16-23702S; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2015062 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 ; RVO:68378050 ; RVO:67985882 Keywords : gamma-Tubulin * GCP-free gamma-tubulin * Filament self-assembly Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry OBOR OECD: Microbiology Impact factor: 4.521, year: 2016

Observations of the Growth of an Active Region Filament

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Bo

2017-04-01

We present observations of the growth of an active region filament caused by magnetic interactions among the filament and its adjacent superpenumbral filament (SF) and dark thread-like structures (T). Multistep reconnections are identified during the whole growing process. Magnetic flux convergence and cancellation occurring at the positive footpoint region of the filament is the first step reconnection, which resulted in the filament bifurcating into two sets of intertwined threads. One set anchored in situ, while the other set moved toward and interacted with the SF and part of T. This indicates the second step reconnection, which gave rise to the disappearance of the SF and the formation of a long thread-like structure that connects the far ends of the filament and T. The long thread-like structure further interacted with the T and then separated into two parts, representing the third step reconnection. Finally, another similar long thread-like structure, which intertwined with the fixed filament threads, appeared. Hαobservations show that this twisted structure is a longer sinistral filament. Based on the observed photospheric vector magnetograms, we performed a non-linear force-free field extrapolation to reconstruct the magnetic fields above the photosphere and found that the coronal magnetic field lines associated with the filament consists of two twisted flux ropes winding around each other. These results suggest that magnetic interactions among filaments and their adjacent SFs and T could lead to the growth of the filaments, and the filament is probably supported in a flux rope.

Hyperthyreosis effects on the learning and glial intermediate filaments of rat brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. V. Kyrychenko

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The influence of hyperthyreosis on oxidative stress, state of glial intermediate filaments and memotry was investigated. Significant increasing of lipid peroxidation products into both hippocampus and cortex and change for the worse of memory was observed. Analysis of the behavioral reactions of rats in the test of passive avoidance conditioned reflex showed that the acquisition of skills of all groups of animals did not differ by time waiting period (latent period. Time saving memory test conditioned reflex of passive avoidance was excellent in the group of rats treated with thyroxine compared with controls. The change of polypeptide GFAP was observed in hippocampus and cortex. Both soluble and filamentous forms of GFAP increased in hippocampus of rat with hyperthyreosis. In filament fractions, increase in the intensity of 49 kDa polypeptide band was found. In the same fraction of insoluble cytoskeleton proteins degraded HFKB polypeptides with molecular weight in the region of 46–41 kDa appeared. Marked increase of degraded polypeptides was found in the soluble fraction of the brain stem. The intensity of the intact polypeptide (49 kDa, as well as in the filament fraction, significantly increased. It is possible that increasing concentrations of soluble subunits glial filaments may be due to dissociation of own filaments during the reorganization of cytoskeleton structures. Given the results of Western blotting for filament fraction, increased content of soluble intact 49 kDa polypeptide is primarily the result of increased expression of HFKB and only partly due to redistribution of existing filament structures. Calculation and analysis of indicators showed high correlation between the increase in content and peroxidation products of HFKB. These results indicate the important role of oxidative stress in the induction of astroglial reactive response under conditions of hyperthyroidism. This data shows the possibility of the glial cell

Regulated 15-V, 7500-A, neutral-beam filament supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reass, W.

1977-01-01

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) designed a cost-effective, regulated 15-V, 7500-A filament supply for use with the High-Voltage Test Stand , a major ERDA developmental neutral-beam test facility. The filament supply can float to 200 kV and can provide pulse widths up to 30 s. Powered by a 24-V, 0.5-TJ battery bank, it avoids the use of expensive isolation transformers and induction voltage regulators (IVR's). Battery output is regulated by a water-cooled resistor-contactor combination in which contactors are closed in sequential format to create a staircase current waveform. A fine-tuning network tunes in-between the ''steps'' for regulation to less than 0.5 percent. The regulator is digitally controlled except for the sense amplifiers, which are optically coupled to the digital controller. All ground telemetry uses optical links to minimize effects of rfi and emi noise in the data channels

Colored fused filament fabrication

OpenAIRE

Song, Haichuan; Lefebvre, Sylvain

2017-01-01

Filament fused fabrication is the method of choice for printing 3D models at low cost, and is the de-facto standard for hobbyists, makers and schools. Unfortunately, filament printers cannot truly reproduce colored objects. The best current techniques rely on a form of dithering exploiting occlusion, that was only demonstrated for shades of two base colors and that behaves differently depending on surface slope. We explore a novel approach for 3D printing colored objects, capable of creating ...

Positrusion Filament Recycling System, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TUI proposes a novel process to produce 3d printer feedstock filament out of scrap ABS on the ISS. Currently the plastic filament materials that most 3d printers use...

Investigating the use of curcumin-loaded electrospun filaments for soft tissue repair applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mouthuy PA

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Pierre-Alexis Mouthuy,1,2 Maja Somogyi Škoc,3 Ana Čipak Gašparović,1 Lidija Milković,1 Andrew J Carr,2 Neven Žarković1 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia; 2Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Medical Science Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 3Department of Materials, Fibres and Textile Testing, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Abstract: Electrospun filaments represent a new generation of medical textiles with promising applications in soft tissue repair. A potential strategy to improve their design is to combine them with bioactive molecules. Curcumin, a natural compound found in turmeric, is particularly attractive for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. However, investigating the range of relevant doses of curcumin in materials designed for tissue regeneration has remained limited. In this paper, a wide range of curcumin concentrations was explored and the potential of the resulting materials for soft tissue repair applications was assessed. Polydioxanone (PDO filaments were prepared with various amounts of curcumin: 0%, 0.001%, 0.01%, 0.1%, 1%, and 10% (weight to weight ratio. The results from the present study showed that, at low doses (≤0.1%, the addition of curcumin has no influence on the spinning process or on the physicochemical properties of the filaments, whereas higher doses lead to smaller fiber diameters and improved mechanical properties. Moreover, filaments with 0.001% and 0.01% curcumin stimulate the metabolic activity and proliferation of normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs compared with the no-filament control. However, this stimulation is not significant when compared to the control filaments (0%. Highly dosed filaments induce either the inhibition of proliferation (with 1% or cell apoptosis (with 10% as a result of the concentrations of curcumin found in the

Two applications of airtightness control techniques on big assemblies

CERN Document Server

Devallan, C; Marcellin, J

1973-01-01

Deals with two airtightness control techniques respectively applied on intersecting storage rings (ISR) at CERN in Geneva and on a liquid methane storage tank. These two big assemblies called for two different control techniques which use helium and ammonia respectively as tracer gas. Existing practical leakage detection techniques to meet industrial needs are discussed at the end of the article. (2 refs).

Achieving 3-D Nanoparticle Assembly in Nanocomposite Thin Films via Kinetic Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Jingyu; Xiao, Yihan; Xu, Ting [UCB

2017-02-20

Nanocomposite thin films containing well-ordered nanoparticle (NP) assemblies are ideal candidates for the fabrication of metamaterials. Achieving 3-D assembly of NPs in nanocomposite thin films is thermodynamically challenging as the particle size gets similar to that of a single polymer chain. The entropic penalties of polymeric matrix upon NP incorporation leads to NP aggregation on the film surface or within the defects in the film. Controlling the kinetic pathways of assembly process provides an alternative path forward by arresting the system in nonequilibrium states. Here, we report the thin film 3-D hierarchical assembly of 20 nm NPs in supramolecules with a 30 nm periodicity. By mediating the NP diffusion kinetics in the supramolecular matrix, surface aggregation of NPs was suppressed and NPs coassemble with supramolecules to form new 3-D morphologies in thin films. The present studies opened a viable route to achieve designer functional composite thin films via kinetic control.

Hydrodynamic interaction induced spontaneous rotation of coupled active filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Huijun; Hou, Zhonghuai

2014-12-14

We investigate the coupled dynamics of active filaments with long range hydrodynamic interactions (HI). Remarkably, we find that filaments can rotate spontaneously under the same conditions in which a single filament alone can only move in translation. Detailed analysis reveals that the emergence of coupled rotation originates from an asymmetric flow field associated with HI which breaks the symmetry of translational motion when filaments approach. The breaking is then further stabilized by HI to form self-sustained coupled rotation. Intensive simulations show that coupled rotation forms easily when one filament tends to collide with the front-half of the other. For head-to-tail approaching, we observe another interesting HI-induced coupled motion, where filaments move together in the form of one following the other. Moreover, the radius of coupled rotation increases exponentially as the rigidity of the filament increases, which suggests that HI are also important for the alignment of rigid-rod-like filaments which has been assumed to be solely a consequence of direct collisions.

Thermal hydraulic performance of naturally aspirated control rod housing assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geiger, G.T.; Randolph, H.W.; Paik, I.K.; Foti, D.J.

1992-01-01

Savannah River Site reactors are comprised of heat generating fuel/target assemblies, control rods which regulate reactor power, and heavy water which acts as the coolant and as a moderator. The fuel/target assemblies are cooled by the downflow of heavy water while the control rods are cooled via upflow. Five control rods are grouped with two safety rods in seven-channel assemblies called septifoils. Under normal operating conditions, the reactor power level, radial shape flux and axial power flux are regulated by the positioning of the control rods. The control rods are solid rods of a lithium-aluminum alloy with an thin aluminum outer sheath. Lithium is a good absorber of neutrons and, thus control rod temperatures rise with reactor power. At conditions of sufficiently high reactor power and degraded coolant flow, the control rods could heat sufficiently to cause a metallurigical failure of the sheath leading to molten material coming in contact with water and the possibility of a steam explosion. An accident has been postulated as part of the analysis involving the safety upgrade of Savannah River Site reactors in which the housing is not seated on the pin. Coolant from the upflow pin would not be directed into the housing but, into the moderator space surrounding the housing. Only naturally aspirated cooling due to buoyancy effects would be available to cool the control rods and the coolant mass flow rate would drop significantly from its nominal value. In this study, the mechanisms and limits of cooling heated rods housed in an unseated septifoil are addressed. Experiments were conducted on a shortened, prototypic housing with electrically heated rods to gain an understanding of the phenomena governing the cooling in such a case and develop data which can be used to evaluate predictive models. These experiments are described, their results discussed, and the predictions of current models is presented

DNA Double-Strand Breaks Induce the Nuclear Actin Filaments Formation in Cumulus-Enclosed Oocytes but Not in Denuded Oocytes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Hong Sun

Full Text Available As a gamete, oocyte needs to maintain its genomic integrity and passes this haploid genome to the next generation. However, fully-grown mouse oocyte cannot respond to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs effectively and it is also unable to repair them before the meiosis resumption. To compensate for this disadvantage and control the DNA repair events, oocyte needs the cooperation with its surrounding cumulus cells. Recently, evidences have shown that nuclear actin filament formation plays roles in cellular DNA DSB repair. To explore whether these nuclear actin filaments are formed in the DNA-damaged oocytes, here, we labeled the filament actins in denuded oocytes (DOs and cumulus-enclosed oocytes (CEOs. We observed that the nuclear actin filaments were formed only in the DNA-damaged CEOs, but not in DOs. Formation of actin filaments in the nucleus was an event downstream to the DNA damage response. Our data also showed that the removal of cumulus cells led to a reduction in the nuclear actin filaments in oocytes. Knocking down of the Adcy1 gene in cumulus cells did not affect the formation of nuclear actin filaments in oocytes. Notably, we also observed that the nuclear actin filaments in CEOs could be induced by inhibition of gap junctions. From our results, it was confirmed that DNA DSBs induce the nuclear actin filament formation in oocyte and which is controlled by the cumulus cells.

Star-forming Filament Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, Philip C.

2017-01-01

New models of star-forming filamentary clouds are presented in order to quantify their properties and to predict their evolution. These 2D axisymmetric models describe filaments that have no core, one low-mass core, and one cluster-forming core. They are based on Plummer-like cylinders and spheroids that are bounded by a constant-density surface of finite extent. In contrast to 1D Plummer-like models, they have specific values of length and mass, they approximate observed column density maps, and their distributions of column density ( N -pdfs) are pole-free. Each model can estimate the star-forming potential of a core-filament system by identifying the zone of gas dense enough to form low-mass stars and by counting the number of enclosed thermal Jeans masses. This analysis suggests that the Musca central filament may be near the start of its star-forming life, with enough dense gas to make its first ∼3 protostars, while the Coronet filament is near the midpoint of its star formation, with enough dense gas to add ∼8 protostars to its ∼20 known stars. In contrast, L43 appears to be near the end of its star-forming life, since it lacks enough dense gas to add any new protostars to the two young stellar objectsalready known.

Star-forming Filament Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myers, Philip C., E-mail: pmyers@cfa.harvard.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2017-03-20

New models of star-forming filamentary clouds are presented in order to quantify their properties and to predict their evolution. These 2D axisymmetric models describe filaments that have no core, one low-mass core, and one cluster-forming core. They are based on Plummer-like cylinders and spheroids that are bounded by a constant-density surface of finite extent. In contrast to 1D Plummer-like models, they have specific values of length and mass, they approximate observed column density maps, and their distributions of column density ( N -pdfs) are pole-free. Each model can estimate the star-forming potential of a core-filament system by identifying the zone of gas dense enough to form low-mass stars and by counting the number of enclosed thermal Jeans masses. This analysis suggests that the Musca central filament may be near the start of its star-forming life, with enough dense gas to make its first ∼3 protostars, while the Coronet filament is near the midpoint of its star formation, with enough dense gas to add ∼8 protostars to its ∼20 known stars. In contrast, L43 appears to be near the end of its star-forming life, since it lacks enough dense gas to add any new protostars to the two young stellar objectsalready known.

Evidence for Mixed Helicity in Erupting Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Muglach, K.; Wang, Y.-M.; Kliem, B.

2009-09-01

Erupting filaments are sometimes observed to undergo a rotation about the vertical direction as they rise. This rotation of the filament axis is generally interpreted as a conversion of twist into writhe in a kink-unstable magnetic flux rope. Consistent with this interpretation, the rotation is usually found to be clockwise (as viewed from above) if the post-eruption arcade has right-handed helicity, but counterclockwise if it has left-handed helicity. Here, we describe two non-active-region filament events recorded with the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory in which the sense of rotation appears to be opposite to that expected from the helicity of the post-event arcade. Based on these observations, we suggest that the rotation of the filament axis is, in general, determined by the net helicity of the erupting system, and that the axially aligned core of the filament can have the opposite helicity sign to the surrounding field. In most cases, the surrounding field provides the main contribution to the net helicity. In the events reported here, however, the helicity associated with the filament "barbs" is opposite in sign to and dominates that of the overlying arcade.

A method for 3D-reconstruction of a muscle thick filament using the tilt series images of a single filament electron tomogram.

Science.gov (United States)

Márquez, G; Pinto, A; Alamo, L; Baumann, B; Ye, F; Winkler, H; Taylor, K; Padrón, R

2014-05-01

Myosin interacting-heads (MIH) motifs are visualized in 3D-reconstructions of thick filaments from striated muscle. These reconstructions are calculated by averaging methods using images from electron micrographs of grids prepared using numerous filament preparations. Here we propose an alternative method to calculate the 3D-reconstruction of a single thick filament using only a tilt series images recorded by electron tomography. Relaxed thick filaments, prepared from tarantula leg muscle homogenates, were negatively stained. Single-axis tilt series of single isolated thick filaments were obtained with the electron microscope at a low electron dose, and recorded on a CCD camera by electron tomography. An IHRSR 3D-recontruction was calculated from the tilt series images of a single thick filament. The reconstruction was enhanced by including in the search stage dual tilt image segments while only single tilt along the filament axis is usually used, as well as applying a band pass filter just before the back projection. The reconstruction from a single filament has a 40 Å resolution and clearly shows the presence of MIH motifs. In contrast, the electron tomogram 3D-reconstruction of the same thick filament - calculated without any image averaging and/or imposition of helical symmetry - only reveals MIH motifs infrequently. This is - to our knowledge - the first application of the IHRSR method to calculate a 3D reconstruction from tilt series images. This single filament IHRSR reconstruction method (SF-IHRSR) should provide a new tool to assess structural differences between well-ordered thick (or thin) filaments in a grid by recording separately their electron tomograms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A filament supported by different magnetic field configurations

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Y.; Schmieder, B.; Démoulin, P.; Wiegelmann, T.; Aulanier, G.; Török, T.; Bommier, V.

2011-08-01

A nonlinear force-free magnetic field extrapolation of vector magnetogram data obtained by THEMIS/MTR on 2005 May 27 suggests the simultaneous existence of different magnetic configurations within one active region filament: one part of the filament is supported by field line dips within a flux rope, while the other part is located in dips within an arcade structure. Although the axial field chirality (dextral) and the magnetic helicity (negative) are the same along the whole filament, the chiralities of the filament barbs at different sections are opposite, i.e., right-bearing in the flux rope part and left-bearing in the arcade part. This argues against past suggestions that different barb chiralities imply different signs of helicity of the underlying magnetic field. This new finding about the chirality of filaments will be useful to associate eruptive filaments and magnetic cloud using the helicity parameter in the Space Weather Science.

Reconstitutable control assembly having removable control rods with detachable split upper end plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gjertsen, R.K.; Knott, R.P.; Sparrow, J.A.

1991-01-01

This patent describes, for use in facilitating replacement of a neutron absorber control rod on a control assembly spider structure, an end plug. It comprises a pair of separate upper and lower plug portions; the upper section of the upper plug portion being configured for rigid attachment; the middle section of the upper plug portion having angularly displaced flat surfaces formed on the exterior

WWER-440 control assembly local power peaking investigation on LR-0 reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikus, J.

2002-01-01

This paper presents information concerning the local power peaking problem induced by the WWER-440 control assembly and the investigation possibilities on the light water, zero power reactor LR-0 at the Nuclear Research Institute (NRI) Rez plc. A brief description is given about the disposable control assembly model, experimental arrangement and conditions on the LR-0 reactor with regard to the earlier performed investigations as well as to the relevant measurements to be realized in the near future.(abstract)

INSIGHTS INTO THE MECHANICS OF CYTOKINETIC RING ASSEMBLY USING 3D MODELING.

Science.gov (United States)

Bidone, Tamara Carla; Tang, Haosu; Vavylonis, Dimitrios

During fission yeast cytokinesis, actin filaments nucleated by cortical formin Cdc12 are captured by myosin motors bound to a band of cortical nodes. The myosin motors exert forces that pull nodes together into a contractile ring. Cross-linking interactions help align actin filaments and nodes into a single bundle. Mutations in the myosin motor domain and changes in the concentration of cross-linkers alpha-actinin and fimbrin alter the morphology of the condensing network, leading to clumps, rings or extended meshworks. How the contractile tension developing during ring formation depends on the interplay between network morphology, myosin motor activity, cross-linking and actin filament turnover remains to be elucidated. We addressed this question using a 3D computational model in which semiflexible actin filaments (represented as beads connected by springs) grow from formins, can be captured by myosin in neighboring nodes, and get cross-linked with one another through an attractive interaction. We identify regimes of tension generation between connected nodes under a wide set of conditions regarding myosin dynamics and strength of cross-linking between actin filaments. We find conditions that maximize circumferential tension, correlate them with network morphology and propose experiments to test these predictions. This work addresses "Morphogenesis of soft and living matter" using computational modeling to simulate cytokinetic ring assembly from the key molecular mechanisms of viscoelastic cross-linked actin networks that include active molecular motors.

Functional characterisation of filamentous actin probe expression in neuronal cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shrujna Patel

Full Text Available Genetically encoded filamentous actin probes, Lifeact, Utrophin and F-tractin, are used as tools to label the actin cytoskeleton. Recent evidence in several different cell types indicates that these probes can cause changes in filamentous actin dynamics, altering cell morphology and function. Although these probes are commonly used to visualise actin dynamics in neurons, their effects on axonal and dendritic morphology has not been systematically characterised. In this study, we quantitatively analysed the effect of Lifeact, Utrophin and F-tractin on neuronal morphogenesis in primary hippocampal neurons. Our data show that the expression of actin-tracking probes significantly impacts on axonal and dendrite growth these neurons. Lifeact-GFP expression, under the control of a pBABE promoter, caused a significant decrease in total axon length, while another Lifeact-GFP expression, under the control of a CAG promoter, decreased the length and complexity of dendritic trees. Utr261-EGFP resulted in increased dendritic branching but Utr230-EGFP only accumulated in cell soma, without labelling any neurites. Lifeact-7-mEGFP and F-tractin-EGFP in a pEGFP-C1 vector, under the control of a CMV promoter, caused only minor changes in neuronal morphology as detected by Sholl analysis. The results of this study demonstrate the effects that filamentous actin tracking probes can have on the axonal and dendritic compartments of neuronal cells and emphasise the care that must be taken when interpreting data from experiments using these probes.

Lifetime of titanium filament at constant current

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chou, T.S.; Lanni, C.

1981-01-01

Titanium Sublimation Pump (TSP) represents the most efficient and the least expensive method to produce Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) in storage rings. In ISABELLE, a proton storage accelerator under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory, for example, TSP provides a pumping speed for hydrogen of > 2 x 10 6 l/s. Due to the finite life of titanium filaments, new filaments have to be switched in before the end of filament burn out, to ensure smooth operation of the accelerator. Therefore, several operational modes that can be used to activate the TSP were studied. The constant current mode is a convenient way of maintaining constant evaporating rate by increasing the power input while the filament diameter decreases as titanium evaporates. The filaments used in this experiment were standard Varian 916-0024 filaments made of Ti 85%, Mo 15% alloy. During their lifetime at a constant current of 48 amperes, the evaporation rate rose to a maximum at about 10% of their life and then flattened out to a constant value, 0.25 g/hr. The maximum evaporation rate occurs coincidently with the recrystallization of 74% Ti 26% Mo 2 from microstructure crystalline at higher titanium concentration to macrostructure crystalline at lower titanium concentration. As the macrocrystal grows, the slip plane develops at the grain boundary resulting in high resistance at the slip plane which will eventually cause the filament burn out due to local heating

Biophysics of filament length regulation by molecular motors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuan, Hui-Shun; Betterton, M D

2013-01-01

Regulating physical size is an essential problem that biological organisms must solve from the subcellular to the organismal scales, but it is not well understood what physical principles and mechanisms organisms use to sense and regulate their size. Any biophysical size-regulation scheme operates in a noisy environment and must be robust to other cellular dynamics and fluctuations. This work develops theory of filament length regulation inspired by recent experiments on kinesin-8 motor proteins, which move with directional bias on microtubule filaments and alter microtubule dynamics. Purified kinesin-8 motors can depolymerize chemically-stabilized microtubules. In the length-dependent depolymerization model, the rate of depolymerization tends to increase with filament length, because long filaments accumulate more motors at their tips and therefore shorten more quickly. When balanced with a constant filament growth rate, this mechanism can lead to a fixed polymer length. However, the mechanism by which kinesin-8 motors affect the length of dynamic microtubules in cells is less clear. We study the more biologically realistic problem of microtubule dynamic instability modulated by a motor-dependent increase in the filament catastrophe frequency. This leads to a significant decrease in the mean filament length and a narrowing of the filament length distribution. The results improve our understanding of the biophysics of length regulation in cells. (paper)

Orientation-controlled parallel assembly at the air–water interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Kwang Soon; Hoo, Ji Hao; Baskaran, Rajashree; Böhringer, Karl F

2012-01-01

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical study with statistical analysis of a high-yield, orientation-specific fluidic self-assembly process on a preprogrammed template. We demonstrate self-assembly of thin (less than few hundred microns in thickness) parts, which is vital for many applications in miniaturized platforms but problematic for today's pick-and-place robots. The assembly proceeds row-by-row as the substrate is pulled up through an air–water interface. Experiments and analysis are presented with an emphasis on the combined effect of controlled surface waves and magnetic force. For various gap values between a magnet and Ni-patterned parts, magnetic force distributions are generated using Monte Carlo simulation and employed to predict assembly yield. An analysis of these distributions shows that a gradual decline in yield following the probability density function can be expected with degrading conditions. The experimentally determined critical magnetic force is in good agreement with a derived value from a model of competing forces acting on a part. A general set of design guidelines is also presented from the developed model and experimental data. (paper)

On the fragmentation of filaments in a molecular cloud simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Chira, R.-A.; Kainulainen, J.; Ibáñez-Mejía, J. C.; Henning, Th.; Mac Low, M.-M.

2018-03-01

Context. The fragmentation of filaments in molecular clouds has attracted a lot of attention recently as there seems to be a close relation between the evolution of filaments and star formation. The study of the fragmentation process has been motivated by simple analytical models. However, only a few comprehensive studies have analysed the evolution of filaments using numerical simulations where the filaments form self-consistently as part of large-scale molecular cloud evolution. Aim. We address the early evolution of parsec-scale filaments that form within individual clouds. In particular, we focus on three questions: How do the line masses of filaments evolve? How and when do the filaments fragment? How does the fragmentation relate to the line masses of the filaments? Methods: We examine three simulated molecular clouds formed in kiloparsec-scale numerical simulations performed with the FLASH adaptive mesh refinement magnetohydrodynamic code. The simulations model a self-gravitating, magnetised, stratified, supernova-driven interstellar medium, including photoelectric heating and radiative cooling. We follow the evolution of the clouds for 6 Myr from the time self-gravity starts to act. We identify filaments using the DisPerSe algorithm, and compare the results to other filament-finding algorithms. We determine the properties of the identified filaments and compare them with the predictions of analytic filament stability models. Results: The average line masses of the identified filaments, as well as the fraction of mass in filamentary structures, increases fairly continuously after the onset of self-gravity. The filaments show fragmentation starting relatively early: the first fragments appear when the line masses lie well below the critical line mass of Ostriker's isolated hydrostatic equilibrium solution ( 16 M⊙ pc-1), commonly used as a fragmentation criterion. The average line masses of filaments identified in three-dimensional volume density cubes

Controlling the amplification of chirality in hydrogen-bonded assemblies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mateos timoneda, Miguel; Crego Calama, Mercedes; Reinhoudt, David

2005-01-01

The amplification of chirality (a high enantiomeric or diastereomeric excess induced by a small initial amount of chiral bias) on hydrogen-bonded assemblies has been studied using “sergeants-and-soldiers” experiments under thermodynamically controlled conditions. Here it is shown that different

Norgal: Extraction and de novo assembly of mitochondrial DNA from whole-genome sequencing data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Al-Nakeeb, Kosai Ali Ahmed; Petersen, Thomas Nordahl; Sicheritz-Pontén, Thomas

2017-01-01

and performing a de novo assembly on a subset of reads that contains these k-mers. The method was applied to WGS data from a panda, brown algae seaweed, butterfly and filamentous fungus. We were able to extract full circular mitochondrial genomes and obtained sequence identities to the reference sequences...

