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.

Seeing green bacteria in a new light: genomics-enabled studies of the photosynthetic apparatus in green sulfur bacteria and filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frigaard, Niels-Ulrik; Bryant, Donald A

2004-01-01

Based upon their photosynthetic nature and the presence of a unique light-harvesting antenna structure, the chlorosome, the photosynthetic green bacteria are defined as a distinctive group in the Bacteria. However, members of the two taxa that comprise this group, the green sulfur bacteria...... (Chlorobi) and the filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria ("Chloroflexales"), are otherwise quite different, both physiologically and phylogenetically. This review summarizes how genome sequence information facilitated studies of the biosynthesis and function of the photosynthetic apparatus...... a and carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes, gene cluster analysis in Cfx. aurantiacus, and gene inactivation studies in Chl. tepidum. Based on these results, BChl a and BChl c biosynthesis is similar in the two organisms, whereas carotenoid biosynthesis differs significantly. In agreement with its facultative anaerobic...

Community structure of filamentous, sheath-building sulfur bacteria, Thioploca spp, off the coast of Chile

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schulz, HN; Jørgensen, BB; Fossing, HA

1996-01-01

of Concepcion was investigated,vith respect to biomass, species distribution, and three-dimensional orientation of the sheaths, Thioploca sheaths and filaments were found across the whole shelf area within the oxygen minimum zone, The maximum wet weight of sheaths, 800 g m(-2), was found at a depth of 90 m......The filamentous sulfur bacteria Thioploca spp, produce dense bacterial mats in the shelf area off the coast of Chile and Peru. The mat consists of common sheaths, shared by many filaments, that reach 5 to 10 cm dean into the sediment, The structure of the Thioploca communities off the Bay...

Auto- and heterotrophic nanoplankton and filamentous bacteria of Guanabara Bay (RJ, Brazil: estimates of cell/filament numbers versus carbon content

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viviane Severiano Santos

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Variations of nanoplankton (2-20 µm and filamentous bacteria (diameter: 0.5-2.0 µm of Guanabara Bay (RJ, Brazil are presented, considering cell density and carbon content of auto- and heterotrophs. Our goal is to contribute to future modeling of local trophic dynamics. Subsurface water samples were taken weekly during the year 2000 at two sites: Urca (close to the entrance, more saline, eutrophic and Ramos (inner area, less saline, hypertrophic. Microscopic analysis was done by epifluorescence and cell density was converted to biomass through cell biovolume. Total nanoplankton was about 10(8 cells.l-1 in most samples (>57%, and total filamentous bacteria densities varied from 10(5 to 10(8 fil.l-1. Autotroph density was one order of magnitude higher at Ramos, both for nanoplankton (Md: 10(8cells.l-1 at Ramos and 10(7cells.l-1 at Urca and for filamentous bacteria (Md: 10(6 fil.l-1 at Ramos and 10(5 fil.l-1 at Urca. The same was observed for autotrophic biomass (Md: 10³µgC.l-1 at Ramos and 10¹µgC.l-1 at Urca for nanoplankton; Md: 28µgC.l-1 at Ramos and 1.4µgC.l-1 at Urca for filamentous bacteria. The relative contribution of autotrophs increased after conversion to biomass. Seasonal variation was conspicuous for filamentous bacteria at both sites and for nanoplankton only at Ramos, with maximum autotrophic abundances during the rainy period (spring-summer.Variações do nanoplâncton (2-20µm e bactérias filamentosas (diâmetro: 0.5-2.0 µm da Baía de Guanabara (RJ, Brasil são apresentadas, considerando densidade celular e biomassa de autótrofos e heterótrofos. A meta deste trabalho é contribuir para uma futura modelagem da dinâmica trófica neste sistema. Amostras subsuperficiais de água foram coletadas semanalmente durante um ano em dois pontos: Urca (próximo à entrada, mais salino, eutrófico e Ramos (no interior, menos salino, hipertrófico. Foi feita análise por microscopia de epifluorescência, com densidade celular

Population study of the filamentous sulfur bacteria Thioploca spp. off the Bay of Concepcion, Chile

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schulz, HN; Strotmann, B.; Gallardo, VA

2000-01-01

A population of filamentous sulfur bacteria Thioploca spp. living in the Bay of Concepcion, Chile, and the adjoining shelf area was sampled for 14 mo at 4 to 6 wk intervals to investigate the influence of seasonal variations in upwelling intensity and oxygen concentrations on the population...... dynamics. The Thioploca population was described by its biomass, total number and diameter of sheaths, number of trichomes and species per sheath, and abundance and depth distribution of different morphological forms, e.g. trichome diameters and ratios of cell-length to diameter. Throughout the summer...... of Thioploca spp, changed strongly with seasonal variations, but the population structure remained mainly unchanged. During the 'El Nino' event in 1998, with high oxygen and low primary production the biomass was very low. In the Bay of Concepcion 2 populations of filamentous sulfur bacteria were observed...

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

Long helical filaments are not seen encircling cells in electron cryotomograms of rod-shaped bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swulius, Matthew T.; Chen, Songye; Jane Ding, H.; Li, Zhuo; Briegel, Ariane; Pilhofer, Martin; Tocheva, Elitza I.; Lybarger, Suzanne R.; Johnson, Tanya L.; Sandkvist, Maria; Jensen, Grant J.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → No long helical filaments are seen near or along rod-shaped bacterial inner membranes by electron cryo-tomography. → Electron cryo-tomography has the resolution to detect single filaments in vivo. -- Abstract: How rod-shaped bacteria form and maintain their shape is an important question in bacterial cell biology. Results from fluorescent light microscopy have led many to believe that the actin homolog MreB and a number of other proteins form long helical filaments along the inner membrane of the cell. Here we show using electron cryotomography of six different rod-shaped bacterial species, at macromolecular resolution, that no long (>80 nm) helical filaments exist near or along either surface of the inner membrane. We also use correlated cryo-fluorescent light microscopy (cryo-fLM) and electron cryo-tomography (ECT) to identify cytoplasmic bundles of MreB, showing that MreB filaments are detectable by ECT. In light of these results, the structure and function of MreB must be reconsidered: instead of acting as a large, rigid scaffold that localizes cell-wall synthetic machinery, moving MreB complexes may apply tension to growing peptidoglycan strands to ensure their orderly, linear insertion.

Bacteria exploit a polymorphic instability of the flagellar filament to escape from traps.

Science.gov (United States)

Kühn, Marco J; Schmidt, Felix K; Eckhardt, Bruno; Thormann, Kai M

2017-06-13

Many bacterial species swim by rotating single polar helical flagella. Depending on the direction of rotation, they can swim forward or backward and change directions to move along chemical gradients but also to navigate their obstructed natural environment in soils, sediments, or mucus. When they get stuck, they naturally try to back out, but they can also resort to a radically different flagellar mode, which we discovered here. Using high-speed microscopy, we monitored the swimming behavior of the monopolarly flagellated species Shewanella putrefaciens with fluorescently labeled flagellar filaments at an agarose-glass interface. We show that, when a cell gets stuck, the polar flagellar filament executes a polymorphic change into a spiral-like form that wraps around the cell body in a spiral-like fashion and enables the cell to escape by a screw-like backward motion. Microscopy and modeling suggest that this propagation mode is triggered by an instability of the flagellum under reversal of the rotation and the applied torque. The switch is reversible and bacteria that have escaped the trap can return to their normal swimming mode by another reversal of motor direction. The screw-type flagellar arrangement enables a unique mode of propagation and, given the large number of polarly flagellated bacteria, we expect it to be a common and widespread escape or motility mode in complex and structured environments.

Use of Lecane rotifers for limiting Thiothrix filamentous bacteria in bulking activated sludge in a dairy wastewater treatment plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kowalska Ewa

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Excessive growth of filamentous bacteria is a serious problem in many dairy wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs. The objective of the study was to determine whether Lecane inermis rotifers were able to reduce the density of Thiothrix bacteria in activated sludge originating from a dairy WWTP, as well as to identify the impact of rotifers on other organisms in sludge. On a laboratory scale, three experiments were conducted in which activated sludge with a predominance of Thiothrix was inoculated with rotifers at an initial concentration of app. 600 individuals/mL. The results showed that the rotifers, by feeding on the bacterium filaments, are able to reduce significantly the quantity of Thiothrix. A decline in Thiothrix abundance coincided with an improvement of the sedimentation properties of activated sludge. In addition, it was proven that Lecane inermis did not negatively affect the number of Protozoa and Metazoa in activated sludge.

3D Filament Network Segmentation with Multiple Active Contours

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Ting; Vavylonis, Dimitrios; Huang, Xiaolei

2014-03-01

Fluorescence microscopy is frequently used to study two and three dimensional network structures formed by cytoskeletal polymer fibers such as actin filaments and microtubules. While these cytoskeletal structures are often dilute enough to allow imaging of individual filaments or bundles of them, quantitative analysis of these images is challenging. To facilitate quantitative, reproducible and objective analysis of the image data, we developed a semi-automated method to extract actin networks and retrieve their topology in 3D. Our method uses multiple Stretching Open Active Contours (SOACs) that are automatically initialized at image intensity ridges and then evolve along the centerlines of filaments in the network. SOACs can merge, stop at junctions, and reconfigure with others to allow smooth crossing at junctions of filaments. The proposed approach is generally applicable to images of curvilinear networks with low SNR. We demonstrate its potential by extracting the centerlines of synthetic meshwork images, actin networks in 2D TIRF Microscopy images, and 3D actin cable meshworks of live fission yeast cells imaged by spinning disk confocal microscopy.

Comparison of phenanthrene removal by Aspergillus niger ATC 16404 (filamentous fungi) and Pseudomonas putida KT2442 (bacteria) in enriched nutrient-liquid medium

Science.gov (United States)

Hamzah, N.; Kamil, N. A. F. M.; Singhal, N.; Padhye, L.; Swift, S.

2018-04-01

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) is one of the persistent and carcinogenic pollutants that needs to be eliminated from the environment. The study on degradation of PAHs by bacteria is thoroughly discussed in literature. Many strains of bacteria were chosen in order to eliminate the PAHs compound in the environment. However, there are less study on the filamentous fungi although fungi appears to be an abundant population and as dominant group in PAHs contaminated soil habitats [1], [2]. This study was conducted to determine and compare the Phenanthrene (PHE) removal by fungi and bacteria in excessive nutrient-liquid culture. Then, the survival for both strains was investigated in the presence of PHE and finally, the analysis on the fungi-PHE interaction was carried out. In condition of excessive nutrient, the removal of PHE was evaluated for fungi and bacteria in batch experiment for 5 days. PHE removal for A.niger and P.putida were found to be 97% and 20% respectively after 5 days. The presence of PHE was negatively inhibits the grow of the bacteria and the fungus. The PHE uptake mechanism for A.niger was observed to be a passive transport mechanism with 45 μg per g fungus dry weight within 24 hr of incubation. As a conclusion, filamentous fungi have the potent role in the removal of PHE as well as bacteria but depending on the strains and the condition of the environment. Fungi is known to co-metabolize the PHE meanwhile, PHE can be used as sole carbon for bacteria. This preliminary result is significant in understanding the bacteria-fungi-PHE interaction to enhance the degradation of PAHs for co-culture study in the future.

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.

Association of a new type of gliding, filamentous, purple phototrophic bacterium inside bundles of Microcoleus chthonoplastes in hypersaline cyanobacterial mats

Science.gov (United States)

D'Amelio, E. D.; Cohen, Y.; Des Marais, D. J.

1987-01-01

An unidentified filamentous purple bacterium, probably belonging to a new genus or even a new family, is found in close association with the filamentous, mat-forming cyanobacterium Microcoleus chthonoplastes in a hypersaline pond at Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and in Solar Lake, Sinai, Egypt. This organism is a gliding, segmented trichome, 0.8-0.9 micrometer wide. It contains intracytoplasmic stacked lamellae which are perpendicular and obliquely oriented to the cell wall, similar to those described for the purple sulfur bacteria Ectothiorhodospira. These bacteria are found inside the cyanobacterial bundle, enclosed by the cyanobacterial sheath. Detailed transmission electron microscopical analyses carried out in horizontal sections of the upper 1.5 mm of the cyanobacterial mat show this cyanobacterial-purple bacterial association at depths of 300-1200 micrometers, corresponding to the zone below that of maximal oxygenic photosynthesis. Sharp gradients of oxygen and sulfide are established during the day at this microzone in the two cyanobacterial mats studied. The close association, the distribution pattern of this association and preliminary physiological experiments suggest a co-metabolism of sulfur by the two-membered community. This probable new genus of purple bacteria may also grow photoheterotrophically using organic carbon excreted by the cyanobacterium. Since the chemical gradients in the entire photic zone fluctuate widely in a diurnal cycle, both types of metabolism probably take place. During the morning and afternoon, sulfide migrates up to the photic zone allowing photoautotrophic metabolism with sulfide as the electron donor. During the day the photic zone is highly oxygenated and the purple bacteria may either use oxidized species of sulfur such as elemental sulfur and thiosulfate in the photoautotrophic mode or grow photoheterotrophically using organic carbon excreted by M. chthonoplastes. The new type of filamentous purple sulfur

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/).

Motility of electric cable bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerg, Jesper Tataru; Damgaard, Lars Riis; Holm, Simon Agner

2016-01-01

Cable bacteria are filamentous bacteria that electrically couple sulfide oxidation and oxygen reduction at centimeter distances, and observations in sediment environments have suggested that they are motile. By time-lapse microscopy, we found that cable bacteria used gliding motility on surfaces...... with a highly variable speed of 0.50.3 ms1 (meanstandard deviation) and time between reversals of 155108 s. They frequently moved forward in loops, and formation of twisted loops revealed helical rotation of the filaments. Cable bacteria responded to chemical gradients in their environment, and around the oxic......-anoxic interface, they curled and piled up, with straight parts connecting back to the source of sulfide. Thus, it appears that motility serves the cable bacteria in establishing and keeping optimal connections between their distant electron donor and acceptors in a dynamic sediment environment....

Pulling Helices inside Bacteria: Imperfect Helices and Rings

Science.gov (United States)

Allard, Jun F.; Rutenberg, Andrew D.

2009-04-01

We study steady-state configurations of intrinsically-straight elastic filaments constrained within rod-shaped bacteria that have applied forces distributed along their length. Perfect steady-state helices result from axial or azimuthal forces applied at filament ends, however azimuthal forces are required for the small pitches observed for MreB filaments within bacteria. Helix-like configurations can result from distributed forces, including coexistence between rings and imperfect helices. Levels of expression and/or bundling of the polymeric protein could mediate this coexistence.

Growth and nitrate reduction of Beggiatoa filaments studied in enrichment cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kamp, Anja

In this thesis, several aspects of the gliding, filamentous, colourless sulphur bacteria Beggiatoa were investigated. The first part of this thesis addressed the growth mode, breakage of filaments for multiplication, and movement directions of filaments of Beggiatoa. Marine Beggiatoa were enriche...... to ammonium), whereas denitrification was not detected. This study revealed for the first time that a freshwater Beggiatoa strain was capable of intracellular accumulation of nitrate, and that the nitrate was used to perform DNRA....

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.

In situ detection, isolation, and physiological properties of a thin filamentous microorganism abundant in methanogenic granular sludges: a novel isolate affiliated with a clone cluster, the green non-sulfur bacteria, subdivision I.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekiguchi, Y; Takahashi, H; Kamagata, Y; Ohashi, A; Harada, H

2001-12-01

We previously showed that very thin filamentous bacteria affiliated with the division green non-sulfur bacteria were abundant in the outermost layer of thermophilic methanogenic sludge granules fed with sucrose and several low-molecular-weight fatty acids (Y. Sekiguchi, Y. Kamagata, K. Nakamura, A. Ohashi, H. Harada, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:1280-1288, 1999). Further 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) cloning-based analysis revealed that the microbes were classified within a unique clade, green non-sulfur bacteria (GNSB) subdivision I, which contains a number of 16S rDNA clone sequences from various environmental samples but no cultured representatives. To investigate their function in the community and physiological traits, we attempted to isolate the yet-to-be-cultured microbes from the original granular sludge. The first attempt at isolation from the granules was, however, not successful. In the other thermophilic reactor that had been treating fried soybean curd-manufacturing wastewater, we found filamentous microorganisms to outgrow, resulting in the formation of projection-like structures on the surface of granules, making the granules look like sea urchins. 16S rDNA-cloning analysis combined with fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed that the projections were comprised of the uncultured filamentous cells affiliated with the GNSB subdivision I and Methanothermobacter-like cells and the very ends of the projections were comprised solely of the filamentous cells. By using the tip of the projection as the inoculum for primary enrichment, a thermophilic, strictly anaerobic, filamentous bacterium, designated strain UNI-1, was successfully isolated with a medium supplemented with sucrose and yeast extract. The strain was a very slow growing bacterium which is capable of utilizing only a limited range of carbohydrates in the presence of yeast extract and produced hydrogen from these substrates. The growth was found to be significantly stimulated when the strain was

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.

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.

Bacillus subtilis MreB paralogues have different filament architectures and lead to shape remodelling of a heterologous cell system.

Science.gov (United States)

Soufo, Hervé Joël Defeu; Graumann, Peter L

2010-12-01

Like many bacteria, Bacillus subtilis cells contain three actin-like MreB proteins. We show that the three paralogues, MreB, Mbl and MreBH, have different filament architectures in a heterologous cell system, and form straight filaments, helices or ring structures, different from the regular helical arrangement in B. subtilis cells. However, when coexpressed, they colocalize into a single filamentous helical structure, showing that the paralogues influence each other's filament architecture. Ring-like MreBH structures can be converted into MreB-like helical filaments by a single point mutation affecting subunit contacts, showing that MreB paralogues feature flexible filament arrangements. Time-lapse and FRAP experiments show that filaments can extend as well as shrink at both ends, and also show internal rearrangement, suggesting that filaments consist of overlapping bundles of shorter filaments that continuously turn over. Upon induction in Escherichia coli cells, B. subtilis MreB (BsMreB) filaments push the cells into strikingly altered cell morphology, showing that MreB filaments can change cell shape. E. coli cells with a weakened cell wall were ruptured upon induction of BsMreB filaments, suggesting that the bacterial actin orthologue may exert force against the cell membrane and envelope, and thus possibly plays an additional mechanical role in bacteria. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

In Situ Detection, Isolation, and Physiological Properties of a Thin Filamentous Microorganism Abundant in Methanogenic Granular Sludges: a Novel Isolate Affiliated with a Clone Cluster, the Green Non-Sulfur Bacteria, Subdivision I

OpenAIRE

Sekiguchi, Yuji; Takahashi, Hiroki; Kamagata, Yoichi; Ohashi, Akiyoshi; Harada, Hideki

2001-01-01

We previously showed that very thin filamentous bacteria affiliated with the division green non-sulfur bacteria were abundant in the outermost layer of thermophilic methanogenic sludge granules fed with sucrose and several low-molecular-weight fatty acids (Y. Sekiguchi, Y. Kamagata, K. Nakamura, A. Ohashi, H. Harada, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:1280–1288, 1999). Further 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) cloning-based analysis revealed that the microbes were classified within a unique clade, green non...

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.

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.

Succession of cable bacteria and electric currents in marine sediment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schauer, Regina; Risgaard-Petersen, Nils; Kjeldsen, Kasper Urup

2014-01-01

conductivity, we followed a population for 53 days after exposing sulphidic sediment with initially no detectable filaments to oxygen. After 10 days, cable bacteria and electric currents were established throughout the top 15[thinsp]mm of the sediment, and after 21 days the filament density peaked with a total......][mu]m, with a general increase over time and depth, and yet they shared 16S rRNA sequence identity of >98%. Comparison of the increase in biovolume and electric current density suggested high cellular growth efficiency. While the vertical expansion of filaments continued over time and reached 30[thinsp]mm, the electric...... current density and biomass declined after 13 and 21 days, respectively. This might reflect a breakdown of short filaments as their solid sulphide sources became depleted in the top layers of the anoxic zone. In conclusion, cable bacteria combine rapid and efficient growth with oriented movement...

A virulence-associated filamentous bacteriophage of Neisseria meningitidis increases host-cell colonisation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuelle Bille

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Neisseria meningitidis is a commensal of human nasopharynx. In some circumstances, this bacteria can invade the bloodstream and, after crossing the blood brain barrier, the meninges. A filamentous phage, designated MDAΦ for Meningococcal Disease Associated, has been associated with invasive disease. In this work we show that the prophage is not associated with a higher virulence during the bloodstream phase of the disease. However, looking at the interaction of N. meningitidis with epithelial cells, a step essential for colonization of the nasopharynx, we demonstrate that the presence of the prophage, via the production of viruses, increases colonization of encapsulated meningococci onto monolayers of epithelial cells. The analysis of the biomass covering the epithelial cells revealed that meningococci are bound to the apical surface of host cells by few layers of heavily piliated bacteria, whereas, in the upper layers, bacteria are non-piliated but surrounded by phage particles which (i form bundles of filaments, and/or (ii are in some places associated with bacteria. The latter are likely to correspond to growing bacteriophages during their extrusion through the outer membrane. These data suggest that, as the biomass increases, the loss of piliation in the upper layers of the biomass does not allow type IV pilus bacterial aggregation, but is compensated by a large production of phage particles that promote bacterial aggregation via the formation of bundles of phage filaments linked to the bacterial cell walls. We propose that MDAΦ by increasing bacterial colonization in the mucosa at the site-of-entry, increase the occurrence of diseases.

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

Motion of variable-length MreB filaments at the bacterial cell membrane influences cell morphology

OpenAIRE

Reimold, Christian; Defeu Soufo, Herve Joel; Dempwolff, Felix; Graumann, Peter L.

2013-01-01

The maintenance of rod-cell shape in many bacteria depends on actin-like MreB proteins and several membrane proteins that interact with MreB. Using superresolution microscopy, we show that at 50-nm resolution, Bacillus subtilis MreB forms filamentous structures of length up to 3.4 ?m underneath the cell membrane, which run at angles diverging up to 40? relative to the cell circumference. MreB from Escherichia coli forms at least 1.4-?m-long filaments. MreB filaments move along various tracks ...