Various Barbs in Solar Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Filippov, Boris

2017-07-01

Interest to lateral details of the solar filament shape named barbs, motivated by their relationship to filament chirality and helicity, showed their different orientation relative to the expected direction of the magnetic field. While the majority of barbs are stretched along the field, some barbs seem to be transversal to it and are referred to as anomalous barbs. We analyse the deformation of helical field lines by a small parasitic polarity using a simple flux rope model with a force-free field. A rather small and distant source of parasitic polarity stretches the bottom parts of the helical lines in its direction creating a lateral extension of dips below the flux-rope axis. They can be considered as normal barbs of the filament. A stronger and closer source of parasitic polarity makes the flux-rope field lines to be convex below its axis and creates narrow and deep dips near its position. As a result, the narrow structure, with thin threads across it, is formed whose axis is nearly perpendicular to the field. The structure resembles an anomalous barb. Hence, the presence of anomalous barbs does not contradict the flux-rope structure of a filament.

Additive Manufacturing of Multifunctional Components Using High Density Carbon Nanotube Yarn Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, John M.; Sauti, Godfrey; Kim, Jae-Woo; Cano, Roberto J.; Wincheski, Russell A.; Stelter, Christopher J.; Grimsley, Brian W.; Working, Dennis C.; Siochi, Emilie J.

2016-01-01

Additive manufacturing allows for design freedom and part complexity not currently attainable using traditional manufacturing technologies. Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), for example, can yield novel component geometries and functionalities because the method provides a high level of control over material placement and processing conditions. This is achievable by extrusion of a preprocessed filament feedstock material along a predetermined path. However if fabrication of a multifunctional part relies only on conventional filament materials, it will require a different material for each unique functionality printed into the part. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are an attractive material for many applications due to their high specific strength as well as good electrical and thermal conductivity. The presence of this set of properties in a single material presents an opportunity to use one material to achieve multifunctionality in an additively manufactured part. This paper describes a recently developed method for processing continuous CNT yarn filaments into three-dimensional articles, and summarizes the mechanical, electrical, and sensing performance of the components fabricated in this way.

Numerical simulation of laser filamentation in underdense plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Lichun; Chen Zhihua; Tu Qinfen

2000-01-01

Developing process of filamentation and effect of characteristic parameters in underdense plasma have been studied using numerical simulation method. Production and development of two-dimensional cylinder filamentation instability were presented clearly. The results indicate incidence laser intensity and plasma background density are important factors affecting convergent intensity. At the same time, it was showed that different laser wavelength or different electron background density could affect filamentation process. The results are consistent with theory and experiments of alien reports. It can provide reference for restraining filamentation

Beam wandering of femtosecond laser filament in air.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jing; Zeng, Tao; Lin, Lie; Liu, Weiwei

2015-10-05

The spatial wandering of a femtosecond laser filament caused by the filament heating effect in air has been studied. An empirical formula has also been derived from the classical Karman turbulence model, which determines quantitatively the displacement of the beam center as a function of the propagation distance and the effective turbulence structure constant. After fitting the experimental data with this formula, the effective turbulence structure constant has been estimated for a single filament generated in laboratory environment. With this result, one may be able to estimate quantitatively the displacement of a filament over long distance propagation and interpret the practical performance of the experiments assisted by femtosecond laser filamentation, such as remote air lasing, pulse compression, high order harmonic generation (HHG), etc.

Light-activated control of protein channel assembly mediated by membrane mechanics

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, David M.; Findlay, Heather E.; Ces, Oscar; Templer, Richard H.; Booth, Paula J.

2016-12-01

Photochemical processes provide versatile triggers of chemical reactions. Here, we use a photoactivated lipid switch to modulate the folding and assembly of a protein channel within a model biological membrane. In contrast to the information rich field of water-soluble protein folding, there is only a limited understanding of the assembly of proteins that are integral to biological membranes. It is however possible to exploit the foreboding hydrophobic lipid environment and control membrane protein folding via lipid bilayer mechanics. Mechanical properties such as lipid chain lateral pressure influence the insertion and folding of proteins in membranes, with different stages of folding having contrasting sensitivities to the bilayer properties. Studies to date have relied on altering bilayer properties through lipid compositional changes made at equilibrium, and thus can only be made before or after folding. We show that light-activation of photoisomerisable di-(5-[[4-(4-butylphenyl)azo]phenoxy]pentyl)phosphate (4-Azo-5P) lipids influences the folding and assembly of the pentameric bacterial mechanosensitive channel MscL. The use of a photochemical reaction enables the bilayer properties to be altered during folding, which is unprecedented. This mechanical manipulation during folding, allows for optimisation of different stages of the component insertion, folding and assembly steps within the same lipid system. The photochemical approach offers the potential to control channel assembly when generating synthetic devices that exploit the mechanosensitive protein as a nanovalve.

Dimensional quantization effects in the thermodynamics of conductive filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Niraula, D.; Grice, C. R.; Karpov, V. G.

2018-06-01

We consider the physical effects of dimensional quantization in conductive filaments that underlie operations of some modern electronic devices. We show that, as a result of quantization, a sufficiently thin filament acquires a positive charge. Several applications of this finding include the host material polarization, the stability of filament constrictions, the equilibrium filament radius, polarity in device switching, and quantization of conductance.

The THMIS-MTR observation of a active region filament

Science.gov (United States)

Zong, W. G.; Tang, Y. H.; Fang, C.

We present some THMIS-MTR observations of a active region filament on September 4, 2002. The full stokes parameters of the filament were obtained in Hα, CaII 8542 and FeI 6302. By use of the data with high spatial resolution(0.44" per pixel), we probed the fine structure of the filament and gave out the parameters at the barbs' endpoints, including intensity, velocity and longitudinal magnetic field. Comparing the quiescent filament which we have discussed before, we find that: 1)The velocities of the barbs' endpoints are much bigger in the active region filament, the values are more than one thousand meters per second. 2)The barbs' endpoints terminate at the low logitudinal magnetic field in the active region filament, too.

Integrated Quality Control of Precision Assemblies using Computed Tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stolfi, Alessandro

coor-dinate measuring machines (CMMs) when working with complex and fragile parts. This Ph.D. project at DTU Mechanical Engineering concerns the applicability of CT for quality control of precision assem-blies. Investigations to quantify the accuracy of CT measurements, reference artefacts to correct...

Quality control of FWC during assembly and commissioning in SST-1 Tokamak

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Hitesh; Santra, Prosenjit; Parekh, Tejas; Biswas, Prabal; Jayswal, Snehal; Chauhan, Pradeep; Paravastu, Yuvakiran; George, Siju; Semwal, Pratibha; Thankey, Prashant; Ramesh, Gattu; Prakash, Arun; Dhanani, Kalpesh; Raval, D. C.; Khan, Ziauddin; Pradhan, Subrata

2017-04-01

First Wall Components (FWC) of SST-1 tokamak, which are in the immediate vicinity of plasma, comprises of limiters, divertors, baffles, passive stabilizers designed to operate long duration (∼1000 s) discharges of elongated plasma. All FWC consist of copper alloy heat sink modules with SS cooling tubes brazed onto it, graphite tiles acting as armour material facing the plasma, and are mounted to the vacuum vessels with suitable Inconel support structures at inter-connected ring & port locations. The FWC are very recently assembled and commissioned successfully inside the vacuum vessel of SST-1 undergoing a rigorous quality control and checks at every stage of the assembly process. This paper will present the quality control aspects and checks of FWC from commencement of assembly procedure, namely material test reports, leak testing of high temperature baked components, assembled dimensional tolerances, leak testing of all welded joints, graphite tile tightening torques, electrical continuity and electrical isolation of passive stabilizers from vacuum vessel, baking and cooling hydraulic connections inside vacuum vessel.

Programming Cells for Dynamic Assembly of Inorganic Nano-Objects with Spatiotemporal Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinyu; Pu, Jiahua; An, Bolin; Li, Yingfeng; Shang, Yuequn; Ning, Zhijun; Liu, Yi; Ba, Fang; Zhang, Jiaming; Zhong, Chao

2018-04-01

Programming living cells to organize inorganic nano-objects (NOs) in a spatiotemporally precise fashion would advance new techniques for creating ordered ensembles of NOs and new bio-abiotic hybrid materials with emerging functionalities. Bacterial cells often grow in cellular communities called biofilms. Here, a strategy is reported for programming dynamic biofilm formation for the synchronized assembly of discrete NOs or hetero-nanostructures on diverse interfaces in a dynamic, scalable, and hierarchical fashion. By engineering Escherichia coli to sense blue light and respond by producing biofilm curli fibers, biofilm formation is spatially controlled and the patterned NOs' assembly is simultaneously achieved. Diverse and complex fluorescent quantum dot patterns with a minimum patterning resolution of 100 µm are demonstrated. By temporally controlling the sequential addition of NOs into the culture, multilayered heterostructured thin films are fabricated through autonomous layer-by-layer assembly. It is demonstrated that biologically dynamic self-assembly can be used to advance a new repertoire of nanotechnologies and materials with increasing complexity that would be otherwise challenging to produce. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Transition from linear- to nonlinear-focusing regime in filamentation

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Khan; Durand, Magali; Baudelet, Matthieu; Richardson, Martin

2014-01-01

Laser filamentation in gases is often carried out in the laboratory with focusing optics to better stabilize the filament, whereas real-world applications of filaments frequently involve collimated or near-collimated beams. It is well documented that geometrical focusing can alter the properties of laser filaments and, consequently, a transition between a collimated and a strongly focused filament is expected. Nevertheless, this transition point has not been identified. Here, we propose an analytical method to determine the transition, and show that it corresponds to an actual shift in the balance of physical mechanisms governing filamentation. In high-NA conditions, filamentation is primarily governed by geometrical focusing and plasma effects, while the Kerr nonlinearity plays a more significant role as NA decreases. We find the transition between the two regimes to be relatively insensitive to the intrinsic laser parameters, and our analysis agrees well with a wide range of parameters found in published literature. PMID:25434678

Controlled assembly of jammed colloidal shells on fluid droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Subramaniam, Anand Bala; Abkarian, Manouk; Stone, Howard A.

2005-07-01

Assembly of colloidal particles on fluid interfaces is a promising technique for synthesizing two-dimensional microcrystalline materials useful in fields as diverse as biomedicine, materials science, mineral flotation and food processing. Current approaches rely on bulk emulsification methods, require further chemical and thermal treatments, and are restrictive with respect to the materials used. The development of methods that exploit the great potential of interfacial assembly for producing tailored materials have been hampered by the lack of understanding of the assembly process. Here we report a microfluidic method that allows direct visualization and understanding of the dynamics of colloidal crystal growth on curved interfaces. The crystals are periodically ejected to form stable jammed shells, which we refer to as colloidal armour. We propose that the energetic barriers to interfacial crystal growth and organization can be overcome by targeted delivery of colloidal particles through hydrodynamic flows. Our method allows an unprecedented degree of control over armour composition, size and stability.

Numerical Analysis on the Free Fall Motion of the Control Rod Assembly for the Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Se-Hong; Choi, Choengryul; Son, Sung-Man [ELSOLTEC, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jae-Yong; Yoon, Kyung-Ho [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

On receiving the scram signal, the control rod assemblies are released to fall into the reactor core by its weight. Thus drop time and falling velocity of the control rod assembly must be estimated for the safety evaluation. However, because of its complex shape, it is difficult to estimate the drop time by theoretical method. In this study, numerical analysis has been carried out in order to estimate drop time and falling velocity of the control rod assembly to provide the underlying data for the design optimization. Numerical analysis has been carried out to estimate the drop time and falling velocity of the control rod assembly for sodium-cooled fast reactor. Before performing the numerical analysis for the control rod assembly, sphere dropping experiment has been carried out for verification of the CFD methodology. The result of the numerical analysis for the method verification is almost same as the result of the experiment. Falling velocity and drag force increase rapidly in the beginning. And then it goes to the stable state. When the piston head of the control rod assembly is inserted into the damper, the drag force increases instantaneously and the falling velocity decreases quickly. The falling velocity is reduced about 14 % by damper. The total drop time of the control rod assembly is about 1.47s. In the next study, the experiment for the control rod assembly will be carried out, and its result is going to be compared with the CFD analysis result.

Drop performance test of conceptually designed control rod assembly for prototype generation IV sodium-cooled fast reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Young Kyu; Lee, Jae Han; Kim, Hoe Woong; KIm, Sung Kyun; Kim, Jong Bum [Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor NSSS Design Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

The control rod assembly controls reactor power by adjusting its position during normal operation and shuts down chain reactions by its free drop under scram conditions. Therefore, the drop performance of the control rod assembly is important for the safety of a nuclear reactor. In this study, the drop performance of the conceptually designed control rod assembly for the prototype generation IV sodium-cooled fast reactor that is being developed at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute as a next-generation nuclear reactor was experimentally investigated. For the performance test, the test facility and test procedure were established first, and several free drop performance tests of the control rod assembly under different flow rate conditions were then carried out. Moreover, performance tests under several types and magnitudes of seismic loading conditions were also conducted to investigate the effects of seismic loading on the drop performance of the control rod assembly. The drop time of the conceptually designed control rod assembly for 0% of the tentatively designed flow rate was measured to be 1.527 seconds, and this agrees well with the analytically calculated drop time. It was also observed that the effect of seismic loading on the drop time was not significant.

Bundling of elastic filaments induced by hydrodynamic interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Man, Yi; Page, William; Poole, Robert J.; Lauga, Eric

2017-12-01

Peritrichous bacteria swim in viscous fluids by rotating multiple helical flagellar filaments. As the bacterium swims forward, all its flagella rotate in synchrony behind the cell in a tight helical bundle. When the bacterium changes its direction, the flagellar filaments unbundle and randomly reorient the cell for a short period of time before returning to their bundled state and resuming swimming. This rapid bundling and unbundling is, at its heart, a mechanical process whereby hydrodynamic interactions balance with elasticity to determine the time-varying deformation of the filaments. Inspired by this biophysical problem, we present in this paper what is perhaps the simplest model of bundling whereby two or more straight elastic filaments immersed in a viscous fluid rotate about their centerline, inducing rotational flows which tend to bend the filaments around each other. We derive an integrodifferential equation governing the shape of the filaments resulting from mechanical balance in a viscous fluid at low Reynolds number. We show that such equation may be evaluated asymptotically analytically in the long-wavelength limit, leading to a local partial differential equation governed by a single dimensionless bundling number. A numerical study of the dynamics predicted by the model reveals the presence of two configuration instabilities with increasing bundling numbers: first to a crossing state where filaments touch at one point and then to a bundled state where filaments wrap along each other in a helical fashion. We also consider the case of multiple filaments and the unbundling dynamics. We next provide an intuitive physical model for the crossing instability and show that it may be used to predict analytically its threshold and adapted to address the transition to a bundling state. We then use a macroscale experimental implementation of the two-filament configuration in order to validate our theoretical predictions and obtain excellent agreement. This long

Membrane Binding and Bending in Ebola VP40 Assembly and Egress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert V Stahelin

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Lipid-enveloped viruses contain a lipid bilayer coat that protects their genome and helps to facilitate entry into the host cell. Filoviruses are lipid-enveloped viruses that have up to 90% clinical fatality and include Marbug (MARV and Ebola (EBOV. These pleomorphic filamentous viruses enter the host cell through their membrane embedded glycoprotein and then replicate using just seven genes encoded in their negative sense RNA genome. EBOV budding occurs from the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane and is driven by the matrix protein VP40, which is the most abundantly expressed protein of the virus. VP40 expressed in mammalian cells alone can trigger budding of filamentous virus-like particles (VLPs that are nearly indistinguishable from authentic EBOV. VP40, like matrix proteins from other viruses, has been shown to bind anionic lipid membranes. However, how VP40 selectively interacts with the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane and assembles into a filamentous lipid enveloped particle is mostly unknown. This article describes what is known regarding VP40 membrane interactions and what answers will fill the gaps.

Large scale filaments associated with Milky Way spiral arms

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ke; Testi, Leonardo; Ginsburg, Adam; Walmsley, Malcolm; Molinari, Sergio; Schisano, Eugenio

2015-08-01

The ubiquity of filamentary structure at various scales through out the Galaxy has triggered a renewed interest in their formation, evolution, and role in star formation. The largest filaments can reach up to Galactic scale as part of the spiral arm structure. However, such large scale filaments are hard to identify systematically due to limitations in identifying methodology (i.e., as extinction features). We present a new approach to directly search for the largest, coldest, and densest filaments in the Galaxy, making use of sensitive Herschel Hi-GAL data complemented by spectral line cubes. We present a sample of the 9 most prominent Herschel filaments from a pilot search field. These filaments measure 37-99 pc long and 0.6-3.0 pc wide with masses (0.5-8.3)×104 Msun, and beam-averaged (28", or 0.4-0.7 pc) peak H2 column densities of (1.7-9.3)x1022 cm-2. The bulk of the filaments are relatively cold (17-21 K), while some local clumps have a dust temperature up to 25-47 K due to local star formation activities. All the filaments are located within spiral arm model incorporating the latest parallax measurements, we find that 7/9 of them reside within arms, but most are close to arm edges. These filaments are comparable in length to the Galactic scale height and therefore are not simply part of a grander turbulent cascade. These giant filaments, which often contain regularly spaced pc-scale clumps, are much larger than the filaments found in the Herschel Gould's Belt Survey, and they form the upper ends in the filamentary hierarchy. Full operational ALMA and NOEMA will be able to resolve and characterize similar filaments in nearby spiral galaxies, allowing us to compare the star formation in a uniform context of spiral arms.

Simulating control rod and fuel assembly motion using moving meshes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilbert, D. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario, L8S 4K1 (Canada)], E-mail: gilbertdw1@gmail.com; Roman, J.E. [Departamento de Sistemas Informaticos y Computacion, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia (Spain); Garland, Wm. J. [Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario, L8S 4K1 (Canada); Poehlman, W.F.S. [Department of Computing and Software, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario, L8S 4K1 (Canada)

2008-02-15

A prerequisite for designing a transient simulation experiment which includes the motion of control and fuel assemblies is the careful verification of a steady state model which computes k{sub eff} versus assembly insertion distance. Previous studies in nuclear engineering have usually approached the problem of the motion of control rods with the use of nonlinear nodal models. Nodal methods employ special approximations for the leading and trailing cells of the moving assemblies to avoid the rod cusping problem which results from the naive volume weighted cell cross-section approximation. A prototype framework called the MOOSE has been developed for modeling moving components in the presence of diffusion phenomena. A linear finite difference model is constructed, solutions for which are computed by SLEPc, a high performance parallel eigenvalue solver. Design techniques for the implementation of a patched non-conformal mesh which links groups of sub-meshes that can move relative to one another are presented. The generation of matrices which represent moving meshes which conserve neutron current at their boundaries, and the performance of the framework when applied to model reactivity insertion experiments is also discussed.

Intense EM filamentation in relativistic hot plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Qiang-Lin [Department of Physics, Jinggangshan University, Ji' an, Jiangxi 343009 (China); Chen, Zhong-Ping [Department of Physics and Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Mahajan, Swadesh M., E-mail: mahajan@mail.utexas.edu [Department of Physics and Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Department of Physics, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Uttar Pradesh 201314 (India)

2017-03-03

Highlights: • Breaking up of an intense EM pulse into filaments is a spectacular demonstration of the nonlinear wave-plasma interaction. • Filaments are spectacularly sharper, highly extended and longer lived at relativistic temperatures. • EM energy concentration can trigger new nonlinear phenomena with absolute consequences for high energy density matter. - Abstract: Through 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we demonstrate that the nature of filamentation of a high intensity electromagnetic (EM) pulse propagating in an underdense plasma, is profoundly affected at relativistically high temperatures. The “relativistic” filaments are sharper, are dramatically extended (along the direction of propagation), and live much longer than their lower temperature counterparts. The thermally boosted electron inertia is invoked to understand this very interesting and powerful phenomenon.

Heterologous gene expression in filamentous fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xiaoyun; Schmitz, George; Zhang, Meiling; Mackie, Roderick I; Cann, Isaac K O

2012-01-01

Filamentous fungi are critical to production of many commercial enzymes and organic compounds. Fungal-based systems have several advantages over bacterial-based systems for protein production because high-level secretion of enzymes is a common trait of their decomposer lifestyle. Furthermore, in the large-scale production of recombinant proteins of eukaryotic origin, the filamentous fungi become the vehicle of choice due to critical processes shared in gene expression with other eukaryotic organisms. The complexity and relative dearth of understanding of the physiology of filamentous fungi, compared to bacteria, have hindered rapid development of these organisms as highly efficient factories for the production of heterologous proteins. In this review, we highlight several of the known benefits and challenges in using filamentous fungi (particularly Aspergillus spp., Trichoderma reesei, and Neurospora crassa) for the production of proteins, especially heterologous, nonfungal enzymes. We review various techniques commonly employed in recombinant protein production in the filamentous fungi, including transformation methods, selection of gene regulatory elements such as promoters, protein secretion factors such as the signal peptide, and optimization of coding sequence. We provide insights into current models of host genomic defenses such as repeat-induced point mutation and quelling. Furthermore, we examine the regulatory effects of transcript sequences, including introns and untranslated regions, pre-mRNA (messenger RNA) processing, transcript transport, and mRNA stability. We anticipate that this review will become a resource for researchers who aim at advancing the use of these fascinating organisms as protein production factories, for both academic and industrial purposes, and also for scientists with general interest in the biology of the filamentous fungi. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tritium system test assembly control system cost estimate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stutz, R.A.

1979-01-01

The principal objectives of the Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA), which includes the development, demonstration and interfacing of technologies related to the deuterium--tritium fuel cycle for fusion reactor systems, are concisely stated. The various integrated subsystems comprising TSTA and their functions are discussed. Each of the four major subdivisions of TSTA, including the main process system, the environmental and safety systems, supporting systems and the physical plant are briefly discussed. An overview of the Master Data Acquisition and Control System, which will control all functional operation of TSTA, is provided

Filamentous Fungi Fermentation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørregaard, Anders; Stocks, Stuart; Woodley, John

2014-01-01

Filamentous fungi (including microorganisms such as Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus oryzae) represent an enormously important platform for industrial fermentation. Two particularly valuable features are the high yield coefficients and the ability to secrete products. However, the filamentous...... morphology, together with non-Newtonian rheological properties (shear thinning), result in poor oxygen transfer unless sufficient energy is provided to the fermentation. While genomic research may improve the organisms, there is no doubt that to enable further application in future it will be necessary...... to match such research with studies of oxygen transfer and energy supply to high viscosity fluids. Hence, the implementation of innovative solutions (some of which in principle are already possible) will be essential to ensure the further development of such fermentations....

Mechanical model for filament buckling and growth by phase ordering.

Science.gov (United States)

Rey, Alejandro D; Abukhdeir, Nasser M

2008-02-05

A mechanical model of open filament shape and growth driven by phase ordering is formulated. For a given phase-ordering driving force, the model output is the filament shape evolution and the filament end-point kinematics. The linearized model for the slope of the filament is the Cahn-Hilliard model of spinodal decomposition, where the buckling corresponds to concentration fluctuations. Two modes are predicted: (i) sequential growth and buckling and (ii) simultaneous buckling and growth. The relation among the maximum buckling rate, filament tension, and matrix viscosity is given. These results contribute to ongoing work in smectic A filament buckling.

Chirality of Intermediate Filaments and Magnetic Helicity of Active Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Eun-Kyung; Chae, J.

2009-05-01

Filaments that form either between or around active regions (ARs) are called intermediate filaments. Even though there have been many theoretical studies, the origin of the chirality of filaments is still unknown. We investigated how intermediate filaments are related to their associated ARs, especially from the point of view of magnetic helicity and the orientation of polarity inversion lines (PILs). The chirality of filaments has been determined based on the orientations of barbs observed in the full-disk Hα images taken at Big Bear Solar Observatory during the rising phase of solar cycle 23. The sign of magnetic helicity of ARs has been determined using S/inverse-S shaped sigmoids from Yohkoh SXT images. As a result, we have found a good correlation between the chirality of filaments and the magnetic helicity sign of ARs. Among 45 filaments, 42 filaments have shown the same sign as helicity sign of nearby ARs. It has been also confirmed that the role of both the orientation and the relative direction of PILs to ARs in determining the chirality of filaments is not significant, against a theoretical prediction. These results suggest that the chirality of intermediate filaments may originate from magnetic helicity of their associated ARs.

Laser-induced filaments in the mid-infrared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheltikov, A M

2017-01-01

Laser-induced filamentation in the mid-infrared gives rise to unique regimes of nonlinear wave dynamics and reveals in many ways unusual nonlinear-optical properties of materials in this frequency range. The λ 2 scaling of the self-focusing threshold P cr , with radiation wavelength λ , allows the laser powers transmitted by single mid-IR filaments to be drastically increased without the loss of beam continuity and spatial coherence. When extended to the mid-infrared, laser filamentation enables new methods of pulse compression. Often working around the universal physical limitations, it helps generate few-cycle and subcycle field waveforms within an extraordinarily broad range of peak powers, from just a few up to hundreds of P cr . As a part of a bigger picture, laser-induced filamentation in the mid-infrared offers important physical insights into the general properties of the nonlinear-optical response of matter as a function of the wavelength. Unlike their near-infrared counterparts, which can be accurately described within the framework of perturbative nonlinear optics, mid-infrared filaments often entangle perturbative and nonperturbative nonlinear-optical effects, showing clear signatures of strong-field optical physics. With the role of nonperturbative nonlinear-optical phenomena growing, as a general tendency, with the field intensity and the driver wavelength, extension of laser filamentation to even longer driver wavelengths, toward the long-wavelength infrared, promises a hic sunt dracones land. (topical review)

Material Considerations for Fused-Filament Fabrication of Solid Dosage Forms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evert Fuenmayor

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Material choice is a fundamental consideration when it comes to designing a solid dosage form. The matrix material will ultimately determine the rate of drug release since the physical properties (solubility, viscosity, and more of the material control both fluid ingress and disintegration of the dosage form. The bulk properties (powder flow, concentration, and more of the material should also be considered since these properties will influence the ability of the material to be successfully manufactured. Furthermore, there is a limited number of approved materials for the production of solid dosage forms. The present study details the complications that can arise when adopting pharmaceutical grade polymers for fused-filament fabrication in the production of oral tablets. The paper also presents ways to overcome each issue. Fused-filament fabrication is a hot-melt extrusion-based 3D printing process. The paper describes the problems encountered in fused-filament fabrication with Kollidon® VA64, which is a material that has previously been utilized in direct compression and hot-melt extrusion processes. Formulation and melt-blending strategies were employed to increase the printability of the material. The paper defines for the first time the essential parameter profile required for successful 3D printing and lists several pre-screening tools that should be employed to guide future material formulation for the fused-filament fabrication of solid dosage forms.

Self-Controlling Rig for Jaw Crusher Assembly

OpenAIRE

Saurabh Jadhav; Anup Pawar

2017-01-01

The aim of the work is to develop a method for easy assembly of the bearing in the housing by standardized way. The assembly of bearing should take place on the atomized set up. Based on this method a assembly setup was constructed which enables to assembly of the shaft with bearing of different models of jaw crusher. First tests were done with manual alignment and it shows that with proper alignment shaft assembly is very easy operation and also safe. Results of those tests show that the dev...

A Carbon Dioxide Bubble-Induced Vortex Triggers Co-Assembly of Nanotubes with Controlled Chirality.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ling; Zhou, Laicheng; Xu, Na; Ouyang, Zhenjie

2017-07-03

It is challenging to prepare co-organized nanotube systems with controlled nanoscale chirality in an aqueous liquid flow field. Such systems are responsive to a bubbled external gas. A liquid vortex induced by bubbling carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas was used to stimulate the formation of nanotubes with controlled chirality; two kinds of achiral cationic building blocks were co-assembled in aqueous solution. CO 2 -triggered nanotube formation occurs by formation of metastable intermediate structures (short helical ribbons and short tubules) and by transition from short tubules to long tubules in response to chirality matching self-assembly. Interestingly, the chirality sign of these assemblies can be selected for by the circulation direction of the CO 2 bubble-induced vortex during the co-assembly process. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Disintegration of an eruptive filament via interactions with quasi-separatrix layers

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Rui; Chen, Jun; Wang, YuMing

2018-06-01

The disintegration of solar filaments via mass drainage is a frequently observed phenomenon during a variety of filament activities. It is generally considered that the draining of dense filament material is directed by both gravity and magnetic field, yet the detailed process remains elusive. Here we report on a partial filament eruption during which filament material drains downward to the surface not only along the filament's legs, but to a remote flare ribbon through a fan-out curtain-like structure. It is found that the magnetic configuration is characterized by two conjoining dome-like quasi-sepratrix layers (QSLs). The filament is located underneath one QSL dome, whose footprint apparently bounds the major flare ribbons resulting from the filament eruption, whereas the remote flare ribbon matches well with the other QSL dome's far-side footprint. We suggest that the interaction of the filament with the overlying QSLs results in the splitting and disintegration of the filament.

Microwave structure of quiescent solar filaments at high resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gary, D.E.

1986-01-01

High resolution very low altitude maps of a quiescent filament at three frequencies are presented. The spatial resolution (approx. 15'' at 1.45 GHz, approx. 6'' at 4.9 GHz, and approx. 2'' at 15 GHz) is several times better than previously attained. At each frequency, the filament appears as a depression in the quiet Sun background. The depression is measurably wider and longer in extent than the corresponding H alpha filament at 1.45 GHz and 4.9 GHz, indicating that the depression is due in large part to a deficit in coronal density associated with the filament channel. In contrast, the shape of the radio depression at 15 CHz closely matches that of the H alpha filament. In addition, the 15 GHz map shows enhanced emission along both sides of the radio depression. A similar enhancement is seen in an observation of a second filament 4 days later, which suggests that the enhancement is a general feature of filaments. Possible causes of the enhanced emission are explored

Superresolution Imaging of Dynamic MreB Filaments in B. subtilis—A Multiple-Motor-Driven Transport?

Science.gov (United States)

Olshausen, Philipp v.; Defeu Soufo, Hervé Joël; Wicker, Kai; Heintzmann, Rainer; Graumann, Peter L.; Rohrbach, Alexander

2013-01-01

The cytoskeletal protein MreB is an essential component of the bacterial cell-shape generation system. Using a superresolution variant of total internal reflection microscopy with structured illumination, as well as three-dimensional stacks of deconvolved epifluorescence microscopy, we found that inside living Bacillus subtilis cells, MreB forms filamentous structures of variable lengths, typically not longer than 1 μm. These filaments move along their orientation and mainly perpendicular to the long bacterial axis, revealing a maximal velocity at an intermediate length and a decreasing velocity with increasing filament length. Filaments move along straight trajectories but can reverse or alter their direction of propagation. Based on our measurements, we provide a mechanistic model that is consistent with all observations. In this model, MreB filaments mechanically couple several motors that putatively synthesize the cell wall, whereas the filaments’ traces mirror the trajectories of the motors. On the basis of our mechanistic model, we developed a mathematical model that can explain the nonlinear velocity length dependence. We deduce that the coupling of cell wall synthesis motors determines the MreB filament transport velocity, and the filament mechanically controls a concerted synthesis of parallel peptidoglycan strands to improve cell wall stability. PMID:24010660

Filaments in Lupus I

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Satoko; Rodon, J.; De Gregorio-Monsalvo, I.; Plunkett, A.

2017-06-01

The mechanisms behind the formation of sub-stellar mass sources are key to determine the populations at the low-mass end of the stellar distribution. Here, we present mapping observations toward the Lupus I cloud in C18O(2-1) and 13CO(2-1) obtained with APEX. We have identified a few velocity-coherent filaments. Each contains several substellar mass sources that are also identified in the 1.1mm continuum data (see also SOLA catalogue presentation). We will discuss the velocity structure, fragmentation properties of the identified filaments, and the nature of the detected sources.

On the force-velocity relationship of a bundle of rigid bio-filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Perilli, Alessia; Pierleoni, Carlo; Ciccotti, Giovanni; Ryckaert, Jean-Paul

2018-03-01

In various cellular processes, bio-filaments like F-actin and F-tubulin are able to exploit chemical energy associated with polymerization to perform mechanical work against an obstacle loaded with an external force. The force-velocity relationship quantitatively summarizes the nature of this process. By a stochastic dynamical model, we give, together with the evolution of a staggered bundle of Nf rigid living filaments facing a loaded wall, the corresponding force-velocity relationship. We compute the evolution of the model in the infinite wall diffusion limit and in supercritical conditions (monomer density reduced by critical density ρ^ 1>1 ), and we show that this solution remains valid for moderate non-zero values of the ratio between the wall diffusion and the chemical time scales. We consider two classical protocols: the bundle is opposed either to a constant load or to an optical trap setup, characterized by a harmonic restoring force. The constant load case leads, for each F value, to a stationary velocity Vs t a t(F ;Nf,ρ^ 1 ) after a relaxation with characteristic time τmicro(F). When the bundle (initially taken as an assembly of filament seeds) is subjected to a harmonic restoring force (optical trap load), the bundle elongates and the load increases up to stalling over a characteristic time τOT. Extracted from this single experiment, the force-velocity VO T(F ;Nf,ρ^ 1 ) curve is found to coincide with Vs t a t(F ;Nf,ρ^ 1 ) , except at low loads. We show that this result follows from the adiabatic separation between τmicro and τOT, i.e., τmicro ≪ τOT.

Quantification of filamentation by uropathogenic Escherichia coli during experimental bladder cell infection by using semi-automated image analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klein, Kasper; Palarasah, Yaseelan; Kolmos, Hans Jørn

2015-01-01

in focus-stacked microscopy images. Used in combination with a flow-chamber based in vitro cystitis model, we study the factors involved in filament formation by uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) during infection. The influence of substratum surface, intracellular proliferation and flow media on UPEC...... rod-shaped cells. Evidence has emerged over the past decade suggesting that this morphological transformation is controlled and reversible and provides selective advantages under certain growth conditions, such as during infection in humans. In order to identify the factors which induce filamentation...... filamentation is evaluated. We show that reversible UPEC filamentation during cystitis is not dependent on intracellular infection, which previous studies have suggested. Instead, we find that filamentation can be induced by contact with surfaces, both biological and artificial. Lastly our data indicate...

The Great Solar Active Region NOAA 12192: Helicity Transport, Filament Formation, and Impact on the Polar Field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMaken, Tyler C. [National Solar Observatory REU Program, 3665 Discovery Drive, 3rd Floor, Boulder, CO 80303 (United States); Petrie, Gordon J. D., E-mail: tmcmaken@gmail.com, E-mail: gpetrie@noao.edu [National Solar Observatory, 3665 Discovery Drive, 3rd Floor, Boulder, CO 80303 (United States)

2017-05-10

The solar active region (AR), NOAA 12192, appeared in 2014 October as the largest AR in 24 years. Here we examine the counterintuitive nature of two diffusion-driven processes in the region: the role of helicity buildup in the formation of a major filament, and the relationship between the effects of supergranular diffusion and meridional flow on the AR and on the polar field. Quantitatively, calculations of current helicity and magnetic twist from Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) vector magnetograms indicate that, though AR 12192 emerged with negative helicity, positive helicity from subsequent flux emergence, consistent with the hemispheric sign-preference of helicity, increased over time within large-scale, weak-field regions such as those near the polarity inversion line (PIL). Morphologically, Atmospheric Imaging Assembly observations of filament barbs, sigmoidal patterns, and bases of Fe xii stalks initially exhibited signatures of negative helicity, and the long filament that subsequently formed had a strong positive helicity consistent with the helicity buildup along the PIL. We find from full-disk HMI magnetograms that AR 12192's leading positive flux was initially closer to the equator but, owing either to the region’s magnetic surroundings or to its asymmetric flux density distribution, was transported poleward more quickly on average than its trailing negative flux, contrary to the canonical pattern of bipole flux transport. This behavior caused the AR to have a smaller effect on the polar fields than expected and enabled the formation of the very long neutral line where the filament formed.

The Great Solar Active Region NOAA 12192: Helicity Transport, Filament Formation, and Impact on the Polar Field

Science.gov (United States)

Petrie, Gordon; McMaken, Tyler C.

2017-08-01

The solar active region (AR), NOAA 12192, appeared in 2014 October as the largest AR in 24 years. Here we examine the counterintuitive nature of two diffusion-driven processes in the region: the role of helicity buildup in the formation of a major filament, and the relationship between the effects of supergranular diffusion and meridional flow on the AR and on the polar field. Quantitatively, calculations of current helicity and magnetic twist from Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) vector magnetograms indicate that, though AR 12192 emerged with negative helicity, positive helicity from subsequent flux emergence, consistent with the hemispheric sign-preference of helicity, increased over time within large-scale, weak-field regions such as those near the polarity inversion line (PIL). Morphologically, Atmospheric Imaging Assembly observations of filament barbs, sigmoidal patterns, and bases of Fe xii stalks initially exhibited signatures of negative helicity, and the long filament that subsequently formed had a strong positive helicity consistent with the helicity buildup along the PIL. We find from full-disk HMI magnetograms that AR 12192's leading positive flux was initially closer to the equator but, owing either to the region’s magnetic surroundings or to its asymmetric flux density distribution, was transported poleward more quickly on average than its trailing negative flux, contrary to the canonical pattern of bipole flux transport. This behavior caused the AR to have a smaller effect on the polar fields than expected and enabled the formation of the very long neutral line where the filament formed.

Hot Ta filament resistance in-situ monitoring under silane containing atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grunsky, D.; Schroeder, B.

2008-01-01

Monitoring of the electrical resistance of the Ta catalyst during the hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) of thin silicon films gives information about filament condition. Using Ta filaments for silane decomposition not only the well known strong changes at the cold ends, but also changes of the central part of the filament were observed. Three different phenomena can be distinguished: silicide (stoichiometric Ta X Si Y alloys) growth on the filament surfaces, diffusion of Si into the Ta filament and thick silicon deposits (TSD) formation on the filament surface. The formation of different tantalum silicides on the surface as well as the in-diffusion of silicon increase the filament resistance, while the TSDs form additional electrical current channels and that result in a decrease of the filament resistance. Thus, the filament resistance behaviour during ageing is the result of the competition between these two processes

Controlled short-linkage assembly of functional nano-objects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaudhary, Shilpi; Kamra, Tripta [Division of Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University, Box 124, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); ENI AB, Malmö (Sweden); Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research, Lund University, Box 118, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Uddin, Khan Mohammad Ahsan [Division of Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University, Box 124, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Snezhkova, Olesia [Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research, Lund University, Box 118, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Jayawardena, H. Surangi N. [Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1 University Ave., Lowell, MA 01854 (United States); Yan, Mingdi [Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1 University Ave., Lowell, MA 01854 (United States); Department of Chemistry, KTH – Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 30, S-10044 Stockholm (Sweden); Montelius, Lars [ENI AB, Malmö (Sweden); Schnadt, Joachim, E-mail: joachim.schnadt@sljus.lu.se [Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research, Lund University, Box 118, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Ye, Lei, E-mail: lei.ye@tbiokem.lth.se [Division of Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University, Box 124, 221 00 Lund (Sweden)

2014-05-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Fast photoconjugation of nanoparticles on surface. • Non-destructive feature guarantees intact function of nanoparticles. • Direct contact between nano-objects allows efficient photon and electron transfer. • Possibility of generating patterned nanoparticle assemblies on surface. • Open new opportunities for assembling chemical sensors. - Abstract: In this work, we report a method that allows the deterministic, photo-controlled covalent assembly of nanoparticles directly on surface. As a model system, we study the conjugation of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles on a glass surface and confirm that the immobilized nanoparticles maintain their molecular recognition functionality. The glass slide was first modified with perfluorophenylazide and then used to bind MIP nanoparticles under UV irradiation. After each step the surface was analyzed by water contact angle measurement, fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and/or synchrotron-based X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The MIP nanoparticles immobilized on the glass surface remained stable and maintained specific binding for the template molecule, propranolol. The method developed in this work allows MIP nanoparticles to be directly coupled to a flat surface, offering a straightforward means to construct robust chemical sensors. Using the reported photo conjugation method, it is possible to generate patterned assembly of nanoparticles using a photomask. Since perfluorophenylazide-based photochemistry works with all kinds of organic material, the method developed in this work is expected to enable immobilization of not only MIPs but also other kinds of organic and inorganic–organic core–shell particles for various applications involving photon or electron transfer.

Controlled short-linkage assembly of functional nano-objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhary, Shilpi; Kamra, Tripta; Uddin, Khan Mohammad Ahsan; Snezhkova, Olesia; Jayawardena, H. Surangi N.; Yan, Mingdi; Montelius, Lars; Schnadt, Joachim; Ye, Lei

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Fast photoconjugation of nanoparticles on surface. • Non-destructive feature guarantees intact function of nanoparticles. • Direct contact between nano-objects allows efficient photon and electron transfer. • Possibility of generating patterned nanoparticle assemblies on surface. • Open new opportunities for assembling chemical sensors. - Abstract: In this work, we report a method that allows the deterministic, photo-controlled covalent assembly of nanoparticles directly on surface. As a model system, we study the conjugation of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles on a glass surface and confirm that the immobilized nanoparticles maintain their molecular recognition functionality. The glass slide was first modified with perfluorophenylazide and then used to bind MIP nanoparticles under UV irradiation. After each step the surface was analyzed by water contact angle measurement, fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and/or synchrotron-based X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The MIP nanoparticles immobilized on the glass surface remained stable and maintained specific binding for the template molecule, propranolol. The method developed in this work allows MIP nanoparticles to be directly coupled to a flat surface, offering a straightforward means to construct robust chemical sensors. Using the reported photo conjugation method, it is possible to generate patterned assembly of nanoparticles using a photomask. Since perfluorophenylazide-based photochemistry works with all kinds of organic material, the method developed in this work is expected to enable immobilization of not only MIPs but also other kinds of organic and inorganic–organic core–shell particles for various applications involving photon or electron transfer

Halo assembly bias and the tidal anisotropy of the local halo environment

Science.gov (United States)

Paranjape, Aseem; Hahn, Oliver; Sheth, Ravi K.

2018-05-01

We study the role of the local tidal environment in determining the assembly bias of dark matter haloes. Previous results suggest that the anisotropy of a halo's environment (i.e. whether it lies in a filament or in a more isotropic region) can play a significant role in determining the eventual mass and age of the halo. We statistically isolate this effect, using correlations between the large-scale and small-scale environments of simulated haloes at z = 0 with masses between 1011.6 ≲ (m/h-1 M⊙) ≲ 1014.9. We probe the large-scale environment, using a novel halo-by-halo estimator of linear bias. For the small-scale environment, we identify a variable αR that captures the tidal anisotropy in a region of radius R = 4R200b around the halo and correlates strongly with halo bias at fixed mass. Segregating haloes by αR reveals two distinct populations. Haloes in highly isotropic local environments (αR ≲ 0.2) behave as expected from the simplest, spherically averaged analytical models of structure formation, showing a negative correlation between their concentration and large-scale bias at all masses. In contrast, haloes in anisotropic, filament-like environments (αR ≳ 0.5) tend to show a positive correlation between bias and concentration at any mass. Our multiscale analysis cleanly demonstrates how the overall assembly bias trend across halo mass emerges as an average over these different halo populations, and provides valuable insights towards building analytical models that correctly incorporate assembly bias. We also discuss potential implications for the nature and detectability of galaxy assembly bias.

Large-scale filaments associated with Milky Way spiral arms

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ke; Testi, Leonardo; Ginsburg, Adam; Walmsley, C. Malcolm; Molinari, Sergio; Schisano, Eugenio

2015-07-01

The ubiquity of filamentary structure at various scales throughout the Galaxy has triggered a renewed interest in their formation, evolution, and role in star formation. The largest filaments can reach up to Galactic scale as part of the spiral arm structure. However, such large-scale filaments are hard to identify systematically due to limitations in identifying methodology (i.e. as extinction features). We present a new approach to directly search for the largest, coldest, and densest filaments in the Galaxy, making use of sensitive Herschel Hi-GAL (Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey) data complemented by spectral line cubes. We present a sample of the nine most prominent Herschel filaments, including six identified from a pilot search field plus three from outside the field. These filaments measure 37-99 pc long and 0.6-3.0 pc wide with masses (0.5-8.3) × 104 M⊙, and beam-averaged (28 arcsec, or 0.4-0.7 pc) peak H2 column densities of (1.7-9.3)× 1022 cm- 2. The bulk of the filaments are relatively cold (17-21 K), while some local clumps have a dust temperature up to 25-47 K. All the filaments are located within ≲60 pc from the Galactic mid-plane. Comparing the filaments to a recent spiral arm model incorporating the latest parallax measurements, we find that 7/9 of them reside within arms, but most are close to arm edges. These filaments are comparable in length to the Galactic scaleheight and therefore are not simply part of a grander turbulent cascade.

Fuel assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gjertsen, R.K.; Bassler, E.A.; Huckestein, E.A.; Salton, R.B.; Tower, S.N.

1988-01-01

A fuel assembly adapted for use with a pressurized water nuclear reactor having capabilities for fluid moderator spectral shift control is described comprising: parallel arranged elongated nuclear fuel elements; means for providing for axial support of the fuel elements and for arranging the fuel elements in a spaced array; thimbles interspersed among the fuel elements adapted for insertion of a rod control cluster therewithin; means for structurally joining the fuel elements and the guide thimbles; fluid moderator control means for providing a volume of low neutron absorbing fluid within the fuel assembly and for removing a substantially equivalent volume of reactor coolant water therefrom, a first flow manifold at one end of the fuel assembly sealingly connected to a first end of the moderator control tubes whereby the first ends are commonly flow connected; and a second flow manifold, having an inlet passage and an outlet passage therein, sealingly connected to a second end of the moderator control tubes at a second end of the fuel assembly

Scanning For Hotspots In Lamp Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Charles E.; Van Sant, Tim; Leidecker, Henning

1993-01-01

Scanning photometer designed for use in investigation of failures of incandescent lamp filaments. Maps brightness as function of position along each filament to identify bright (hot) spots, occurring at notches and signifying incipient breaks or rewelds. Also used to measure nonuniformity in outputs of such linear devices as light-emitting diodes, and to measure diffraction patterns of lenses.

Magnetic Fields in the Massive Dense Cores of the DR21 Filament: Weakly Magnetized Cores in a Strongly Magnetized Filament

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ching, Tao-Chung; Lai, Shih-Ping [Institute of Astronomy and Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Zhang, Qizhou; Girart, Josep M. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge MA 02138 (United States); Qiu, Keping [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023 (China); Liu, Hauyu B., E-mail: chingtaochung@gmail.com [European Southern Observatory (ESO), Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany)

2017-04-01

We present Submillimeter Array 880 μ m dust polarization observations of six massive dense cores in the DR21 filament. The dust polarization shows complex magnetic field structures in the massive dense cores with sizes of 0.1 pc, in contrast to the ordered magnetic fields of the parsec-scale filament. The major axes of the massive dense cores appear to be aligned either parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic fields of the filament, indicating that the parsec-scale magnetic fields play an important role in the formation of the massive dense cores. However, the correlation between the major axes of the cores and the magnetic fields of the cores is less significant, suggesting that during the core formation, the magnetic fields below 0.1 pc scales become less important than the magnetic fields above 0.1 pc scales in supporting a core against gravity. Our analysis of the angular dispersion functions of the observed polarization segments yields a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of 0.4–1.7 mG for the massive dense cores. We estimate the kinematic, magnetic, and gravitational virial parameters of the filament and the cores. The virial parameters show that the gravitational energy in the filament dominates magnetic and kinematic energies, while the kinematic energy dominates in the cores. Our work suggests that although magnetic fields may play an important role in a collapsing filament, the kinematics arising from gravitational collapse must become more important than magnetic fields during the evolution from filaments to massive dense cores.

DNA controlled assembly of liposomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vogel, Stefan; Jakobsen, Ulla; Simonsen, Adam Cohen

2009-01-01

DNA-encoding of solid nanoparticles requires surfacechemistry, which is often tedious and not generally applicable. In the present study non-covalently attached DNA are used to assemble soft nanoparticles (liposomes) in solution. This process displays remarkably sharp thermal transitions from...... assembled to disassembled state for which reason this method allows easy and fast detection of polynucleotides (e.g. DNA or RNA), including single nucleotide polymorphisms as well as insertions and deletions....

The evolution of compositionally and functionally distinct actin filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunning, Peter W; Ghoshdastider, Umesh; Whitaker, Shane; Popp, David; Robinson, Robert C

2015-06-01

The actin filament is astonishingly well conserved across a diverse set of eukaryotic species. It has essentially remained unchanged in the billion years that separate yeast, Arabidopsis and man. In contrast, bacterial actin-like proteins have diverged to the extreme, and many of them are not readily identified from sequence-based homology searches. Here, we present phylogenetic analyses that point to an evolutionary drive to diversify actin filament composition across kingdoms. Bacteria use a one-filament-one-function system to create distinct filament systems within a single cell. In contrast, eukaryotic actin is a universal force provider in a wide range of processes. In plants, there has been an expansion of the number of closely related actin genes, whereas in fungi and metazoa diversification in tropomyosins has increased the compositional variety in actin filament systems. Both mechanisms dictate the subset of actin-binding proteins that interact with each filament type, leading to specialization in function. In this Hypothesis, we thus propose that different mechanisms were selected in bacteria, plants and metazoa, which achieved actin filament compositional variation leading to the expansion of their functional diversity. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Is Supramolecular Filament Chirality the Underlying Cause of Major Morphology Differences in Amyloid Fibrils?