Iron encrustations on filamentous algae colonized by Gallionella-related bacteria in a metal-polluted freshwater stream

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, J. F.; Neu, T. R.; Lu, S.; Händel, M.; Totsche, K. U.; Küsel, K.

2015-09-01

Filamentous macroscopic algae were observed in slightly acidic to circumneutral (pH 5.9-6.5), metal-rich stream water that leaked out from a former uranium mining district (Ronneburg, Germany). These algae differed in color and morphology and were encrusted with Fe-deposits. To elucidate their potential interaction with Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB), we collected algal samples at three time points during summer 2013 and studied the algae-bacteria-mineral compositions via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, and a 16S and 18S rRNA gene-based bacterial and algae community analysis. Surprisingly, sequencing analysis of 18S rRNA gene regions of green and brown algae revealed high homologies with the freshwater algae Tribonema (99.9-100 %). CLSM imaging indicated a loss of active chloroplasts in the algae cells, which may be responsible for the change in color in oxidation under the putative oxygen-saturated conditions that occur in association with photosynthetic algae. Quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) revealed even higher Gallionella-related 16S rRNA gene copy numbers on the surface of green algae compared to the brown algae. The latter harbored a higher microbial diversity, including some putative predators of algae. A loss of chloroplasts in the brown algae could have led to lower photosynthetic activities and reduced EPS production, which is known to affect predator colonization. Collectively, our results suggest the coexistence of oxygen-generating algae Tribonema sp. and strictly microaerophilic neutrophilic FeOB in a heavy metal-rich environment.

Structural and functional properties of chimeric EspA-FliCi filaments of EPEC.

Science.gov (United States)

Crepin, Valerie F; Martinez, Eric; Shaw, Robert K; Frankel, Gad; Daniell, Sarah J

2008-04-18

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli utilise a filamentous type III secretion system to translocate effector proteins into host gut epithelial cells. The primary constituent of the extracellular component of the filamentous type III secretion system is EspA. This forms a long flexible helical conduit between the bacterium and host and has a structure almost identical to that of the flagella filament. We have inserted the D3 domain of FliCi (from Salmonella typhimurium) into the outer domain of EspA and have studied the structure and function of modified filaments when expressed in an enteropathogenic E. coli espA mutant. We found that the chimeric protein EspA-FliCi filaments were biologically active as they supported protein secretion and translocation [assessed by their ability to trigger actin polymerisation beneath adherent bacteria (fluorescent actin staining test)]. The expressed filaments were recognised by both EspA and FliCi antisera. Visualisation and analysis of the chimeric filaments by electron microscopy after negative staining showed that, remarkably, EspA filaments are able to tolerate a large protein insertion without a significant effect on their helical architecture.

Extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli forms filaments as an initial response to cefotaxime treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Thea S. B.; Sommer, Morten Otto Alexander; Olsen, John E.

2015-01-01

Background: beta-lactams target the peptidoglycan layer in the bacterial cell wall and most beta-lactam antibiotics cause filamentation in susceptible Gram-negative bacteria at low concentrations. The objective was to determine the initial morphological response of cephalosporin resistant CTX-M-1......-producing E. coli to cefotaxime and to determine whether the response depended on the growth phase of the bacterium and the concentration of antibiotic. Results: Two antibiotic resistant strains carrying bla(CTX-M-1) on the chromosome and on an IncI1 plasmid and three sensitive strains were used...... to cefotaxime. The filament formation was restricted to early growth phases and the time the cells grew as filaments was antibiotic concentration dependent. This indicates that antibiotic resistant E. coli undergo the same morphological changes as sensitive bacteria in the presence of beta-lactam antibiotic...

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

The Microworld of Marine-Bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

JØRGENSEN, BB

1995-01-01

Microsensor studies show that the marine environment in the size scale of bacteria is physically and chemically very different from the macroenvironment. The microbial world of the sediment-water interface is thus dominated by water viscosity and steep diffusion gradients. Because of the diverse...... metabolism types, bacteria in the mostly anoxic sea floor play an important role in the major element cycles of the ocean. The communities of giant, filamentous sulfur bacteria that live in the deep-sea hydrothermal vents or along the Pacific coast of South America are presented here as examples....

Understanding how commensal obligate anaerobic bacteria regulate immune functions in the large intestine.

Science.gov (United States)

Maier, Eva; Anderson, Rachel C; Roy, Nicole C

2014-12-24

The human gastrointestinal tract is colonised by trillions of commensal bacteria, most of which are obligate anaerobes residing in the large intestine. Appropriate bacterial colonisation is generally known to be critical for human health. In particular, the development and function of the immune system depends on microbial colonisation, and a regulated cross-talk between commensal bacteria, intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells is required to maintain mucosal immune homeostasis. This homeostasis is disturbed in various inflammatory disorders, such as inflammatory bowel diseases. Several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate a role for Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides fragilis, Akkermansia muciniphila and segmented filamentous bacteria in maintaining intestinal immune homeostasis. These obligate anaerobes are abundant in the healthy intestine but reduced in several inflammatory diseases, suggesting an association with protective effects on human health. However, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the effects of obligate anaerobic intestinal bacteria remains limited, in part due to the difficulty of co-culturing obligate anaerobes together with oxygen-requiring human epithelial cells. By using novel dual-environment co-culture models, it will be possible to investigate the effects of the unstudied majority of intestinal microorganisms on the human epithelia. This knowledge will provide opportunities for improving human health and reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases.

Understanding How Commensal Obligate Anaerobic Bacteria Regulate Immune Functions in the Large Intestine

Science.gov (United States)

Maier, Eva; Anderson, Rachel C.; Roy, Nicole C.

2014-01-01

The human gastrointestinal tract is colonised by trillions of commensal bacteria, most of which are obligate anaerobes residing in the large intestine. Appropriate bacterial colonisation is generally known to be critical for human health. In particular, the development and function of the immune system depends on microbial colonisation, and a regulated cross-talk between commensal bacteria, intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells is required to maintain mucosal immune homeostasis. This homeostasis is disturbed in various inflammatory disorders, such as inflammatory bowel diseases. Several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate a role for Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides fragilis, Akkermansia muciniphila and segmented filamentous bacteria in maintaining intestinal immune homeostasis. These obligate anaerobes are abundant in the healthy intestine but reduced in several inflammatory diseases, suggesting an association with protective effects on human health. However, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the effects of obligate anaerobic intestinal bacteria remains limited, in part due to the difficulty of co-culturing obligate anaerobes together with oxygen-requiring human epithelial cells. By using novel dual-environment co-culture models, it will be possible to investigate the effects of the unstudied majority of intestinal microorganisms on the human epithelia. This knowledge will provide opportunities for improving human health and reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases. PMID:25545102

Spin alignment of dark matter halos in filaments and walls

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aragon-Calvo, Miguel A.; van de Weygaert, Rien; Jones, Bernard J. T.; van der Hulst, J. M.

2007-01-01

The MMF technique is used to segment the cosmic web as seen in a cosmological N-body simulation into wall-like and filament-like structures. We find that the spins and shapes of dark matter halos are significantly correlated with each other and with the orientation of their host structures. The

Spin alignment of dark matter haloes in filaments and walls

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aragón-Calvo, M. A.; Weygaert, R. van de; Jones, B. J. T.; Hulst, T. van der

2006-01-01

Abstract: The MMF technique is used to segment the cosmic web as seen in a cosmological N-body simulation into wall-like and filament-like structures. We find that the spins and shapes of dark matter haloes are significantly correlated with each other and with the orientation of their host

Antimicrobial activity of filamentous fungi isolated from highly antibiotic-contaminated river sediment

Science.gov (United States)

Svahn, K. Stefan; Göransson, Ulf; El-Seedi, Hesham; Bohlin, Lars; Larsson, D.G. Joakim; Olsen, Björn; Chryssanthou, Erja

2012-01-01

Background Filamentous fungi are well known for their production of substances with antimicrobial activities, several of which have formed the basis for the development of new clinically important antimicrobial agents. Recently, environments polluted with extraordinarily high levels of antibiotics have been documented, leading to strong selection pressure on local sentinel bacterial communities. In such microbial ecosystems, where multidrug-resistant bacteria are likely to thrive, it is possible that certain fungal antibiotics have become less efficient, thus encouraging alternative strategies for fungi to compete with bacteria. Methods In this study, sediment of a highly antibiotic-contaminated Indian river was sampled in order to investigate the presence of cultivable filamentous fungi and their ability to produce substances with antimicrobial activity. Results Sixty one strains of filamentous fungi, predominantly various Aspergillus spp. were identified. The majority of the Aspergillus strains displayed antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. Bioassay-guided isolation of the secondary metabolites of A. fumigatus led to the identification of gliotoxin. Conclusion This study demonstrated proof of principle of using bioassay-guided isolation for finding bioactive molecules. PMID:22957125

Antimicrobial activity of filamentous fungi isolated from highly antibiotic-contaminated river sediment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Stefan Svahn

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Filamentous fungi are well known for their production of substances with antimicrobial activities, several of which have formed the basis for the development of new clinically important antimicrobial agents. Recently, environments polluted with extraordinarily high levels of antibiotics have been documented, leading to strong selection pressure on local sentinel bacterial communities. In such microbial ecosystems, where multidrug-resistant bacteria are likely to thrive, it is possible that certain fungal antibiotics have become less efficient, thus encouraging alternative strategies for fungi to compete with bacteria. Methods: In this study, sediment of a highly antibiotic-contaminated Indian river was sampled in order to investigate the presence of cultivable filamentous fungi and their ability to produce substances with antimicrobial activity. Results: Sixty one strains of filamentous fungi, predominantly various Aspergillus spp. were identified. The majority of the Aspergillus strains displayed antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. Bioassay-guided isolation of the secondary metabolites of A. fumigatus led to the identification of gliotoxin. Conclusion: This study demonstrated proof of principle of using bioassay-guided isolation for finding bioactive molecules.

Cable Bacteria in Freshwater Sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risgaard-Petersen, Nils; Kristiansen, Michael; Frederiksen, Rasmus

2015-01-01

In marine sediments cathodic oxygen reduction at the sediment surface can be coupled to anodic sulfide oxidation in deeper anoxic layers through electrical currents mediated by filamentous, multicellular bacteria of the Desulfobulbaceae family, the so-called cable bacteria. Until now, cable...... bacteria have only been reported from marine environments. In this study, we demonstrate that cable bacteria also occur in freshwater sediments. In a first step, homogenized sediment collected from the freshwater stream Giber Å, Denmark, was incubated in the laboratory. After 2 weeks, pH signatures...... marine cable bacteria, with the genus Desulfobulbus as the closest cultured lineage. The results of the present study indicate that electric currents mediated by cable bacteria could be important for the biogeochemistry in many more environments than anticipated thus far and suggest a common evolutionary...

Filamentous sulfur bacteria, Beggiatoa spp., in arctic marine sediments (Svalbard, 79°N)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Bo Barker; Dunker, Rita; Grünke, Stefanie

2010-01-01

in this zone. The total living biomass of Beggiatoa filaments at one study site varied over 3 years between 1.13 and 3.36 g m-2. Because of their large size, Beggiatoa accounted for up to 15% of the total prokaryotic biomass, even though the filament counts at this site were rather low, comprising .../10 000 of the bacterial numbers on a cell basis....

Induction and cultivation of cloned filaments of Polysiphonia urceolata (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jinxia; Shao, Kuishuang; Cheng, Bin; Lu, Qinqin; Zhou, Baicheng

2011-11-01

A filamentous clone of Polysiphonia urceolata was regenerated from segments cut from the fronds of gametophytes. Unlike wild thalli with short virgate branchlets, the clone was filamentous with few branches. Many transparent trichoblasts arose from pericentral cells during the induction culture, but these were seldom observed during normal growth. The trichoblasts were uniseriate, often colorless, and formed lobed rhizoids rapidly when they came into contact with solid substrates. In addition to morphological characteristics, the photosynthetic properties and growth conditions of the clone differed from those of the mother plant. Cross-gradient light and temperature culture experiments revealed that the most favorable conditions for culture of the filamentous clone were 22°C and 95-120 μE/(m2·s) light intensity. The photosynthetic light saturation value for filaments was approx. 100 μE/(m2·s), which is far lower than that of wild thalli. These results could be used to develop techniques for mass cultures of P. urceolata in photobioreactors for production of seed stock or bioactive products.

Motion of variable-length MreB filaments at the bacterial cell membrane influences cell morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Reimold, Christian; Defeu Soufo, Herve Joel; Dempwolff, Felix; Graumann, Peter L

2013-08-01

The maintenance of rod-cell shape in many bacteria depends on actin-like MreB proteins and several membrane proteins that interact with MreB. Using superresolution microscopy, we show that at 50-nm resolution, Bacillus subtilis MreB forms filamentous structures of length up to 3.4 μm underneath the cell membrane, which run at angles diverging up to 40° relative to the cell circumference. MreB from Escherichia coli forms at least 1.4-μm-long filaments. MreB filaments move along various tracks with a maximal speed of 85 nm/s, and the loss of ATPase activity leads to the formation of extended and static filaments. Suboptimal growth conditions lead to formation of patch-like structures rather than extended filaments. Coexpression of wild-type MreB with MreB mutated in the subunit interface leads to formation of shorter MreB filaments and a strong effect on cell shape, revealing a link between filament length and cell morphology. Thus MreB has an extended-filament architecture with the potential to position membrane proteins over long distances, whose localization in turn may affect the shape of the cell wall.

Mineralized remains of morphotypes of filamentous cyanobacteria in carbonaceous meteorites

Science.gov (United States)

Hoover, Richard B.

2005-09-01

The quest for conclusive evidence of microfossils in meteorites has been elusive. Abiotic microstructures, mineral grains, and even coating artifacts may mimic unicellular bacteria, archaea and nanobacteria with simple spherical or rod morphologies (i.e., cocci, diplococci, bacilli, etc.). This is not the case for the larger and more complex microorganisms, colonies and microbial consortia and ecosystems. Microfossils of algae, cyanobacteria, and cyanobacterial and microbial mats have been recognized and described from many of the most ancient rocks on Earth. The filamentous cyanobacteria and sulphur-bacteria have very distinctive size ranges, complex and recognizable morphologies and visibly differentiated cellular microstructures. The taphonomic modes of fossilization and the life habits and processes of these microorganisms often result in distinctive chemical biosignatures associated with carbonization, silicification, calcification, phosphatization and metal-binding properties of their cell-walls, trichomes, sheaths and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Valid biogenicity is provided by the combination of a suite of known biogenic elements (that differ from the meteorite matrix) found in direct association with recognizable and distinct biological features and microstructures (e.g., uniseriate or multiseriate filaments, trichomes, sheaths and cells of proper size/size range); specialized cells (e.g., basal or apical cells, hormogonia, akinetes, and heterocysts); and evidence of growth characteristics (e.g., spiral filaments, robust or thin sheaths, laminated sheaths, true or false branching of trichomes, tapered or uniform filaments) and evidence of locomotion (e.g. emergent cells and trichomes, coiling hormogonia, and hollow or flattened and twisted sheaths). Since 1997 we have conducted Environmental and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM and FESEM) studies of freshly fractured interior surfaces of carbonaceous meteorites, terrestrial

Rapid determination of filamentous microorganisms in activated sludge; Determinacion rapida de microorganismos filamentosos en fangos activados

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arnaiz, C.; Jimenez, C.; Estevez, F. [Empresa Municipal de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento de Aguas de Sevilla (Spain)

1999-07-01

Despite many methods available biomass estimation of a bioprocess may sometimes become laborious and impracticable. Samples containing filamentous organisms, as in Wastewater Treatment Plants, present special counting difficulties. If they are abundant they may need to be estimated separately. In this work a counting method for these organisms is show. The main goal is to improve chlorination of activated sludge suffering bulking or foaming through a quantitative record of filamentous bacteria. (Author) 12 refs.

Fossilization of Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria at Hydrothermal Vents: a Useful Biosignature on Mars?

Science.gov (United States)

Leveille, R. J.; Lui, S.

2009-05-01

Iron oxidizing bacteria are ubiquitous in marine and terrestrial environments on Earth, where they often display distinctive cell morphologies and are commonly encrusted by minerals, especially bacteriogenic iron oxides and silica. Putative microfossils of iron oxidizing bacteria have been found in jaspers as old as 490Ma and microbial iron oxidation may be an ancient metabolic pathway. In order to investigate the usefulness of mineralized iron oxidizing bacteria as a biosignature, we have examined mineral samples collected from relict hydrothermal systems along Explorer Ridge, NE Pacific Ocean. In addition, microaerophilic, neutrophilic iron oxidizing bacteria, isolated from Pacific hydrothermal vents, were grown in a Fe-enriched seawater medium at constant pH (6.5) and oxygen concentration (5 percent) in a controlled bioreactor system. Both natural samples and experimental products were examined with a combination of variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission gun SEM, and in some cases by preparing samples with a focused ion beam (FIB) milling system. Natural seafloor samples display abundant filamentous forms often resembling, in both size and shape, the twisted stalks of Gallionella and the elongated filaments of Leptothrix. Generally, these filamentous features are 1-5 microns in diameter and up to several microns in length. Some samples consist entirely of low- density, porous masses of silica encrusted filamentous forms. Presumably, these masses were formed by a rapid precipitation by the influx of silica-rich fluids into a microbial mat dominated by bacteria with filamentous morphologies. The presence of rare, amorphous (unmineralized) filamentous matter rich in C and Fe suggests that these bacteria were iron oxidizers. There is no evidence that sulfur oxidizers were present. Filamentous features sectioned by FIB milling show internal material within semi-hollow tubular-like features. Silica encrustations also show pseudo

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.

Including the effects of filamentous bulking sludge during the simulation of wastewater treatment plants using a risk assessment model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flores Alsina, Xavier; Comas, J.; Rodriquez-Roda, I.

2009-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate how including the occurrence of filamentous bulking sludge in a secondary clarifier model will affect the predicted process performance during the simulation of WWTPs. The IWA Benchmark Simulation Model No. 2 (BSM2) is hereby used as a simulation...... are automatically changed during the simulation by modifying the settling model parameters to mimic the effect of growth of filamentous bacteria. The simulation results demonstrate that including effects of filamentous bulking in the secondary clarifier model results in a more realistic plant performance...

Characterization of novel bacteriochlorophyll-a-containing red filaments from alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.

Science.gov (United States)

Boomer, S M; Pierson, B K; Austinhirst, R; Castenholz, R W

2000-09-01

Novel red, filamentous, gliding bacteria formed deep red layers in several alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. Filaments contained densely layered intracellular membranes and bacteriochlorophyll a. The in vivo absorption spectrum of the red layer filaments was distinct from other phototrophs, with unusual bacteriochlorophyll a signature peaks in the near-infrared (IR) region (807 nm and 911 nm). These absorption peaks were similar to the wavelengths penetrating to the red layer of the mats as measured with in situ spectroradiometry. The filaments also demonstrated maximal photosynthetic uptake of radiolabeled carbon sources at these wavelengths. The red layer filaments displayed anoxygenic photoheterotrophy, as evidenced by the specific incorporation of acetate, not bicarbonate, and by the absence of oxygen production. Photoheterotrophy was unaffected by sulfide and oxygen, but was diminished by high-intensity visible light. Near-IR radiation supported photoheterotrophy. Morphologically and spectrally similar filaments were observed in several springs in Yellowstone National Park, including Octopus Spring. Taken together, these data suggest that the red layer filaments are most similar to the photoheterotroph, Heliothrix oregonensis. Notable differences include mat position and coloration, absorption spectra, and prominent intracellular membranes.

Evaluation of inhibitory effects of iranian propolis against filamentous bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eshraghi, S.; Valafar, S.

2008-01-01

To investigate the antibacterial activities of propolis in samples collected from Zanjan province Iran, against 25 pathogenic strains of bacteria. In order to evaluate the biological properties of methanol extract of propolis using agar distribution methods (disk and drop plate). Seven concentrations of methanolic extract of propolis were prepared and added drop wise to the bacterial seed layer cultured agar media individually. The diameter of the clear zone formed in each concentration was measured and correlated to the ability of the extracts to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Nocardia asteroides and N. brasiliensis has nearly shown the same susceptibility to various concentrations of propolis extract, and the complete clear zones revealed that this effect was quite remarkable. For other bacteria, different degrees of susceptibility to propolis were observed. We came to this conclusion that zones formed by 50mg/ml Amikacin in agar was similar to that of 5% concentration of propolis, and that the potency of propolis is 80% of Amikacin potency, which is the most effective antibiotic against Nocardia. (author)

Lateral motion and bending of microtubules studied with a new single-filament tracking routine in living cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Pallavicini, Carla; Levi, Valeria; Wetzler, Diana E; Angiolini, Juan F; Benseñor, Lorena; Despósito, Marcelo A; Bruno, Luciana

2014-06-17

The cytoskeleton is involved in numerous cellular processes such as migration, division, and contraction and provides the tracks for transport driven by molecular motors. Therefore, it is very important to quantify the mechanical behavior of the cytoskeletal filaments to get a better insight into cell mechanics and organization. It has been demonstrated that relevant mechanical properties of microtubules can be extracted from the analysis of their motion and shape fluctuations. However, tracking individual filaments in living cells is extremely complex due, for example, to the high and heterogeneous background. We introduce a believed new tracking algorithm that allows recovering the coordinates of fluorescent microtubules with ∼9 nm precision in in vitro conditions. To illustrate potential applications of this algorithm, we studied the curvature distributions of fluorescent microtubules in living cells. By performing a Fourier analysis of the microtubule shapes, we found that the curvatures followed a thermal-like distribution as previously reported with an effective persistence length of ∼20 μm, a value significantly smaller than that measured in vitro. We also verified that the microtubule-associated protein XTP or the depolymerization of the actin network do not affect this value; however, the disruption of intermediate filaments decreased the persistence length. Also, we recovered trajectories of microtubule segments in actin or intermediate filament-depleted cells, and observed a significant increase of their motion with respect to untreated cells showing that these filaments contribute to the overall organization of the microtubule network. Moreover, the analysis of trajectories of microtubule segments in untreated cells showed that these filaments presented a slower but more directional motion in the cortex with respect to the perinuclear region, and suggests that the tracking routine would allow mapping the microtubule dynamical organization in cells

Targeting Antibacterial Agents by Using Drug-Carrying Filamentous Bacteriophages

OpenAIRE

Yacoby, Iftach; Shamis, Marina; Bar, Hagit; Shabat, Doron; Benhar, Itai

2006-01-01

Bacteriophages have been used for more than a century for (unconventional) therapy of bacterial infections, for half a century as tools in genetic research, for 2 decades as tools for discovery of specific target-binding proteins, and for nearly a decade as tools for vaccination or as gene delivery vehicles. Here we present a novel application of filamentous bacteriophages (phages) as targeted drug carriers for the eradication of (pathogenic) bacteria. The phages are genetically modified to d...