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

The unique enhanced sensitivity of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) to the formation and development of amyloid fibrils in solution is extended to four additional fibril-forming proteins or peptides where it is shown that the sign of the fibril VCD pattern correlates with the sense of supramolecular filament chirality and, without exception, to the dominant fibril morphology as observed in AFM or SEM images. Previously for insulin, it has been demonstrated that the sign of the VCD band pattern from filament chirality can be controlled by adjusting the pH of the incubating solution, above pH 2 for “normal” left-hand-helical filaments and below pH 2 for “reversed” right-hand-helical filaments. From AFM or SEM images, left-helical filaments form multifilament braids of left-twisted fibrils while the right-helical filaments form parallel filament rows of fibrils with a flat tape-like morphology, the two major classes of fibril morphology that from deep UV resonance Raman scattering exhibit the same cross-β-core secondary structure. Here we investigate whether fibril supramolecular chirality is the underlying cause of the major morphology differences in all amyloid fibrils by showing that the morphology (twisted versus flat) of fibrils of lysozyme, apo-α-lactalbumin, HET-s (218–289) prion, and a short polypeptide fragment of transthyretin, TTR (105–115), directly correlates to their supramolecular chirality as revealed by VCD. The result is strong evidence that the chiral supramolecular organization of filaments is the principal underlying cause of the morphological heterogeneity of amyloid fibrils. Because fibril morphology is linked to cell toxicity, the chirality of amyloid aggregates should be explored in the widely used in vitro models of amyloid-associated diseases. PMID:24484302

Is supramolecular filament chirality the underlying cause of major morphology differences in amyloid fibrils?

Science.gov (United States)

Kurouski, Dmitry; Lu, Xuefang; Popova, Ludmila; Wan, William; Shanmugasundaram, Maruda; Stubbs, Gerald; Dukor, Rina K; Lednev, Igor K; Nafie, Laurence A

2014-02-12

The unique enhanced sensitivity of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) to the formation and development of amyloid fibrils in solution is extended to four additional fibril-forming proteins or peptides where it is shown that the sign of the fibril VCD pattern correlates with the sense of supramolecular filament chirality and, without exception, to the dominant fibril morphology as observed in AFM or SEM images. Previously for insulin, it has been demonstrated that the sign of the VCD band pattern from filament chirality can be controlled by adjusting the pH of the incubating solution, above pH 2 for "normal" left-hand-helical filaments and below pH 2 for "reversed" right-hand-helical filaments. From AFM or SEM images, left-helical filaments form multifilament braids of left-twisted fibrils while the right-helical filaments form parallel filament rows of fibrils with a flat tape-like morphology, the two major classes of fibril morphology that from deep UV resonance Raman scattering exhibit the same cross-β-core secondary structure. Here we investigate whether fibril supramolecular chirality is the underlying cause of the major morphology differences in all amyloid fibrils by showing that the morphology (twisted versus flat) of fibrils of lysozyme, apo-α-lactalbumin, HET-s (218-289) prion, and a short polypeptide fragment of transthyretin, TTR (105-115), directly correlates to their supramolecular chirality as revealed by VCD. The result is strong evidence that the chiral supramolecular organization of filaments is the principal underlying cause of the morphological heterogeneity of amyloid fibrils. Because fibril morphology is linked to cell toxicity, the chirality of amyloid aggregates should be explored in the widely used in vitro models of amyloid-associated diseases.

Controllable assembly of silver nanoparticles induced by femtosecond laser direct writing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Huan; Liu, Sen; Zhang, Yong-Lai; Wang, Jian-Nan; Wang, Lei; Xia, Hong; Chen, Qi-Dai; Sun, Hong-Bo; Ding, Hong

2015-01-01

We report controllable assembly of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) for patterning of silver microstructures. The assembly is induced by femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW). A tightly focused femtosecond laser beam is capable of trapping and driving Ag NPs to form desired micropatterns with a high resolution of ∼190 nm. Taking advantage of the ‘direct writing’ feature, three microelectrodes have been integrated with a microfluidic chip; two silver-based microdevices including a microheater and a catalytic reactor have been fabricated inside a microfluidic channel for chip functionalization. The FsLDW-induced programmable assembly of Ag NPs may open up a new way to the designable patterning of silver microstructures toward flexible fabrication and integration of functional devices. (focus issue paper)

Filament to filament bridging and its influence on developing high critical current density in multifilamentary Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox round wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, T; Jiang, J; Kametani, F; Trociewitz, U P; Larbalestier, D C; Schwartz, J; Hellstrom, E E

2010-01-01

Increasing the critical current density (J c ) of the multifilamentary round wire Ag/Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O x (2212) requires understanding its complicated microstructure, in which extensive bridges between filaments are prominent. In this first through-process quench study of 2212 round wire, we determined how its microstructure develops during a standard partial-melt process and how filament bridging occurs. We found that filaments can bond together in the melt state. As 2212 starts to grow on subsequent cooling, we observed that two types of 2212 bridges form. One type, which we call Type-A bridges, forms within filaments that bonded in the melt; Type-A bridges are single grains that span multiple bonded filaments. The other type, called Type-B bridges, form between discrete filaments through 2212 outgrowths that penetrate into the Ag matrix and intersect with other 2212 outgrowths from adjacent filaments. We believe the ability of these two types of bridges to carry inter-filament current is intrinsically different: Type-A bridges are high- J c inter-filament paths whereas Type-B bridges contain high-angle grain boundaries and are typically weak linked. Slow cooling leads to more filament bonding, more Type-A bridges and a doubling of J c without changing the flux pinning. We suggest that Type-A bridges create a 3D current flow that is vital to developing high J c in multifilamentary 2212 round wire.

Assembly of Liposomes Controlled by Triple Helix Formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vogel, Stefan; Jakobsen, Ulla

2013-01-01

Attachment of DNA to the surface of different solid nanoparticles (e.g. gold- and silica nanoparticles) is well established and a number of DNA-modified solid nanoparticle systems have been applied to thermal denaturation analysis of oligonucleotides. We report herein the non-covalent immobilizat...... analysis (NTA) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) show independently from ultraviolet spectroscopy experiments the formation of liposome aggregates.......-covalent immobilization of oligonucleotides on the surface of soft nanoparticles (e.g. liposomes) and the subsequent controlled assembly by DNA triple helix formation. The non-covalent approach avoids tedious surface chemistry and necessary purification procedures and can simplify and extend the available methodology...... sequences (G or C-rich) to explore the applicability of the method for different triple helical assembly modes. We demonstrate advantages and limitations of the approach and proof the reversible and reproducible formation of liposome aggregates during thermal denaturation cycles. Nanoparticle tracking...

Controllable self-assembly of sodium caseinate with a zwitterionic vitamin-derived bolaamphiphile.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Li-Hui; Sun, Yu-Long; Yang, Li-Jun; Zhang, Jian; Chen, Zhong-Xiu

2013-11-06

The control of self-assembly of sodium caseinate (SC) including the formation of mixed layers, microspheres, or nanoparticles is highly relevant to the microstructure of food and the design of promising drug delivery systems. In this paper, we designed a structure-switchable zwitterionic bolaamphiphile, 1,12-diaminododecanediorotate (DDO), from orotic acid, which has special binding sites and can guide the self-assembly of SC. Complexation between SC and DDO was investigated using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and fluorescence spectra measurements. Monomeric DDO was bound to the negatively charged sites on the SC micelle and made the structure of SC more compact with decreased electrostatic repulsion between the head groups. Vesicular DDO led to reassociation of vesicles with enlarged size via preferable hydrophobic interactions. Moreover, the aggregation between SC and DDO was found to be temperature-dependent and reversible. This research provides an effective way to control the reversible self-assembly of SC by the zwitterionic vitamin-derived bolaamphiphile.

In situ ellipsometric study of surface immobilization of flagellar filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurunczi, S., E-mail: kurunczi@mfa.kfki.hu [Department of Photonics, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1121, Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33, Budapest (Hungary); Nemeth, A.; Huelber, T. [Department of Photonics, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1121, Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33, Budapest (Hungary); Kozma, P. [Department of Photonics, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1121, Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33, Budapest (Hungary); Department of Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, Veszprem, H-8200 (Hungary); Petrik, P. [Department of Photonics, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1121, Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33, Budapest (Hungary); Jankovics, H. [Department of Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, Veszprem, H-8200 (Hungary); Sebestyen, A. [Department of Photonics, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1121, Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33, Budapest (Hungary); Department of Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, Veszprem, H-8200 (Hungary); Vonderviszt, F. [Department of Photonics, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1121, Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33, Budapest (Hungary); Department of Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, Veszprem, H-8200 (Hungary); Institute of Enzymology, Karolina ut 29-33, Budapest, H-1113 (Hungary); and others

2010-10-15

Protein filaments composed of thousands of subunits are promising candidates as sensing elements in biosensors. In this work in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry is applied to monitor the surface immobilization of flagellar filaments. This study is the first step towards the development of layers of filamentous receptors for sensor applications. Surface activation is performed using silanization and a subsequent glutaraldehyde crosslinking. Structure of the flagellar filament layers immobilized on activated and non-activated Si wafer substrates is determined using a two-layer effective medium model that accounted for the vertical density distribution of flagellar filaments with lengths of 300-1500 nm bound to the surface. The formation of the first interface layer can be explained by the multipoint covalent attachment of the filaments, while the second layer is mainly composed of tail pinned filaments floating upwards with the free parts. As confirmed by atomic force microscopy, covalent immobilization resulted in an increased surface density compared to absorption.

Defect- and dopant-controlled carbon nanotubes fabricated by self-assembly of graphene nanoribbons

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Cun Zhang and Shaohua Chen

2015-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulations showed that a basal carbon nanotube can activate and guide the fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotubes （CNTs） on its internal surface by self-assembly of edge-unpassivated graphene nanoribbons with defects. Furthermore, the distribution of defects on self-assembled CNTs is controllable. The system temperature and defect fraction are two main factors that influence the success of self-assembly. Due to possible joint flaws formed at the boundaries under a relatively high constant temperature, a technique based on increasing the temperature is adopted. Self-assembly is always successful for graphene nanoribbons with relatively small defect fractions, while it will fail in cases with relatively large ones. Similar to the self-assembly of graphene nanoribbons with defects, graphene nanoribbons with different types of dopants can also be self-assembled into carbon nanotubes. The finding provides a possible fabrication technique not only for carbon nanotubes with metallic or semi-con- ductive properties but also for carbon nanotubes with electromagnetic induction characteristics.

Lighting the universe with filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Liang; Theuns, Tom

2007-09-14

The first stars in the universe form when chemically pristine gas heats as it falls into dark-matter potential wells, cools radiatively because of the formation of molecular hydrogen, and becomes self-gravitating. Using supercomputer simulations, we demonstrated that the stars' properties depend critically on the currently unknown nature of the dark matter. If the dark-matter particles have intrinsic velocities that wipe out small-scale structure, then the first stars form in filaments with lengths on the order of the free-streaming scale, which can be approximately 10(20) meters (approximately 3 kiloparsecs, corresponding to a baryonic mass of approximately 10(7) solar masses) for realistic "warm dark matter" candidates. Fragmentation of the filaments forms stars with a range of masses, which may explain the observed peculiar element abundance pattern of extremely metal-poor stars, whereas coalescence of fragments and stars during the filament's ultimate collapse may seed the supermassive black holes that lurk in the centers of most massive galaxies.

The Cape Ghir filament system in August 2009 (NW Africa)

Science.gov (United States)

Sangrà, Pablo; Troupin, Charles; Barreiro-González, Beatriz; Desmond Barton, Eric; Orbi, Abdellatif; Arístegui, Javier

2015-06-01

In the framework of the Canaries-Iberian marine ecosystem Exchanges (CAIBEX) experiment, an interdisciplinary high-resolution survey was conducted in the NW African region of Cape Ghir (30°38'N) during August 2009. The anatomy of a major filament is investigated on scales down to the submesoscale using in situ and remotely sensed data. The filament may be viewed as a system composed of three intimately connected structures: a small, shallow, and cold filament embedded within a larger, deeper, and cool filament and an intrathermocline anticyclonic eddy (ITE). The cold filament, which stretches 110 km offshore, is a shallow feature 60 m deep and 25 km wide, identified by minimal surface temperatures and rich in chlorophyll a. This structure comprises two asymmetrical submesoscale (˜18 km) fronts with jets flowing in opposite directions. The cold filament is embedded near the equatorward boundary of a much broader region of approximately 120 km width and 150 m depth that forms the cool filament and stretches at least 200 km offshore. This cool region, partly resulting from the influence of cold filament, is limited by two asymmetrical mesoscale (˜50 km) frontal boundaries. At the ITE, located north of the cold filament, we observe evidence of downwelling as indicated by a relatively high concentration of particles extending from the surface to more than 200 m depth. We hypothesize that this ITE may act as a sink of carbon and thus the filament system may serve dual roles of offshore carbon export and carbon sink.

Bacterial intermediate filaments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Charbon, Godefroid; Cabeen, M.; Jacobs-Wagner, C.

2009-01-01

Crescentin, which is the founding member of a rapidly growing family of bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, was previously proposed to resemble eukaryotic intermediate filament (IF) proteins based on structural prediction and in vitro polymerization properties. Here, we demonstrate that crescentin...

Nonlinear Binormal Flow of Vortex Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Strong, Scott; Carr, Lincoln

2015-11-01

With the current advances in vortex imaging of Bose-Einstein condensates occurring at the Universities of Arizona, São Paulo and Cambridge, interest in vortex filament dynamics is experiencing a resurgence. Recent simulations, Salman (2013), depict dissipative mechanisms resulting from vortex ring emissions and Kelvin wave generation associated with vortex self-intersections. As the local induction approximation fails to capture reconnection events, it lacks a similar dissipative mechanism. On the other hand, Strong&Carr (2012) showed that the exact representation of the velocity field induced by a curved segment of vortex contains higher-order corrections expressed in powers of curvature. This nonlinear binormal flow can be transformed, Hasimoto (1972), into a fully nonlinear equation of Schrödinger type. Continued transformation, Madelung (1926), reveals that the filament's square curvature obeys a quasilinear scalar conservation law with source term. This implies a broader range of filament dynamics than is possible with the integrable linear binormal flow. In this talk we show the affect higher-order corrections have on filament dynamics and discuss physical scales for which they may be witnessed in future experiments. Partially supported by NSF.

ZOMG - I. How the cosmic web inhibits halo growth and generates assembly bias

Science.gov (United States)

Borzyszkowski, Mikolaj; Porciani, Cristiano; Romano-Díaz, Emilio; Garaldi, Enrico

2017-07-01

The clustering of dark matter haloes with fixed mass depends on their formation history, an effect known as assembly bias. We use zoom N-body simulations to investigate the origin of this phenomenon. For each halo at redshift z = 0, we determine the time in which the physical volume containing its final mass becomes stable. We consider five examples for which this happens at z ˜ 1.5 and two that do not stabilize by z = 0. The zoom simulations show that early-collapsing haloes do not grow in mass at z = 0 while late-forming ones show a net inflow. The reason is that 'accreting' haloes are located at the nodes of a network of thin filaments feeding them. Conversely, each 'stalled' halo lies within a prominent filament that is thicker than the halo size. Infalling material from the surroundings becomes part of the filament while matter within it recedes from the halo. We conclude that assembly bias originates from quenching halo growth due to tidal forces following the formation of non-linear structures in the cosmic web, as previously conjectured in the literature. Also the internal dynamics of the haloes change: the velocity anisotropy profile is biased towards radial (tangential) orbits in accreting (stalled) haloes. Our findings reveal the cause of the yet unexplained dependence of halo clustering on the anisotropy. Finally, we extend the excursion-set theory to account for these effects. A simple criterion based on the ellipticity of the linear tidal field combined with the spherical-collapse model provides excellent predictions for both classes of haloes.

The architecture and fine structure of gill filaments in the brown ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Special attention was paid to filament architecture, ennervation of filaments, number and type of cells populating filament epithelia and variations in epithelial cell morphology and cilia ultrastructure. Filament shape was maintained by thickened chi-tln and strategically placed smooth myocytes. The epithelium was populated ...

Crystal Structure of the Minor Pilin CofB, the Initiator of CFA/III Pilus Assembly in Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli*

Science.gov (United States)

Kolappan, Subramania; Ng, Dixon; Yang, Guixiang; Harn, Tony; Craig, Lisa

2015-01-01

Type IV pili are extracellular polymers of the major pilin subunit. These subunits are held together in the pilus filament by hydrophobic interactions among their N-terminal α-helices, which also anchor the pilin subunits in the inner membrane prior to pilus assembly. Type IV pilus assembly involves a conserved group of proteins that span the envelope of Gram-negative bacteria. Among these is a set of minor pilins, so named because they share their hydrophobic N-terminal polymerization/membrane anchor segment with the major pilins but are much less abundant. Minor pilins influence pilus assembly and retraction, but their precise functions are not well defined. The Type IV pilus systems of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae are among the simplest of Type IV pilus systems and possess only a single minor pilin. Here we show that the enterotoxigenic E. coli minor pilins CofB and LngB are required for assembly of their respective Type IV pili, CFA/III and Longus. Low levels of the minor pilins are optimal for pilus assembly, and CofB can be detected in the pilus fraction. We solved the 2.0 Å crystal structure of N-terminally truncated CofB, revealing a pilin-like protein with an extended C-terminal region composed of two discrete domains connected by flexible linkers. The C-terminal region is required for CofB to initiate pilus assembly. We propose a model for CofB-initiated pilus assembly with implications for understanding filament growth in more complex Type IV pilus systems as well as the related Type II secretion system. PMID:26324721

Crystal Structure of the Minor Pilin CofB, the Initiator of CFA/III Pilus Assembly in Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolappan, Subramania; Ng, Dixon; Yang, Guixiang; Harn, Tony; Craig, Lisa

2015-10-23

Type IV pili are extracellular polymers of the major pilin subunit. These subunits are held together in the pilus filament by hydrophobic interactions among their N-terminal α-helices, which also anchor the pilin subunits in the inner membrane prior to pilus assembly. Type IV pilus assembly involves a conserved group of proteins that span the envelope of Gram-negative bacteria. Among these is a set of minor pilins, so named because they share their hydrophobic N-terminal polymerization/membrane anchor segment with the major pilins but are much less abundant. Minor pilins influence pilus assembly and retraction, but their precise functions are not well defined. The Type IV pilus systems of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae are among the simplest of Type IV pilus systems and possess only a single minor pilin. Here we show that the enterotoxigenic E. coli minor pilins CofB and LngB are required for assembly of their respective Type IV pili, CFA/III and Longus. Low levels of the minor pilins are optimal for pilus assembly, and CofB can be detected in the pilus fraction. We solved the 2.0 Å crystal structure of N-terminally truncated CofB, revealing a pilin-like protein with an extended C-terminal region composed of two discrete domains connected by flexible linkers. The C-terminal region is required for CofB to initiate pilus assembly. We propose a model for CofB-initiated pilus assembly with implications for understanding filament growth in more complex Type IV pilus systems as well as the related Type II secretion system. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Plasma channels during filamentation of a femtosecond laser pulse with wavefront astigmatism in air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dergachev, A A; Kandidov, V P; Shlenov, S A [Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Ionin, A A; Mokrousova, D V; Seleznev, L V; Sinitsyn, D V; Sunchugasheva, E S; Shustikova, A P [P N Lebedev Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2014-12-31

We have demonstrated experimentally and numerically the possibility of controlling parameters of plasma channels formed during filamentation of a femtosecond laser pulse by introducing astigmatism in the laser beam wavefront. It is found that weak astigmatism increases the length of the plasma channel in comparison with the case of aberration-free focusing and that strong astigmatism can cause splitting of the plasma channel into two channels located one after another on the filament axis. (interaction of laser radiation with matter. laser plasma)

Mechanical response of melt-spun amorphous filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leal, A A; Reifler, F A; Hufenus, R; Mohanty, G; Michler, J

2014-01-01

High-speed melt spinning of a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) and a copolyamide (CoPA) have been performed. Differential scanning calorimetry curves of the resulting monofilaments show that they remain in an amorphous state even after hot drawing. Wide angle x-ray diffraction patterns of undrawn and drawn COP filaments show that although the material remains in an amorphous state, a degree of orientation is induced in the polymer after drawing. The amorphous filaments show an enhanced bending recovery with respect to different semi-crystalline monofilaments commercially available. However, single fiber axial compressive testing indicates that the amorphous filaments exhibit a compressive modulus value which is 50% lower than what is observed for a reference semi-crystalline PET filament. Analysis of the compressive strains applied by the bending recovery test indicates that while the maximum applied strains remain well within the region of elastic deformation of the amorphous materials, the threshold between elastic and plastic deformation is reached for the semi-crystalline materials. (paper)

Ponderomotive and thermal filamentation of laser light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruer, W.L.

1985-01-01

As targets are irradiated with longer, more energetic pulses of laser light, longer-scalelength plasmas are produced. Filamentation is a potentially important process in such plasmas. In this instability, perturbations in the intensity profile of an incident light beam grow in amplitude, causing the beam to break up into intense filaments. The instability arises when a local increase in the light intensity creates a depression in plasma density either directly, via the ponderomotive force, or indirectly, via enhanced collisional absorption and subsequent plasma expansion. The density depression refracts the light into the lower-density region, enhancing the intensity perturbations. The instability is termed either ponderomotive or thermal filamentation, depending on which mechanism generates the density depression. The analogous process involving the entire beam is called self-focusing. Filamentation can significantly affect laser-plasma coupling. Intensity enhancements can introduce or modify other instabilities, change the location of the energy deposition, and possibly aggravate deleterious collective effects such as hot-electron generation

THE APPARATUS FOR ALIGNMENT OF THE PHOTOMETRIC LAMP FILAMENT

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V. A. Dlugunovich

2015-01-01

Full Text Available During photometric measurements involving the use of photometric lamps it is necessary that the filament of lamp takes a strictly predetermined position with respect to the photodetector and the optical axis of the photometric setup. The errors in positioning of alignment filament with respect to the optical axis of the measuring system lead to increase the uncertainty of measurement of the photometric characteristics of the light sources. A typical method for alignment of filament of photometric lamps is based on the use a diopter tubes (telescopes. Using this method, the mounting of filament to the required position is carried out by successive approximations, which requires special concentration and a lot of time. The aim of this work is to develop an apparatus for alignment which allows simultaneous alignment of the filament of lamps in two mutually perpendicular planes. The method and apparatus for alignment of the photometric lamp filament during measurements of the photometric characteristics of light sources based on two digital video cameras is described in this paper. The apparatus allows to simultaneously displaying the image of lamps filament on the computer screen in two mutually perpendicular planes. The apparatus eliminates a large number of functional units requiring elementwise alignment and reduces the time required to carry out the alignment. The apparatus also provides the imaging of lamps filament with opaque coated on the bulb. The apparatus is used at the National standard of light intensity and illuminance units of the Republic of Belarus. 

Impact of matric potential and pore size distribution on growth dynamics of filamentous and non-filamentous soil bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Alexandra B; Vos, Michiel; de Boer, Wietse; Kowalchuk, George A

2013-01-01

The filamentous growth form is an important strategy for soil microbes to bridge air-filled pores in unsaturated soils. In particular, fungi perform better than bacteria in soils during drought, a property that has been ascribed to the hyphal growth form of fungi. However, it is unknown if, and to what extent, filamentous bacteria may also display similar advantages over non-filamentous bacteria in soils with low hydraulic connectivity. In addition to allowing for microbial interactions and competition across connected micro-sites, water films also facilitate the motility of non-filamentous bacteria. To examine these issues, we constructed and characterized a series of quartz sand microcosms differing in matric potential and pore size distribution and, consequently, in connection of micro-habitats via water films. Our sand microcosms were used to examine the individual and competitive responses of a filamentous bacterium (Streptomyces atratus) and a motile rod-shaped bacterium (Bacillus weihenstephanensis) to differences in pore sizes and matric potential. The Bacillus strain had an initial advantage in all sand microcosms, which could be attributed to its faster growth rate. At later stages of the incubation, Streptomyces became dominant in microcosms with low connectivity (coarse pores and dry conditions). These data, combined with information on bacterial motility (expansion potential) across a range of pore-size and moisture conditions, suggest that, like their much larger fungal counterparts, filamentous bacteria also use this growth form to facilitate growth and expansion under conditions of low hydraulic conductivity. The sand microcosm system developed and used in this study allowed for precise manipulation of hydraulic properties and pore size distribution, thereby providing a useful approach for future examinations of how these properties influence the composition, diversity and function of soil-borne microbial communities.

Impact of matric potential and pore size distribution on growth dynamics of filamentous and non-filamentous soil bacteria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra B Wolf

Full Text Available The filamentous growth form is an important strategy for soil microbes to bridge air-filled pores in unsaturated soils. In particular, fungi perform better than bacteria in soils during drought, a property that has been ascribed to the hyphal growth form of fungi. However, it is unknown if, and to what extent, filamentous bacteria may also display similar advantages over non-filamentous bacteria in soils with low hydraulic connectivity. In addition to allowing for microbial interactions and competition across connected micro-sites, water films also facilitate the motility of non-filamentous bacteria. To examine these issues, we constructed and characterized a series of quartz sand microcosms differing in matric potential and pore size distribution and, consequently, in connection of micro-habitats via water films. Our sand microcosms were used to examine the individual and competitive responses of a filamentous bacterium (Streptomyces atratus and a motile rod-shaped bacterium (Bacillus weihenstephanensis to differences in pore sizes and matric potential. The Bacillus strain had an initial advantage in all sand microcosms, which could be attributed to its faster growth rate. At later stages of the incubation, Streptomyces became dominant in microcosms with low connectivity (coarse pores and dry conditions. These data, combined with information on bacterial motility (expansion potential across a range of pore-size and moisture conditions, suggest that, like their much larger fungal counterparts, filamentous bacteria also use this growth form to facilitate growth and expansion under conditions of low hydraulic conductivity. The sand microcosm system developed and used in this study allowed for precise manipulation of hydraulic properties and pore size distribution, thereby providing a useful approach for future examinations of how these properties influence the composition, diversity and function of soil-borne microbial communities.