Stuttering Min oscillations within E. coli bacteria: a stochastic polymerization model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, Supratim; Derr, Julien; Sain, Anirban; Rutenberg, Andrew D

2012-01-01

We have developed a 3D off-lattice stochastic polymerization model to study the subcellular oscillation of Min proteins in the bacteria Escherichia coli, and used it to investigate the experimental phenomenon of Min oscillation stuttering. Stuttering was affected by the rate of immediate rebinding of MinE released from depolymerizing filament tips (processivity), protection of depolymerizing filament tips from MinD binding and fragmentation of MinD filaments due to MinE. Processivity, protection and fragmentation each reduce stuttering, speed oscillations and MinD filament lengths. Neither processivity nor tip protection were, on their own, sufficient to produce fast stutter-free oscillations. While filament fragmentation could, on its own, lead to fast oscillations with infrequent stuttering; high levels of fragmentation degraded oscillations. The infrequent stuttering observed in standard Min oscillations is consistent with short filaments of MinD, while we expect that mutants that exhibit higher stuttering frequencies will exhibit longer MinD filaments. Increased stuttering rate may be a useful diagnostic to find observable MinD polymerization under experimental conditions. (paper)

Stuttering Min oscillations within E. coli bacteria: a stochastic polymerization model

Science.gov (United States)

Sengupta, Supratim; Derr, Julien; Sain, Anirban; Rutenberg, Andrew D.

2012-10-01

We have developed a 3D off-lattice stochastic polymerization model to study the subcellular oscillation of Min proteins in the bacteria Escherichia coli, and used it to investigate the experimental phenomenon of Min oscillation stuttering. Stuttering was affected by the rate of immediate rebinding of MinE released from depolymerizing filament tips (processivity), protection of depolymerizing filament tips from MinD binding and fragmentation of MinD filaments due to MinE. Processivity, protection and fragmentation each reduce stuttering, speed oscillations and MinD filament lengths. Neither processivity nor tip protection were, on their own, sufficient to produce fast stutter-free oscillations. While filament fragmentation could, on its own, lead to fast oscillations with infrequent stuttering; high levels of fragmentation degraded oscillations. The infrequent stuttering observed in standard Min oscillations is consistent with short filaments of MinD, while we expect that mutants that exhibit higher stuttering frequencies will exhibit longer MinD filaments. Increased stuttering rate may be a useful diagnostic to find observable MinD polymerization under experimental conditions.

Bacterial filamentation accelerates colonization of adhesive spots embedded in biopassive surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Möller, Jens; Emge, Philippe; Vizcarra, Ima Avalos; Kollmannsberger, Philip; Vogel, Viola

2013-01-01

Sessile bacteria adhere to engineered surfaces and host tissues and pose a substantial clinical and economical risk when growing into biofilms. Most engineered and biological interfaces are of chemically heterogeneous nature and provide adhesive islands for bacterial attachment and growth. To mimic either defects in a surface coating of biomedical implants or heterogeneities within mucosal layers (Peyer's patches), we embedded micrometre-sized adhesive islands in a poly(ethylene glycol) biopassive background. We show experimentally and computationally that filamentation of Escherichia coli can significantly accelerate the bacterial surface colonization under physiological flow conditions. Filamentation can thus provide an advantage to a bacterial population to bridge non-adhesive distances exceeding 5 μm. Bacterial filamentation, caused by blocking of bacterial division, is common among bacterial species and can be triggered by environmental conditions or antibiotic treatment. While great awareness exists that the build-up of antibiotic resistance serves as intrinsic survival strategy, we show here that antibiotic treatment can actually promote surface colonization by triggering filamentation, which in turn prevents daughter cells from being washed away. Our combined microfabrication and computational approaches provide quantitative insights into mechanisms that enable biofouling of biopassive surfaces with embedded adhesive spots, even for spot distances that are multiples of the bacterial length. (paper)

Bacterial filamentation accelerates colonization of adhesive spots embedded in biopassive surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Möller, Jens; Emge, Philippe; Avalos Vizcarra, Ima; Kollmannsberger, Philip; Vogel, Viola

2013-12-01

Sessile bacteria adhere to engineered surfaces and host tissues and pose a substantial clinical and economical risk when growing into biofilms. Most engineered and biological interfaces are of chemically heterogeneous nature and provide adhesive islands for bacterial attachment and growth. To mimic either defects in a surface coating of biomedical implants or heterogeneities within mucosal layers (Peyer's patches), we embedded micrometre-sized adhesive islands in a poly(ethylene glycol) biopassive background. We show experimentally and computationally that filamentation of Escherichia coli can significantly accelerate the bacterial surface colonization under physiological flow conditions. Filamentation can thus provide an advantage to a bacterial population to bridge non-adhesive distances exceeding 5 μm. Bacterial filamentation, caused by blocking of bacterial division, is common among bacterial species and can be triggered by environmental conditions or antibiotic treatment. While great awareness exists that the build-up of antibiotic resistance serves as intrinsic survival strategy, we show here that antibiotic treatment can actually promote surface colonization by triggering filamentation, which in turn prevents daughter cells from being washed away. Our combined microfabrication and computational approaches provide quantitative insights into mechanisms that enable biofouling of biopassive surfaces with embedded adhesive spots, even for spot distances that are multiples of the bacterial length.

Dynamic Filament Formation by a Divergent Bacterial Actin-Like ParM Protein.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony J Brzoska

Full Text Available Actin-like proteins (Alps are a diverse family of proteins whose genes are abundant in the chromosomes and mobile genetic elements of many bacteria. The low-copy-number staphylococcal multiresistance plasmid pSK41 encodes ParM, an Alp involved in efficient plasmid partitioning. pSK41 ParM has previously been shown to form filaments in vitro that are structurally dissimilar to those formed by other bacterial Alps. The mechanistic implications of these differences are not known. In order to gain insights into the properties and behavior of the pSK41 ParM Alp in vivo, we reconstituted the parMRC system in the ectopic rod-shaped host, E. coli, which is larger and more genetically amenable than the native host, Staphylococcus aureus. Fluorescence microscopy showed a functional fusion protein, ParM-YFP, formed straight filaments in vivo when expressed in isolation. Strikingly, however, in the presence of ParR and parC, ParM-YFP adopted a dramatically different structure, instead forming axial curved filaments. Time-lapse imaging and selective photobleaching experiments revealed that, in the presence of all components of the parMRC system, ParM-YFP filaments were dynamic in nature. Finally, molecular dissection of the parMRC operon revealed that all components of the system are essential for the generation of dynamic filaments.

A taxonomic framework for cable bacteria and proposal of the candidate genera Electrothrix and Electronema

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trojan, Daniela; Schreiber, Lars; Bjerg, Jesper Tataru

2016-01-01

Cable bacteria are long, multicellular filaments that can conduct electric currents over centimeter-scale distances. All cable bacteria identified to date belong to the deltaproteobacterial family Desulfobulbaceae and have not been isolated in pure culture yet. Their taxonomic delineation and exa...

Dissipative light-bullets in the filamentation of femtosecond pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porras, M.A.; Gonzalo, I.

2010-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. With the growing interest in filamentation in solid and liquid media, the regime of filamentation with anomalous dispersion is receiving more attention. In this work we show that basics aspects of the filament dynamics in this regime can be explained in terms of a novel type of light-bullet, which is not of solitary or of conical types, but a wave-packet that maximizes the energy dissipation into the medium while remaining localized and stationary in propagation. We first show that a nonlinear optical medium at a given carrier wave length at which dispersion is anomalous, supports 'dissipative' light-bullets, i.e., waves localized in space and time and that propagate without change as a result of a balance between nonlinear compression and nonlinear absorption. Among them, the particular dissipative light-bullet with the highest possible dissipation is unique in a given medium, in the sense that all its properties are fixed by the properties of the medium at the carrier wave length. In this light-bullet, self-focusing continuously transports energy towards the pulse center by an amount that just compensates for the nonlinear losses. Figure 1(a) shows the radial profiles of the dissipative light-bullets that maximizes energy dissipation for several orders of multi-photon absorption responsible for the nonlinear losses. We have also found that this dissipative light-bullet tends to be spontaneously formed in the filamentary dynamics in media with anomalous dispersion. Figure 1(b) shows the peak intensity, the total energy and losses of a pulse that undergoes self-focusing and filamentation in an ideal medium with only Kerr nonlinearity and multi-photon absorption. This simple model reproduces the particularly long filament 'segments' and the 'burst' observed in experiments and in more accurate simulations. The peak intensity in the filament is identical to that of the dissipative light-bullet with maximum dissipation, and the

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.

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.

Analysis of 16S libraries of mouse gastrointestinal microflora reveals a large new group of mouse intestinal bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Salzman, Nita H; de Jong, Hendrik; Paterson, Yvonne; Harmsen, Hermie J M; Welling, Gjalt W; Bos, Nicolaas A

2002-11-01

Total genomic DNA from samples of intact mouse small intestine, large intestine, caecum and faeces was used as template for PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene sequences with conserved bacterial primers. Phylogenetic analysis of the amplification products revealed 40 unique 16S rDNA sequences. Of these sequences, 25% (10/40) corresponded to described intestinal organisms of the mouse, including Lactobacillus spp., Helicobacter spp., segmented filamentous bacteria and members of the altered Schaedler flora (ASF360, ASF361, ASF502 and ASF519); 75% (30/40) represented novel sequences. A large number (11/40) of the novel sequences revealed a new operational taxonomic unit (OTU) belonging to the Cytophaga-Flavobacter-Bacteroides phylum, which the authors named 'mouse intestinal bacteria'. 16S rRNA probes were developed for this new OTU. Upon analysis of the novel sequences, eight were found to cluster within the Eubacterium rectale-Clostridium coccoides group and three clustered within the Bacteroides group. One of the novel sequences was distantly related to Verrucomicrobium spinosum and one was distantly related to Bacillus mycoides. Oligonucleotide probes specific for the 16S rRNA of these novel clones were generated. Using a combination of four previously described and four newly designed probes, approximately 80% of bacteria recovered from the murine large intestine and 71% of bacteria recovered from the murine caecum could be identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

Processive motions of MreB micro-filaments coordinate cell wall growth

Science.gov (United States)

Garner, Ethan

2012-02-01

Rod-shaped bacteria elongate by the action of cell-wall synthesis complexes linked to underlying dynamic MreB filaments, but how these proteins function to allow continued elongation as a rod remains unknown. To understand how the movement of these filaments relates to cell wall synthesis, we characterized the dynamics of MreB and the cell wall elongation machinery using high-resolution particle tracking in Bacillus subtilis. We found that both MreB and the elongation machinery move in linear paths across the cell, moving at similar rates (˜20nm / second) and angles to the cell body, suggesting they function as single complexes. These proteins move circumferentially around the cell, principally perpendicular to its length. We find that the motions of these complexes are independent, as they can pause and reverse,and also as nearby complexes move independently in both directions across one surface of the cell. Inhibition of cell wall synthesis with antibiotics or depletions in the cell wall synthesis machinery blocked MreB movement, suggesting that the cell wall synthetic machinery is the motor in this system. We propose that bacteria elongate by the uncoordinated, circumferential movements of synthetic complexes that span the plasma membrane and insert radial hoops of new peptidoglycan during their transit.

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.

Targeting Antibacterial Agents by Using Drug-Carrying Filamentous Bacteriophages

Science.gov (United States)

Yacoby, Iftach; Shamis, Marina; Bar, Hagit; Shabat, Doron; Benhar, Itai

2006-01-01

Bacteriophages have been used for more than a century for (unconventional) therapy of bacterial infections, for half a century as tools in genetic research, for 2 decades as tools for discovery of specific target-binding proteins, and for nearly a decade as tools for vaccination or as gene delivery vehicles. Here we present a novel application of filamentous bacteriophages (phages) as targeted drug carriers for the eradication of (pathogenic) bacteria. The phages are genetically modified to display a targeting moiety on their surface and are used to deliver a large payload of a cytotoxic drug to the target bacteria. The drug is linked to the phages by means of chemical conjugation through a labile linker subject to controlled release. In the conjugated state, the drug is in fact a prodrug devoid of cytotoxic activity and is activated following its dissociation from the phage at the target site in a temporally and spatially controlled manner. Our model target was Staphylococcus aureus, and the model drug was the antibiotic chloramphenicol. We demonstrated the potential of using filamentous phages as universal drug carriers for targetable cells involved in disease. Our approach replaces the selectivity of the drug itself with target selectivity borne by the targeting moiety, which may allow the reintroduction of nonspecific drugs that have thus far been excluded from antibacterial use (because of toxicity or low selectivity). Reintroduction of such drugs into the arsenal of useful tools may help to combat emerging bacterial antibiotic resistance. PMID:16723570

Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kevin Kim, Minyoung; Drescher, Knut; Shun Pak, On; Stone, Howard A; Bassler, Bonnie L

2014-01-01

Biofilms are surface-associated conglomerates of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics. These bacterial communities can cause chronic infections in humans by colonizing, for example, medical implants, heart valves, or lungs. Staphylococcus aureus, a notorious human pathogen, causes some of the most common biofilm-related infections. Despite the clinical importance of S. aureus biofilms, it remains mostly unknown how physical effects, in particular flow, and surface structure influence biofilm dynamics. Here we use model microfluidic systems to investigate how environmental factors, such as surface geometry, surface chemistry, and fluid flow affect biofilm development of S. aureus. We discovered that S. aureus rapidly forms flow-induced, filamentous biofilm streamers, and furthermore if surfaces are coated with human blood plasma, streamers appear within minutes and clog the channels more rapidly than if the channels are uncoated. To understand how biofilm streamer filaments reorient in flows with curved streamlines to bridge the distances between corners, we developed a mathematical model based on resistive force theory of slender filaments. Understanding physical aspects of biofilm formation of S. aureus may lead to new approaches for interrupting biofilm formation of this pathogen. (paper)

MreB filaments align along greatest principal membrane curvature to orient cell wall synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Szwedziak, Piotr; Wong, Felix; Schaefer, Kaitlin; Izoré, Thierry; Renner, Lars D; Holmes, Matthew J; Sun, Yingjie; Bisson-Filho, Alexandre W; Walker, Suzanne; Amir, Ariel; Löwe, Jan

2018-01-01

MreB is essential for rod shape in many bacteria. Membrane-associated MreB filaments move around the rod circumference, helping to insert cell wall in the radial direction to reinforce rod shape. To understand how oriented MreB motion arises, we altered the shape of Bacillus subtilis. MreB motion is isotropic in round cells, and orientation is restored when rod shape is externally imposed. Stationary filaments orient within protoplasts, and purified MreB tubulates liposomes in vitro, orienting within tubes. Together, this demonstrates MreB orients along the greatest principal membrane curvature, a conclusion supported with biophysical modeling. We observed that spherical cells regenerate into rods in a local, self-reinforcing manner: rapidly propagating rods emerge from small bulges, exhibiting oriented MreB motion. We propose that the coupling of MreB filament alignment to shape-reinforcing peptidoglycan synthesis creates a locally-acting, self-organizing mechanism allowing the rapid establishment and stable maintenance of emergent rod shape. PMID:29469806

Antagonistic interactions between filamentous heterotrophs and the cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolf Sarah

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Little is known about interactions between filamentous heterotrophs and filamentous cyanobacteria. Here, interactions between the filamentous heterotrophic bacteria Fibrella aestuarina (strain BUZ 2 and Fibrisoma limi (BUZ 3 with an axenic strain of the autotrophic filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum (SAG 25.82 were studied in mixed cultures under nutrient rich (carbon source present in medium and poor (carbon source absent in medium conditions. Findings F. aestuarina BUZ 2 significantly reduced the cyanobacterial population whereas F. limi BUZ 3 did not. Physical contact between heterotrophs and autotroph was observed and the cyanobacterial cells showed some level of damage and lysis. Therefore, either contact lysis or entrapment with production of extracellular compounds in close vicinity of host cells could be considered as potential modes of action. The supernatants from pure heterotrophic cultures did not have an effect on Nostoc cultures. However, supernatant from mixed cultures of BUZ 2 and Nostoc had a negative effect on cyanobacterial growth, indicating that the lytic compounds were only produced in the presence of Nostoc. The growth and survival of tested heterotrophs was enhanced by the presence of Nostoc or its metabolites, suggesting that the heterotrophs could utilize the autotrophs and its products as a nutrient source. However, the autotroph could withstand and out-compete the heterotrophs under nutrient poor conditions. Conclusions Our results suggest that the nutrients in cultivation media, which boost or reduce the number of heterotrophs, were the important factor influencing the outcome of the interplay between filamentous heterotrophs and autotrophs. For better understanding of these interactions, additional research is needed. In particular, it is necessary to elucidate the mode of action for lysis by heterotrophs, and the possible defense mechanisms of the autotrophs.

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.

Inhibition of cell division in hupA hupB mutant bacteria lacking HU protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Dri, A M; Rouviere-Yaniv, J; Moreau, P L

1991-01-01

Escherichia coli hupA hypB double mutants that lack HU protein have severe cellular defects in cell division, DNA folding, and DNA partitioning. Here we show that the sfiA11 mutation, which alters the SfiA cell division inhibitor, reduces filamentation and production of anucleate cells in AB1157 hupA hupB strains. However, lexA3(Ind-) and sfiB(ftsZ)114 mutations, which normally counteract the effect of the SfiA inhibitor, could not restore a normal morphology to hupA hupB mutant bacteria. The LexA repressor, which controls the expression of the sfiA gene, was present in hupA hupB mutant bacteria in concentrations half of those of the parent bacteria, but this decrease was independent of the specific cleavage of the LexA repressor by activated RecA protein. One possibility to account for the filamentous morphology of hupA hupB mutant bacteria is that the lack of HU protein alters the expression of specific genes, such as lexA and fts cell division genes. Images PMID:2019558

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

StpA and Hha stimulate pausing by RNA polymerase by promoting DNA-DNA bridging of H-NS filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Boudreau, Beth A; Hron, Daniel R; Qin, Liang; van der Valk, Ramon A; Kotlajich, Matthew V; Dame, Remus T; Landick, Robert

2018-06-20

In enterobacteria, AT-rich horizontally acquired genes, including virulence genes, are silenced through the actions of at least three nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs): H-NS, StpA and Hha. These proteins form gene-silencing nucleoprotein filaments through direct DNA binding by H-NS and StpA homodimers or heterodimers. Both linear and bridged filaments, in which NAPs bind one or two DNA segments, respectively, have been observed. Hha can interact with H-NS or StpA filaments, but itself lacks a DNA-binding domain. Filaments composed of H-NS alone can inhibit transcription initiation and, in the bridged conformation, slow elongating RNA polymerase (RNAP) by promoting backtracking at pause sites. How the other NAPs modulate these effects of H-NS is unknown, despite evidence that they help regulate subsets of silenced genes in vivo (e.g. in pathogenicity islands). Here we report that Hha and StpA greatly enhance H-NS-stimulated pausing by RNAP at 20°C. StpA:H-NS or StpA-only filaments also stimulate pausing at 37°C, a temperature at which Hha:H-NS or H-NS-only filaments have much less effect. In addition, we report that both Hha and StpA greatly stimulate DNA-DNA bridging by H-NS filaments. Together, these observations indicate that Hha and StpA can affect H-NS-mediated gene regulation by stimulating bridging of H-NS/DNA filaments.

Bacillus subtilis MreB orthologs self-organize into filamentous structures underneath the cell membrane in a heterologous cell system.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Dempwolff

Full Text Available Actin-like bacterial cytoskeletal element MreB has been shown to be essential for the maintenance of rod cell shape in many bacteria. MreB forms rapidly remodelling helical filaments underneath the cell membrane in Bacillus subtilis and in other bacterial cells, and co-localizes with its two paralogs, Mbl and MreBH. We show that MreB localizes as dynamic bundles of filaments underneath the cell membrane in Drosophila S2 Schneider cells, which become highly stable when the ATPase motif in MreB is modified. In agreement with ATP-dependent filament formation, the depletion of ATP in the cells lead to rapid dissociation of MreB filaments. Extended induction of MreB resulted in the formation of membrane protrusions, showing that like actin, MreB can exert force against the cell membrane. Mbl also formed membrane associated filaments, while MreBH formed filaments within the cytosol. When co-expressed, MreB, Mbl and MreBH built up mixed filaments underneath the cell membrane. Membrane protein RodZ localized to endosomes in S2 cells, but localized to the cell membrane when co-expressed with Mbl, showing that bacterial MreB/Mbl structures can recruit a protein to the cell membrane. Thus, MreB paralogs form a self-organizing and dynamic filamentous scaffold underneath the membrane that is able to recruit other proteins to the cell surface.

Bacillus subtilis MreB orthologs self-organize into filamentous structures underneath the cell membrane in a heterologous cell system.

Science.gov (United States)

Dempwolff, Felix; Reimold, Christian; Reth, Michael; Graumann, Peter L

2011-01-01

Actin-like bacterial cytoskeletal element MreB has been shown to be essential for the maintenance of rod cell shape in many bacteria. MreB forms rapidly remodelling helical filaments underneath the cell membrane in Bacillus subtilis and in other bacterial cells, and co-localizes with its two paralogs, Mbl and MreBH. We show that MreB localizes as dynamic bundles of filaments underneath the cell membrane in Drosophila S2 Schneider cells, which become highly stable when the ATPase motif in MreB is modified. In agreement with ATP-dependent filament formation, the depletion of ATP in the cells lead to rapid dissociation of MreB filaments. Extended induction of MreB resulted in the formation of membrane protrusions, showing that like actin, MreB can exert force against the cell membrane. Mbl also formed membrane associated filaments, while MreBH formed filaments within the cytosol. When co-expressed, MreB, Mbl and MreBH built up mixed filaments underneath the cell membrane. Membrane protein RodZ localized to endosomes in S2 cells, but localized to the cell membrane when co-expressed with Mbl, showing that bacterial MreB/Mbl structures can recruit a protein to the cell membrane. Thus, MreB paralogs form a self-organizing and dynamic filamentous scaffold underneath the membrane that is able to recruit other proteins to the cell surface.