MATERIAL SUPPLY AND MAGNETIC CONFIGURATION OF AN ACTIVE REGION FILAMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zou, P.; Fang, C.; Chen, P. F.; Yang, K.; Hao, Q. [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023 (China); Cao, Wenda, E-mail: fangc@nju.edu.cn [Big Bear Solar Observatory, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 40386 North Shore Lane, Big Bear City, CA 92314 (United States)

2016-11-10

It is important to study the fine structures of solar filaments with high-resolution observations, since it can help us understand the magnetic and thermal structures of the filaments and their dynamics. In this paper, we study a newly formed filament located inside the active region NOAA 11762, which was observed by the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory from 16:40:19 UT to 17:07:58 UT on 2013 June 5. As revealed by the H α filtergrams, cool material is seen to be injected into the filament spine with a speed of 5–10 km s{sup -1}. At the source of the injection, brightenings are identified in the chromosphere, which are accompanied by magnetic cancellation in the photosphere, implying the importance of magnetic reconnection in replenishing the filament with plasmas from the lower atmosphere. Counter-streamings are detected near one endpoint of the filament, with the plane-of-the-sky speed being 7–9 km s{sup -1} in the H α red-wing filtergrams and 9–25 km s{sup -1} in the blue-wing filtergrams. The observations are indicative that this active region filament is supported by a sheared arcade without magnetic dips, and the counter-streamings are due to unidirectional flows with alternative directions, rather than due to the longitudinal oscillations of filament threads as in many other filaments.

Statistical Study of the Magnetic Field Orientation in Solar Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Hanaoka, Yoichiro; Sakurai, Takashi

2017-12-01

We have carried out a statistical study of the average orientation of the magnetic field in solar filaments with respect to their axes for more than 400 samples, based on data taken with daily full-Sun, full-Stokes spectropolarimetric observations using the He I 1083.0 nm line. The major part of the samples are the filaments in the quiet areas, but those in the active areas are included as well. The average orientation of the magnetic field in filaments shows a systematic property depending on the hemisphere; the direction of the magnetic field in filaments in the northern (southern) hemisphere mostly deviates clockwise (counterclockwise) from their axes, which run along the magnetic polarity inversion line. The deviation angles of the magnetic field from the axes are concentrated between 10° and 30°. This hemispheric pattern is consistent with that revealed for chirality of filament barbs, filament channels, and for other solar features found to possess chirality. For some filaments, it was confirmed that their magnetic field direction is locally parallel to their structure seen in Hα images. Our results for the first time confirmed this hemispheric pattern with the direct observation of the magnetic field in filaments. Interestingly, the filaments which show the opposite magnetic field deviation to the hemispheric pattern, are in many cases found above the polarity inversion line whose ambient photospheric magnetic field has the polarity alignment being opposite to that of active regions following the Hale–Nicholson law.

Hollow cylindrical plasma filament waveguide with discontinuous finite thickness cladding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alshershby, Mostafa; Hao Zuoqiang; Lin Jingquan

2013-01-01

We have explored here a hollow cylindrical laser plasma multifilament waveguide with discontinuous finite thickness cladding, in which the separation between individual filaments is in the range of several millimeters and the waveguide cladding thickness is in the order of the microwave penetration depth. Such parameters give a closer representation of a realistic laser filament waveguide sustained by a long stable propagation of femtosecond (fs) laser pulses. We report how the waveguide losses depend on structural parameters like normalized plasma filament spacing, filament to filament distance or pitch, normal spatial frequency, and radius of the plasma filament. We found that for typical plasma parameters, the proposed waveguide can support guided modes of microwaves in extremely high frequency even with a cladding consisting of only one ring of plasma filaments. The loss of the microwave radiation is mainly caused by tunneling through the discontinuous finite cladding, i.e., confinement loss, and is weakly dependent on the plasma absorption. In addition, the analysis indicates that the propagation loss is fairly large compared with the loss of a plasma waveguide with a continuous infinite thickness cladding, while they are comparable when using a cladding contains more than one ring. Compared to free space propagation, this waveguide still presents a superior microwave transmission to some distance in the order of the filamentation length; thus, the laser plasma filaments waveguide may be a potential channel for transporting pulsed-modulated microwaves if ensuring a long and stable propagation of fs laser pulses.

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Loquet, Antoine; Tolchard, James; Berbon, Melanie; Martinez, Denis; Habenstein, Birgit

2017-09-17

Supramolecular protein assemblies play fundamental roles in biological processes ranging from host-pathogen interaction, viral infection to the propagation of neurodegenerative disorders. Such assemblies consist in multiple protein subunits organized in a non-covalent way to form large macromolecular objects that can execute a variety of cellular functions or cause detrimental consequences. Atomic insights into the assembly mechanisms and the functioning of those macromolecular assemblies remain often scarce since their inherent insolubility and non-crystallinity often drastically reduces the quality of the data obtained from most techniques used in structural biology, such as X-ray crystallography and solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). We here present magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy (SSNMR) as a powerful method to investigate structures of macromolecular assemblies at atomic resolution. SSNMR can reveal atomic details on the assembled complex without size and solubility limitations. The protocol presented here describes the essential steps from the production of 13 C/ 15 N isotope-labeled macromolecular protein assemblies to the acquisition of standard SSNMR spectra and their analysis and interpretation. As an example, we show the pipeline of a SSNMR structural analysis of a filamentous protein assembly.

Filamentous phages of Ralstonia solanacearum: double-edged swords for pathogenic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Takashi

2013-01-01

Some phages from genus Inovirus use host or bacteriophage-encoded site-specific integrases or recombinases establish a prophage state. During integration or excision, a superinfective form can be produced. The three states (free, prophage, and superinfective) of such phages exert different effects on host bacterial phenotypes. In Ralstonia solanacearum, the causative agent of bacterial wilt disease of crops, the bacterial virulence can be positively or negatively affected by filamentous phages, depending on their state. The presence or absence of a repressor gene in the phage genome may be responsible for the host phenotypic differences (virulent or avirulent) caused by phage infection. This strategy of virulence control may be widespread among filamentous phages that infect pathogenic bacteria of plants.

Real time monitoring of filament-assisted chemically vapor deposited diamond by spectroscopic ellipsometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue Cong; An, I.; Vedam, K.; Collins, R.W.; Nguyen, H.V.; Messier, R.

1991-01-01

Spectroscopic ellipsometry over the range 1.5-4.5 eV was applied as a real time probe of the processes occurring in the initial nucleation of thin film diamond by heated-filament assisted chemical vapor deposition. Using both untreated and diamond-polished c-Si substrates, as well as both carburized and uncarburized tungsten filaments, it was possible to separate and characterize competing phenomena, including the increase in surface temperature induced by filament ignition, the formation of carbide layers, contamination of the substrate by tungsten from the filament, annealing of diamond polishing damage, and, finally, diamond nucleation. An accurate measurement of the true temperature of the substrate surface averaged over the top 500 A can be obtained from the energy position of critical points in the c-Si band structure. For diamond deposition, we operated with an initial excess flow of CH 4 to stimulate nucleation. We applied real time feedback and manual control to reduce the CH 4 flow in the first monolayers of deposition. The thickness of diamond and an estimate of its nucleation density can be obtained from real time spectra, and the latter was in good agreement with that obtained from scanning electron microscopy. (orig.)

Multigeometry Nanoparticle Engineering via Kinetic Control through Multistep assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yingchao; Wang, Xiaojun; Zhang, Ke; Zhang, Fuwu; Mays, Jimmy; Wooley, Karen; Pochan, Darrin

2014-03-01

Organization of block copolymers into complicated multicompartment (MCM) and multigeometry (MGM) nanostructures is of increasing interest. Multistep, co-assembly methods resulting in kinetic control processing was used to produce complex nanoparticles that are not obtained via other assembly methods. Vesicle-cylinder, separate vesicle and cylinder, disk-cylinder, and mixed vesicle nanoparticles were constructed by binary blends of distinct diblock copolymers. Initially, the vesicle former polyacrylic acid-polyisoprene and cylinder former polyacrylic acid-polystyrene which share the same hydrophilic domain but immiscible hydrophobic domain were blended in THF. Secondly, dimaine molecules are added to associate with the common hydrophilic PAA. Importantly, and lastly, by tuning the kinetic addition rate of selective, miscible solvent water, the unlike hydrophobic blocks are kinetically trapped into one particle and eventually nanophase separate to form multiple compartments and multigeometries. The effective bottom-up multistep assembly strategies can be applied in other binary/ternary blends, in which new vesicle-sphere, disk-disk and cylinder-cylinder MCM/MGM nanoparticles were programed. We are grateful for the financial support from the National Science Funding DMR-0906815 (D.J.P. and K.L.W.) and NIST METROLOGY POCHAN 2012.

Lithographic stress control for the self-assembly of polymer MEMS structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S-W; Sameoto, D; Parameswaran, M; Mahanfar, A

2008-01-01

We present a novel self-assembly mechanism to produce an assortment of predetermined three-dimensional micromechanical structures in polymer MEMS technology using lithographically defined areas of stress and mechanical reinforcement within a single structural material. This self-assembly technology is based on the tensile stress that arises during the cross-linking of the negative tone, epoxy-based photoresist SU-8. Two different thicknesses of SU-8 are used in a single compliant structure. The first SU-8 layer forms the main structural element and the second SU-8 layer determines the aspects of self-assembly. The second SU-8 layer thickness acts to both to create a stress differential within the structure as well as define the direction in which the induced stress will cause the structure to deform. In this manner, both the magnitude and direction of self-assembled structures can be controlled using a single lithographic step. Although this technique uses a single structural material, the basic concept may be adapted for other processes, with different material choices, for a wide variety of applications

Desmosome Assembly and Disassembly Are Membrane Raft-Dependent

Science.gov (United States)

Faundez, Victor; Koval, Michael; Mattheyses, Alexa L.; Kowalczyk, Andrew P.

2014-01-01

Strong intercellular adhesion is critical for tissues that experience mechanical stress, such as the skin and heart. Desmosomes provide adhesive strength to tissues by anchoring desmosomal cadherins of neighboring cells to the intermediate filament cytoskeleton. Alterations in assembly and disassembly compromise desmosome function and may contribute to human diseases, such as the autoimmune skin blistering disease pemphigus vulgaris (PV). We previously demonstrated that PV auto-antibodies directed against the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) cause loss of adhesion by triggering membrane raft-mediated Dsg3 endocytosis. We hypothesized that raft membrane microdomains play a broader role in desmosome homeostasis by regulating the dynamics of desmosome assembly and disassembly. In human keratinocytes, Dsg3 is raft associated as determined by biochemical and super resolution immunofluorescence microscopy methods. Cholesterol depletion, which disrupts rafts, prevented desmosome assembly and adhesion, thus functionally linking rafts to desmosome formation. Interestingly, Dsg3 did not associate with rafts in cells lacking desmosomal proteins. Additionally, PV IgG-induced desmosome disassembly occurred by redistribution of Dsg3 into raft-containing endocytic membrane domains, resulting in cholesterol-dependent loss of adhesion. These findings demonstrate that membrane rafts are required for desmosome assembly and disassembly dynamics, suggesting therapeutic potential for raft targeting agents in desmosomal diseases such as PV. PMID:24498201

Development and characterization of the control assembly system for the large 2400 MWth Generation IV gas-cooled fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girardin, G.; Rimpault, G.; Morin, F.; Bosq, J.C.; Coddington, P.; Mikityuk, K.; Chawla, R.

2008-01-01

The present paper is related to the design and neutronic characterization of the principal control assembly system for the reference large (2400 MWth) Generation IV gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR), which makes use of ceramic-ceramic (CERCER) plate-type fuel-elements with (U-Pu) carbide fuel contained within a SiC inert matrix. For the neutronic calculations, the deterministic code system ERANOS-2.0 has been used, in association with a full core model including a European fast reactor (EFR)-type pattern for the control assemblies as a starting point. More specifically, the core contains a total of 33 control (control system device: CSD) and safety (diverse safety device: DSD) assemblies implemented in three banks. In the design of the new control assembly system, particular attention was given to the heat generation within the assemblies, so that both neutronic and thermal-hydraulic constraints could be appropriately accounted for. The thermal-hydraulic calculations have been performed with the code COPERNIC, significant coolant mass flow rates being found necessary to maintain acceptable cladding temperatures of the absorber pins. Complementary to the design study, neutronic investigations have been performed to assess the impact of the control assemblies in the GFR core in greater detail (rod interactions, shift of the flux, peaking factors, etc.). Thus, considerable shadowing effects have been observed between the first bank and the safety bank, as also between individual assemblies within the first bank. Large anti-shadowing effects also occur, the most prominent being that between the two CSD banks, where the total assembly worth is almost doubled in comparison to the sum of the individual values. Additional investigations have been performed and, in this context, it has been found that computation of the first-order eigenvalue and the eigenvalue separation is a robust tool to anticipate control assembly interactions in a large fast-spectrum core. One interesting

Self-assembling of calcium salt of the new DNA base 5-carboxylcytosine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Irrera, Simona [Department of Chemistry, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome (Italy); Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Grodon Street, WC1H0AJ London (United Kingdom); Ruiz-Hernandez, Sergio E. [School of Chemistry, Cardiff University Main Building, Park Place, CF103AT Cardiff (United Kingdom); Reggente, Melania [Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome (Italy); Passeri, Daniele, E-mail: daniele.passeri@uniroma1.it [Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome (Italy); Natali, Marco [Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome (Italy); Gala, Fabrizio [Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome (Italy); Department of Medical-Surgical, Techno-Biomedical Sciences and Translational Medicine of SAPIENZA University of Rome, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome (Italy); Zollo, Giuseppe [Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome (Italy); Rossi, Marco [Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome (Italy); Research Center for Nanotechnology applied to Engineering of SAPIENZA University of Rome (CNIS), Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome (Italy); Portalone, Gustavo, E-mail: gustavo.portalone@uniroma1.it [Department of Chemistry, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome (Italy)

2017-06-15

Highlights: • Ca salt of 5-carboxylcytosine has been deposited on HOPG substrate. • Molecules self-assembled in monolayers and filaments. • Height of the features were measured by atomic force microscopy. • Ab-initio calculations confirmed the AFM results. - Abstract: Supramolecular architectures involving DNA bases can have a strong impact in several fields such as nanomedicine and nanodevice manufacturing. To date, in addition to the four canonical nucleobases (adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine), four other forms of cytosine modified at the 5 position have been identified in DNA. Among these four new cytosine derivatives, 5-carboxylcytosine has been recently discovered in mammalian stem cell DNA, and proposed as the final product of the oxidative epigenetic demethylation pathway on the 5 position of cytosine. In this work, a calcium salt of 5-carboxylcytosine has been synthesized and deposited on graphite surface, where it forms self-assembled features as long range monolayers and up to one micron long filaments. These structures have been analyzed in details combining different theoretical and experimental approaches: X-ray single-crystal diffraction data were used to simulate the molecule-graphite interaction, first using molecular dynamics and then refining the results using density functional theory (DFT); finally, data obtained with DFT were used to rationalize atomic force microscopy (AFM) results.

Giant quiescent solar filament observed with high-resolution spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Kuckein, C.; Verma, M.; Denker, C.

2016-05-01

Aims: An extremely large filament was studied in various layers of the solar atmosphere. The inferred physical parameters and the morphological aspects are compared with smaller quiescent filaments. Methods: A giant quiet-Sun filament was observed with the high-resolution Echelle spectrograph at the Vacuum Tower Telescope at Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife, Spain, on 2011 November 15. A mosaic of spectra (ten maps of 100″ × 182″) was recorded simultaneously in the chromospheric absorption lines Hα and Na I D2. Physical parameters of the filament plasma were derived using cloud model (CM) inversions and line core fits. The spectra were complemented with full-disk filtergrams (He I λ10830 Å, Hα, and Ca II K) of the Chromospheric Telescope (ChroTel) and full-disk magnetograms of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Results: The filament had extremely large linear dimensions (~817 arcsec), which corresponds to about 658 Mm along a great circle on the solar surface. A total amount of 175119 Hα contrast profiles were inverted using the CM approach. The inferred mean line-of-sight (LOS) velocity, Doppler width, and source function were similar to previous works of smaller quiescent filaments. However, the derived optical thickness was higher. LOS velocity trends inferred from the Hα line core fits were in accord but weaker than those obtained with CM inversions. Signatures of counter-streaming flows were detected in the filament. The largest brightening conglomerates in the line core of Na I D2 coincided well with small-scale magnetic fields as seen by HMI. Mixed magnetic polarities were detected close to the ends of barbs. The computation of photospheric horizontal flows based on HMI magnetograms revealed flow kernels with a size of 5-8 Mm and velocities of 0.30-0.45 km s-1 at the ends of the filament. Conclusions: The physical properties of extremely large filaments are similar to their smaller counterparts, except for the optical thickness, which in

Nuclear reactor fuel assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vikhorev, Yu.V.; Biryukov, G.I.; Kirilyuk, N.A.; Lobanov, V.N.

1977-01-01

A fuel assembly is proposed for nuclear reactors allowing remote replacement of control rod bundles or their shifting from one assembly to another, i.e., their multipurpose use. This leads to a significant increase in fuel assembly usability. In the fuel assembly the control rod bundle is placed in guide tube channels to which baffles are attached for fuel element spacing. The remote handling of control rods is provided by a hollow cylinder with openings in its lower bottom through which the control rods pass. All control rods in a bundle are mounted to a cross beam which in turn is mounted in the cylinder and is designed for grasping the whole rod bundle by a remotely controlled telescopic mechanism in bundle replacement or shifting. (Z.M.)

Effect of Filament Fineness on Composite Yarn Residual Torque

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarıoğlu Esin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Yarn residual torque or twist liveliness occurs when the twist is imparted to spin the fibers during yarn formation. It causes yarn snarling, which is an undesirable property and can lead the problems for further processes such as weaving and knitting. It affects the spirality of knitted fabrics and skewness of woven fabrics. Generally, yarn residual torque depends on yarn twist, yarn linear density, and fiber properties used. Composite yarns are widely produced to exploit two yarns with different properties such on optimum way at the same time and these yarns can be produced by wrapping sheath fibers around filament core fiber with a certain twist. In this study, the effect of filament fineness used as core component of composite yarn on residual torque was analyzed. Thus, the false twist textured polyester filament yarns with different filament fineness were used to produce composite yarns with different yarn count. The variance analysis was performed to determine the significance of twist liveliness of filament yarns and yarn count on yarn twist liveliness. Results showed that there is a statistically significant differences at significance level of α=0.05 between filament fineness and yarn residual torque of composite yarns.

Filament bundle location influence on coupling losses in superconducting composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Daisuke; Koizumi, Misao; Hamajima, Takataro; Nakane, Fumoto.

1983-01-01

The ac losses in multifilamentary superconducting composites with different superconducting filament bundle positions have been measured using the magnetization method in order to reveal the relation between filament bundle position and coupling losses. Loss components depending on dB/dt in a mixed matrix superconducting composite, whose filament bundle is located in a central region surrounded by an outer stabilizing copper sheath, has been compared with another superconducting composite whose stabilizing copper is located in a central region surrounded by an outer filament bundle. In both conductors, key parameters, such as filament twistpitch, wire diameter and amount of copper stabilizer, were almost the same. Applied magnetic field is 2 Tesla with 0.05-2 Tesla/sec field change rate. Experimental results indicate that coupling losses between filaments in the composite with the filament bundle located in the central region is smaller than the composite with the filament bundle located in the outer region. A similar conclusion was reached theoretically by B. Truck. Coupling loss values obtained by the experiment show good agreement with calculated values with the equations proposed by B. Truck. It is also pointed out that a copper stabilizer, divided by the CuNi barrier into small regions, like a honeycomb, causes anomalous increasing in the copper resistivity due to Ni diffusion during heat treatment. (author)

A catalytic oligomeric motor that walks along a filament track

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Mu-Jie, E-mail: mjhuang@chem.utoronto.ca; Kapral, Raymond, E-mail: rkapral@chem.utoronto.ca [Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6 (Canada)

2015-06-28

Most biological motors in the cell execute chemically powered conformational changes as they walk on biopolymer filaments in order to carry out directed transport functions. Synthetic motors that operate in a similar manner are being studied since they have the potential to perform similar tasks in a variety of applications. In this paper, a synthetic nanomotor that moves along a filament track, without invoking motor conformational changes, is constructed and its properties are studied in detail. The motor is an oligomer comprising three linked beads with specific binding properties. The filament track is a stiff polymer chain, also described by a linear chain of linked coarse-grained molecular groups modeled as beads. Reactions on the filament that are catalyzed by a motor bead and use fuel in the environment, in conjunction within the binding affinities of the motor beads to the filament beads, lead to directed motion. The system operates out of equilibrium due to the state of the filament and supply of fuel. The motor, filament, and surrounding medium are all described at microscopic level that permits a full analysis of the motor motion. A stochastic model that captures the main trends seen in the simulations is also presented. The results of this study point to some of the key features that could be used to construct nanomotors that undergo biased walks powered by chemical reactions on filaments.

A catalytic oligomeric motor that walks along a filament track

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Mu-Jie; Kapral, Raymond

2015-06-01

Most biological motors in the cell execute chemically powered conformational changes as they walk on biopolymer filaments in order to carry out directed transport functions. Synthetic motors that operate in a similar manner are being studied since they have the potential to perform similar tasks in a variety of applications. In this paper, a synthetic nanomotor that moves along a filament track, without invoking motor conformational changes, is constructed and its properties are studied in detail. The motor is an oligomer comprising three linked beads with specific binding properties. The filament track is a stiff polymer chain, also described by a linear chain of linked coarse-grained molecular groups modeled as beads. Reactions on the filament that are catalyzed by a motor bead and use fuel in the environment, in conjunction within the binding affinities of the motor beads to the filament beads, lead to directed motion. The system operates out of equilibrium due to the state of the filament and supply of fuel. The motor, filament, and surrounding medium are all described at microscopic level that permits a full analysis of the motor motion. A stochastic model that captures the main trends seen in the simulations is also presented. The results of this study point to some of the key features that could be used to construct nanomotors that undergo biased walks powered by chemical reactions on filaments.

A catalytic oligomeric motor that walks along a filament track

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Mu-Jie; Kapral, Raymond

2015-01-01

Most biological motors in the cell execute chemically powered conformational changes as they walk on biopolymer filaments in order to carry out directed transport functions. Synthetic motors that operate in a similar manner are being studied since they have the potential to perform similar tasks in a variety of applications. In this paper, a synthetic nanomotor that moves along a filament track, without invoking motor conformational changes, is constructed and its properties are studied in detail. The motor is an oligomer comprising three linked beads with specific binding properties. The filament track is a stiff polymer chain, also described by a linear chain of linked coarse-grained molecular groups modeled as beads. Reactions on the filament that are catalyzed by a motor bead and use fuel in the environment, in conjunction within the binding affinities of the motor beads to the filament beads, lead to directed motion. The system operates out of equilibrium due to the state of the filament and supply of fuel. The motor, filament, and surrounding medium are all described at microscopic level that permits a full analysis of the motor motion. A stochastic model that captures the main trends seen in the simulations is also presented. The results of this study point to some of the key features that could be used to construct nanomotors that undergo biased walks powered by chemical reactions on filaments

Calculation of the local power peaking near WWER-440 control assemblies with Hf plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegyi, Gy.; Hordosy, G.; Kereszturi, A.; Maraszy, Cs.; Temesvari, E.

2003-01-01

The original coupler design of the WWER-440 assemblies had the following well known deficiency: The relatively large amount of water in the coupler between the absorber and fuel port of the control assembly can cause undesirably sharp power peaking in the fuel rods next to the coupler. The power peaking can be especially high after control rod withdrawal when the coupler reached low burnup level region of the adjacent assembly. The modernized coupler design overcomes the original problem by applying a thin Hf plate in the critical region. The very complicated structure of the coupler requires the verification of the core design methods by high precision 3D Monte Carlo calculations. The paper presents an MCNP reference calculation on the control rod coupler benchmark with Hf absorber plates. The benchmark solution with the KARATE-440 code system is also presented. The need for treating the Hf burnout in the reflector region is investigated (Authors)

Morgellons disease: a filamentous borrelial dermatitis

OpenAIRE

Middelveen, Marianne J; Stricker, Raphael B

2016-01-01

Marianne J Middelveen, Raphael B Stricker International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USA Abstract: Morgellons disease (MD) is a dermopathy characterized by multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although MD was initially considered to be a delusional disorder, recent studies have demonstrated that the dermopathy is associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are composed of keratin and collagen, and that they resu...

Potassium biphthalate buffer for pH control to optimize glycosyl hydrolase production in shake flasks using filamentous fungi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrícia dos Santos Costa

Full Text Available Abstract The optimization of culture medium with statistical methods is widely used in filamentous fungi glycosyl hydrolase production. The implementation of such methodology in bioreactors is very expensive as it requires several pH-controlled systems operating in parallel in order to test a large number of culture media components. The objective of this study was to evaluate potassium biphthalate buffer for pH control, which allows the optimization studies to be performed in shake flasks.The results have shown that buffering the culture medium with 0.1 M potassium biphthalate allowed pH control, resulting in a decrease of the standard deviation of triplicates for pH and activities of glycosyl hydrolase measurements. The use of this buffer allowed shake flask culture media optimization of enzyme production by Trichoderma harzianum, increasing the cellulase activity by more than 2 times compared to standard unbuffered culture medium. The same buffer can be used for culture media optimization of other fungi, such as Penicillium echinulatum.