Patterns of Early Gut Colonization Shape Future Immune Responses of the Host

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hansen, C. H. F.; Nielsen, D. S.; Kverka, Miloslav; Zákostelská, Zuzana; Klimešová, Klára; Hudcovic, Tomáš; Tlaskalová-Hogenová, Helena; Hansen, A. K.

2012-01-01

Roč. 7, č. 3 (2012), e34043 E-ISSN 1932-6203 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : SEGMENTED FILAMENTOUS BACTERIA * REGULATORY T-CELLS * MICROBIOTA Subject RIV: EC - Immunology Impact factor: 3.730, year: 2012

Characterization of a filamentous biofilm community established in a cellulose-fed microbial fuel cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hotta Yasuaki

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Microbial fuel cells (MFCs are devices that exploit microorganisms to generate electric power from organic matter. Despite the development of efficient MFC reactors, the microbiology of electricity generation remains to be sufficiently understood. Results A laboratory-scale two-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC was inoculated with rice paddy field soil and fed cellulose as the carbon and energy source. Electricity-generating microorganisms were enriched by subculturing biofilms that attached onto anode electrodes. An electric current of 0.2 mA was generated from the first enrichment culture, and ratios of the major metabolites (e.g., electric current, methane and acetate became stable after the forth enrichment. In order to investigate the electrogenic microbial community in the anode biofilm, it was morphologically analyzed by electron microscopy, and community members were phylogenetically identified by 16S rRNA gene clone-library analyses. Electron microscopy revealed that filamentous cells and rod-shaped cells with prosthecae-like filamentous appendages were abundantly present in the biofilm. Filamentous cells and appendages were interconnected via thin filaments. The clone library analyses frequently detected phylotypes affiliated with Clostridiales, Chloroflexi, Rhizobiales and Methanobacterium. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization revealed that the Rhizobiales population represented rod-shaped cells with filamentous appendages and constituted over 30% of the total population. Conclusion Bacteria affiliated with the Rhizobiales constituted the major population in the cellulose-fed MFC and exhibited unique morphology with filamentous appendages. They are considered to play important roles in the cellulose-degrading electrogenic community.

Ecophysiology of Uncultured Filamentous Anaerobes Belonging to the Phylum KSB3 That Cause Bulking in Methanogenic Granular Sludge▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Takeshi; Kikuchi, Kae; Yamauchi, Toshihiro; Shiraishi, Koji; Ito, Tsukasa; Okabe, Satoshi; Hiraishi, Akira; Ohashi, Akiyoshi; Harada, Hideki; Kamagata, Yoichi; Nakamura, Kazunori; Sekiguchi, Yuji

2011-01-01

A filamentous bulking of a methanogenic granular sludge caused by uncultured filamentous bacteria of the candidate phylum KSB3 in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) system has been reported. To characterize the physiological traits of the filaments, a polyphasic approach consisting of rRNA-based activity monitoring of the KSB3 filaments using the RNase H method and substrate uptake profiling using microautoradiography combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH) was conducted. On the basis of rRNA-based activity, the monitoring of a full-scale UASB reactor operated continuously revealed that KSB3 cells became active and predominant (up to 54% of the total 16S rRNA) in the sludge when the carbohydrate loading to the system increased. Batch experiments with a short incubation of the sludge with maltose, glucose, fructose, and maltotriose at relatively low concentrations (approximately 0.1 mM) in the presence of yeast extract also showed an increase in KSB3 rRNA levels under anaerobic conditions. MAR-FISH confirmed that the KSB3 cells took up radioisotopic carbons from [14C]maltose and [14C]glucose under the same incubation conditions in the batch experiments. These results suggest that one of the important ecophysiological characteristics of KSB3 cells in the sludge is carbohydrate degradation in wastewater and that high carbohydrate loadings may trigger an outbreak of KSB3 bacteria, causing sludge bulking in UASB systems. PMID:21257808

Filamentous Morphology as a Means for Thermophilic Bacteria to Survive Steep Physical and Chemical Gradients in Yellowstone Hot Springs

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Y.; Srivastava, V.; Bulone, V.; Keating, K. M.; Khetani, R. S.; Fields, C. J.; Inskeep, W.; Sanford, R. A.; Yau, P. M.; Imai, B. S.; Hernandez, A. G.; Wright, C.; Band, M.; Cann, I. K.; Ahrén, D.; Fouke, K. W.; Sivaguru, M.; Fried, G.; Fouke, B. W.

2017-12-01

The filamentous heat-loving bacterium Sulfurihydrogenibium yellowstonense makes up more than 90% of the microbial community that inhabits turbulent, dysoxic hot spring outflow channels (66-71°C, 6.2-6.5 pH, 0.5-0.75 m/s flow rate) at Mammoth Hot Spring in Yellowstone National Park. These environments contain abundantly available inorganic substrates (e.g., CO2, sulfide and thiosulfate) and are associated with extensive CaCO3 (travertine) precipitation driven in part by CO2 off-gassing. Evidence from integrated Meta-Omics analyses of DNA, RNA, and proteins (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics) extracted from these S. yellowstonense-dominated communities have detected 1499 non-rRNA open reading frames (ORFs), their transcripts and cognate proteins. During chemoautotrophy and CO2 carbon fixation, chaperons facilitate enzymatic stability and functionalities under elevated temperature. High abundance transcripts and proteins for Type IV pili and exopolysaccharides (EPS) are consistent with S. yellowstonense forming strong (up to 0.5 m) intertwined microbial filaments (fettuccini streamers) composed of linked individual cells that withstand hydrodynamic shear forces and extremely rapid travertine mineralization. Their primary energy source is the oxidation of reduced sulfur (e.g., sulphide, sulfur or thiosulfate) and the simultaneous uptake of extremely low concentrations of dissolved O2 facilitated by bd-type cytochromes. Field observations indicate that the fettuccini microbial filaments build up ridged travertine platforms on the bottom of the springs, parallel to the water flow, where living filaments attach almost exclusively to the top of each ridge. This maximizes their access to miniscule amounts of dissolved oxygen, while optimizing their ability to rapidly form down-flow branched filaments and thus survive in these stressful environments that few other microbes can inhabit.

Regulation of innate and adaptive immunity by the commensal microbiota

OpenAIRE

Jarchum, Irene; Pamer, Eric G.

2011-01-01

The microbial communities that inhabit the intestinal tract are essential for mammalian health. Communication between the microbiota and the host establishes and maintains immune homeostasis, enabling protective immune responses against pathogens while preventing adverse inflammatory responses to harmless commensal microbes. Specific bacteria, such as segmented filamentous bacteria, Clostridium species, and Bacteroides fragilis, are key contributors to immune homeostasis in the gut. The cellu...

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.

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)

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.

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

Image averaging of flexible fibrous macromolecules: the clathrin triskelion has an elastic proximal segment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kocsis, E; Trus, B L; Steer, C J; Bisher, M E; Steven, A C

1991-08-01

We have developed computational techniques that allow image averaging to be applied to electron micrographs of filamentous molecules that exhibit tight and variable curvature. These techniques, which involve straightening by cubic-spline interpolation, image classification, and statistical analysis of the molecules' curvature properties, have been applied to purified brain clathrin. This trimeric filamentous protein polymerizes, both in vivo and in vitro, into a wide range of polyhedral structures. Contrasted by low-angle rotary shadowing, dissociated clathrin molecules appear as distinctive three-legged structures, called "triskelions" (E. Ungewickell and D. Branton (1981) Nature 289, 420). We find triskelion legs to vary from 35 to 62 nm in total length, according to an approximately bell-shaped distribution (mu = 51.6 nm). Peaks in averaged curvature profiles mark hinges or sites of enhanced flexibility. Such profiles, calculated for each length class, show that triskelion legs are flexible over their entire lengths. However, three curvature peaks are observed in every case: their locations define a proximal segment of systematically increasing length (14.0-19.0 nm), a mid-segment of fixed length (approximately 12 nm), and a rather variable end-segment (11.6-19.5 nm), terminating in a hinge just before the globular terminal domain (approximately 7.3 nm diameter). Thus, two major factors contribute to the overall variability in leg length: (1) stretching of the proximal segment and (2) stretching of the end-segment and/or scrolling of the terminal domain. The observed elasticity of the proximal segment may reflect phosphorylation of the clathrin light chains.

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)

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

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

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)

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.

Bubble Formation within Filaments of Melt-Processed Bi2212 wires and its strongly negative effect on the Critical Current Density

CERN Document Server

Kametani, F; Jiang, J; Scheuerlein, C; Malagoli, A; Di Michiel, M; Huang, Y; Miao, H; Parrell, J A; Hellstrom, E E; Larbalestier, D C

2011-01-01

Most studies of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (Bi2212) show that the critical current density Jc is limited by the connectivity of the filaments, but what determines the connectivity is still elusive. Here we report on the role played by filament porosity in limiting Jc. By a microstructural investigation of wires quenched from the melt state, we find that porosity in the unreacted wire agglomerates into bubbles that segment the Bi2212 melt within the filaments into discrete sections. These bubbles do not disappear during subsequent processing because they are only partially filled by Bi2212 grains as the Bi2212 forms on cooling. Correlating the microstructure of quenched wires to their final, fully processed Jc values shows an inverse relation between Jc and bubble density. Bubbles are variable between conductors and perhaps from sample to sample, but they occur frequently and almost completely fill the filament diameter, so they exert a strongly variable but always negative effect on Jc. Bubbles reduce the continuous Bi221...

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....

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.

Molecular transformation, gene cloning, and gene expression systems for filamentous fungi

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Scott E.; Duick, John W.; Redman, Regina S.; Rodriguez, Rusty J.

2001-01-01

This chapter discusses the molecular transformation, gene cloning, and gene expression systems for filamentous fungi. Molecular transformation involves the movement of discrete amounts of DNA into cells, the expression of genes on the transported DNA, and the sustainable replication of the transforming DNA. The ability to transform fungi is dependent on the stable replication and expression of genes located on the transforming DNA. Three phenomena observed in bacteria, that is, competence, plasmids, and restriction enzymes to facilitate cloning, were responsible for the development of molecular transformation in fungi. Initial transformation success with filamentous fungi, involving the complementation of auxotrophic mutants by exposure to sheared genomic DNA or RNA from wt isolates, occurred with low transformation efficiencies. In addition, it was difficult to retrieve complementing DNA fragments and isolate genes of interest. This prompted the development of transformation vectors and methods to increase efficiencies. The physiological studies performed with fungi indicated that the cell wall could be removed to generate protoplasts. It was evident that protoplasts could be transformed with significantly greater efficiencies than walled cells.

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.

Extracellular deoxyribonuclease production by periodontal bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, L J; Chapple, I L C; Wright, H J; Roberts, A; Cooper, P R

2012-08-01

Whilst certain bacteria have long been known to secrete extracellular deoxyribonuclease (DNase), the purpose in microbial physiology was unclear. Recently, however, this enzyme has been demonstrated to confer enhanced virulence, enabling bacteria to evade the host's immune defence of extruded DNA/chromatin filaments, termed neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). As NETs have recently been identified in infected periodontal tissue, the aim of this study was to screen periodontal bacteria for extracellular DNase activity. To determine whether DNase activity was membrane bound or secreted, 34 periodontal bacteria were cultured in broth and on agar plates. Pelleted bacteria and supernatants from broth cultures were analysed for their ability to degrade DNA, with relative activity levels determined using an agarose gel electrophoresis assay. Following culture on DNA-supplemented agar, expression was determined by the presence of a zone of hydrolysis and DNase activity related to colony size. Twenty-seven bacteria, including red and orange complex members Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, Prevotella intermedia, Streptococcus constellatus, Campylobacter rectus and Prevotella nigrescens, were observed to express extracellular DNase activity. Differences in DNase activity were noted, however, when bacteria were assayed in different culture states. Analysis of the activity of secreted DNase from bacterial broth cultures confirmed their ability to degrade NETs. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that DNase activity is a relatively common property of bacteria associated with advanced periodontal disease. Further work is required to determine the importance of this bacterial DNase activity in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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...

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.

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

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.

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

Functional display of platelet-binding VWF fragments on filamentous bacteriophage.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Yee

Full Text Available von Willebrand factor (VWF tethers platelets to sites of vascular injury via interaction with the platelet surface receptor, GPIb. To further define the VWF sequences required for VWF-platelet interaction, a phage library displaying random VWF protein fragments was screened against formalin-fixed platelets. After 3 rounds of affinity selection, DNA sequencing of platelet-bound clones identified VWF peptides mapping exclusively to the A1 domain. Aligning these sequences defined a minimal, overlapping segment spanning P1254-A1461, which encompasses the C1272-C1458 cystine loop. Analysis of phage carrying a mutated A1 segment (C1272/1458A confirmed the requirement of the cystine loop for optimal binding. Four rounds of affinity maturation of a randomly mutagenized A1 phage library identified 10 and 14 unique mutants associated with enhanced platelet binding in the presence and absence of botrocetin, respectively, with 2 mutants (S1370G and I1372V common to both conditions. These results demonstrate the utility of filamentous phage for studying VWF protein structure-function and identify a minimal, contiguous peptide that bind to formalin-fixed platelets, confirming the importance of the VWF A1 domain with no evidence for another independently platelet-binding segment within VWF. These findings also point to key structural elements within the A1 domain that regulate VWF-platelet adhesion.

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.

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.

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.

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

Visualization of channels connecting cells in filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Omairi-Nasser, Amin; Haselkorn, Robert; Austin, Jotham

2014-07-01

Cyanobacteria, formerly called blue-green algae, are abundant bacteria that carry out green plant photosynthesis, fixing CO2 and generating O2. Many species can also fix N2 when reduced nitrogen sources are scarce. Many studies imply the existence of intracellular communicating channels in filamentous cyanobacteria, in particular, the nitrogen-fixing species. In a species such as Anabaena, growth in nitrogen-depleted medium, in which ∼10% of the cells differentiate into anaerobic factories for nitrogen fixation (heterocysts), requires the transport of amino acids from heterocysts to vegetative cells, and reciprocally, the transport of sugar from vegetative cells to heterocysts. Convincing physical evidence for such channels has been slim. Using improved preservation of structure by high-pressure rapid freezing of samples for electron microscopy, coupled with high-resolution 3D tomography, it has been possible to visualize and measure the dimensions of channels that breach the peptidoglycan between vegetative cells and between heterocysts and vegetative cells. The channels appear to be straight tubes, 21 nm long and 14 nm in diameter for the latter and 12 nm long and 12 nm in diameter for the former.-Omairi-Nasser, A., Haselkorn, R., Austin, J. II. Visualization of channels connecting cells in filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. © FASEB.

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.

Sphaerotilus natans, a neutrophilic iron-related filamentous bacterium : mechanisms of uranium scavenging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seder-Colomina, Marina

2014-01-01

Heavy metals and radionuclides are present in some ecosystems worldwide due to natural contaminations or anthropogenic activities. The use of microorganisms to restore those polluted ecosystems, a process known as bioremediation, is of increasing interest, especially under near-neutral pH conditions. Iron minerals encrusting neutrophilic iron-related bacteria, especially Bacterio-genic Iron Oxides (BIOS), have a poorly crystalline structure, which in addition to their large surface area and reactivity make them excellent scavengers for inorganic pollutants. In this PhD work we studied the different mechanisms of uranium scavenging by the neutrophilic bacterium Sphaerotilus natans, chosen as a model bacterium for iron-related sheath-forming filamentous microorganisms. S. natans can grow as single cells and filaments. The latter were used to investigate U(VI) bio-sorption and U(VI) sorption onto BIOS. In addition, uranium sorption onto the abiotic analogues of such iron minerals was assessed. In order to use S. natans filaments for U(VI) scavenging, it was necessary to identify factors inducing S. natans filamentation. The influence of oxygen was ascertained by using molecular biology techniques and our results revealed that while saturated oxygen conditions resulted in single cell growth, a moderate oxygen depletion to ∼ 3 mg O 2 .L -1 led to the desired filamentous growth of S. natans. BIOS attached to S. natans filaments as well as the abiotic analogues were analysed by XAS at Fe K-edge. Both materials were identified as amorphous iron(III) phosphates with a small component of Fe(II), with a high reactivity towards scavenging of inorganic pollutants. In addition, EXAFS at the U LIII-edge revealed a common structure for the O shells, while those for P, Fe and C were different for each sorbent. An integrated approach combining experimental techniques and speciation calculations made it possible to describe U(VI) adsorption isotherms by using a surface complexation

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.

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.

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...

Self-assembly of designed supramolecular magnetic filaments of different shapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novak, E.V. [Ural Federal University, Lenin Av. 51, Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Rozhkov, D.A., E-mail: d.a.rozhkov@gmail.com [Ural Federal University, Lenin Av. 51, Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Sanchez, P.A. [University of Vienna, Sensengasse 8, Vienna (Austria); Kantorovich, S.S. [Ural Federal University, Lenin Av. 51, Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); University of Vienna, Sensengasse 8, Vienna (Austria)

2017-06-01

In the present work we study via molecular dynamics simulations filaments of ring and linear shape. Filaments are made of magnetic nanoparticles, possessing a point dipole in their centres. Particles in filaments are crosslinked in a particular way, so that the deviation of the neighbouring dipoles from the head-to-tail orientation is penalised by the bond. We show how the conformation of a single chain and ring filament changes on cooling for different lengths. We also study filament pairs, by fixing filaments at a certain distance and analysing the impact of inter-filament interaction on the equilibrium configurations. Our study opens a perspective to investigate the dispersions of filaments, both theoretically and numerically, by using effective potentials. - Highlights: • Single filament study. • Magnetic particles crosslinked in chains and rings. • Magnetic filament interactions.

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)

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.

Use of thermophilic bacteria for bioremediation of petroleum contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Maghrabi, I.M.A.; Bin Aqil, A.O.; Chaalal, O.; Islam, M.R.

1999-01-01

Several strains of thermophilic bacteria were isolated from the environment of the United Arab Emirates. These bacteria show extraordinary resistance to heat and have their maximum growth rate around 60--80 C. This article investigates the potential of using these facultative bacteria for both in situ and ex situ bioremediation of petroleum contaminants. In a series of batch experiments, bacterial growth was observed using a computer image analyzer following a recently developed technique. These experiments showed clearly that the growth rate is enhanced in the presence of crude oil. This is coupled with a rapid degradation of the crude oil. These bacteria were found to be ideal for breaking down long-chain organic molecules at a temperature of 40 C, which is the typical ambient temperature of the Persian Gulf region. The same strains of bacteria are also capable of surviving in the presence of the saline environment that can prevail in both sea water and reservoir connate water. This observation prompted further investigation into the applicability of the bacteria in microbial enhanced oil recovery. In the United Arab Emirates, the reservoirs are typically at a temperature of around 85 C. Finally, the performance of the bacteria is tested in a newly developed bioreactor that uses continuous aeration through a transverse slotted pipe. This reactor also uses mixing without damaging the filamentous bacteria. In this process, the mechanisms of bioremediation are identified

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

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.

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...

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.

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 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.

Molecular Studies of Filamentous and Biofilm-Forming Hyperthermophilic Communities in Yellowstone National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Summons, R. E.; Meyer-Dombard, D. R.; Bradley, A. S.; Dibbell, A. K.; Fredricks, H. F.; Hinrichs, K.; Jahnke, L. L.; Shock, E.; Amend, J. P.

2005-12-01

The Aquificales, the most deeply-branching order of Bacteria in the phylogenetic tree of life, comprises eight recognized thermophilic genera, including Aquifex, Hydrogenobacter, and Thermocrinis. The common metabolism for these Bacteria, when grown in culture, is the oxidation of hydrogen with molecular oxygen (Knallgas reaction). Aquificales have been identified by molecular techniques (16S rRNA gene surveys, fluorescent in situ hybridization) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), sea vent chimneys and fluids, and many other terrestrial and marine locations. In situ, Aquificales can reside as biofilms on vent sinters but they also commonly form filamentous communities, otherwise known as pink streamers, which attach to solid substrates. Initial 16S rRNA gene surveys conducted on streamer communities from Octopus Spring YNP indicated that these were low diversity ecosystems dominated by a few phylotypes including Thermocrinis sp., Thermotoga sp. and one other bacterial clade (Reysenbach et al 1994). Archaea were notable for their absence. In one of the first geobiological studies of pink streamers and vent biofilms in Yellowstone National Park, Jahnke and coworkers (2001) used classical lipidological techniques to compare Aquificales cultures with environmental samples to show that YNP pink filaments were more phylogenetically diverse and physiologically more complex than the early genomic studies indicated. The presence of archaeol, the range and structures of other lipids and a wide dispersion in the carbon isotopic signatures of biomass and individual lipids (-15 to -27%) showed that Archaea were present in pink filament communities and that there was, at least, one additional bacterial group besides the dominant Aquificales component. New molecular studies that comprise analyses of 16S rRNA genes and total lipid extracts by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry and chemical degradation with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry now show that Crenarchaea

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.

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)

Physical principles of filamentous protein self-assembly kinetics

Science.gov (United States)

Michaels, Thomas C. T.; Liu, Lucie X.; Meisl, Georg; Knowles, Tuomas P. J.

2017-04-01

The polymerization of proteins and peptides into filamentous supramolecular structures is an elementary form of self-organization of key importance to the functioning biological systems, as in the case of actin biofilaments that compose the cellular cytoskeleton. Aberrant filamentous protein self-assembly, however, is associated with undesired effects and severe clinical disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, which, at the molecular level, are associated with the formation of certain forms of filamentous protein aggregates known as amyloids. Moreover, due to their unique physicochemical properties, protein filaments are finding extensive applications as biomaterials for nanotechnology. With all these different factors at play, the field of filamentous protein self-assembly has experienced tremendous activity in recent years. A key question in this area has been to elucidate the microscopic mechanisms through which filamentous aggregates emerge from dispersed proteins with the goal of uncovering the underlying physical principles. With the latest developments in the mathematical modeling of protein aggregation kinetics as well as the improvement of the available experimental techniques it is now possible to tackle many of these complex systems and carry out detailed analyses of the underlying microscopic steps involved in protein filament formation. In this paper, we review some classical and modern kinetic theories of protein filament formation, highlighting their use as a general strategy for quantifying the molecular-level mechanisms and transition states involved in these processes.