Preserved filamentous microbial biosignatures in the Brick Flat gossan, Iron Mountain, California

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Amy J.; Sumner, Dawn Y.; Alpers, Charles N.; Karunatillake, Suniti; Hofmann, Beda A

2015-01-01

A variety of actively precipitating mineral environments preserve morphological evidence of microbial biosignatures. One such environment with preserved microbial biosignatures is the oxidized portion of a massive sulfide deposit, or gossan, such as that at Iron Mountain, California. This gossan may serve as a mineralogical analogue to some ancient martian environments due to the presence of oxidized iron and sulfate species, and minerals that only form in acidic aqueous conditions, in both environments. Evaluating the potential biogenicity of cryptic textures in such martian gossans requires an understanding of how microbial textures form biosignatures on Earth. The iron-oxide-dominated composition and morphology of terrestrial, nonbranching filamentous microbial biosignatures may be distinctive of the underlying formation and preservation processes. The Iron Mountain gossan consists primarily of ferric oxide (hematite), hydrous ferric oxide (HFO, predominantly goethite), and jarosite group minerals, categorized into in situ gossan, and remobilized iron deposits. We interpret HFO filaments, found in both gossan types, as HFO-mineralized microbial filaments based in part on (1) the presence of preserved central filament lumina in smooth HFO mineral filaments that are likely molds of microbial filaments, (2) mineral filament formation in actively precipitating iron-oxide environments, (3) high degrees of mineral filament bending consistent with a flexible microbial filament template, and (4) the presence of bare microbial filaments on gossan rocks. Individual HFO filaments are below the resolution of the Mars Curiosity and Mars 2020 rover cameras, but sinuous filaments forming macroscopic matlike textures are resolvable. If present on Mars, available cameras may resolve these features identified as similar to terrestrial HFO filaments and allow subsequent evaluation for their biogenicity by synthesizing geochemical, mineralogical, and morphological analyses. Sinuous

Large amplitude oscillatory motion along a solar filament

Science.gov (United States)

Vršnak, B.; Veronig, A. M.; Thalmann, J. K.; Žic, T.

2007-08-01

Context: Large amplitude oscillations of solar filaments is a phenomenon that has been known for more than half a century. Recently, a new mode of oscillations, characterized by periodical plasma motions along the filament axis, was discovered. Aims: We analyze such an event, recorded on 23 January 2002 in Big Bear Solar Observatory Hα filtergrams, to infer the triggering mechanism and the nature of the restoring force. Methods: Motion along the filament axis of a distinct buldge-like feature was traced, to quantify the kinematics of the oscillatory motion. The data were fitted by a damped sine function to estimate the basic parameters of the oscillations. To identify the triggering mechanism, morphological changes in the vicinity of the filament were analyzed. Results: The observed oscillations of the plasma along the filament were characterized by an initial displacement of 24 Mm, an initial velocity amplitude of 51 km s-1, a period of 50 min, and a damping time of 115 min. We interpret the trigger in terms of poloidal magnetic flux injection by magnetic reconnection at one of the filament legs. The restoring force is caused by the magnetic pressure gradient along the filament axis. The period of oscillations, derived from the linearized equation of motion (harmonic oscillator) can be expressed as P=π√{2}L/v_Aϕ≈4.4L/v_Aϕ, where v_Aϕ =Bϕ0/√μ_0ρ represents the Alfvén speed based on the equilibrium poloidal field Bϕ0. Conclusions: Combination of our measurements with some previous observations of the same kind of oscillations shows good agreement with the proposed interpretation. Movie to Fig. 1 is only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Development and manufacture of ultra-fine NbTi filament wires at ALSTHOM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoang, G.K.; Laumond, Y.; Sabrie, J.L.; Dubots, P.

1986-01-01

Ultra-fine NbTi filament wires have been developed and manufactured by ALSTHOM. It is now possible to produce industrial copper -copper-nickel matrix wires with 0.6 mu m NbTi filaments for use in 50 / 60 Hz machines. Smaller filaments with diameters down to 0.08 mu m have been obtained with 254 100 filament wire samples. Studies are now being carried out on copper matrix conductors to reduce the filament diameter. The first results show that it is possible to obtain submicron filaments even in copper matrix wires

Heterocyst placement strategies to maximize the growth of cyanobacterial filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Aidan I; Rutenberg, Andrew D

2012-01-01

Under conditions of limited fixed-nitrogen, some filamentous cyanobacteria develop a regular pattern of heterocyst cells that fix nitrogen for the remaining vegetative cells. We examine three different heterocyst placement strategies by quantitatively modelling filament growth while varying both external fixed-nitrogen and leakage from the filament. We find that there is an optimum heterocyst frequency which maximizes the growth rate of the filament; the optimum frequency decreases as the external fixed-nitrogen concentration increases but increases as the leakage increases. In the presence of leakage, filaments implementing a local heterocyst placement strategy grow significantly faster than filaments implementing random heterocyst placement strategies. With no extracellular fixed-nitrogen, consistent with recent experimental studies of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, the modelled heterocyst spacing distribution using our local heterocyst placement strategy is qualitatively similar to experimentally observed patterns. As external fixed-nitrogen is increased, the spacing distribution for our local placement strategy retains the same shape, while the average spacing between heterocysts continuously increases. (paper)

How clonal is clonal? Genome plasticity across multicellular segments of a "Candidatus Marithrix sp." filament from sulfidic, briny seafloor sediments in the Gulf of Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verena Salman-Carvalho

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Candidatus Marithrix is a recently described lineage within the group of large sulfur bacteria (Beggiatoaceae, Gammaproteobacteria. This group of bacteria comprises vacuolated, attached-living filaments that inhabit the sediment surface around vent and seep sites in the marine environment. A single filament is ca. 100 µm in diameter, several millimeters long, and consists of hundreds of clonal cells, which are considered highly polyploid. Based on these characteristics, Candidatus Marithrix was used as a model organism for the assessment of genomic plasticity along segments of a single filament using next generation sequencing to possibly identify hotspots of microevolution. Using six consecutive segments of a single filament sampled from a mud volcano in the Gulf of Mexico, we recovered ca. 90% of the Candidatus Marithrix genome in each segment. There was a high level of genome conservation along the filament with average nucleotide identities between 99.98-100%. Different approaches to assemble all reads into a complete consensus genome could not fill the gaps. Each of the six segment datasets encoded merely a few hundred unique nucleotides and 5 or less unique genes - the residual content was redundant in all datasets. Besides the overall high genomic identity, we identified a similar number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs between the clonal segments, which are comparable to numbers reported for other clonal organisms. An increase of SNPs with greater distance of filament segments was not observed. The polyploidy of the cells was apparent when analyzing the heterogeneity of reads within a segment. Here, a strong increase in single nucleotide variants, or 'intrasegmental sequence heterogeneity' (ISH events, was observed. These sites may represent hotspots for genome plasticity, and possibly microevolution, since two thirds of these variants were not co-localized across the genome copies of the multicellular filament.

Rapid Formation and Disappearance of a Filament Barb

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Anand D.; Srivastava, Nandita; Mathew, Shibu K.; Martin, Sara F.

2013-11-01

We present observations of an activated quiescent filament obtained in Hα from the high-resolution Dutch Open Telescope (DOT) on 20 August 2010. The filament developed a barb in 10 min, which disappeared within the next 35 min. A data set from the DOT spanning 2 h was used to analyse this event. Line-of-sight velocity maps were constructed from the Doppler images, which reveal flows in filament spine during this period. Photospheric magnetograms were used from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to determine the changes in magnetic flux in the region surrounding the barb location. The analysis shows flows in the filament spine towards the barb location preceding its formation, and flows in the barb towards the spine during its disappearance. Magnetograms reveal patches of minority polarity flux close to the end of the barb at its greatest elongation. The flows in the spine and barbs are along numerous threads that compose these typical filament structures. The flows are consistent with field-aligned threads and demonstrate that the replacement time of the mass in barbs, and by inference, in the spine is very rapid.

Morphological indictors of the chirality of solar filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Filippov, B. P.

2017-10-01

There is no doubt that the structural features of filaments reflect properties of their magnetic fields, such as chirality and helicity. However, the interpretation of some morphological features can lead to incorrect conclusions when the observing time is limited and the spatial resolution is insufficiently high. In spite of the relative constancy of their overall shapes, filaments are dynamical formations with inhomogeneities moving along the threads making them up. Therefore, it is possible to observe material concentrated not only in magnetic traps, but also along curved arcs. Difficulties often arise in determining the chirality of filaments with anomalous "barbs"; i.e., those whose jagged side is located on the opposite side of the axis compared to most ("normal") filaments. A simple model is used to show that anomalous barbs can exist in an ordinary magnetic flux rope, with the threads of its fine structure oriented nearly perpendicular to its length. A careful analysis of images with the maximum available spatial resolution and with information about temporal dynamics, together with comparisons with observations in various spectral lines, can enable a correct determination of the chirality of filaments.

Heterologous expression of cellobiohydrolases in filamentous fungi

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zoglowek, Marta; Lübeck, Peter S.; Ahring, Birgitte K.

2015-01-01

Cellobiohydrolases are among the most important enzymes functioning in the hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose, significantly contributing to the efficient biorefining of recalcitrant lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels and bio-based products. Filamentous fungi are recognized as both well...... into valuable products. However, due to low cellobiohydrolase activities, certain fungi might be deficient with regard to enzymes of value for cellulose conversion, and improving cellobiohydrolase expression in filamentous fungi has proven to be challenging. In this review, we examine the effects of altering...... promoters, signal peptides, culture conditions and host post-translational modifications. For heterologous cellobiohydrolase production in filamentous fungi to become an industrially feasible process, the construction of site-integrating plasmids, development of protease-deficient strains and glycosylation...

Failure and nonfailure of fluid filaments in extension

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hassager, Ole; Kolte, Mette Irene; Renardy, Michael

1998-01-01

The phenomenon of ductile failure of Newtonian and viscoelastic fluid filaments without surface tension is studied by a 2D finite element method and by ID non-linear analysis. The viscoelastic fluids are described by single integral constitutive equations. The main conclusions are: (1) Newtonian...... fluid filaments do not exhibit ductile failure without surface tension; (2) some viscoelastic fluids form stable filaments while other fluids exhibit ductile failure as a result of an elastic instability; (3) for large Deborah numbers, the Considere condition may be used to predict the Hencky strain...

Fused filament 3D printing of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrico, James D; Traeden, Nicklaus W; Leang, Kam K; Aureli, Matteo

2015-01-01

This paper describes a new three-dimensional (3D) fused filament additive manufacturing (AM) technique in which electroactive polymer filament material is used to build soft active 3D structures, layer by layer. Specifically, the unique actuation and sensing properties of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are exploited in 3D printing to create electroactive polymer structures for application in soft robotics and bio-inspired systems. The process begins with extruding a precursor material (non-acid Nafion precursor resin) into a thermoplastic filament for 3D printing. The filament is then used by a custom-designed 3D printer to manufacture the desired soft polymer structures, layer by layer. Since at this stage the 3D-printed samples are not yet electroactive, a chemical functionalization process follows, consisting in hydrolyzing the precursor samples in an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide and dimethyl sulfoxide. Upon functionalization, metal electrodes are applied on the samples through an electroless plating process, which enables the 3D-printed IPMC structures to be controlled by voltage signals for actuation (or to act as sensors). This innovative AM process is described in detail and the performance of 3D printed IPMC actuators is compared to an IPMC actuator fabricated from commercially available Nafion sheet material. The experimental results show comparable performance between the two types of actuators, demonstrating the potential and feasibility of creating functional 3D-printed IPMCs. (paper)

Fused filament 3D printing of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs)

Science.gov (United States)

Carrico, James D.; Traeden, Nicklaus W.; Aureli, Matteo; Leang, Kam K.

2015-12-01

This paper describes a new three-dimensional (3D) fused filament additive manufacturing (AM) technique in which electroactive polymer filament material is used to build soft active 3D structures, layer by layer. Specifically, the unique actuation and sensing properties of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are exploited in 3D printing to create electroactive polymer structures for application in soft robotics and bio-inspired systems. The process begins with extruding a precursor material (non-acid Nafion precursor resin) into a thermoplastic filament for 3D printing. The filament is then used by a custom-designed 3D printer to manufacture the desired soft polymer structures, layer by layer. Since at this stage the 3D-printed samples are not yet electroactive, a chemical functionalization process follows, consisting in hydrolyzing the precursor samples in an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide and dimethyl sulfoxide. Upon functionalization, metal electrodes are applied on the samples through an electroless plating process, which enables the 3D-printed IPMC structures to be controlled by voltage signals for actuation (or to act as sensors). This innovative AM process is described in detail and the performance of 3D printed IPMC actuators is compared to an IPMC actuator fabricated from commercially available Nafion sheet material. The experimental results show comparable performance between the two types of actuators, demonstrating the potential and feasibility of creating functional 3D-printed IPMCs.

Strong-Field Control of Laser Filamentation Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Levis, Robert; Romanov, Dmitri; Filin, Aleskey; Compton, Ryan

2008-05-01

The propagation of short strong-file laser pulses in gas and solution phases often result in formation of filaments. This phenomenon involves many nonlinear processes including Kerr lensing, group velocity dispersion, multi-photon ionization, plasma defocusing, intensity clamping, and self-steepening. Of these, formation and dynamics of pencil-shape plasma areas plays a crucial role. The fundamental understanding of these laser-induced plasmas requires additional effort, because the process is highly nonlinear and complex. We studied the ultrafast laser-generated plasma dynamics both experimentally and theoretically. Ultrafast plasma dynamics was probed using Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering. The measurements were made in a room temperature gas maintained at 1 atm in a flowing cell. The time dependent scattering was measured by delaying the CARS probe with respect to the intense laser excitation pulse. A general trend is observed between the spacing of the ground state and the first allowed excited state with the rise time for the noble gas series and the molecular gases. This trend is consistent with our theoretical model, which considers the ultrafast dynamics of the strong field generated plasma as a three-step process; (i) strong-field ionization followed by the electron gaining considerable kinetic energy during the pulse; (ii) immediate post-pulse dynamics: fast thermalization, impact-ionization-driven electron multiplication and cooling; (iii) ensuing relaxation: evolution to electron-ion equilibrium and eventual recombination.

Mind the gap; seven reasons to close fragmented genome assemblies.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomma, Bart P H J; Seidl, Michael F; Shi-Kunne, Xiaoqian; Cook, David E; Bolton, Melvin D; van Kan, Jan A L; Faino, Luigi

2016-05-01

Like other domains of life, research into the biology of filamentous microbes has greatly benefited from the advent of whole-genome sequencing. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionized sequencing, making genomic sciences accessible to many academic laboratories including those that study non-model organisms. Thus, hundreds of fungal genomes have been sequenced and are publically available today, although these initiatives have typically yielded considerably fragmented genome assemblies that often lack large contiguous genomic regions. Many important genomic features are contained in intergenic DNA that is often missing in current genome assemblies, and recent studies underscore the significance of non-coding regions and repetitive elements for the life style, adaptability and evolution of many organisms. The study of particular types of genetic elements, such as telomeres, centromeres, repetitive elements, effectors, and clusters of co-regulated genes, but also of phenomena such as structural rearrangements, genome compartmentalization and epigenetics, greatly benefits from having a contiguous and high-quality, preferably even complete and gapless, genome assembly. Here we discuss a number of important reasons to produce gapless, finished, genome assemblies to help answer important biological questions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fully filamentized HTS coated conductor via striation and selective electroplating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kesgin, Ibrahim; Majkic, Goran [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 (United States); Selvamanickam, Venkat, E-mail: selva@uh.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 (United States)

2013-03-15

Highlights: ► Fully-filamentized coated conductor with 13-fold reduction in ac losses. ► Selective electroplating for filamentization of thick copper stabilizer. ► A twofold decrease in ac loss by filamentization of copper stabilizer. ► Absence of appreciable coupling loss contribution from electroplating. -- Abstract: A simple, cost-effective method involving top-down mechanical scribing, oxidation and bottom-up electroplating has been successfully developed to fabricate fully filamentized HTS coated conductors. The copper stabilizer layer is selectively electroplated on the superconducting filaments while the striations remain copper-free due to the formation of a resistive oxide layer in between filaments by oxidation of the striated grooves at elevated temperature in oxygen atmosphere. Magnetization AC loss measurements, performed in a frequency range of 45–500 Hz at 77 K, confirmed the expected N-fold reduction in AC loss of the filamentized tapes with no significant degradation in critical current beyond that due to the material removal from the striations (N – number of filaments). A considerable reduction in coupling AC loss was observed after high temperature annealing/oxidation of the striated tapes. Furthermore, a significant reduction in eddy current loss was achieved with selective copper electroplating, as evidenced by analyzing the field and frequency dependence of magnetization AC loss, as well as by comparing the AC loss performance of striated samples to that of non-striated samples after electroplating of copper stabilizer.

Fully filamentized HTS coated conductor via striation and selective electroplating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kesgin, Ibrahim; Majkic, Goran; Selvamanickam, Venkat

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Fully-filamentized coated conductor with 13-fold reduction in ac losses. ► Selective electroplating for filamentization of thick copper stabilizer. ► A twofold decrease in ac loss by filamentization of copper stabilizer. ► Absence of appreciable coupling loss contribution from electroplating. -- Abstract: A simple, cost-effective method involving top-down mechanical scribing, oxidation and bottom-up electroplating has been successfully developed to fabricate fully filamentized HTS coated conductors. The copper stabilizer layer is selectively electroplated on the superconducting filaments while the striations remain copper-free due to the formation of a resistive oxide layer in between filaments by oxidation of the striated grooves at elevated temperature in oxygen atmosphere. Magnetization AC loss measurements, performed in a frequency range of 45–500 Hz at 77 K, confirmed the expected N-fold reduction in AC loss of the filamentized tapes with no significant degradation in critical current beyond that due to the material removal from the striations (N – number of filaments). A considerable reduction in coupling AC loss was observed after high temperature annealing/oxidation of the striated tapes. Furthermore, a significant reduction in eddy current loss was achieved with selective copper electroplating, as evidenced by analyzing the field and frequency dependence of magnetization AC loss, as well as by comparing the AC loss performance of striated samples to that of non-striated samples after electroplating of copper stabilizer

Core-control assembly with a fixed fuel support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Challberg, R.C.

1993-01-01

A core-control assembly is described comprising: a control rod having a plurality of blades; a control-rod guide tube for guiding vertical motion of said control rod; a fuel support for supporting fuel bundles separated by said blades, said fuel support having an aperture conforming to a cross section of said control rod through said blades for preventing rotational movement of said control rod to a decoupling orientation when said control rod is between a maximum power position and a minimum power position, said minimum power position being above said maximum power position, said fuel support being supported by said control-rod guide tube; control-rod drive means for controlling vertical motion of said control rod, said control-rod drive means providing for vertical motion between said maximum power position and said minimum power position, said control-rod drive means providing for vertical movement to a decoupling position, said decoupling position being no lower than said minimum power position, said decoupling position being at a level sufficient to permit said control rod to rotate to a decoupling orientation relative to said fuel support; and coupling means for coupling said control rod to said control rod drive means, said coupling means being releasable by rotational movement of said control rod to said decoupling orientation relative to said control-rod drive means

Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): halo formation times and halo assembly bias on the cosmic web

Science.gov (United States)

Tojeiro, Rita; Eardley, Elizabeth; Peacock, John A.; Norberg, Peder; Alpaslan, Mehmet; Driver, Simon P.; Henriques, Bruno; Hopkins, Andrew M.; Kafle, Prajwal R.; Robotham, Aaron S. G.; Thomas, Peter; Tonini, Chiara; Wild, Vivienne

2017-09-01

We present evidence for halo assembly bias as a function of geometric environment (GE). By classifying Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) galaxy groups as residing in voids, sheets, filaments or knots using a tidal tensor method, we find that low-mass haloes that reside in knots are older than haloes of the same mass that reside in voids. This result provides direct support to theories that link strong halo tidal interactions with halo assembly times. The trend with GE is reversed at large halo mass, with haloes in knots being younger than haloes of the same mass in voids. We find a clear signal of halo downsizing - more massive haloes host galaxies that assembled their stars earlier. This overall trend holds independently of GE. We support our analysis with an in-depth exploration of the L-Galaxies semi-analytic model, used here to correlate several galaxy properties with three different definitions of halo formation time. We find a complex relationship between halo formation time and galaxy properties, with significant scatter. We confirm that stellar mass to halo mass ratio, specific star formation rate (SFR) and mass-weighed age are reasonable proxies of halo formation time, especially at low halo masses. Instantaneous SFR is a poor indicator at all halo masses. Using the same semi-analytic model, we create mock spectral observations using complex star formation and chemical enrichment histories, which approximately mimic GAMA's typical signal-to-noise ratio and wavelength range. We use these mocks to assert how well potential proxies of halo formation time may be recovered from GAMA-like spectroscopic data.

In situ ecophysiology of Aigarchaeota from an oxic, hot-spring filamentous 'streamer' community

Science.gov (United States)

Beam, J.; Jay, Z.; Tringe, S. G.; Glavina del Rio, T.; Rusch, D.; Schmid, M.; Wagner, M.; Inskeep, W.

2014-12-01

The candidate phylum Aigarchaeota contains thermophilic archaea from terrestrial, subsurface, and marine geothermal ecosystems. The phylogeny and metabolic potential of Aigarchaeota has been deduced from several recent single-cell amplified genomes; however, an accurate description of their metabolism, potential ecological interactions, and role in biogeochemical cycling is lacking. Here we report possible ecological interactions and the in situ metabolism of an uncultivated lineage of Aigarchaeota from an oxic, terrestrial hot-spring filamentous 'streamer' community (Octopus Spring, pH = 8; T = 78 - 84 °C, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was combined with detailed genomic and transcriptomic reconstruction to elucidate the ecophysiological role of Aigarchaeota in these streamer communities. This novel population of Aigarchaeota are filamentous (~500 nm diameter by ~10-30 μm length), which is consistent with the morphology predicted by the presence and transcription of a single actin-encoding gene. Aigarchaeota filaments are intricately associated with other community members, which include both thermophilic bacteria and archaea. Metabolic reconstruction suggests that this aigarchaeon is an aerobic, chemoorganotroph. A single heme copper oxidase complex was identified in de novo genome assemblies, and was highly transcribed in environmental samples. Potential electron donors include acetate, fatty acids, sugars, peptides, and aromatic compounds. Transcripts related to genes specific to each of these potential electron donors were identified, indicating that this population of Aigarchaeota likely utilizes a broad range of reduced carbon substrates. Potential electron donors for this population may include extracellular polymeric substances produced by other microorganisms in close proximity. Flagellum genes were also highly transcribed, which suggests a potential mechanism for motility and/or cell-cell attachment

Control assembly ejection accident analysis for WWER-440 (Armenian NPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bznuni, S.; Malakyan, Ts.; Amirjanyan, A.; Ghasabyan, L.

2007-01-01

Control Assembly ejection in WWER-440 initiated by the loss of integrity of the Control Assemblies drive housing has been analyzed. This event causes a very rapid reactivity insertion to the core and small break LOCA which potentially could lead to rapid power increase and redistribution of heat release in the core resulting in a fuel, cladding and coolant temperature rise; primary pressure increase, radiological consequences due to loss of primary coolant and potential loss of cladding integrity and fuel disintegration (if applicable). Methodology of the analysis is based on conservative assumptions as well as on deterministic approach for selection of functioning logic of systems and equipment's to maximize reactor core power and minimize power decreasing reactivity feedback. Computational analyses were performed by 3D kinetics PARCS-RELAP coupled code. WWER-440 fuel cross-section libraries, diffusion coefficients and kinetics parameters were calculated by HELOS code. In this paper analysis of accident for Hot Full Power was presented. Results of analysis show that ANPP WWER-440 reactor design meets acceptance criteria prescribed for RIA type design based accidents (Authors)

Structures Of Magnetically-Supported Filaments And Their Appearance In The Linear Polarization

Science.gov (United States)

Tomisaka, Kohji

2017-10-01

Dust thermal emissions observed with Herschel have revealed that interstellar molecular clouds consist of many filaments. Polarization observation of interstellar extinctions in the optical and near IR wavelengths shows that the dense filaments are extending perpendicular to the interstellar magnetic field. Magnetohydrostatic structures of such filaments are studied. It is well known that a hydrostatic filament without magnetic field has a maximum line mass of ¥lambda_max=2c_s^2/G (c_s:the isothermal sound speed and G: the gravitational constant). On the other hand, the magnetically-supported maximum line mass increases in proportion to the magnetic flux per unit length threading the filament (¥phi), as ¥lambda_max 2c_s^2/G + ¥phi/(2¥pi G^1/2). Comparison is made with 3D clouds. Stability of these magnetized filaments is studied using time-dependent 3D MHD simulations to discuss star formation in the filaments. Polarization pattern expected for the magnetically subcritical filaments is calculated. The distribution function of the angle between B-field and the axis of the filament, which is obtained with Planck Satellite, is compared with this mock observation.