Polymorphic transformation of helical flagella of bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Sookkyung; Howard Berg Collaboration; William Ko Collaboration; Yongsam Kim Collaboration; Wanho Lee Collaboration; Charles Peskin Collaboration

2016-11-01

Bacteria such as E. coli swim in an aqueous environment by utilizing the rotation of flagellar motors and alternate two modes of motility, runs and tumbles. Runs are steady forward swimming driven by bundles of flagellar filaments whose motors are turning CCW; tumbles involve a reorientation of the direction of swimming triggered by motor reversals. During tumbling, the helical flagellum undergoes polymorphic transformations, which is a local change in helical pitch, helical radius, and handedness. In this work, we investigate the underlying mechanism of structural conformation and how this polymorphic transition plays a role in bacterial swimming. National Science Foundation.

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

Association of nuisance filamentous algae Cladophora spp. with E. coli and Salmonella in public beach waters: impacts of UV protection on bacterial survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Beckinghausen, Aubrey; Martinez, Alexia; Blersch, David; Haznedaroglu, Berat Z

2014-05-01

This study investigated whether filamentous algal species commonly found in nearshore public beach water systems provide protection from natural UV to bacteria present in the same environmental settings. To test this hypothesis, Cladophora spp., a filamentous nuisance algae group causing undesired water quality in the Great Lakes region was selected and its interactions with a non-pathogenic indicator organism Escherichia coli and a pathogenic strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium were tested. In laboratory microcosms where the lake environment and natural sunlight conditions were simulated, a 7-log removal of E. coli was observed in only six hours of exposure to UV with an initial seed concentration of 10(3) CFU mL(-1). With the presence of algae, the same log removal was achieved in 16 hours. At higher seed concentrations of 10(5) CFU mL(-1), E. coli survived for two days with an extended survival up to 11 days in the presence of Cladophora spp. S. typhimurium has shown more resilient survival profiles, with the same log removals achieved in 14 and 20 days for low and high seed concentrations respectively, in the absence of algae. Cladophora spp. caused extended protection for S. typhimurium with much less log reductions reported. Algae-mediated protection from UV irradiation was attributed to certain organic carbon exuded from Cladophora spp. In addition, confocal microscopy images confirmed close interaction between bacteria and algae, more prominent with thin filamentous Cladophora spp.

Nearest patch matching for color image segmentation supporting neural network classification in pulmonary tuberculosis identification

Science.gov (United States)

Rulaningtyas, Riries; Suksmono, Andriyan B.; Mengko, Tati L. R.; Saptawati, Putri

2016-03-01

Pulmonary tuberculosis is a deadly infectious disease which occurs in many countries in Asia and Africa. In Indonesia, many people with tuberculosis disease are examined in the community health center. Examination of pulmonary tuberculosis is done through sputum smear with Ziehl - Neelsen staining using conventional light microscope. The results of Ziehl - Neelsen staining will give effect to the appearance of tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in red color and sputum background in blue color. The first examination is to detect the presence of TB bacteria from its color, then from the morphology of the TB bacteria itself. The results of Ziehl - Neelsen staining in sputum smear give the complex color images, so that the clinicians have difficulty when doing slide examination manually because it is time consuming and needs highly training to detect the presence of TB bacteria accurately. The clinicians have heavy workload to examine many sputum smear slides from the patients. To assist the clinicians when reading the sputum smear slide, this research built computer aided diagnose with color image segmentation, feature extraction, and classification method. This research used K-means clustering with patch technique to segment digital sputum smear images which separated the TB bacteria images from the background images. This segmentation method gave the good accuracy 97.68%. Then, feature extraction based on geometrical shape of TB bacteria was applied to this research. The last step, this research used neural network with back propagation method to classify TB bacteria and non TB bacteria images in sputum slides. The classification result of neural network back propagation are learning time (42.69±0.02) second, the number of epoch 5000, error rate of learning 15%, learning accuracy (98.58±0.01)%, and test accuracy (96.54±0.02)%.

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)].

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.

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.

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.

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.

Physical principles of filamentous protein self-assembly kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michaels, Thomas C T; Liu, Lucie X; Meisl, Georg; Knowles, Tuomas P J

2017-01-01

The polymerization of proteins and peptides into filamentous supramolecular structures is an elementary form of self-organization of key importance to the functioning biological systems, as in the case of actin biofilaments that compose the cellular cytoskeleton. Aberrant filamentous protein self-assembly, however, is associated with undesired effects and severe clinical disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, which, at the molecular level, are associated with the formation of certain forms of filamentous protein aggregates known as amyloids. Moreover, due to their unique physicochemical properties, protein filaments are finding extensive applications as biomaterials for nanotechnology. With all these different factors at play, the field of filamentous protein self-assembly has experienced tremendous activity in recent years. A key question in this area has been to elucidate the microscopic mechanisms through which filamentous aggregates emerge from dispersed proteins with the goal of uncovering the underlying physical principles. With the latest developments in the mathematical modeling of protein aggregation kinetics as well as the improvement of the available experimental techniques it is now possible to tackle many of these complex systems and carry out detailed analyses of the underlying microscopic steps involved in protein filament formation. In this paper, we review some classical and modern kinetic theories of protein filament formation, highlighting their use as a general strategy for quantifying the molecular-level mechanisms and transition states involved in these processes. (topical review)

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

Isolation of Corynebacterium Xerosis from Jordanian Soil and a Study on its Antimicrobial Activity against a Range of Bacteria and Fungi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Banna, Nasser

2004-01-01

A bacterial strain which has been identified as Corneybacterium Xerosis NB-2 was isolated from a soil sample from Jerash Private University, Jerash, Jordan. This isolate was found to produce an antimicrobial substance active only against filamentous fungi and yeasts (Aspergillus niger SQ 40, Fusarium oxysporium SQ11, Verticillium dahliae SQ 42, Saccharomyces SQ 46 and Candida albicans SQ 47). However, all tested gram-positive bacteria and gram negative bacteria (Bacillus megaterium SQ5, Bacillus cereus SQ6, Staphylococcus aureus SQ9, Streptococcus pyogens SQ10, Eschericshia coli SQ 22, Klepsiella spp SQ33 and SQ33 and Pseudonomas mallei SQ 34) were found to be resistant. In batch culture, the isolated NB-2 produced the antimicrobial substance late in the growth phase and antimicrobial activity of Corynebacterium Xerosis against filamentous fungi and yeasts which was not previously described. (author)

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.

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.

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.

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)

Magnetosome chain superstructure in uncultured magnetotactic bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abraçado, Leida G; Farina, Marcos; Abreu, Fernanda; Keim, Carolina N; Lins, Ulysses; Campos, Andrea P C

2010-01-01

Magnetotactic bacteria produce magnetosomes, which are magnetic particles enveloped by biological membranes, in a highly controlled mineralization process. Magnetosomes are used to navigate in magnetic fields by a phenomenon called magnetotaxis. Two levels of organization and control are recognized in magnetosomes. First, magnetotactic bacteria create a spatially distinct environment within vesicles defined by their membranes. In the vesicles, the bacteria control the size, composition and purity of the mineral content of the magnetic particles. Unique crystal morphologies are produced in magnetosomes as a consequence of this bacterial control. Second, magnetotactic bacteria organize the magnetosomes in chains within the cell body. It has been shown in a particular case that the chains are positioned within the cell body in specific locations defined by filamentous cytoskeleton elements. Here, we describe an additional level of organization of the magnetosome chains in uncultured magnetotactic cocci found in marine and freshwater sediments. Electron microscopy analysis of the magnetosome chains using a goniometer showed that the magnetic crystals in both types of bacteria are not oriented at random along the crystal chain. Instead, the magnetosomes have specific orientations relative to the other magnetosomes in the chain. Each crystal is rotated either 60°, 180° or 300° relative to their neighbors along the chain axis, causing the overlapping of the (1 1 1) and (1-bar 1-bar 1-bar) capping faces of neighboring crystals. We suggest that genetic determinants that are not present or active in bacteria with magnetosomes randomly rotated within a chain must be present in bacteria that organize magnetosomes so precisely. This particular organization may also be used as an indicative biosignature of magnetosomes in the study of magnetofossils in the cases where this symmetry is observed

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Detection of bioactive exometabolites produced by the filamentous marine cyanobacterium Geitlerinema sp.

Science.gov (United States)

Caicedo, Nelson H; Kumirska, Jolanta; Neumann, Jennifer; Stolte, Stefan; Thöming, Jorg

2012-08-01

Marine cyanobacteria are noted for their ability to excrete metabolites with biotic properties. This paper focuses on such exometabolites obtained from the culture of the marine filamentous cyanobacterium Geitlerinema sp. strain, their purification and subsequent analyses. By this means the recoveries of the active compounds, a prerequisite for properly determining their concentration, are quantified here for the first time. We demonstrate a new procedure using Amberlite XAD-1180 resin in combination with the eluent isopropanol for extraction of the culture media and gas chromatography as simplified chemical analysis. This procedure reduced necessary bacteria cultivation time (from 150 to 21 days) at low volumes of culture media (300 mL) required for identification of two selected bioactive compounds: 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl and harmane.

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.

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.

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...

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 ...

Cryo-EM Structure Determination Using Segmented Helical Image Reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fromm, S A; Sachse, C

2016-01-01

Treating helices as single-particle-like segments followed by helical image reconstruction has become the method of choice for high-resolution structure determination of well-ordered helical viruses as well as flexible filaments. In this review, we will illustrate how the combination of latest hardware developments with optimized image processing routines have led to a series of near-atomic resolution structures of helical assemblies. Originally, the treatment of helices as a sequence of segments followed by Fourier-Bessel reconstruction revealed the potential to determine near-atomic resolution structures from helical specimens. In the meantime, real-space image processing of helices in a stack of single particles was developed and enabled the structure determination of specimens that resisted classical Fourier helical reconstruction and also facilitated high-resolution structure determination. Despite the progress in real-space analysis, the combination of Fourier and real-space processing is still commonly used to better estimate the symmetry parameters as the imposition of the correct helical symmetry is essential for high-resolution structure determination. Recent hardware advancement by the introduction of direct electron detectors has significantly enhanced the image quality and together with improved image processing procedures has made segmented helical reconstruction a very productive cryo-EM structure determination method. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biofilm comprising phototrophic, diazotrophic, and hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria: a promising consortium in the bioremediation of aquatic hydrocarbon pollutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Bader, Dhia; Kansour, Mayada K; Rayan, Rehab; Radwan, Samir S

2013-05-01

Biofilms harboring simultaneously anoxygenic and oxygenic phototrophic bacteria, diazotrophic bacteria, and hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria were established on glass slides suspended in pristine and oily seawater. Via denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis on PCR-amplified rRNA gene sequence fragments from the extracted DNA from biofilms, followed by band amplification, biofilm composition was determined. The biofilms contained anoxygenic phototrophs belonging to alphaproteobacteria; pico- and filamentous cyanobacteria (oxygenic phototrophs); two species of the diazotroph Azospirillum; and two hydrocarbon-utilizing gammaproteobacterial genera, Cycloclasticus and Oleibacter. The coexistence of all these microbial taxa with different physiologies in the biofilm makes the whole community nutritionally self-sufficient and adequately aerated, a condition quite suitable for the microbial biodegradation of aquatic pollutant hydrocarbons.

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.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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...

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

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.

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)

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...

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

The interbranchial lymphoid tissue of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L) extends as a diffuse mucosal lymphoid tissue throughout the trailing edge of the gill filament

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalum, Alf S; Austbø, Lars; Bjørgen, Håvard

2015-01-01

in all gill segments investigated. Numerous major histocompatibility complex class II(+) -cells were distributed uniformly throughout the filament epithelial tissue. Few Ig(+) -cells were detected. Overall, the morphological features and comparable immune gene expression of the previously described ILT......The teleost gill forms an extensive, semipermeable barrier that must tolerate intimate contact with the surrounding environment and be able to protect the body from external pathogens. The recent discovery of the interbranchial lymphoid tissue (ILT) has initiated an anatomical and functional...... investigation of the lymphoid tissue of the salmonid gill. In this article, sectioning of gill arches in all three primary planes revealed an elongation of the ILT outward along the trailing edge of the primary filament to the very distal end, a finding not previously described. This newly found lymphoid tissue...

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...

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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)

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

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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)

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)

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)

Screening of antibiotic susceptibility to β-lactam-induced elongation of Gram-negative bacteria based on dielectrophoresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Cheng-Che; Cheng, I-Fang; Chen, Hung-Mo; Kan, Heng-Chuan; Yang, Wen-Horng; Chang, Hsien-Chang

2012-04-03

We demonstrate a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) based on the changes in dielectrophoretic (DEP) behaviors related to the β-lactam-induced elongation of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) on a quadruple electrode array (QEA). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) can be determined within 2 h by observing the changes in the positive-DEP frequency (pdf) and cell length of GNB under the cefazolin (CEZ) treatment. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and the CEZ are used as the sample bacteria and antibiotic respectively. The bacteria became filamentous due to the inhibition of cell wall synthesis and cell division and cell lysis occurred for the higher antibiotic dose. According to the results, the pdfs of wild type bacteria decrease to hundreds of kHz and the cell length is more than 10 μm when the bacterial growth is inhibited by the CEZ treatment. In addition, the growth of wild type bacteria and drug resistant bacteria differ significantly. There is an obvious decrease in the number of wild type bacteria but not in the number of drug resistant bacteria. Thus, the drug resistance of GNB to β-lactam antibiotics can be rapidly assessed. Furthermore, the MIC determined using dielectrophoresis-based AST (d-AST) was consistent with the results of the broth dilution method. Utilizing this approach could reduce the time needed for bacteria growth from days to hours, help physicians to administer appropriate antibiotic dosages, and reduce the possibility of the occurrence of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria.

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.

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.

Bioleaching of electronic waste using bacteria isolated from the marine sponge Hymeniacidon heliophila (Porifera).

Science.gov (United States)

Rozas, Enrique E; Mendes, Maria A; Nascimento, Claudio A O; Espinosa, Denise C R; Oliveira, Renato; Oliveira, Guilherme; Custodio, Marcio R

2017-05-05

The bacteria isolated from Hymeniacidon heliophila sponge cells showed bioleaching activity. The most active strain, Hyhel-1, identified as Bacillus sp., was selected for bioleaching tests under two different temperatures, 30°C and 40°C, showing rod-shaped cells and filamentous growth, respectively. At 30°C, the bacteria secreted substances which linked to the leached copper, and at 40°C metallic nanoparticles were produced inside the cells. In addition, infrared analysis detected COOH groups and linear peptides in the tested bacteria at both temperatures. The Hyhel-1 strain in presence of electronic waste (e-waste) induced the formation of crust, which could be observed due to bacteria growing on the e-waste fragment. SEM-EDS measurements showed that the bacterial net surface was composed mostly of iron (16.1% w/w), while a higher concentration of copper was observed in the supernatant (1.7% w/w) and in the precipitated (49.8% w/w). The substances linked to copper in the supernatant were sequenced by MALDI-TOF-ms/ms and identified as macrocyclic surfactin-like peptides, similar to the basic sequence of Iturin, a lipopeptide from Bacillus subtilis. Finally, the results showed that Hyhel-1 is a bioleaching bacteria and cooper nanoparticles producer and that this bacteria could be used as a copper recovery tool from electronic waste. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Morphology and rheology in filamentous cultivations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wucherpfennig, T; Kiep, K A; Driouch, H; Wittmann, C; Krull, R

2010-01-01

Because of their metabolic diversity, high production capacity, secretion efficiency, and capability of carrying out posttranslational modifications, filamentous fungi are widely exploited as efficient cell factories in the production of metabolites, bioactive substances, and native or heterologous proteins, respectively. There is, however, a complex relationship between the morphology of these microorganisms, transport phenomena, the viscosity of the cultivation broth, and related productivity. The morphological characteristics vary between freely dispersed mycelia and distinct pellets of aggregated biomass, every growth form having a distinct influence on broth rheology. Hence, the advantages and disadvantages for mycelial or pellet cultivation have to be balanced out carefully. Because of the still inadequate understanding of the morphogenesis of filamentous microorganisms, fungal morphology is often a bottleneck of productivity in industrial production. To obtain an optimized production process, it is of great importance to gain a better understanding of the molecular and cell biology of these microorganisms as well as the relevant approaches in biochemical engineering. In this chapter, morphology and growth of filamentous fungi are described, with special attention given to specific problems as they arise from fungal growth forms; growth and mass transfer in fungal biopellets are discussed as an example. To emphasize the importance of the flow behavior of filamentous cultivation broths, an introduction to rheology is also given, reviewing important rheological models and recent studies concerning rheological parameters. Furthermore, current knowledge on morphology and productivity in relation to the environom is outlined in the last section of this review. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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.

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

Design and Optimization of Filament Wound Composite Pressure Vessels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zu, L.

2012-01-01

One of the most important issues for the design of filament-wound pressure vessels reflects on the determination of the most efficient meridian profiles and related fiber architectures, leading to optimal structural performance. To better understand the design and optimization of filament-wound

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.

Josephson plasma resonance in vortex filament state of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Yuji; Gaifullin, M.B.

1996-01-01

High temperature superconductors have the crystalline structure in which two-dimensional CuO 2 planes are piled in layers, consequently, the anisotropy of electroconductivity arises, and this brings about stable and low energy Josephson plasma in superconducting state. Also as to the vortex filament state of high temperature superconductors, the effect of thermal fluctuation due to low dimensionality, short coherence length and high transition temperature becomes conspicuous. In reality, these plasma and vortex filament state are related closely. Light reflection and plasma edge in superconducting state, Josephson plasma resonance in the vortex filament state of BiO 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ , the plasma vibration in Josephson junction, Josephson plasma in magnetic field, Josephson plasma in the liquid state of vortex filament, Josephson plasma in the solid state of vortex filament, and Josephson plasma in parallel magnetic field are reported. The Josephson plasma resonance is the experimental means for exploring vortex filament state from microscopic standpoint, and its development hereafter is expected. (K.I.)

The versatility of hot-filament activated chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, Lothar; Hoefer, Markus; Kroeger, Roland

2006-01-01

In the field of activated chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of polycrystalline diamond films, hot-filament activation (HF-CVD) is widely used for applications where large deposition areas are needed or three-dimensional substrates have to be coated. We have developed processes for the deposition of conductive, boron-doped diamond films as well as for tribological crystalline diamond coatings on deposition areas up to 50 cm x 100 cm. Such multi-filament processes are used to produce diamond electrodes for advanced electrochemical processes or large batches of diamond-coated tools and parts, respectively. These processes demonstrate the high degree of uniformity and reproducibility of hot-filament CVD. The usability of hot-filament CVD for diamond deposition on three-dimensional substrates is well known for CVD diamond shaft tools. We also develop interior diamond coatings for drawing dies, nozzles, and thread guides. Hot-filament CVD also enables the deposition of diamond film modifications with tailored properties. In order to adjust the surface topography to specific applications, we apply processes for smooth, fine-grained or textured diamond films for cutting tools and tribological applications. Rough diamond is employed for grinding applications. Multilayers of fine-grained and coarse-grained diamond have been developed, showing increased shock resistance due to reduced crack propagation. Hot-filament CVD is also used for in situ deposition of carbide coatings and diamond-carbide composites, and the deposition of non-diamond, silicon-based films. These coatings are suitable as diffusion barriers and are also applied for adhesion and stress engineering and for semiconductor applications, respectively

3D Evolution of a Filament Disappearance Event Observed by STEREO

Science.gov (United States)

Gosain, S.; Schmieder, B.; Venkatakrishnan, P.; Chandra, R.; Artzner, G.

2009-10-01

A filament disappearance event was observed on 22 May 2008 during our recent campaign JOP 178. The filament, situated in the Southern Hemisphere, showed sinistral chirality consistent with the hemispheric rule. The event was well observed by several observatories, in particular by THEMIS. One day, before the disappearance, Hα observations showed up- and down-flows in adjacent locations along the filament, which suggest plasma motions along twisted flux rope. THEMIS and GONG observations show shearing photospheric motions leading to magnetic flux canceling around barbs. STEREO A, B spacecraft with separation angle 52.4°, showed quite different views of this untwisting flux rope in He ii 304 Å images. Here, we reconstruct the three-dimensional geometry of the filament during its eruption phase using STEREO EUV He ii 304 Å images and find that the filament was highly inclined to the solar normal. The He ii 304 Å movies show individual threads, which oscillate and rise to an altitude of about 120 Mm with apparent velocities of about 100 km s-1 during the rapid evolution phase. Finally, as the flux rope expands into the corona, the filament disappears by becoming optically thin to undetectable levels. No CME was detected by STEREO, only a faint CME was recorded by LASCO at the beginning of the disappearance phase at 02:00 UT, which could be due to partial filament eruption. Further, STEREO Fe xii 195 Å images showed bright loops beneath the filament prior to the disappearance phase, suggesting magnetic reconnection below the flux rope.

Process for the production of superconductor containing filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tuominen, Olli P. (Candler, NC); Hoyt, Matthew B. (Arden, NC); Mitchell, David F. (Asheville, NC); Morgan, Carol W. (Asheville, NC); Roberts, Clyde Gordon (Asheville, NC); Tyler, Robert A. (Canton, NC)

2002-01-01

Superconductor containing filaments having embedments of superconducting material surrounded by a rayon matrix are formed by preparing a liquid suspension which contains at least 10 weight percent superconducting material; forming a multicomponent filament having a core of the suspension and a viscose sheath which contains cellulose xanthate; and thereafter, regenerating cellulose from the cellulose xanthate to form a rayon matrix.