Assembly and control of large microtubule complexes

Science.gov (United States)

Korolev, Kirill; Ishihara, Keisuke; Mitchison, Timothy

Motility, division, and other cellular processes require rapid assembly and disassembly of microtubule structures. We report a new mechanism for the formation of asters, radial microtubule complexes found in very large cells. The standard model of aster growth assumes elongation of a fixed number of microtubules originating from the centrosomes. However, aster morphology in this model does not scale with cell size, and we found evidence for microtubule nucleation away from centrosomes. By combining polymerization dynamics and auto-catalytic nucleation of microtubules, we developed a new biophysical model of aster growth. The model predicts an explosive transition from an aster with a steady-state radius to one that expands as a travelling wave. At the transition, microtubule density increases continuously, but aster growth rate discontinuously jumps to a nonzero value. We tested our model with biochemical perturbations in egg extract and confirmed main theoretical predictions including the jump in the growth rate. Our results show that asters can grow even though individual microtubules are short and unstable. The dynamic balance between microtubule collapse and nucleation could be a general framework for the assembly and control of large microtubule complexes. NIH GM39565; Simons Foundation 409704; Honjo International 486 Scholarship Foundation.

Post-filament self-trapping of ultrashort laser pulses.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitrofanov, A V; Voronin, A A; Sidorov-Biryukov, D A; Andriukaitis, G; Flöry, T; Pugžlys, A; Fedotov, A B; Mikhailova, J M; Panchenko, V Ya; Baltuška, A; Zheltikov, A M

2014-08-15

Laser filamentation is understood to be self-channeling of intense ultrashort laser pulses achieved when the self-focusing because of the Kerr nonlinearity is balanced by ionization-induced defocusing. Here, we show that, right behind the ionized region of a laser filament, ultrashort laser pulses can couple into a much longer light channel, where a stable self-guiding spatial mode is sustained by the saturable self-focusing nonlinearity. In the limiting regime of negligibly low ionization, this post-filamentation beam dynamics converges to a large-scale beam self-trapping scenario known since the pioneering work on saturable self-focusing nonlinearities.

Spatial correlation of conductive filaments for multiple switching cycles in CBRAM

KAUST Repository

Pey, K. L.

2014-06-01

Conducting bridge random access memory (CBRAM) is one of the potential technologies being considered for replacement of Flash memory for non-volatile data storage. CBRAM devices operate on the principle of nucleation and rupture of metallic filaments. One key concern for commercializing this technology is the question of variability which could arise due to nucleation of multiple filaments across the device at spatially different locations. The spatial spread of the filament location may cause long tails at the low and high percentile regions for the switching parameter distribution as the new filament that nucleates may have a completely different shape and size. It is therefore essential to probe whether switching in CBRAM occurs every time at the same filament location or whether there are other new filaments that could nucleate during repeated cycling with some spatial correlation (if any) to the original filament. To investigate this issue, we make use of a metal-insulator-semiconductor (M-I-S) transistor test structure with Ni as the top electrode and HfOx/SiOx as the dielectric stack. In-situ stressing using a nano-tip on the M-I-S stack is performed and the filament is imaged in real-time using a high resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM). We also extract the location of the filament (LFIL) along the channel of the transistor after the nucleation stage using the weighted proportion of the source and drain currents. © 2014 IEEE.

Two Types of Long-duration Quasi-static Evolution of Solar Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, C.; Li, H. C.; Jiang, B.; Cheng, X.; Ding, M. D.

2018-04-01

In this Letter, we investigate the long-duration quasi-static evolution of 12 pre-eruptive filaments (four active region (AR) and eight quiescent filaments), mainly focusing on the evolution of the filament height in 3D and the decay index of the background magnetic field. The filament height in 3D is derived through two-perspective observations of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO). The coronal magnetic field is reconstructed using the potential field source surface model. A new finding is that the filaments we studied show two types of long-duration evolution: one type comprises a long-duration static phase and a short, slow rise phase with a duration of less than 12 hr and a speed of 0.1–0.7 km s‑1, while the other one only presents a slow rise phase but with an extremely long duration of more than 60 hr and a smaller speed of 0.01–0.2 km s‑1. At the moment approaching the eruption, the decay index of the background magnetic field at the filament height is similar for both AR and quiescent filaments. The average value and upper limit are ∼0.9 and ∼1.4, close to the critical index of torus instability. Moreover, the filament height and background magnetic field strength are also found to be linearly and exponentially related with the filament length, respectively.

A hot X-ray filament associated with A3017 galaxy cluster

Science.gov (United States)

Parekh, V.; Durret, F.; Padmanabh, P.; Pandge, M. B.

2017-09-01

Recent simulations and observations have shown large-scale filaments in the cosmic web connecting nodes, with accreting materials (baryonic and dark matter) flowing through them. Current high-sensitivity observations also show that the propagation of shocks through filaments can heat them up and make filaments visible between two or more galaxy clusters or around massive clusters, based on optical and/or X-ray observations. We are reporting here the special case of the cluster A3017 associated with a hot filament. The temperature of the filament is 3.4^{-0.77}_{+1.30} keV and its length is ∼1 Mpc. We have analysed its archival Chandra data and report various properties. We also analysed GMRT 235/610 MHz radio data. Radio observations have revealed symmetric two-sided lobes that fill cavities in the A3017 cluster core region, associated with central active galactic nucleus. In the radio map, we also noticed a peculiar linear vertical radio structure in the X-ray filament region which might be associated with a cosmic filament shock. This radio structure could be a radio phoenix or old plasma where an old relativistic population is re-accelerated by shock propagation. Finally, we put an upper limit on the radio luminosity of the filament region.

Control assembly materials for water reactors: Experience, performance and perspectives. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-02-01

The safe, reliable and economic operation of water cooled nuclear power reactors depends to a large extent upon the reliable operation of control assemblies for the regulation and shutdown of the reactors. These consist of neutron absorbing materials clad in stainless steel or zirconium based alloys, guide tubes and guide cards, and other structural components. Current designs have worked extremely well in normal conditions, but less than ideal behaviour limits the lifetimes of control materials, imposing an economic penalty which acts as a strong incentive to produce improved materials and designs that are more reliable. Neutron absorbing materials currently in use include the ceramic boron carbide, the high melting point metal hafnium and the low melting point complex alloy Ag-In-Cd. Other promising neutron absorbing materials, such as dysprosium titanate, are being evaluated in the Russian Federation. These control materials exhibit widely differing mechanical, physical and chemical properties, which must be understood in order to be able to predict the behaviour of control rod assemblies. Identification of existing failure mechanisms, end of life criteria and the implications of the gradual introduction of extended burnup, mixed oxide (MOX) fuels and more complex fuel cycles constitutes the first step in a search for improved materials and designs. In the early part of this decade, it was recognized by the International Working Group on Fuel Performance and Technology (IWGFPT) that international conferences, symposia and published reviews on the materials science aspects of control assemblies were few and far between. Consequently, the IWGFPT recommended that the IAEA should rectify this situation with a series of Technical Committee meetings (TCMs) devoted entirely to the materials aspects of reactor control assemblies. The first was held in 1993 and in the intervening five years considerable progress has been made. In bringing together experts in the

Control assembly materials for water reactors: Experience, performance and perspectives. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-02-01

The safe, reliable and economic operation of water cooled nuclear power reactors depends to a large extent upon the reliable operation of control assemblies for the regulation and shutdown of the reactors. These consist of neutron absorbing materials clad in stainless steel or zirconium based alloys, guide tubes and guide cards, and other structural components. Current designs have worked extremely well in normal conditions, but less than ideal behaviour limits the lifetimes of control materials, imposing an economic penalty which acts as a strong incentive to produce improved materials and designs that are more reliable. Neutron absorbing materials currently in use include the ceramic boron carbide, the high melting point metal hafnium and the low melting point complex alloy Ag-In-Cd. Other promising neutron absorbing materials, such as dysprosium titanate, are being evaluated in the Russian Federation. These control materials exhibit widely differing mechanical, physical and chemical properties, which must be understood in order to be able to predict the behaviour of control rod assemblies. Identification of existing failure mechanisms, end of life criteria and the implications of the gradual introduction of extended burnup, mixed oxide (MOX) fuels and more complex fuel cycles constitutes the first step in a search for improved materials and designs. In the early part of this decade, it was recognized by the International Working Group on Fuel Performance and Technology (IWGFPT) that international conferences, symposia and published reviews on the materials science aspects of control assemblies were few and far between. Consequently, the IWGFPT recommended that the IAEA should rectify this situation with a series of Technical Committee meetings (TCMs) devoted entirely to the materials aspects of reactor control assemblies. The first was held in 1993 and in the intervening five years considerable progress has been made. In bringing together experts in the

Electro-mechanical behaviors of composite superconducting strand with filament breakage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xu; Gao, Yuanwen; Zhou, Youhe

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The electromechanical behaviors of the superconducting (SC) strand are investigated. • A 3D FEM model for bending behaviors and electric properties of strand is developed. • The influence of breakage of filaments on the critical current of SC strand is calculated. • The impact of current transfer length on the electric properties of SC strand is discussed. - Abstract: The bending behaviors of superconducting strand with typical multi-filament twist configuration are investigated based on a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) model, named as the Multi-filament twist model, of the strand. In this 3D FEM model, the impacts of initial thermal residual stress, filament-breakage and its evaluation are taken into accounts. The mechanical responses of the strand under bending load are studied with the factors taken into consideration one by one. The distribution of the damage of the filaments and its evolution and the movement of the neutral axis caused by it are studied and displayed in detail. Besides, taking the advantages of the Multi-filament twist model, the normalized critical current of the strand under bending load is also calculated based on the invariant temperature and field strain functions. In addition, the non-negligible influences of the pitch length of the filaments on both the mechanical behaviors and the normalized critical current are discussed. The stress-strain characteristics of the strand under tensile load and the normalized critical current of it under axial and bending loads resulting from the Multi-filament twist model show good agreement with the experimental data.

Electro-mechanical behaviors of composite superconducting strand with filament breakage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xu [Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Environment and Disaster in Western China, The Ministry of Education of China, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Gao, Yuanwen, E-mail: ywgao@lzu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Environment and Disaster in Western China, The Ministry of Education of China, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Zhou, Youhe [Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Environment and Disaster in Western China, The Ministry of Education of China, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • The electromechanical behaviors of the superconducting (SC) strand are investigated. • A 3D FEM model for bending behaviors and electric properties of strand is developed. • The influence of breakage of filaments on the critical current of SC strand is calculated. • The impact of current transfer length on the electric properties of SC strand is discussed. - Abstract: The bending behaviors of superconducting strand with typical multi-filament twist configuration are investigated based on a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) model, named as the Multi-filament twist model, of the strand. In this 3D FEM model, the impacts of initial thermal residual stress, filament-breakage and its evaluation are taken into accounts. The mechanical responses of the strand under bending load are studied with the factors taken into consideration one by one. The distribution of the damage of the filaments and its evolution and the movement of the neutral axis caused by it are studied and displayed in detail. Besides, taking the advantages of the Multi-filament twist model, the normalized critical current of the strand under bending load is also calculated based on the invariant temperature and field strain functions. In addition, the non-negligible influences of the pitch length of the filaments on both the mechanical behaviors and the normalized critical current are discussed. The stress-strain characteristics of the strand under tensile load and the normalized critical current of it under axial and bending loads resulting from the Multi-filament twist model show good agreement with the experimental data.

Magnetization Modeling of Twisted Superconducting Filaments

CERN Document Server

Satiramatekul, T; Devred, Arnaud; Leroy, Daniel

2007-01-01

This paper presents a new Finite Element numerical method to analyze the coupling between twisted filaments in a superconducting multifilament composite wire. To avoid the large number of elements required by a 3D code, the proposed method makes use of the energy balance principle in a 2D code. The relationship between superconductor critical current density and local magnetic flux density is implemented in the program for the Bean and modified Kim models. The modeled wire is made up of six filaments twisted together and embedded in a lowresistivity matrix. Computations of magnetization cycle and of the electric field pattern have been performed for various twist pitch values in the case of a pure copper matrix. The results confirm that the maximum magnetization depends on the matrix conductivity, the superconductor critical current density, the applied field frequency, and the filament twist pitch. The simulations also lead to a practical criterion for wire design that can be used to assess whether or not th...

Probabilities of filaments in a Poissonian distribution of points -I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betancort-Rijo, J.

1989-01-01

Statistical techniques are devised to assess the likelihood of a Poisson sample of points in two and three dimensions, containing specific filamentary structures. For that purpose, the expression of Otto et al (1986. Astrophys. J., 304) for the probability density of clumps in a Poissonian distribution of points is generalized for any value of the density contrast. A way of counting filaments differing from that of Otto et al. is proposed, because at low density contrast the filaments counted by Otto et al. are distributed in a clumpy fashion, each clump of filaments corresponding to a distinct observed filament. (author)

Experience feedback of operational events of the control rod assembly and its drive mechanism in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Hong; Xiao Zhi; Tao Shusheng; Zheng Lixin; Chen Zhaolin

2013-01-01

Seventeen operational events of the control rod assembly and its drive mechanism are collected from 1992 to 2012 important nuclear operational events and feedback in referred nuclear power plants. After investigated and classified, several important issues, such as the impact of control rod swell and fuel assembly distortion, control rod drive mechanism leakage, and the control system reliability of control rod, are emphatically analyzed. Some suggestions of experience feedback are proposed. (authors)

Radiation-induced grafting of acrylic acid onto polyethylene filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaji, K.; Sakurada, I.; Okada, T.

1981-01-01

Radiation-induced grafting of acrylic acid onto high density polyethylene (PE) filaments was carried out in order to raise softening temperature and impart flame retardance and hydrophilic properties. Mutual γ-irradiation method was employed for the grafting in a mixture of acrylic acid (AA), ethylene dichloride and water containing a small amount of ferrous ammonium sulfate. The rate of grafting was very low at room temperature. On the other hand, large percent grafts were obtained when the grafting was performed at an elevated temperature. Activation energy for the initial rate of grafting was found to be 17 kcal/mol between 20 and 60 0 C and 10 kcal/ mol between 60 and 80 0 C. Original PE filament begins to shrink at 70 0 C, shows maximum shrinkage of 50% at 130 0 C and then breaks off at 136 0 C. When a 34% AA graft is converted to metallic salt the graft filament retains its filament form even above 300 0 C and gives maximum shrinkage of 15%. Burning tests by a wire-netting basket method indicate that graft filaments and their metallic salts do not form melting drops upon burning and are self-extinguishing. Original PE filament shows no moisture absorption; however, that of AA-grafted PE increases with increasing graft percent. (author)

Structure of the hDmc1-ssDNA filament reveals the principles of its architecture.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrei L Okorokov

Full Text Available In eukaryotes, meiotic recombination is a major source of genetic diversity, but its defects in humans lead to abnormalities such as Down's, Klinefelter's and other syndromes. Human Dmc1 (hDmc1, a RecA/Rad51 homologue, is a recombinase that plays a crucial role in faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis. The initial step of homologous recombination occurs when hDmc1 forms a filament on single-stranded (ss DNA. However the structure of this presynaptic complex filament for hDmc1 remains unknown. To compare hDmc1-ssDNA complexes to those known for the RecA/Rad51 family we have obtained electron microscopy (EM structures of hDmc1-ssDNA nucleoprotein filaments using single particle approach. The EM maps were analysed by docking crystal structures of Dmc1, Rad51, RadA, RecA and DNA. To fully characterise hDmc1-DNA complexes we have analysed their organisation in the presence of Ca2+, Mg2+, ATP, AMP-PNP, ssDNA and dsDNA. The 3D EM structures of the hDmc1-ssDNA filaments allowed us to elucidate the principles of their internal architecture. Similar to the RecA/Rad51 family, hDmc1 forms helical filaments on ssDNA in two states: extended (active and compressed (inactive. However, in contrast to the RecA/Rad51 family, and the recently reported structure of hDmc1-double stranded (ds DNA nucleoprotein filaments, the extended (active state of the hDmc1 filament formed on ssDNA has nine protomers per helical turn, instead of the conventional six, resulting in one protomer covering two nucleotides instead of three. The control reconstruction of the hDmc1-dsDNA filament revealed 6.4 protein subunits per helical turn indicating that the filament organisation varies depending on the DNA templates. Our structural analysis has also revealed that the N-terminal domain of hDmc1 accomplishes its important role in complex formation through domain swapping between adjacent protomers, thus providing a mechanistic basis for coordinated action of hDmc1 protomers

Method for simultaneously coating a plurality of filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, P.A.; Pochan, P.D.; Siegal, M.P.; Dominguez, F.

1995-07-11

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for coating materials, and the products and compositions produced thereby. Substances, such as diamond or diamond-like carbon, are deposited onto materials, such as a filament or a plurality of filaments simultaneously, using one or more cylindrical, inductively coupled, resonator plasma reactors. 3 figs.

Colloidal polymers with controlled sequence and branching constructed from magnetic field assembled nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Bannwarth, Markus B; Utech, Stefanie; Ebert, Sandro; Weitz, David A; Crespy, Daniel; Landfester, Katharina

2015-03-24

The assembly of nanoparticles into polymer-like architectures is challenging and usually requires highly defined colloidal building blocks. Here, we show that the broad size-distribution of a simple dispersion of magnetic nanocolloids can be exploited to obtain various polymer-like architectures. The particles are assembled under an external magnetic field and permanently linked by thermal sintering. The remarkable variety of polymer-analogue architectures that arises from this simple process ranges from statistical and block copolymer-like sequencing to branched chains and networks. This library of architectures can be realized by controlling the sequencing of the particles and the junction points via a size-dependent self-assembly of the single building blocks.

Architecture and fine structure of gill filaments in the brown mussel, perna perna

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Gregory, MA

1996-10-01

Full Text Available attention was paid to filament architecture, enervation of filaments, number and type of cells populating filament epithelia and variations in epithelial cell morphotogy and cilia ultra structure. Filament shape was maintained by thickened chitin...

Phytosterol-based oleogels self-assembled with monoglyceride for controlled volatile release.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Dan-Xia; Chen, Xiao-Wei; Yang, Xiao-Quan

2018-01-01

Oleogels have recently emerged as a subject of growing interest among industrial and academic researchers as an alternative to saturated/trans-fat and delivery of functional ingredients. Phytosterols, comprising plant-derived natural steroid compounds, are preferred for oleogel production because they are both natural and healthy. In the present study, phytosterol-based oleogels self-assembled with monoglyceride were studied with respect to tuning volatile release. Microscopy images of the bicomponent oleogels of β-sitosterol and monoglyceride showed the formation of a new three-dimensional network of entangled crystals and a controllable microstructure. Our analysis from differential scanning calorimetry and small angle X-ray scattering results suggests the self-assembly of β-sitosterol and monoglyceride via intermolecular hydrogen bonds into spherulitic microstructures. The results showed that the release rate (v 0 ), maximum headspace concentrations (C max ) and partition coefficients (k a/o ) for oleogels showed a significantly controlled release and were tunable via the microstructure of phytosterol-based oleogels under both dynamic and static conditions. In addition, the solid-like oleogels had interesting thixotropic and thermoresponsive behaviors, probably as a result of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The self-assembly of phytosterol-based oleogels with monoglyceride was attributed to intermolecular hydrogen and is demonstrated to be a promising tunable and functional strategy for delivering flavor compounds. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

THE DISAPPEARING SOLAR FILAMENT OF 2003 JUNE 11: A THREE-BODY PROBLEM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balasubramaniam, K. S. [Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117 (United States); Pevtsov, A. A. [National Solar Observatory, Sunspot, NM 88349 (United States); Cliver, E. W. [Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Sunspot, NM 88349 (United States); Martin, S. F.; Panasenco, O. [Helio Research, La Crescenta, CA 91214 (United States)

2011-12-20

The eruption of a large quiescent filament on 2003 June 11 was preceded by the birth of a nearby active region-a common scenario. In this case, however, the filament lay near a pre-existing active region and the new active region did not destabilize the filament by direct magnetic connection. Instead it appears to have done so indirectly via magnetic coupling with the established region. Restructuring between the perturbed fields of the old region and the filament then weakened the arcade overlying the midpoint of filament, where the eruption originated. The inferred rate ({approx}11 Degree-Sign day{sup -1}) at which the magnetic disturbance propagates from the mature region to destabilize the filament is larger than the mean speed ({approx}5 Masculine-Ordinal-Indicator -6 Degree-Sign day{sup -1}) but still within the scatter obtained for Bruzek's empirical relationship between the distance from a newly formed active region to a quiescent filament and the time from active region appearance to filament disappearance. The higher propagation speed in the 2003 June 11 case may be due to the 'broadside' (versus 'end-on') angle of attack of the (effective) new flux to the coronal magnetic fields overlying a central section of the axis of the filament.

THE DISAPPEARING SOLAR FILAMENT OF 2003 JUNE 11: A THREE-BODY PROBLEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balasubramaniam, K. S.; Pevtsov, A. A.; Cliver, E. W.; Martin, S. F.; Panasenco, O.

2011-01-01

The eruption of a large quiescent filament on 2003 June 11 was preceded by the birth of a nearby active region—a common scenario. In this case, however, the filament lay near a pre-existing active region and the new active region did not destabilize the filament by direct magnetic connection. Instead it appears to have done so indirectly via magnetic coupling with the established region. Restructuring between the perturbed fields of the old region and the filament then weakened the arcade overlying the midpoint of filament, where the eruption originated. The inferred rate (∼11° day –1 ) at which the magnetic disturbance propagates from the mature region to destabilize the filament is larger than the mean speed (∼5º-6° day –1 ) but still within the scatter obtained for Bruzek's empirical relationship between the distance from a newly formed active region to a quiescent filament and the time from active region appearance to filament disappearance. The higher propagation speed in the 2003 June 11 case may be due to the 'broadside' (versus 'end-on') angle of attack of the (effective) new flux to the coronal magnetic fields overlying a central section of the axis of the filament.

Photoconductivity of nanowires that are self-assembled from chiral porphyrins

Science.gov (United States)

Menko, J. G.; Smith, W. F.; Lu, Y.; Johnson, A. T.; Iavicoli, P.

2010-03-01

Recently synthesized chiral porphyrin moleculesfootnotetextM. Linares, P. Iavicoli, K. Psychogyiopoulou, D. Beljonne, S. De Feyter, D. B. Amabilino, and R. Lazzaroni, Langmuir 2008, 24, 9566-9574. in a methlocyclohexane solvent self-assemble into aggregates which appear as a network of nanoscale filaments when deposited onto oxidized silicon. We have shown in preliminary experiments conducted in air that the aggregates are photoconductive, with an action spectrum (photoconductivity vs. wavelength) that matches the in-solution absorbance curve. We discuss these results, and also experiments conducted in a dry nitrogen environment.

How capping protein enhances actin filament growth and nucleation on biomimetic beads.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruizhe; Carlsson, Anders E

2015-11-25

Capping protein (CP), which caps the growing ends of actin filaments, accelerates actin-based motility. Recent experiments on biomimetic beads have shown that CP also enhances the rate of actin filament nucleation. Proposed explanations for these phenomena include (i) the actin funneling hypothesis (AFH), in which the presence of CP increases the free-actin concentration, and (ii) the monomer gating model, in which CP binding to actin filament barbed ends makes more monomers available for filament nucleation. To establish how CP increases the rates of filament elongation and nucleation on biomimetic beads, we perform a quantitative modeling analysis of actin polymerization, using rate equations that include actin filament nucleation, polymerization and capping, as modified by monomer depletion near the surface of the bead. With one adjustable parameter, our simulation results match previously measured time courses of polymerized actin and filament number. The results support a version of the AFH where CP increases the local actin monomer concentration at the bead surface, but leaves the global free-actin concentration nearly constant. Because the rate of filament nucleation increases with the monomer concentration, the increased local monomer concentration enhances actin filament nucleation. We derive a closed-form formula for the characteristic CP concentration where the local free-actin concentration reaches half the bulk value, and find it to be comparable to the global Arp2/3 complex concentration. We also propose an experimental protocol for distinguishing branching nucleation of filaments from spontaneous nucleation.

Interfering with the wake of cylinder by flexible filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Pinelli, Alfredo; Omidyeganeh, Mohammad

2015-11-01

This work is the very first attempt to understand and optimize the configuration of flexible filaments placed on the lee side of a bluff body to manipulate flow transitions and bifurcations. It is found that the presence of a sparse set of flexible filaments on the lee side of a cylinder can interfere with the 2D-3D transition process resulting in elongation of recirculation bubble, inhibition of higher order unstable modes, and narrowing the global energy content about a particular shedding frequency. Filaments become effective when spacing between them is smaller than the dominant unstable mode at each particular Reynolds number, i.e. A and B modes. In another study, by a particular arrangement the reconfigured filaments can reduce pressure fluctuations in the wake and drop lift flluctuations significantly (~= 80 %).