High-Resolution Observations of a Filament showing Activated Barb

Science.gov (United States)

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

2012-07-01

Analysis of a filament showing an activated barb using observations from the Dutch Open Telescope (DOT) on 2010 August 20 are presented. The DOT takes Doppler images in Hα, among other wavelengths, in a region about 110 × 110 arcsec^{2} in area, at a cadence of 30~seconds. The offline image restoration technique of speckle reconstruction is applied to obtain diffraction limited images. The filament developed a new barb in 10~minutes, which disappeared within the next 35~minutes. Such a rapid formation and disappearance of a filament barb is unusual, and has not been reported earlier. Line-of-sight velocity maps were constructed from the Doppler images of the target filament. We observe flows in the filament spine towards the barb location prior to its formation, and flows in the barb towards the spine during its disappearance. Photospheric magnetograms from Heliospheric Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, at a cadence of 45~seconds, were used to determine the changes in magnetic flux in the region surrounding the barb location. The variation of magnetic flux in this duration supports the view that barbs are rooted in minor magnetic polarity. Our analysis shows that barbs can be short-lived and formation and disappearance of the barb was associated with cancellation of magnetic flux.

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

Cultural characteristics of chromium resistant filamentous cyanobacteria isolated from local environment in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hameed, A.; Hasnain, S.

2005-01-01

Many filamentous cyanobacteria were isolated from different places: fields, ponds, polluted water and soils from Muredkey and Kasur tanneries area, near Lahore, Pakistan. Different media like BG 11 medium, Bold Basal medium, Chu's number 10 medium, Gorham's medium and modified SAG medium, in standard forms and with slight variations of ingredients, different pH, temperature and light regimes were checked for the optimum growth of isolates. The isolation procedure was repeated with different concentrations of chromium to select the resistant strains, These selected strains grew on chromium of range 100-200 micro gml/sup -1/ in BG 11 medium. Cyanobacteria were maintained in solid and in liquid media with/without shaking. Cyanobacterial strains were collected from natural habitats that were accompanied by a diversified group of organisms including bacteria, protozoan and rotifers etc. In order to eliminate these agents termed as contaminants, we used several methods including phenol treatment, use of antibiotic and careful manual picking of filamentous cyanobacteria. Resistance of these strains against different heavy metal (ZnSO/sub 4/, MnSO/sub 4/, NiSO/sub 4/, CoCl/sub 2/, Pb (NO/sub 3/)/sub 3/, CuSO/sub 4/, HgCl/sub 2/, AgNO/sub 3/ and CdCl/sub 2/) and antibiotics (erythromycin, streptomycin, kanamycin, chloramphenicol and neomycin) was evolved. Optimum temperature was 35 deg. C with pH 9 for the reduction of Cr (VI) in to Cr (III) in majority. (author)

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.

Avian influenza a virus budding morphology: spherical or filamentous?

Science.gov (United States)

Most strains of influenza A virus (IAV) can produce long (µm length) filamentous virus particles as well as ~100 nm diameter spherical virions. The function of the filamentous particles is unclear but is hypothesized to facilitate transmission within or from the respiratory tract. In mammalian IAVs,...

Sensitivity of RF-driven Plasma Filaments to Trace Gases

Science.gov (United States)

Burin, M. J.; Czarnocki, C. J.; Czarnocki, K.; Zweben, S. J.; Zwicker, A.

2011-10-01

Filamentary structures have been observed in many types of plasma discharges in both natural (e.g. lightning) and industrial systems (e.g. dielectric barrier discharges). Recent progress has been made in characterizing these structures, though various aspects of their essential physics remain unclear. A common example of this phenomenon can be found within a toy plasma globe (or plasma ball), wherein a primarily neon gas mixture near atmospheric pressure clearly and aesthetically displays filamentation. Recent work has provided the first characterization of these plasma globe filaments [Campanell et al., Physics of Plasmas 2010], where it was noticed that discharges of pure gases tend not to produce filaments. We have extended this initial work to investigate in greater detail the dependence of trace gases on filamentation within a primarily Neon discharge. Our preliminary results using a custom globe apparatus will be presented, along with some discussion of voltage dependencies. Newly supported by the NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering.

The self-assembly, elasticity, and dynamics of cardiac thin filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Tassieri, M; Evans, R M L; Barbu-Tudoran, L; Trinick, J; Waigh, T A

2008-03-15

Solutions of intact cardiac thin filaments were examined with transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and particle-tracking microrheology. The filaments self-assembled in solution with a bell-shaped distribution of contour lengths that contained a population of filaments of much greater length than the in vivo sarcomere size ( approximately 1 mum) due to a one-dimensional annealing process. Dynamic semiflexible modes were found in DLS measurements at fast timescales (12.5 ns-0.0001 s). The bending modulus of the fibers is found to be in the range 4.5-16 x 10(-27) Jm and is weakly dependent on calcium concentration (with Ca2+ > or = without Ca2+). Good quantitative agreement was found for the values of the fiber diameter calculated from transmission electron microscopy and from the initial decay of DLS correlation functions: 9.9 nm and 9.7 nm with and without Ca2+, respectively. In contrast, at slower timescales and high polymer concentrations, microrheology indicates that the cardiac filaments act as short rods in solution according to the predictions of the Doi-Edwards chopsticks model (viscosity, eta approximately c(3), where c is the polymer concentration). This differs from the semiflexible behavior of long synthetic actin filaments at comparable polymer concentrations and timescales (elastic shear modulus, G' approximately c(1.4), tightly entangled) and is due to the relative ratio of the contour lengths ( approximately 30). The scaling dependence of the elastic shear modulus on the frequency (omega) for cardiac thin filaments is G' approximately omega(3/4 +/- 0.03), which is thought to arise from flexural modes of the filaments.

A CIRCULAR-RIBBON SOLAR FLARE FOLLOWING AN ASYMMETRIC FILAMENT ERUPTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Chang; Deng, Na; Lee, Jeongwoo; Wang, Haimin [Space Weather Research Laboratory, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102-1982 (United States); Liu, Rui [CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Pariat, Étienne [LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Universits, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, F-92190 Meudon (France); Wiegelmann, Thomas [Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 3, D-37077 Göttingen (Germany); Liu, Yang [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 (United States); Kleint, Lucia, E-mail: chang.liu@njit.edu [University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Bahnhofstrasse 6, 5210 Windisch (Switzerland)

2015-10-20

The dynamic properties of flare ribbons and the often associated filament eruptions can provide crucial information on the flaring coronal magnetic field. This Letter analyzes the GOES-class X1.0 flare on 2014 March 29 (SOL2014-03-29T17:48), in which we found an asymmetric eruption of a sigmoidal filament and an ensuing circular flare ribbon. Initially both EUV images and a preflare nonlinear force-free field model show that the filament is embedded in magnetic fields with a fan-spine-like structure. In the first phase, which is defined by a weak but still increasing X-ray emission, the western portion of the sigmoidal filament arches upward and then remains quasi-static for about five minutes. The western fan-like and the outer spine-like fields display an ascending motion, and several associated ribbons begin to brighten. Also found is a bright EUV flow that streams down along the eastern fan-like field. In the second phase that includes the main peak of hard X-ray (HXR) emission, the filament erupts, leaving behind two major HXR sources formed around its central dip portion and a circular ribbon brightened sequentially. The expanding western fan-like field interacts intensively with the outer spine-like field, as clearly seen in running difference EUV images. We discuss these observations in favor of a scenario where the asymmetric eruption of the sigmoidal filament is initiated due to an MHD instability and further facilitated by reconnection at a quasi-null in corona; the latter is in turn enhanced by the filament eruption and subsequently produces the circular flare ribbon.

Blowout Surge due to Interaction between a Solar Filament and Coronal Loops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Haidong; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Yang, Bo; Xu, Zhe; Bi, Yi; Hong, Junchao; Chen, Hechao [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 396 Yangfangwang, Guandu District, Kunming, 650216 (China); Qu, Zhining, E-mail: lhd@ynao.ac.cn [Department of Physics, School of Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China)

2017-06-20

We present an observation of the interaction between a filament and the outer spine-like loops that produces a blowout surge within one footpoint of large-scale coronal loops on 2015 February 6. Based the observation of the AIA 304 and 94 Å, the activated filament is initially embedded below a dome of a fan-spine configuration. Due to the ascending motion, the erupting filament reconnects with the outer spine-like field. We note that the material in the filament blows out along the outer spine-like field to form the surge with a wider spire, and a two-ribbon flare appears at the site of the filament eruption. In this process, small bright blobs appear at the interaction region and stream up along the outer spine-like field and down along the eastern fan-like field. As a result, a leg of the filament becomes radial and the material in it erupts, while another leg forms the new closed loops. Our results confirm that the successive reconnection occurring between the erupting filament and the coronal loops may lead to a strong thermal/magnetic pressure imbalance, resulting in a blowout surge.

EVIDENCE OF FILAMENT UPFLOWS ORIGINATING FROM INTENSITY OSCILLATIONS ON THE SOLAR SURFACE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Wenda; Goode, Philip R.; Ning, Zongjun; Yurchyshyn, Vasyl; Ji Haisheng

2010-01-01

A filament footpoint rooted in an active region (NOAA 11032) was well observed for about 78 minutes with the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory on 2009 November 18 in Hα ±0.75 A. This data set had high cadence (∼15 s) and high spatial resolution (∼0.''1) and offered a unique opportunity to study filament dynamics. As in previous findings from space observations, several dark intermittent upflows were identified, and they behave in groups at isolated locations along the filament. However, we have two new findings. First, we find that the dark upflows propagating along the filament channel are strongly associated with the intensity oscillations on the solar surface around the filament footpoints. The upflows start at the same time as the peak in the oscillations, illustrating that the upflow velocities are well correlated with the oscillations. Second, the intensity of one of the seven upflows detected in our data set exhibits a clear periodicity when the upflow propagates along the filament. The periods gradually vary from ∼10 to ∼5 minutes. Our results give observational clues on the driving mechanism of the upflows in the filament.

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.

A first approach to filament dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, P E S; De Abreu, F Vistulo; Dias, R G; Simoes, R

2010-01-01

Modelling elastic filament dynamics is a topic of high interest due to the wide range of applications. However, it has reached a high level of complexity in the literature, making it unaccessible to a beginner. In this paper we explain the main steps involved in the computational modelling of the dynamics of an elastic filament. We first derive equations governing the dynamics of an elastic lament suitable for a computer simulation implementation. The derivation starts from the relation between forces and potential energy in conservative systems in order to derive the equation of motion of any bead in the filament. Only two-dimensional movements are considered, but extensions to three dimensions can follow similar lines. Suggestions for computer implementations are provided in Matlab as well as an example of application related to the generation of musical sounds. This example allows a critical analysis of the numerical results obtained using a cross-disciplinary perspective. Since derivations start from basic physics equations, use simple calculus and computational implementations are straightforward, this paper proposes a different approach to introduce simple molecular dynamics simulations or animations of real systems in undergraduate elasticity or computer modelling courses.

Delayed Failure of Hi-Nicalon and Hi-Nicalon S Multi-filament Tows and Single Filaments at Intermediate Temperatures (500 degrees-800 degrees C)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauthier, W.; Lamon, J.

2009-01-01

Previous results have shown that tows of SiC Nicalon fibers are sensitive to the phenomenon of delayed failure, at temperatures below 700 C. The present paper examines the static fatigue of Hi-Nicalon and Hi-Nicalon S when subjected to constant load, at temperatures between 500 and 800 C in air. Multi-filament tows and single filaments were tested. Experimental data show that the rupture times of tows depend on the applied stress according to the conventional power law tσ n =A. In contrast, the stress-rupture time data obtained on single filaments exhibit significant scatter. A model based on slow crack growth in single filaments shows that the stress-rupture of fiber tows follows the conventional time power law. The dependence on temperature was introduced. The model allowed sound calculations of tow lifetimes and characteristics of the slow crack growth phenomenon to be extracted from the tow stress-rupture time data. (authors)

Analysis of the axial filaments of Treponema hyodysenteriae by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting.

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, K A; Sellwood, R; Lemcke, R M; Burrows, M R; Lysons, R J

1989-06-01

Purified axial filaments from eight serotypes of Treponema hyodysenteriae and two non-pathogenic intestinal spirochaetes were characterized by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Axial filaments of all ten strains had similar SDS-PAGE profiles; five major axial filament polypeptides were identified, with molecular masses of 43.8, 38, 34.8, 32.8 and 29.4 kDa. Hyperimmune gnotobiotic pig serum raised against purified axial filaments of strain P18A (serotype 4) cross-reacted with all other serotypes and with the non-pathogens, and convalescent serum taken from a pig with persistent swine dysentery also showed a strong response to the axial filament polypeptides. Hyperimmune gnotobiotic pig serum raised against axial filaments failed to agglutinate viable organisms and did not inhibit growth in vitro. Hence, the axial filaments of T. hyodysenteriae have been identified as major immunodominant antigens, although the role that antibodies to these antigens play in protection has yet to be established.

Filament instability under constant loads

Science.gov (United States)

Monastra, A. G.; Carusela, M. F.; D’Angelo, M. V.; Bruno, L.

2018-04-01

Buckling of semi-flexible filaments appears in different systems and scales. Some examples are: fibers in geophysical applications, microtubules in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells and deformation of polymers freely suspended in a flow. In these examples, instabilities arise when a system’s parameter exceeds a critical value, being the Euler force the most known. However, the complete time evolution and wavelength of buckling processes are not fully understood. In this work we solve analytically the time evolution of a filament under a constant compressive force in the small amplitude approximation. This gives an insight into the variable force scenario in terms of normal modes. The evolution is highly sensitive to the initial configuration and to the magnitude of the compressive load. This model can be a suitable approach to many different real situations.

Intermediate Filaments as Organizers of Cellular Space: How They Affect Mitochondrial Structure and Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, Nicole; Leube, Rudolf E

2016-07-05

Intermediate filaments together with actin filaments and microtubules form the cytoskeleton, which is a complex and highly dynamic 3D network. Intermediate filaments are the major mechanical stress protectors but also affect cell growth, differentiation, signal transduction, and migration. Using intermediate filament-mitochondrial crosstalk as a prominent example, this review emphasizes the importance of intermediate filaments as crucial organizers of cytoplasmic space to support these functions. We summarize observations in different mammalian cell types which demonstrate how intermediate filaments influence mitochondrial morphology, subcellular localization, and function through direct and indirect interactions and how perturbations of these interactions may lead to human diseases.

Structures of actin-like ParM filaments show architecture of plasmid-segregating spindles.

Science.gov (United States)

Bharat, Tanmay A M; Murshudov, Garib N; Sachse, Carsten; Löwe, Jan

2015-07-02

Active segregation of Escherichia coli low-copy-number plasmid R1 involves formation of a bipolar spindle made of left-handed double-helical actin-like ParM filaments. ParR links the filaments with centromeric parC plasmid DNA, while facilitating the addition of subunits to ParM filaments. Growing ParMRC spindles push sister plasmids to the cell poles. Here, using modern electron cryomicroscopy methods, we investigate the structures and arrangements of ParM filaments in vitro and in cells, revealing at near-atomic resolution how subunits and filaments come together to produce the simplest known mitotic machinery. To understand the mechanism of dynamic instability, we determine structures of ParM filaments in different nucleotide states. The structure of filaments bound to the ATP analogue AMPPNP is determined at 4.3 Å resolution and refined. The ParM filament structure shows strong longitudinal interfaces and weaker lateral interactions. Also using electron cryomicroscopy, we reconstruct ParM doublets forming antiparallel spindles. Finally, with whole-cell electron cryotomography, we show that doublets are abundant in bacterial cells containing low-copy-number plasmids with the ParMRC locus, leading to an asynchronous model of R1 plasmid segregation.

Diversity, Localization, and Physiological Properties of Filamentous Microbes Belonging to Chloroflexi Subphylum I in Mesophilic and Thermophilic Methanogenic Sludge Granules

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Takeshi; Sekiguchi, Yuji; Imachi, Hiroyuki; Kamagata, Yoichi; Ohashi, Akiyoshi; Harada, Hideki

2005-01-01

We previously reported that the thermophilic filamentous anaerobe Anaerolinea thermophila, which is the first cultured representative of subphylum I of the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi, not only was one of the predominant constituents of thermophilic sludge granules but also was a causative agent of filamentous sludge bulking in a thermophilic (55°C) upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor in which high-strength organic wastewater was treated (Y. Sekiguchi, H. Takahashi, Y. Kamagata, A. Ohashi, and H. Harada, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:5740-5749, 2001). To further elucidate the ecology and function of Anaerolinea-type filamentous microbes in UASB sludge granules, we surveyed the diversity, distribution, and physiological properties of Chloroflexi subphylum I microbes residing in UASB granules. Five different types of mesophilic and thermophilic UASB sludge were used to analyze the Chloroflexi subphylum I populations. 16S rRNA gene cloning-based analyses using a 16S rRNA gene-targeted Chloroflexi-specific PCR primer set revealed that all clonal sequences were affiliated with the Chloroflexi subphylum I group and that a number of different phylotypes were present in each clone library, suggesting the ubiquity and vast genetic diversity of these populations in UASB sludge granules. Subsequent fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of the three different types of mesophilic sludge granules using a Chloroflexi-specific probe suggested that all probe-reactive cells had a filamentous morphology and were widely distributed within the sludge granules. The FISH observations also indicated that the Chloroflexi subphylum I bacteria were not always the predominant populations within mesophilic sludge granules, in contrast to thermophilic sludge granules. We isolated two mesophilic strains and one thermophilic strain belonging to the Chloroflexi subphylum I group. The physiological properties of these isolates suggested that these populations may contribute to the

Effects of carbon concentration and filament number on advanced internal Mg infiltration-processed MgB2 strands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, G Z; Sumption, M D; Zwayer, J B; Susner, M A; Collings, E W; Rindfleisch, M A; Thong, C J; Tomsic, M J

2013-01-01

In this paper we show that an advanced internal Mg infiltration method (AIMI) is effective in producing superconducting wires containing dense MgB 2 layers with high critical current densities. The in-field critical current densities of a series of AIMI-fabricated MgB 2 strands were investigated in terms of C doping levels, heat treatment (HT) time and filament numbers. The highest layer J c for our monofilamentary AIMI strands was 1.5 × 10 5 A cm −2 at 10 T, 4.2 K, when the C concentration was 3 mol% and the strand was heat-treated at 675 ° C for 4 h. Transport critical currents were also measured at 4.2 K on short samples and 1 m segments of 18-filament C doped AIMI strands. The layer J c s reached 4.3 × 10 5 A cm −2 at 5 T and 7.1 × 10 4 A cm −2 at 10 T, twice as high as those of the best powder-in-tube strands. The analysis of these results indicates that the AIMI strands, possessing both high layer J c s and engineering J e s after further optimization, have strong potential for commercial applications. (paper)

A Bipolar Spindle of Antiparallel ParM Filaments Drives Bacterial Plasmid Segregation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gayathri, P; Fujii, T; Møller-Jensen, Jakob

2012-01-01

the spindle between ParRC complexes on sister plasmids. Using a combination of structural work and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we show that ParRC bound and could accelerate growth at only one end of polar ParM filaments, mechanistically resembling eukaryotic formins. The architecture...... of ParM filaments enabled two ParRC-bound filaments to associate in an antiparallel orientation, forming a bipolar spindle. The spindle elongated as a bundle of at least two antiparallel filaments, thereby pushing two plasmid clusters toward the poles....

Role of Tellurite Resistance Operon in Filamentous Growth of Yersinia pestis in Macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Clinkenbeard, Kenneth D

2015-01-01

Yersinia pestis initiates infection by parasitism of host macrophages. In response to macrophage infections, intracellular Y. pestis can assume a filamentous cellular morphology which may mediate resistance to host cell innate immune responses. We previously observed the expression of Y. pestis tellurite resistance proteins TerD and TerE from the terZABCDE operon during macrophage infections. Others have observed a filamentous response associated with expression of tellurite resistance operon in Escherichia coli exposed to tellurite. Therefore, in this study we examine the potential role of Y. pestis tellurite resistance operon in filamentous cellular morphology during macrophage infections. In vitro treatment of Y. pestis culture with sodium tellurite (Na2TeO3) caused the bacterial cells to assume a filamentous phenotype similar to the filamentous phenotype observed during macrophage infections. A deletion mutant for genes terZAB abolished the filamentous morphologic response to tellurite exposure or intracellular parasitism, but without affecting tellurite resistance. However, a terZABCDE deletion mutant abolished both filamentous morphologic response and tellurite resistance. Complementation of the terZABCDE deletion mutant with terCDE, but not terZAB, partially restored tellurite resistance. When the terZABCDE deletion mutant was complemented with terZAB or terCDE, Y. pestis exhibited filamentous morphology during macrophage infections as well as while these complemented genes were being expressed under an in vitro condition. Further in E. coli, expression of Y. pestis terZAB, but not terCDE, conferred a filamentous phenotype. These findings support the role of Y. pestis terZAB mediation of the filamentous response phenotype; whereas, terCDE confers tellurite resistance. Although the beneficial role of filamentous morphological responses by Y. pestis during macrophage infections is yet to be fully defined, it may be a bacterial adaptive strategy to macrophage

Enzymatic and antagonistic potential of bacteria isolated from typical fruit of Cerrado in Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Ferreira Silva

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Brazil has great biodiversity, which is observed in the Cerrado biome of the tropical Brazilian savanna. The objectives of this study were to isolate and identify bacteria from Psychotria hoffmannseggiana with potential cellulase and pectinase production and with antagonistic activity against Aspergillus carbonarius, an Ochratoxin A (OTA producer. Ripe fruit were collected in the region of Passos City in the preserved Cerrado area in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Serial dilutions were performed, and the bacteria isolated were biochemically characterized and identified by sequencing. To analyze the production of enzymes, the bacteria were cultivated in CMC and pectinase media. The better enzyme producers were optimized for production. Assays on the antagonistic activity for growth and sporulation were carried out in co-culture (bacteria and filamentous fungi. TLC was performed to verify the mycotoxin production. The predominant microbiota were Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Some isolates showed potential for enzymatic and antagonistic activity, especially the isolate identified as Lysinibacillus fusiformis. This species was a better producer of cellulases (maximum activity: 103.1 mg glucose min.-1 mg-1 protein. In conclusion, the bacteria isolated from Psychotria hoffmannseggiana showed biotechnological potential for agro-industry and the environmental aspect.

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

Filament Channel Formation, Eruption, and Jet Generation

Science.gov (United States)

DeVore, C. Richard; Antiochos, Spiro K.; Karpen, Judith T.