Zebrafish cardiac muscle thick filaments: isolation technique and three-dimensional structure.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Solá, Maryví; Al-Khayat, Hind A; Behra, Martine; Kensler, Robert W

2014-04-15

To understand how mutations in thick filament proteins such as cardiac myosin binding protein-C or titin, cause familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathies, it is important to determine the structure of the cardiac thick filament. Techniques for the genetic manipulation of the zebrafish are well established and it has become a major model for the study of the cardiovascular system. Our goal is to develop zebrafish as an alternative system to the mammalian heart model for the study of the structure of the cardiac thick filaments and the proteins that form it. We have successfully isolated thick filaments from zebrafish cardiac muscle, using a procedure similar to those for mammalian heart, and analyzed their structure by negative-staining and electron microscopy. The isolated filaments appear well ordered with the characteristic 42.9 nm quasi-helical repeat of the myosin heads expected from x-ray diffraction. We have performed single particle image analysis on the collected electron microscopy images for the C-zone region of these filaments and obtained a three-dimensional reconstruction at 3.5 nm resolution. This reconstruction reveals structure similar to the mammalian thick filament, and demonstrates that zebrafish may provide a useful model for the study of the changes in the cardiac thick filament associated with disease processes. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NGVLA Observations of Dense Gas Filaments in Star-Forming Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Di Francesco, James; Chen, Mike; Keown, Jared; GAS Team, KEYSTONE Team

2018-01-01

Recent observations of continuum emission from nearby star-forming regions with Herschel and JCMT have revealed that filaments are ubiquitous structures within molecular clouds. Such filaments appear to be intimately connected to star formation, with those having column densities of AV > 8 hosting the majority of prestellar cores and young protostars in clouds. Indeed, this “threshold” can be explained simply as the result of supercritical cylinder fragmentation. How specifically star-forming filaments form in molecular clouds, however, remains unclear, though gravity and turbulence are likely involved. Observations of their kinematics are needed to understand how mass flows both onto and through these filaments. We show here results from two recent surveys, the Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS) and the K-band Examinations of Young Stellar Object Natal Environments (KEYSTONE) that have used the Green Bank Telescope’s K-band Focal Plane Array instrument to map NH3 (1,1) emission from dense gas in nearby star-forming regions. Data from both surveys show that NH3 emission traces extremely well the high column density gas across these star-forming regions. In particular, the GAS results for NGC 1333 show NH3-based velocity gradients either predominantly parallel or perpendicular to the filament spines. Though the GAS and KEYSTONE data are vital for probing filaments, higher resolutions than possible with the GBT alone are needed to examine the kinematic patterns on the 0.1-pc scales of star-forming cores within filaments. We describe how the Next Generation Very Large Array (NGVLA) will uniquely provide the key wide-field data of high sensitivity needed to explore how ambient gas in molecular clouds forms filaments that evolve toward star formation.

CFD Analysis of Hot Spot Fuel Temperature in the Control Fuel Block Assembly of a VHTR core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Hwan; Tak, Nam Il; Noh, Jae Man

2010-01-01

The Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) dedicated for efficient hydrogen production requires core outlet temperatures of more than 950 .deg. C. As the outlet temperature increases, the thermal margin of the core decreases, which highlights the need for a detailed analysis to reduce its uncertainty. Tak et al. performed CFD analysis for a 1/12 fuel assembly model and compared the result with a simple unit-cell model in order to emphasize the need of a detailed CFD analysis for the prediction of hot spot fuel temperatures. Their CFD model, however, was focused on the standard fuel assembly but not on the control fuel assembly in which a considerable amount of bypass flow is expected to occur through the control rod passages. In this study, a CFD model for the control fuel block assembly is developed and applied for the hot spot analyses of PMR200 core. Not only the bypass flow but also the cross flow is considered in the analyses

Tetrazolium Reduction-Malachite Green Method for Assessing the Viability of Filamentous Bacteria in Activated Sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Bitton, Gabriel; Koopman, Ben

1982-01-01

A method was developed to assess the activity of filamentous bacteria in activated sludge. It involves the incubation of activated sludge with 2(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride followed by staining with malachite green. Both cells and 2(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride-formazan crystals can be observed in prepared specimens by using bright-field microscopy. This procedure allowed us to distinguish between inactive and actively metabolizing filaments after chlorine application to control the bulking of activated sludge. Images PMID:16345999

Influence of parameters controlling the extrusion step in fused filament fabrication (FFF) process applied to polymers using numerical simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Shahriar, Bakrani Balani; Arthur, Cantarel; France, Chabert; Valérie, Nassiet

2018-05-01

Extrusion is one of the oldest manufacturing processes; it is widely used for manufacturing finished and semi-finished products. Moreover, extrusion is also the main process in additive manufacturing technologies such as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). In FFF process, the parts are manufactured layer by layer using thermoplastic material. The latter in form of filament, is melted in the liquefier and then it is extruded and deposited on the previous layer. The mechanical properties of the printed parts rely on the coalescence of each extrudate with another one. The coalescence phenomenon is driven by the flow properties of the melted polymer when it comes out the nozzle just before the deposition step. This study aims to master the quality of the printed parts by controlling the effect of the parameters of the extruder on the flow properties in the FFF process. In the current study, numerical simulation of the polymer coming out of the extruder was carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and two phase flow (TPF) simulation Level Set (LS) method by 2D axisymmetric module of COMSOL Multiphysics software. In order to pair the heat transfer with the flow simulation, an advection-diffusion equation was used. Advection-diffusion equation was implemented as a Partial Differential Equation (PDE) in the software. In order to define the variation of viscosity of the polymer with temperature, the rheological behaviors of two thermoplastics were measured by extensional rheometer and using a parallel-plate configuration of an oscillatory rheometer. The results highlight the influence of the environment temperature and the cooling rate on the temperature and viscosity of the extrudate exiting from the nozzle. Moreover, the temperature and its corresponding viscosity at different times have been determined using numerical simulation. At highest shear rates, the extrudate undergoes deformation from typical cylindrical shape. These results are required to predict the

Interaction of Two Active Region Filaments Observed by NVST and SDO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Liheng; Yan, Xiaoli; Xue, Zhike; Xiang, Yongyuan [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650216 (China); Li, Ting, E-mail: yangliheng@ynao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2017-04-01

Using high spatial and temporal resolution H α data from the New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) and simultaneous observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory , we present the rare event of the interaction between two filaments (F1 and F2) in AR 11967 on 2014 January 31. The adjacent two filaments were almost perpendicular to each other. Their interaction was driven by the movement of F1 and started when the two filaments collided with each other. During the interaction, the threads of F1 continuously slipped from the northeast to the southwest, and were accompanied by the brightenings at the junction of two filaments and the northeast footpoint of F2. Part of F1 and the main body of F2 became invisible in H α wavelength due to the heating and the motion of F2. At the same time, bright material initiated from the junction of two filaments were observed to move along F1. The magnetic connectivities of F1 were found to be changed after their interaction. These observations suggest that magnetic reconnection was involved in the interaction of two filaments and resulted in the eruption of one filament.

Self-modulation and filamentation of electromagnetic waves in a plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bingham, R.; Lashmore-Davies, C.N.

1976-01-01

Self-modulation and filamentation of an electromagnetic wave is considered as a problem of the non-linear interaction between electromagnetic and ion waves. A new electro-magnetic modulational instability is obtained, whose threshold is the same as that of the oscillating two-stream instability. A simple geometrical model is given of filamentation when the non-linearity is due to the ponderomotive force. The relationship between the filamentation and electromagnetic modulational instabilities and other parametric instabilities is considered. In particular, it is shown that both electromagnetic modulational and filamentation instabilities can occur at the critical density where they have the same threshold as the modulational instability of a Langmuir wave. Finally, a conservation relation (a generalization of the Manley-Rowe relation) for the wave action density is obtained for the filamentation instability. This shows clearly that this instability results from a four wave interaction. (author)

The molecular mechanisms of signaling by cooperative assembly formation in innate immunity pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Vajjhala, Parimala R; Ve, Thomas; Bentham, Adam; Stacey, Katryn J; Kobe, Bostjan

2017-06-01

The innate immune system is the first line of defense against infection and responses are initiated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). PRRs also detect endogenous danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that are released by damaged or dying cells. The major PRRs include the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family members, the nucleotide binding and oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat containing (NLR) family, the PYHIN (ALR) family, the RIG-1-like receptors (RLRs), C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) and the oligoadenylate synthase (OAS)-like receptors and the related protein cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS). The different PRRs activate specific signaling pathways to collectively elicit responses including the induction of cytokine expression, processing of pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell-death responses. These responses control a pathogenic infection, initiate tissue repair and stimulate the adaptive immune system. A central theme of many innate immune signaling pathways is the clustering of activated PRRs followed by sequential recruitment and oligomerization of adaptors and downstream effector enzymes, to form higher-order arrangements that amplify the response and provide a scaffold for proximity-induced activation of the effector enzymes. Underlying the formation of these complexes are co-operative assembly mechanisms, whereby association of preceding components increases the affinity for downstream components. This ensures a rapid immune response to a low-level stimulus. Structural and biochemical studies have given key insights into the assembly of these complexes. Here we review the current understanding of assembly of immune signaling complexes, including inflammasomes initiated by NLR and PYHIN receptors, the myddosomes initiated by TLRs, and the MAVS CARD filament initiated by RIG-1. We highlight the co-operative assembly mechanisms during assembly of each of these complexes. Copyright �

Additive Manufacturing of Syntactic Foams: Part 1: Development, Properties, and Recycling Potential of Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ashish Kumar; Patil, Balu; Hoffmann, Niklas; Saltonstall, Brooks; Doddamani, Mrityunjay; Gupta, Nikhil

2018-03-01

This work focuses on developing filaments of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and their hollow particle-filled syntactic foams for commercial three-dimensional (3D) printers based on fused filament fabrication technology. Hollow fly-ash cenospheres were blended by 40 wt.% in a HDPE matrix to produce syntactic foam (HDPE40) filaments. Further, the recycling potential was studied by pelletizing the filaments again to extrude twice (2×) and three times (3×). The filaments were tensile tested at 10-4 s-1, 10-3 s-1, and 10-2 s-1 strain rates. HDPE40 filaments show an increasing trend in modulus and strength with the strain rate. Higher density and modulus were noticed for 2× filaments compared to 1× filaments because of the crushing of some cenospheres in the extrusion cycle. However, 2× and 3× filament densities are nearly the same, showing potential for recycling them. The filaments show better properties than the same materials processed by conventional injection molding. Micro-CT scans show a uniform dispersion of cenospheres in all filaments.

Filament stretching rheometer: inertia compensation revisited

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Szabo, Peter; McKinley, Gareth H.

2003-01-01

The necessary inertia compensation used in the force balance for the filament stretching rheometer is derived for an arbitrary frame of reference. This enables the force balance to be used to extract correctly the extensional viscosity from measurements of the tensile force at either end of the e......The necessary inertia compensation used in the force balance for the filament stretching rheometer is derived for an arbitrary frame of reference. This enables the force balance to be used to extract correctly the extensional viscosity from measurements of the tensile force at either end...

Temperature dependence of filament-coupling in Bi-2223 tapes: magneto-optical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bobyl, A.V.; Shantsev, D.V.; Galperin, Y.M.; Johansen, T.H.; Baziljevich, M.; Gaevski, M.E.

2000-01-01

Coupling through random superconducting bridges between filaments in a multifilamentary Ag-sheathed Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+δ tape has been investigated by magneto-optical imaging at temperatures from 20 K up to T c . Magnetic flux distributions have been measured on the surface of an intact tape in the remanent state on applying a strong perpendicular magnetic field. The flux distributions observed at low temperatures reflect the arrangement of individual filaments. At high temperatures, the distribution becomes more similar to that for a uniform monocore tape, indicating that superconducting connections appear between the filaments. To discuss the relative contributions of the intra- and inter-filament currents, a simple model based on the Bean critical state was proposed and applied to analyse the temperature dependent behaviour. The inter-filament coupling, increasing with temperature, reaches at 77 K a point where the currents flowing in large inter-filament loops are roughly equal to the intra-filament currents. (author)

Interactions within the yeast t-SNARE Sso1p that control SNARE complex assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Munson, M; Chen, X; Cocina, A E; Schultz, S M; Hughson, F M

2000-10-01

In the eukaryotic secretory and endocytic pathways, transport vesicles shuttle cargo among intracellular organelles and to and from the plasma membrane. Cargo delivery entails fusion of the transport vesicle with its target, a process thought to be mediated by membrane bridging SNARE protein complexes. Temporal and spatial control of intracellular trafficking depends in part on regulating the assembly of these complexes. In vitro, SNARE assembly is inhibited by the closed conformation adopted by the syntaxin family of SNAREs. To visualize this closed conformation directly, the X-ray crystal structure of a yeast syntaxin, Sso1p, has been determined and refined to 2.1 A resolution. Mutants designed to destabilize the closed conformation exhibit accelerated rates of SNARE assembly. Our results provide insight into the mechanism of SNARE assembly and its intramolecular and intermolecular regulation.

PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY OF RESISTANCE ASSEMBLIES MADE WITH WARP KNITS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

OANA Ioan-Pavel

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Based on the principle that a body to be obtained by sewing the material to provide resistance and the like in the stitching assembly, the experimental study of which developed resistance is compared with the resistance materials to effectively assembled by the assembly line. The experimental values resistance for assemblies were obtained in the testing for resistance to sliding stitch ASTM D 434 using Tinius Olsen HK5T test type machine. The assembly strength was determined for warp knitted fabric and satin charmeuse, made of poly-filamentary wires and mono-filament polyester and polyamide. Resistance assembling is one of the major determinants of the quality of the stitching. It is defined as "the tensile strength or friction." Tenacity stitching seam rupture is the force recorded at its weakest point. Seam abrasion resistance is the number of cycles required friction mesh destruction of seam. It can be said that the strength of the used assembly, the seam 301 is achieved by, in most of the cases, lower resistance knitted studied. In these cases, the primary findings presented, it is clear that the assembly is not appropriate in terms of reliability and maintainability of the product. Such a situation requires a first step to change the type (class of stitch used. Another way to remedy the deficiencies could be using a sewing thread with a lower finesse or strength in grain, especially in the upper loop of wire used in the study-specific.

Evaluation of the local temperature of conductive filaments in resistive switching materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yalon, E; Cohen, S; Gavrilov, A; Ritter, D

2012-01-01

The resistive switching effect in metal oxides and other dielectric materials is among the leading future non-volatile memory technologies. Resistive switching is widely ascribed to the formation and rupture of conductive filaments in the oxide, which are generated by temperature-enhanced nano-scale ion migration or other thermal effects. In spite of the central role of the local filament temperature on the switching effect, as well as on the conduction and reliability physics, no measurement methods of the filament temperature are yet available. In this work, we report on a method for evaluating the conducting filament temperature, using a metal–insulator–semiconductor bipolar transistor structure. The filament temperature is obtained by analyzing the thermal excitation rate of electrons from the filament Fermi level into the conduction band of a p-type semiconductor electrode. Measurements were carried out to obtain the conductive filament temperature in hafnia at varying ambient temperatures in the range of 3–300 K. Significant Joule heating of the filament was observed across the entire measured ambient temperature range. The extracted temperatures provide physical insight into the resistive switching effect. (paper)

Unconventional actin conformations localize on intermediate filaments in mitosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hubert, Thomas; Vandekerckhove, Joel; Gettemans, Jan

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Unconventional actin conformations colocalize with vimentin on a cage-like structure in metaphase HEK 293T cells. → These conformations are detected with the anti-actin antibodies 1C7 ('lower dimer') and 2G2 ('nuclear actin'), but not C4 (monomeric actin). → Mitotic unconventional actin cables are independent of filamentous actin or microtubules. → Unconventional actin colocalizes with vimentin on a nocodazole-induced perinuclear dense mass of cables. -- Abstract: Different structural conformations of actin have been identified in cells and shown to reside in distinct subcellular locations of cells. In this report, we describe the localization of actin on a cage-like structure in metaphase HEK 293T cells. Actin was detected with the anti-actin antibodies 1C7 and 2G2, but not with the anti-actin antibody C4. Actin contained in this structure is independent of microtubules and actin filaments, and colocalizes with vimentin. Taking advantage of intermediate filament collapse into a perinuclear dense mass of cables when microtubules are depolymerized, we were able to relocalize actin to such structures. We hypothesize that phosphorylation of intermediate filaments at mitosis entry triggers the recruitment of different actin conformations to mitotic intermediate filaments. Storage and partition of the nuclear actin and antiparallel 'lower dimer' actin conformations between daughter cells possibly contribute to gene transcription and transient actin filament dynamics at G1 entry.

A symplectic integration method for elastic filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Ladd, Tony; Misra, Gaurav

2009-03-01

Elastic rods are a ubiquitous coarse-grained model of semi-flexible biopolymers such as DNA, actin, and microtubules. The Worm-Like Chain (WLC) is the standard numerical model for semi-flexible polymers, but it is only a linearized approximation to the dynamics of an elastic rod, valid for small deflections; typically the torsional motion is neglected as well. In the standard finite-difference and finite-element formulations of an elastic rod, the continuum equations of motion are discretized in space and time, but it is then difficult to ensure that the Hamiltonian structure of the exact equations is preserved. Here we discretize the Hamiltonian itself, expressed as a line integral over the contour of the filament. This discrete representation of the continuum filament can then be integrated by one of the explicit symplectic integrators frequently used in molecular dynamics. The model systematically approximates the continuum partial differential equations, but has the same level of computational complexity as molecular dynamics and is constraint free. Numerical tests show that the algorithm is much more stable than a finite-difference formulation and can be used for high aspect ratio filaments, such as actin. We present numerical results for the deterministic and stochastic motion of single filaments.

Direct evidence of an eruptive, filament-hosting magnetic flux rope leading to a fast solar coronal mass ejection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Bin; Gary, D. E. [Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102 (United States); Bastian, T. S., E-mail: bin.chen@cfa.harvard.edu [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States)

2014-10-20

Magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) are believed to be at the heart of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs). A well-known example is the prominence cavity in the low corona that sometimes makes up a three-part white-light (WL) CME upon its eruption. Such a system, which is usually observed in quiet-Sun regions, has long been suggested to be the manifestation of an MFR with relatively cool filament material collecting near its bottom. However, observational evidence of eruptive, filament-hosting MFR systems has been elusive for those originating in active regions. By utilizing multi-passband extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) observations from Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, we present direct evidence of an eruptive MFR in the low corona that exhibits a hot envelope and a cooler core; the latter is likely the upper part of a filament that undergoes a partial eruption, which is later observed in the upper corona as the coiled kernel of a fast, WL CME. This MFR-like structure exists more than 1 hr prior to its eruption, and displays successive stages of dynamical evolution, in which both ideal and non-ideal physical processes may be involved. The timing of the MFR kinematics is found to be well correlated with the energy release of the associated long-duration C1.9 flare. We suggest that the long-duration flare is the result of prolonged energy release associated with the vertical current sheet induced by the erupting MFR.

Direct Evidence of an Eruptive, Filament-hosting Magnetic Flux Rope Leading to a Fast Solar Coronal Mass Ejection

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Bin; Bastian, T. S.; Gary, D. E.

2014-10-01

Magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) are believed to be at the heart of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs). A well-known example is the prominence cavity in the low corona that sometimes makes up a three-part white-light (WL) CME upon its eruption. Such a system, which is usually observed in quiet-Sun regions, has long been suggested to be the manifestation of an MFR with relatively cool filament material collecting near its bottom. However, observational evidence of eruptive, filament-hosting MFR systems has been elusive for those originating in active regions. By utilizing multi-passband extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) observations from Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, we present direct evidence of an eruptive MFR in the low corona that exhibits a hot envelope and a cooler core; the latter is likely the upper part of a filament that undergoes a partial eruption, which is later observed in the upper corona as the coiled kernel of a fast, WL CME. This MFR-like structure exists more than 1 hr prior to its eruption, and displays successive stages of dynamical evolution, in which both ideal and non-ideal physical processes may be involved. The timing of the MFR kinematics is found to be well correlated with the energy release of the associated long-duration C1.9 flare. We suggest that the long-duration flare is the result of prolonged energy release associated with the vertical current sheet induced by the erupting MFR.

Direct evidence of an eruptive, filament-hosting magnetic flux rope leading to a fast solar coronal mass ejection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Bin; Gary, D. E.; Bastian, T. S.

2014-01-01

Magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) are believed to be at the heart of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs). A well-known example is the prominence cavity in the low corona that sometimes makes up a three-part white-light (WL) CME upon its eruption. Such a system, which is usually observed in quiet-Sun regions, has long been suggested to be the manifestation of an MFR with relatively cool filament material collecting near its bottom. However, observational evidence of eruptive, filament-hosting MFR systems has been elusive for those originating in active regions. By utilizing multi-passband extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) observations from Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, we present direct evidence of an eruptive MFR in the low corona that exhibits a hot envelope and a cooler core; the latter is likely the upper part of a filament that undergoes a partial eruption, which is later observed in the upper corona as the coiled kernel of a fast, WL CME. This MFR-like structure exists more than 1 hr prior to its eruption, and displays successive stages of dynamical evolution, in which both ideal and non-ideal physical processes may be involved. The timing of the MFR kinematics is found to be well correlated with the energy release of the associated long-duration C1.9 flare. We suggest that the long-duration flare is the result of prolonged energy release associated with the vertical current sheet induced by the erupting MFR.

Intermediate Filaments Play a Pivotal Role in Regulating Cell Architecture and Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowery, Jason; Kuczmarski, Edward R; Herrmann, Harald; Goldman, Robert D

2015-07-10

Intermediate filaments (IFs) are composed of one or more members of a large family of cytoskeletal proteins, whose expression is cell- and tissue type-specific. Their importance in regulating the physiological properties of cells is becoming widely recognized in functions ranging from cell motility to signal transduction. IF proteins assemble into nanoscale biopolymers with unique strain-hardening properties that are related to their roles in regulating the mechanical integrity of cells. Furthermore, mutations in the genes encoding IF proteins cause a wide range of human diseases. Due to the number of different types of IF proteins, we have limited this short review to cover structure and function topics mainly related to the simpler homopolymeric IF networks composed of vimentin, and specifically for diseases, the related muscle-specific desmin IF networks. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Controllable Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Zwitterionic PBI Towards Tunable Surface Wettability of the Nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Yong; Lü, Baozhong; Cheng, Wenyu; Wu, Zhen; Wei, Jie; Yin, Meizhen

2017-05-04

Amphiphilic molecules have received wide attention as they possess both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties, and can form diverse nanostructures in selective solvents. Herein, we report an asymmetric amphiphilic zwitterionic perylene bisimide (AZP) with an octyl chain and a zwitterionic group on the opposite imide positions of perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride. The controllable nanostructures of AZP with tunable hydrophilic/hydrophobic surface have been investigated through solvent-dependent amphiphilic self-assembly as confirmed by SEM, TEM, and contact angle measurements. The planar perylene core of AZP contributes to strong π-π stacking, while the amphiphilic balance of asymmetric AZP adjusts the self-assembly property. Additionally, due to intermolecular π-π stacking and solvent-solute interactions, AZP could self-assemble into hydrophilic microtubes in a polar solvent (acetone) and hydrophobic nanofibers in an apolar solvent (hexane). This facile method provides a new pathway for controlling the surface properties based on an asymmetric amphiphilic zwitterionic perylene bisimide. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Magnetic Structure of Filament Barbs

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Jongchul; Moon, Yong-Jae; Park, Young-Deuk

2005-06-01

There is a controversy about how features protruding laterally from filaments, called barbs, are magnetically structured. On 2004 August 3, we observed a filament that had well-developed barbs. The observations were performed using the 10 inch refractor of the Big Bear Solar Observatory. A fast camera was employed to capture images at five different wavelengths of the Hα line and successively record them on the basis of frame selection. The terminating points of the barbs were clearly discernable in the Hα images without any ambiguity. The comparison of the Hα images with the magnetograms taken by SOHO MDI revealed that the termination occurred above the minor polarity inversion line dividing the magnetic elements of the major polarity and those of the minor polarity. There is also evidence that the flux cancellation proceeded on the polarity inversion line. Our results together with similar other recent observations support the idea that filament barbs are cool matter suspended in local dips of magnetic field lines, formed by magnetic reconnection in the chromosphere.

A core filamentation response network in Candida albicans is restricted to eight genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronny Martin

Full Text Available Although morphological plasticity is a central virulence trait of Candida albicans, the number of filament-associated genes and the interplay of mechanisms regulating their expression remain unknown. By correlation-based network modeling of the transcriptional response to different defined external stimuli for morphogenesis we identified a set of eight genes with highly correlated expression patterns, forming a core filamentation response. This group of genes included ALS3, ECE1, HGT2, HWP1, IHD1 and RBT1 which are known or supposed to encode for cell- wall associated proteins as well as the Rac1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor encoding gene DCK1 and the unknown function open reading frame orf19.2457. The validity of network modeling was confirmed using a dataset of advanced complexity that describes the transcriptional response of C. albicans during epithelial invasion as well as comparing our results with other previously published transcriptome studies. Although the set of core filamentation response genes was quite small, several transcriptional regulators are involved in the control of their expression, depending on the environmental condition.

High-resolution electron microscopic evidence for the filamentous structure of the cyst wall in Giardia muris and Giardia duodenalis.

Science.gov (United States)

Erlandsen, S L; Bemrick, W J; Pawley, J

1989-10-01

High-resolution morphological studies of the cyst wall of Giardia spp. were performed using low-voltage scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cyst wall was composed of membranous and filamentous layers. The membranous layer consisted of an inner and an outer cyst membrane separated by a thin layer of cytoplasm. The filamentous layer contained individual filaments that ranged from 7 to 20 nm in diameter when measured by LVSEM, formed a dense meshwork with branches or interconnections, and were occasionally arranged on the surface in whorled patterns. Cysts of Giardia muris from mice, Giardia duodenalis from dogs, pigs, voles, beavers, muskrats, and humans, and Giardia psittaci from a bird (parakeet), possessed an essentially identical wall composed of filaments. Inducement of excystation in viable Giardia cysts produced a dramatic increase in the interfilament spacing over an entire cyst, but none was observed in heat-killed or chemically fixed control cysts. These results demonstrated that the cyst wall of Giardia spp. was composed of a complex arrangement of filaments, presumably formed during the process of encystment.