2017-08-01

The mechanism behind filament-channel formation is a longstanding mystery, while that underlying the initiation of coronal mass ejections and jets has been studied intensively but is not yet firmly established. In previous work, we and collaborators have investigated separately the consequences of magnetic-helicity condensation (Antiochos 2013) for forming filament channels (Zhao et al. 2015; Knizhnik et al. 2015, 2017a,b) and of the embedded-bipole model (Antiochos 1996) for generating reconnection-driven jets (Pariat et al. 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016; Wyper et al. 2016, 2017). Now we have taken a first step toward synthesizing these two lines of investigation. Our recent study (Karpen et al. 2017) of coronal-hole jets with gravity and wind employed an ad hoc, large-scale shear flow at the surface to introduce magnetic free energy and form the filament channel. In this effort, we replace the shear flow with an ensemble of local rotation cells, to emulate the Sun’s ever-changing granules and supergranules. As in our previous studies, we find that reconnection between twisted flux tubes within the closed-field region concentrates magnetic shear and free energy near the polarity inversion line, forming the filament channel. Onset of reconnection between this field and the external, unsheared, open field releases stored energy to drive the impulsive jet. We discuss the results of our new simulations with implications for understanding solar activity and space weather.

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.

Magnetic structure of an activated filament in a flaring active region

Science.gov (United States)

Sasso, C.; Lagg, A.; Solanki, S. K.

2014-01-01

Aims: While the magnetic field in quiescent prominences has been widely investigated, less is known about the field in activated prominences. We report observational results on the magnetic field structure of an activated filament in a flaring active region. In particular, we studied its magnetic structure and line-of-sight flows during its early activated phase, shortly before it displayed signs of rotation. Methods: We inverted the Stokes profiles of the chromospheric He i 10 830 Å triplet and the photospheric Si i 10 827 Å line observed in this filament by the Vacuum Tower Telescope on Tenerife. Using these inversion results, we present and interpret the first maps of the velocity and magnetic field obtained in an activated filament, both in the photosphere and the chromosphere. Results: Up to five different magnetic components are found in the chromospheric layers of the filament, while outside the filament a single component is sufficient to reproduce the observations. Magnetic components displaying an upflow are preferentially located towards the centre of the filament, while the downflows are concentrated along its periphery. Moreover, the upflowing gas is associated with an opposite-polarity magnetic configuration with respect to the photosphere, while the downflowing gas is associated with a same-polarity configuration. Conclusions: The activated filament has a very complex structure. Nonetheless, it is compatible with a flux rope, albeit a distorted one, in the normal configuration. The observations are best explained by a rising flux rope in which part of the filament material is still stably stored (upflowing material, rising with the field), while the rest is no longer stably stored and flows down along the field lines. The movie is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Influence of plasma background including neutrals on scrape-off layer filaments using 3D simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Schwörer

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the effect of the plasma background, including neutrals in a self-consistent way, on filaments in the scrape-off layer (SOL of fusion devices. A strong dependency of filament motion on background density and temperature is observed. The radial filament motion shows an increase in velocity with decreasing background density and increasing background temperature. In the simulations presented here, three neutral-filament interaction models have been compared, one with a static neutral background, one with no interaction between filaments and neutrals, and one co-evolving the neutrals self consistently with the filaments. With the background conditions employed here, which do not show detachment, there are no significant effects of neutrals on filaments, as by the time the filament reaches maximum velocity, the neutral density has not changed significantly.

Axon Initial Segment Cytoskeleton: Architecture, Development, and Role in Neuron Polarity

Science.gov (United States)

Svitkina, Tatyana M.

2016-01-01

The axon initial segment (AIS) is a specialized structure in neurons that resides in between axonal and somatodendritic domains. The localization of the AIS in neurons is ideal for its two major functions: it serves as the site of action potential firing and helps to maintain neuron polarity. It has become increasingly clear that the AIS cytoskeleton is fundamental to AIS functions. In this review, we discuss current understanding of the AIS cytoskeleton with particular interest in its unique architecture and role in maintenance of neuron polarity. The AIS cytoskeleton is divided into two parts, submembrane and cytoplasmic, based on localization, function, and molecular composition. Recent studies using electron and subdiffraction fluorescence microscopy indicate that submembrane cytoskeletal components (ankyrin G, βIV-spectrin, and actin filaments) form a sophisticated network in the AIS that is conceptually similar to the polygonal/triangular network of erythrocytes, with some important differences. Components of the AIS cytoplasmic cytoskeleton (microtubules, actin filaments, and neurofilaments) reside deeper within the AIS shaft and display structural features distinct from other neuronal domains. We discuss how the AIS submembrane and cytoplasmic cytoskeletons contribute to different aspects of AIS polarity function and highlight recent advances in understanding their AIS cytoskeletal assembly and stability. PMID:27493806

Inhibition of cell division in hupA hupB mutant bacteria lacking HU protein.

OpenAIRE

Dri, A M; Rouviere-Yaniv, J; Moreau, P L

1991-01-01

Escherichia coli hupA hypB double mutants that lack HU protein have severe cellular defects in cell division, DNA folding, and DNA partitioning. Here we show that the sfiA11 mutation, which alters the SfiA cell division inhibitor, reduces filamentation and production of anucleate cells in AB1157 hupA hupB strains. However, lexA3(Ind-) and sfiB(ftsZ)114 mutations, which normally counteract the effect of the SfiA inhibitor, could not restore a normal morphology to hupA hupB mutant bacteria. The...

Collective dynamics of populations of weakly correlated filaments of incoherent white light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Jinxin; Sheridan, John T; Saravanamuttu, Kalaichelvi

2013-01-01

We examined the dynamics of two populations of self-trapped filaments of spatially and temporally incoherent white light. The populations consisted of (i) independent filaments generated through self-trapping of incandescent speckles, and (ii) co-dependent filaments created through modulation instability of a broad incandescent beam. Both filament populations were positionally stable in conditions where individual pairs of self-trapped beams interact strongly. Both also acquired significantly broad intensity distributions, which were independent of their parent optical fields; a small but persistent number of high-intensity filaments was identified in both cases. These studies provide accessible routes to weakly correlated ensembles, insight into their collective behaviour such as self-stabilization and self-selected intensity distributions, and reveal intriguing similarities between the dynamics of two populations of different origins. (paper)

Chandra and XMM-Newton Observations of the Abell 3395/Abell 3391 Intercluster Filament

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, Gabriella E.; Randall, Scott W.; Bourdin, Hervé; Jones, Christine; Holley-Bockelmann, Kelly

2018-05-01

We present Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of the Abell 3391/Abell 3395 intercluster filament. It has been suggested that the galaxy clusters Abell 3395, Abell 3391, and the galaxy group ESO-161 -IG 006 located between the two clusters, are in alignment along a large-scale intercluster filament. We find that the filament is aligned close to the plane of the sky, in contrast to previous results. We find a global projected filament temperature kT = {4.45}-0.55+0.89 keV, electron density {n}e={1.08}-0.05+0.06× {10}-4 cm‑3, and {M}gas}={2.7}-0.1+0.2 × {10}13 M ⊙. The thermodynamic properties of the filament are consistent with that of the intracluster medium (ICM) of Abell 3395 and Abell 3391, suggesting that the filament emission is dominated by ICM gas that has been tidally disrupted during an early stage merger between these two clusters. We present temperature, density, entropy, and abundance profiles across the filament. We find that the galaxy group ESO-161 may be undergoing ram-pressure-stripping in the low-density environment at or near the virial radius of both clusters, due to its rapid motion through the filament.

Flapping modes of three filaments placed side by side in a free stream

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Fang-Bao; Luo, Haoxiang; Zhu, Luoding; Lu, Xi-Yun

2010-11-01

Flexible filaments flapping in a surrounding flow are useful models for understanding the flow-induced vibration and mimicking the schooling behavior of fish. In the present work, the coupled modes of three identical filaments in a side-by- side arrangement are studied using the linear stability analysis and also an immersed boundary--lattice Boltzmann method for low Reynolds numbers (Re on order of 100). The numerical simulations show that the system dynamics exhibits several patterns that depend on the spacing between the filaments. Among these patterns, three can be predicted by the linear analysis and have been reported before. These modes are: (1) the three filaments all flap in phase; (2) the two outer filaments are out of phase while the middle one is stable; (3) the two outer filaments are in phase while the middle one is out of phase. The simulations also identified two additional modes: (1) the outer two filaments are out of phase while the middle one flaps at a frequency reduced by half; (2) the outer two filaments are out of phase while the middle one flaps at a slightly different frequency. In addition to the vibratory modes, the drag force and the flapping amplitude are also computed, and the implication of the result will be discussed.

Numerical study of inertial effects on the rheology of filament suspensions

Science.gov (United States)

Alizad Banaei, Arash; Rosti, Marco Edoardo; Brandt, Luca

2017-11-01

Significant work has been devoted to modeling fiber suspensions as they occur in many applications such as paper and food industries. Most of the works are limited to the motion of rigid cylindrical rods in low Stokes flows. Here, we investigate the rheological properties of flexible filament suspensions by means of numerical simulations. We considered the filaments as one-dimensional inextensible slender bodies obeying the Euler-Bernoulli equations and study the effect of flexibility, flow inertia and volume fraction on the rheology of the suspensions. The numerical simulations are performed using the Immersed Boundary Method to model the fluid/structure interaction. The results indicate that the inertia has significant effect on the relative viscosity of the suspensions. The effect is larger for less deformable filaments. The filament suspensions exhibit viscoelastic behavior and the first normal stress has a maximum for moderate flexibilities. The relative viscosity increases with volume fraction of the filaments and it is more sensitive to the volume fraction for larger Reynolds numbers. For a constant flexibility, the mean end-to-end distance of the filaments decreases with Reynolds number and the mean velocity fluctuations of the fluid increases with the Reynolds number. European Research Council, Grant No. ERC-2013-CoG- 616186, TRITOS; SNIC (the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing).

Accurate simulation dynamics of microscopic filaments using "caterpillar" Oseen hydrodynamics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bailey, A.G.; Lowe, C.P.; Pagonabarraga, I.; Cosentino Lagomarsino, M.

2009-01-01

Microscopic semiflexible filaments suspended in a viscous fluid are widely encountered in biophysical problems. The classic example is the flagella used by microorganisms to generate propulsion. Simulating the dynamics of these filaments numerically is complicated because of the coupling between the

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.

Filament structures at the plasma edge on MAST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirk, A; Ayed, N Ben; Counsell, G; Dudson, B; Eich, T; Herrmann, A; Koch, B; Martin, R; Meakins, A; Saarelma, S; Scannell, R; Tallents, S; Walsh, M; Wilson, H R

2006-01-01

The boundary of the tokamak core plasma, or scrape-off layer, is normally characterized in terms of average parameters such as density, temperature and e-folding lengths suggesting diffusive losses. However, as is shown in this paper, localized filamentary structures play an important role in determining the radial efflux in both L mode and during edge localized modes (ELMs) on MAST. Understanding the size, poloidal and toroidal localization and the outward radial extent of these filaments is crucial in order to calculate their effect on power loading both on the first wall and the divertor target plates in future devices. The spatial and temporal evolution of filaments observed on MAST in L-mode and ELMs have been compared and contrasted in order to confront the predictions of various models that have been proposed to predict filament propagation and in particular ELM energy losses

A Survery of the Correlation between Filament Chirality and Sigmoid Handedness

Science.gov (United States)

V, A.; Hazra, S.; Martin, S. F.; Martens, P. C.

2017-12-01

Sigmoid regions on the Sun are often the regions that cause Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). Large CMEs most often have filaments that erupt with them. This study focuses on the statistical relevance of the shape of the sigmoid and the chirality of the filament residing in these sigmoids. The study further extends to the relation between the directionality of filaments and the Earth-directed CMEs. Sigmoid data from Savcheva et al. (2014) between 2007 and 2012 and a compilation of data using the HEK Sigmoid Sniffer (Martens et al. 2012) along with Hinode XRT Soft X-ray images were used for analyzing data between 2013 and 2017. Hence this dataset consists of almost one solar cycle of data. A similar study done previously by Martens et al. (2013) analysed data for a solar cycle using an Advanced Automated Filament Detection & Characterization Code (Bernasconi, Rust & Hakim 2005). Considering that automated chirality detection is not foolproof, we present this study which uses manual determination of chirality for accuracy using high resolution chromospheric images. Mainly full disk images of soft X-ray obtained from Hinode XRT (X-Ray Telescope) have been used to find and ensure the S or Z shape of sigmoids. H-alpha images obtained from BBSO and Kanzelhohe Solar Observatory (KSO) are used in determining the chirality of filaments. The resolutions of BBSO and KSO data are 1k and 4k respectively. A comparison of the analysis of the chirality of filaments using both data will be presented. Although KSO gives a 4k resolution, it is still difficult to determine the chirality of small filaments. For this reason, high resolution images of H-alpha chromospheric filaments obtained from Helio Research and Solar Observing Optical Network (SOON) have been used for further analysis of chirality of those filaments that were undeterminable using the BBSO or KSO full disk images. The results of the comparison using the different resolutions are shown. The results of the correlation

Filament supply circuit for particle accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, C.C. Jr.; Malone, H.F.

1975-01-01

In a particle accelerator of the type employing ac primary power and a voltage multiplication apparatus to achieve the required high dc accelerating voltage, a filament supply circuit is powered by a portion of the ac primary power appearing at the last stage of the voltage multiplier. This ac power is applied across a voltage regulator circuit in the form of two zener diodes connected back to back. The threshold of the zeners is below the lowest peak-to-peak voltage of the ac voltage, so that the regulated voltage remains constant for all settings of the adjustable acceleration voltage. The regulated voltage is coupled through an adjustable resistor and an impedance-matching transformer to the accelerator filament. (auth)

Calcium binding to an elastic portion of connectin/titin filaments.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatsumi, R; Maeda, K; Hattori, A; Takahashi, K

2001-01-01

Alpha-connectin/titin-1 exists as an elastic filament that links a thick filament with the Z-disk, keeping thick filaments centered within the sarcomere during force generation. We have shown that the connectin filament has an affinity for calcium ions and its binding site(s) is restricted to the beta-connectin/titin-2 portion. We now report the localization and the characterization of calcium-binding sites on beta-connectin. Purified beta-connectin was digested by trypsin into 1700- and 400-kDa fragments. which were then subjected to fluorescence calcium-binding assays. The 400-kDa fragment possesses calcium-binding activity; the binding constant was 1.0 x 10(7) M(-1) and the molar ratio of bound calcium ions to the 400-kDa fragment reached a maximum of 12 at a free calcium ion concentration of approximately 1.0 microM. Antibodies against the 400-kDa fragment formed a sharp dense stripe at the boundary of the A and the I bands, indicating that the calcium-binding domain constitutes the N-terminal region of beta-connectin, that is, the elastic portion of connectin filaments. Furthermore, we estimated the N-terminal location of beta-connectin of various origins (n = 26). Myofibrils were treated with a solution containing 0.1 mM CaCl2 and 70 microM leupeptin to split connectin filaments into beta-connectin and a subfragment, and chain weights of these polypeptides were estimated according to their mobility in 2% polyacrylamide slab gels. The subfragment exhibited a similar chain weight of 1200+/-33 kDa (mean+/-SD), while alpha- and beta-connectins were variable in size according to their origin. These results suggest that the apparent length of the 1200-kDa subfragment portion is almost constant in all instances, about 0.34 microm at the slack condition, therefore that the C-terminus of the 1200-kDa subfragment, that is, the N-terminus of the calcium-binding domain, is at the N2 line region of parent filaments in situ. Because the secondary structure of the 400-k

Filamentous hydrous ferric oxide biosignatures in a pipeline carrying acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain Mine, California

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Amy J.; Alpers, Charles N.; Sumner, Dawn Y.; Campbell, Kate M.

2017-01-01

A pipeline carrying acidic mine effluent at Iron Mountain, CA, developed Fe(III)-rich precipitate caused by oxidation of Fe(II)aq. The native microbial community in the pipe included filamentous microbes. The pipe scale consisted of microbial filaments, and schwertmannite (ferric oxyhydroxysulfate, FOHS) mineral spheres and filaments. FOHS filaments contained central lumina with diameters similar to those of microbial filaments. FOHS filament geometry, the geochemical environment, and the presence of filamentous microbes suggest that FOHS filaments are mineralized microbial filaments. This formation of textural biosignatures provides the basis for a conceptual model for the development and preservation of biosignatures in other environments.

Video-supported analysis of Beggiatoa filament growth, breakage, and movement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kamp, Anja; Røy, Hans; Schulz-Vogt, Heide N.

2008-01-01

A marine Beggiatoa sp. was cultured in semi-solid agar with opposing oxygen-sulfide gradients. Growth pattern, breakage of filaments for multiplication, and movement directions of Beggiatoa filaments in the transparent agar were investigated by time-lapse video recording. The initial doubling time...

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...

OSCILLATING FILAMENTS. I. OSCILLATION AND GEOMETRICAL FRAGMENTATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gritschneder, Matthias; Heigl, Stefan; Burkert, Andreas, E-mail: gritschm@usm.uni-muenchen.de [University Observatory Munich, LMU Munich, Scheinerstrasse 1, D-81679 Munich (Germany)

2017-01-10

We study the stability of filaments in equilibrium between gravity and internal as well as external pressure using the grid-based AMR code RAMSES. A homogeneous, straight cylinder below a critical line mass is marginally stable. However, if the cylinder is bent, such as with a slight sinusoidal perturbation, an otherwise stable configuration starts to oscillate, is triggered into fragmentation, and collapses. This previously unstudied behavior allows a filament to fragment at any given scale, as long as it has slight bends. We call this process “geometrical fragmentation.” In our realization, the spacing between the cores matches the wavelength of the sinusoidal perturbation, whereas up to now, filaments were thought to be only fragmenting on the characteristic scale set by the mass-to-line ratio. Using first principles, we derive the oscillation period as well as the collapse timescale analytically. To enable a direct comparison with observations, we study the line-of-sight velocity for different inclinations. We show that the overall oscillation pattern can hide the infall signature of cores.

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.

Mechanical behaviors of multi-filament twist superconducting strand under tensile and cyclic loading

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xu; Li, Yingxu; Gao, Yuanwen

2016-01-01

The superconducting strand, serving as the basic unit cell of the cable-in-conduit-conductors (CICCs), is a typical multi-filament twist composite which is always subjected to a cyclic loading under the operating condition. Meanwhile, the superconducting material Nb3Sn in the strand is sensitive to strain frequently relating to the performance degradation of the superconductivity. Therefore, a comprehensive study on the mechanical behavior of the strand helps understanding the superconducting performance of the strained Nb3Sn strands. To address this issue, taking the LMI (internal tin) strand as an example, a three-dimensional structural finite element model, named as the Multi-filament twist model, of the strand with the real configuration of the LMI strand is built to study the influences of the plasticity of the component materials, the twist of the filament bundle, the initial thermal residual stress and the breakage and its evolution of the filaments on the mechanical behaviors of the strand. The effective properties of superconducting filament bundle with random filament breakage and its evolution versus strain are obtained based on the damage theory of fiber-reinforced composite materials proposed by Curtin and Zhou. From the calculation results of this model, we find that the occurrence of the hysteresis loop in the cyclic loading curve is determined by the reverse yielding of the elastic-plastic materials in the strand. Both the initial thermal residual stress in the strand and the pitch length of the filaments have significant impacts on the axial and hysteretic behaviors of the strand. The damage of the filaments also affects the axial mechanical behavior of the strand remarkably at large axial strain. The critical current of the strand is calculated by the scaling law with the results of the Multi-filament twist model. The predicted results of the Multi-filament twist model show an acceptable agreement with the experiment.

Multiple large filament bundles observed in Caulobacter crescentus by electron cryotomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Briegel, A; Dias, DP; Li, Z

2006-01-01

While the absence of any cytoskeleton was once recognized as a distinguishing feature of prokaryotes, it is now clear that a number of different bacterial proteins do form filaments in vivo. Despite the critical roles these proteins play in cell shape, genome segregation and cell division...... on shape and location, referred to here as 'inner curvature', 'cytoplasmic', 'polar' and 'ring-like'. In an attempt to identify at least some of the filaments, we imaged cells where crescentin and MreB filaments would not be present. The inner curvature and cytoplasmic bundles persisted, which together...... with their localization patterns, suggest that they are composed of as-yet unidentified cytoskeletal proteins. Thus bacterial filaments are frequently found as bundles, and their variety and abundance is greater than previously suspected....

THE SPIN AND ORIENTATION OF DARK MATTER HALOS WITHIN COSMIC FILAMENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Youcai; Yang Xiaohu; Lin Weipeng; Faltenbacher, Andreas; Springel, Volker; Wang Huiyuan

2009-01-01

Clusters, filaments, sheets, and voids are the building blocks of the cosmic web. Forming dark matter halos respond to these different large-scale environments, and this in turn affects the properties of galaxies hosted by the halos. It is therefore important to understand the systematic correlations of halo properties with the morphology of the cosmic web, as this informs both about galaxy formation physics and possible systematics of weak lensing studies. In this study, we present and compare two distinct algorithms for finding cosmic filaments and sheets, a task which is far less well established than the identification of dark matter halos or voids. One method is based on the smoothed dark matter density field and the other uses the halo distributions directly. We apply both techniques to one high-resolution N-body simulation and reconstruct the filamentary/sheet like network of the dark matter density field. We focus on investigating the properties of the dark matter halos inside these structures, in particular, on the directions of their spins and the orientation of their shapes with respect to the directions of the filaments and sheets. We find that both the spin and the major axes of filament halos with masses ∼ 13 h -1 M sun are preferentially aligned with the direction of the filaments. The spins and major axes of halos in sheets tend to lie parallel to the sheets. There is an opposite mass dependence of the alignment strength for the spin (negative) and major (positive) axes, i.e. with increasing halo mass the major axis tends to be more strongly aligned with the direction of the filament, whereas the alignment between halo spin and filament becomes weaker with increasing halo mass. The alignment strength as a function of the distance to the most massive node halo indicates that there is a transit large-scale environment impact: from the two-dimensional collapse phase of the filament to the three-dimensional collapse phase of the cluster/node halo at

The Spin and Orientation of Dark Matter Halos Within Cosmic Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Youcai; Yang, Xiaohu; Faltenbacher, Andreas; Springel, Volker; Lin, Weipeng; Wang, Huiyuan

2009-11-01

Clusters, filaments, sheets, and voids are the building blocks of the cosmic web. Forming dark matter halos respond to these different large-scale environments, and this in turn affects the properties of galaxies hosted by the halos. It is therefore important to understand the systematic correlations of halo properties with the morphology of the cosmic web, as this informs both about galaxy formation physics and possible systematics of weak lensing studies. In this study, we present and compare two distinct algorithms for finding cosmic filaments and sheets, a task which is far less well established than the identification of dark matter halos or voids. One method is based on the smoothed dark matter density field and the other uses the halo distributions directly. We apply both techniques to one high-resolution N-body simulation and reconstruct the filamentary/sheet like network of the dark matter density field. We focus on investigating the properties of the dark matter halos inside these structures, in particular, on the directions of their spins and the orientation of their shapes with respect to the directions of the filaments and sheets. We find that both the spin and the major axes of filament halos with masses lsim1013 h -1 M sun are preferentially aligned with the direction of the filaments. The spins and major axes of halos in sheets tend to lie parallel to the sheets. There is an opposite mass dependence of the alignment strength for the spin (negative) and major (positive) axes, i.e. with increasing halo mass the major axis tends to be more strongly aligned with the direction of the filament, whereas the alignment between halo spin and filament becomes weaker with increasing halo mass. The alignment strength as a function of the distance to the most massive node halo indicates that there is a transit large-scale environment impact: from the two-dimensional collapse phase of the filament to the three-dimensional collapse phase of the cluster/node halo at

Phylogenetic Evidence for the Existence of Novel Thermophilic Bacteria in Hot Spring Sulfur-Turf Microbial Mats in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Hiroyuki; Hiraishi, Akira; Kato, Kenji; Chiura, Hiroshi X.; Maki, Yonosuke; Shimizu, Akira

1998-01-01

So-called sulfur-turf microbial mats, which are macroscopic white filaments or bundles consisting of large sausage-shaped bacteria and elemental sulfur particles, occur in sulfide-containing hot springs in Japan. However, no thermophiles from sulfur-turf mats have yet been isolated as cultivable strains. This study was undertaken to determine the phylogenetic positions of the sausage-shaped bacteria in sulfur-turf mats by direct cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes amplified from the bulk DNAs of the mats. Common clones with 16S rDNA sequences with similarity levels of 94.8 to 99% were isolated from sulfur-turf mat samples from two geographically remote hot springs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the phylotypes of the common clones formed a major cluster with members of the Aquifex-Hydrogenobacter complex, which represents the most deeply branching lineage of the domain bacteria. Furthermore, the bacteria of the sulfur-turf mat phylotypes formed a clade distinguishable from that of other members of the Aquifex-Hydrogenobacter complex at the order or subclass level. In situ hybridization with clone-specific probes for 16S rRNA revealed that the common phylotype of sulfur-turf mat bacteria is that of the predominant sausage-shaped bacteria. PMID:9572936

Comments on filament-disintegration and its relation to other aspects of solar activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodson, H. W.; Hedeman, E. R.; Rovira De Miceli, M.

1972-01-01

Studies of sudden disintegrations of filaments in solar cycles 19 and 20 (to 1969) indicate that such events occur frequently. Approximately 30% of all large filaments in these cycles disintegrated in the course of their transit across the solar disk. 'Major' flares occurred with above average frequency on the last day on which 141 large disappearing filaments were observed. Relationships between a disintegrating filament on July 10-11, 1959, a prior major flare, a newly formed spot, and concomitant growth of H-alpha plage are presented. Observation of prior descending prominence material apparently directed towards the location of the flare of July 15, 1959 is reported. The development of the filament-associated flare of Feb. 13, 1967 is described.

Extension of filament propagation in water with Bessel-Gaussian beams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaya, G.; Sayrac, M.; Boran, Y.; Kolomenskii, A. A. [Department of Physics, Texas A& M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States); Kaya, N.; Schuessler, H. A. [Department of Physics, Texas A& M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States); Science and Petroleum, Texas A& M University at Qatar, Doha 23874 (Qatar); Strohaber, J. [Department of Physics, Texas A& M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States); Department of Physics, Florida A& M University, Tallahassee, Florida 32307 (United States); Amani, M. [Science and Petroleum, Texas A& M University at Qatar, Doha 23874 (Qatar)

2016-03-15

We experimentally studied intense femtosecond pulse filamentation and propagation in water for Bessel-Gaussian beams with different numbers of radial modal lobes. The transverse modes of the incident Bessel-Gaussian beam were created from a Gaussian beam of a Ti:sapphire laser system by using computer generated hologram techniques. We found that filament propagation length increased with increasing number of lobes under the conditions of the same peak intensity, pulse duration, and the size of the central peak of the incident beam, suggesting that the radial modal lobes may serve as an energy reservoir for the filaments formed by the central intensity peak.

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.

Models of antimicrobial pressure on intestinal bacteria of the treated host populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Volkova, V V; Cazer, C L; Gröhn, Y T

2017-07-01

Antimicrobial drugs are used to treat pathogenic bacterial infections in animals and humans. The by-stander enteric bacteria of the treated host's intestine can become exposed to the drug or its metabolites reaching the intestine in antimicrobially active form. We consider which processes and variables need to be accounted for to project the antimicrobial concentrations in the host's intestine. Those include: the drug's fraction (inclusive of any active metabolites) excreted in bile; the drug's fractions and intestinal segments of excretion via other mechanisms; the rates and intestinal segments of the drug's absorption and re-absorption; the rates and intestinal segments of the drug's abiotic and biotic degradation in the intestine; the digesta passage time through the intestinal segments; the rates, mechanisms, and reversibility of the drug's sorption to the digesta and enteric microbiome; and the volume of luminal contents in the intestinal segments. For certain antimicrobials, the antimicrobial activity can further depend on the aeration and chemical conditions in the intestine. Model forms that incorporate the inter-individual variation in those relevant variables can support projections of the intestinal antimicrobial concentrations in populations of treated host, such as food animals. To illustrate the proposed modeling framework, we develop two examples of treatments of bovine respiratory disease in beef steers by oral chlortetracycline and injectable third-generation cephalosporin ceftiofur. The host's diet influences the digesta passage time, volume, and digesta and microbiome composition, and may influence the antimicrobial loss due to degradation and sorption in the intestine. We consider two diet compositions in the illustrative simulations. The examples highlight the extent of current ignorance and need for empirical data on the variables influencing the selective pressures imposed by antimicrobial treatments on the host's intestinal bacteria.

Capillary thinning of polymeric filaments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolte, Mette Irene; Szabo, Peter

1999-01-01

The capillary thinning of filaments of a Newtonian polybutene fluid and a viscoelastic polyisobutylene solution are analyzed experimentally and by means of numerical simulation. The experimental procedure is as follows. Initially, a liquid sample is placed between two cylindrical plates. Then, th...

Magnetic tension and instabilities in the Orion A integral-shaped filament

Science.gov (United States)

Schleicher, Dominik R. G.; Stutz, Amelia

2018-03-01

The Orion nebula is a prime example of a massive star-forming region in our galaxy. Observations have shown that gravitational and magnetic energy are comparable in its integral-shaped filament on a scale of ˜1 pc, and that the population of pre-main sequence stars appears dynamically heated compared to the protostars. These results have been attributed to a slingshot mechanism resulting from the oscillation of the filament by Stutz & Gould. In this paper, we show that radially contracting filaments naturally evolve towards a state where gravitational, magnetic, and rotational energy are comparable. While the contraction of the filament will preferentially amplify the axial component of the magnetic field, the presence of rotation leads to a helical field structure. We show how magnetic tension can give rise to a filament oscillation, and estimate a typical time-scale of 0.7 Myr for the motion of the filament to the position of maximum displacement, consistent with the characteristic time-scale of the ejected stars. Furthermore, the presence of helical magnetic fields is expected to give rise to magneto-hydrodynamical instabilities. We show here that the presence of a magnetic field significantly enhances the overall instability, which operates on a characteristic scale of about 1 pc. We expect the physics discussed here to be generally relevant in massive star-forming regions, and encourage further investigations in the future.

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

Strength analysis of filament-wound composite tubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasović Ivana

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The subject of this work is focused on strength analysis of filament-wound composite tubes made of E glass/polyester under internal pressure. The primary attention of this investigation is to develop a reliable computation procedure for stress, displacement and initial failure analysis of layered composite tubes. For that purpose we have combined the finite element method (FEM with corresponding initial failure criterions. In addition, finite element analyses using commercial code, MSC/NASTRAN, were performed to predict the behavior of filament wound structures. Computation results are compared with experiments. Good agreement between computation and experimental results are obtained.

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.

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.

The L1495-B218 filaments in Taurus seen in NH3 & CCS and Dynamical Stability of Filaments and Dense Cores

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Youngmin

2016-01-01

We present deep NH3 map of L1495-B218 filaments and the dense cores embedded within the filaments in Taurus. The L1495-B218 filaments form an interconnected, nearby, large complex extending 8 pc. We observed the filaments in NH3 (1,1) & (2,2) and CCS 21-10 with spectral resolution of 0.038 km/s and spatial resolution of 31". The CSAR algorithm, which is a hybrid of seeded-watershed and binary dendrogram algorithm, identifies 39 leaves and 16 branches in NH3 (1,1). Applying a virial analysis for the 39 NH3 leaves, we find only 9 out of 39 leaves are gravitationally bound, and 12 out of 30 gravitationally unbound leaves are pressure-confined. Our analysis suggests that a dense core may form as a pressure-confined structure, evolve to a gravitationally bound core, and then undergo collapse to form a protostar (Seo et al. 2015).We also present more realistic dynamic stability conditions for dense cores with converging motions and under the influence of radiation pressure. The critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere and the isothermal cylinder have been widely used to test stability of dense cores and filaments; however, these assume a quiescent environment while actual star forming regions are turbulent and illuminated by radiation. In a new analysis of stability conditions we account for converging motions which have been modeled toward starless cores (Seo et al. 2011) and the effect of radiation fields into account. We find that the critical size of a dense core having a homologous converging motion with its peak speed being the sound speed is roughly half of the critical size of the Bonnor-Ebert sphere (Seo et al. 2013). We also find that the critical mass/line density of a dense core/filament irradiated by radiation are considerably smaller than that of the Bonnor-Ebert sphere/isothermal cylinder when the radiation pressure is stronger than the central gas pressure of dense core/isothermal cylinder. For inner Galactic regions and regions near OB associations, the critical

Evaluation of filamentous green algae as feedstocks for biofuel production.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wei; Zhao, Yonggang; Cui, Binjie; Wang, Hui; Liu, Tianzhong

2016-11-01

Compared with unicellular microalgae, filamentous algae have high resistance to grazer-predation and low-cost recovery in large-scale production. Green algae, as the most diverse group of algae, included numerous filamentous genera and species. In this study, records of filamentous genera and species in green algae were firstly censused and classified. Then, seven filamentous strains subordinated in different genera were cultivated in bubbled-column to investigate their growth rate and energy molecular (lipid and starch) capacity. Four strains including Stigeoclonium sp., Oedogonium nodulosum, Hormidium sp. and Zygnema extenue were screened out due to their robust growth. And they all could accumulate triacylglycerols and starch in their biomass, but with different capacity. After nitrogen starvation, Hormidium sp. and Oedogonium nodulosum respectively exhibited high capacity of lipid (45.38% in dry weight) and starch (46.19% in dry weight) accumulation, which could be of high potential as feedstocks for biodiesel and bioethanol production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Active species delivered by dielectric barrier discharge filaments to bacteria biofilms on the surface of apple

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, He; Liu, Xin; Lu, Xinpei; Liu, Dawei

2016-01-01

The atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma has shown a significant potential as a novel food decontamination technology. In this paper, we report a computational study of the intersection of negative streamer produced by air dielectric barrier discharge with bacteria biofilm on an apple surface. The structure, conductivities, and permittivities of bacteria biofilm have been considered in the Poisson's equations and transportation equations of charge and neutral species to realize self-consistent transportation of plasma between electrode and charging surfaces of apple. We find that the ionization near the biofilm facilitates the propagation of negative streamer when the streamer head is 1 mm from the biofilm. The structure of the biofilm results in the non-uniform distribution of ROS and RNS captured by flux and time fluence of these reactive species. The mean free path of charged species in μm scale permitted the plasma penetrate into the cavity of the biofilm, therefore, although the density of ROS and RNS decrease by 6–7 order of magnitude, the diffusion results in the uniform distribution of ROS and RNS inside the cavity during the pulse off period.

Active species delivered by dielectric barrier discharge filaments to bacteria biofilms on the surface of apple

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, He; Liu, Xin; Lu, Xinpei [State Key Lab of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, WuHan, HuBei (China); IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Liu, Dawei, E-mail: ldw636@msn.com [State Key Lab of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, WuHan, HuBei (China); IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an (China)

2016-07-15

The atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma has shown a significant potential as a novel food decontamination technology. In this paper, we report a computational study of the intersection of negative streamer produced by air dielectric barrier discharge with bacteria biofilm on an apple surface. The structure, conductivities, and permittivities of bacteria biofilm have been considered in the Poisson's equations and transportation equations of charge and neutral species to realize self-consistent transportation of plasma between electrode and charging surfaces of apple. We find that the ionization near the biofilm facilitates the propagation of negative streamer when the streamer head is 1 mm from the biofilm. The structure of the biofilm results in the non-uniform distribution of ROS and RNS captured by flux and time fluence of these reactive species. The mean free path of charged species in μm scale permitted the plasma penetrate into the cavity of the biofilm, therefore, although the density of ROS and RNS decrease by 6–7 order of magnitude, the diffusion results in the uniform distribution of ROS and RNS inside the cavity during the pulse off period.

Methods for the induction of reproduction in a tropical species of filamentous ulva.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Carl

Full Text Available The green seaweed Ulva is a major fouling organism but also an edible aquaculture product in Asia. This study quantified for the first time the effect of key factors on the reproduction of a tropical species of filamentous Ulva (Ulva sp. 3. The controlled timing of release of swarmers (motile reproductive bodies was achieved when experiments were initiated in the early afternoon by exposing the thalli to a temperature shock (4°C for 10 min and subsequently placing them into autoclaved filtered seawater under a 12 h light: 12 h dark photoperiod at 25°C. The release of swarmers then peaked two days after initiation. In contrast, segmentation, dehydration, salinity or time of initiation of experiments had no effect of any magnitude on reproduction. The released swarmers were predominantly biflagellate (95%, negatively phototactic and germinated without complementary gametes. This indicates that Ulva sp. 3 has a simple asexual life history dominated by biflagellate zoids.

Methods for the induction of reproduction in a tropical species of filamentous ulva.

Science.gov (United States)

Carl, Christina; de Nys, Rocky; Lawton, Rebecca J; Paul, Nicholas A

2014-01-01

The green seaweed Ulva is a major fouling organism but also an edible aquaculture product in Asia. This study quantified for the first time the effect of key factors on the reproduction of a tropical species of filamentous Ulva (Ulva sp. 3). The controlled timing of release of swarmers (motile reproductive bodies) was achieved when experiments were initiated in the early afternoon by exposing the thalli to a temperature shock (4°C) for 10 min and subsequently placing them into autoclaved filtered seawater under a 12 h light: 12 h dark photoperiod at 25°C. The release of swarmers then peaked two days after initiation. In contrast, segmentation, dehydration, salinity or time of initiation of experiments had no effect of any magnitude on reproduction. The released swarmers were predominantly biflagellate (95%), negatively phototactic and germinated without complementary gametes. This indicates that Ulva sp. 3 has a simple asexual life history dominated by biflagellate zoids.

Fossil evidence for spin alignment of Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies in filaments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jones, Bernard J. T.; van de Weijgaert, Marinus; Aragon-Calvo, Miguel A.

2010-01-01

We search for and find fossil evidence that the spin axes of galaxies in cosmic web filaments relative to their host filaments are not randomly distributed. This indicates the fact that the action of large-scale tidal torques affected the alignments of galaxies located in cosmic filaments. To this

Collapsing vortex filaments and the spectrum of quantum turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Andryushchenko, V. A.; Nemirovskii, S. K.

2017-01-01

The method of correlation functions and the method of quantum vortex configurations are used to calculate the energy spectrum of a three-dimensional velocity field that is induced by collapsing (immediately before reconnection) vortex filaments. The formulation of this problem is motivated by the idea of modeling classical turbulence by a set of chaotic quantized vortex filaments. Among the various arguments that support the idea of quasi-classical behavior for quantum turbulence, the most persuasive is probably the resulting Kolmogorov energy spectrum resembling E ( k ) ∝ k - 5 / 3 that was obtained in a number of numerical studies. Another goal is associated with an important and intensely studied theme that relates to the role of hydrodynamic collapse in the formation of turbulence spectra. Calculations have demonstrated that vortex filaments create a velocity field at the moment of contact, which has a singularity. This configuration of vortex filaments generates the spectrum E(k), which bears the resemblance to the Kolmogorov law. A possible cause for this observation is discussed, as well as the likely reasons behind any deviations. The obtained results are discussed from the perspective of both classical and quantum turbulence.

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

The circulation dynamics associated with a northern Benguela upwelling filament during October 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Annethea A.; Mohrholz, Volker; Schmidt, Martin

2013-07-01

Upwelling filaments, a common feature in all the major upwelling systems, are also regularly observed in the Benguela upwelling system and are thought to provide an effective mechanism for the exchange of matter between the shelf and the open ocean. The mesoscale dynamics of a northern Benguela upwelling filament located at approximately 18.5°S were examined and the associated transport was quantified. The development of the filament was tracked using optimal interpolated SST satellite data and two transects were consequently sampled across the feature using a towed undulating CTD (ScanFish). Additional hydrographic, nutrient and biological parameters were investigated at several stations along each transect. Following 7 days of strong upwelling favorable winds, sampling coincided with a period of relative wind relaxation and the filament was presumably in a decaying state. The basic mesoscale structure of the investigated filament corresponded well to what had previously been described for filaments from other eastern boundary current systems. The cross-shore transport associated with the filament was found to be significantly greater than the integrated Ekman transport in the region. With the combination of the high resolution dataset and a MOM-4 ecosystem model the complex mesoscale flow field associated with the feature could be observed and the counterbalancing onshore transport, associated with subsurface dipole eddies, was revealed within the filament. The results further suggest that an interaction between the offshore bending of flow at the Angola-Benguela Front (ABF), the detachment of the strong poleward flow from the coast as the thermal front meanders and the observed dipole eddies may be driving filament occurrence in the region off Cape Frio.

Suitability of the cellular viability technique as a control tool of the chlorine dosage on the activated sludge of a biological process affected by bulking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montaya Martinez, T.; Zornoza Zornoza, A.; Granell Munoz, P.; Fayos, G.; Fajarddo, V.; Zorrilla, F.; Alonso Molina, J. L.; Morenilla Martinez, J. J.; Bernacer Bonora, I.; Martinez Francisco, F. J.

2009-01-01

This work demonstrates the suitability of the cellular viability technique as a control tool of the chlorine dosage on the activated sludge of a biological process affected by the overabundance of the filamentous bacteria (Thiothrix-021N). This technique was used to establish the chlorine dosage according to the observed damages on cellular membranes of both, floc-forming bacteria as well as filamentous bacteria. To identify the filamentous bacteria responsible for the macro-structural alteration of the flocs, several criteria were, met, including morphologic characteristics as well as conventional microbiological stains: Gram, Neisser and polyhydroxy alkanoates. FISH was used to confirm the obtained results, providing a definitive identification of the filamentous bacteria responsible for the alteration. (Author) 11 refs

Fossil evidence for spin alignment of SDSS galaxies in filaments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jones, Bernard J.T.; Weygaert, Rien van de; Arag´on-Calvo, Miguel A.

2010-01-01

We search for and find fossil evidence that the distribution of the spin axes of galaxies in cosmic web filaments relative to their host filaments are not randomly distributed. This would indicate that the action of large scale tidal torques effected the alignments of galaxies located in cosmic

Transient filament stretching rheometer II

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

1997-01-01

The Lagrangian sspecification is used to simulate the transient stretching filament rheometer. Simulations are performed for dilute PIB-solutions modeled as a four mode Oldroyd-B fluid and a semidilute PIB-solution modeled as a non-linear single integral equation. The simulations are compared...

Filament Winding. A Unified Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koussios, S.

2004-01-01

In this dissertation we have presented an overview and comprehensive treatment of several facets of the filament winding process. With the concepts of differential geometry and the theory of thin anisotropic shells of revolution, a parametric shape generator has been formulated for the design

THE CONTRACTION OF OVERLYING CORONAL LOOP AND THE ROTATING MOTION OF A SIGMOID FILAMENT DURING ITS ERUPTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, X. L.; Qu, Z. Q.; Xue, Z. K.; Deng, L. H.; Ma, L.; Kong, D. F. [National Astronomical Observatories/Yunnan Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China); Pan, G. M. [College of Mathematics Physics and Information Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001 (China); Liu, J. H. [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2013-06-15

We present an observation of overlying coronal loop contraction and rotating motion of the sigmoid filament during its eruption on 2012 May 22 observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Our results show that the twist can be transported into the filament from the lower atmosphere to the higher atmosphere. The successive contraction of the coronal loops was due to a suddenly reduced magnetic pressure underneath the filament, which was caused by the rising of the filament. Before the sigmoid filament eruption, there was a counterclockwise flow in the photosphere at the right feet of the filament and the contraction loops and a convergence flow at the left foot of the filament. The hot and cool materials have inverse motion along the filament before the filament eruption. Moreover, two coronal loops overlying the filament first experienced brightening, expansion, and contraction successively. At the beginning of the rising and rotation of the left part of the filament, the second coronal loop exhibited rapid contraction. The top of the second coronal loop also showed counterclockwise rotation during the contraction process. After the contraction of the second loop, the left part of the filament rotated counterclockwise and expanded toward the right of NOAA AR 11485. During the filament expansion, the right part of the filament also exhibited counterclockwise rotation like a tornado.

PARTIAL ERUPTION OF A FILAMENT WITH TWISTING NON-UNIFORM FIELDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bi, Yi; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Xiang, Yongyuan; Cai, Yunfang; Liu, Weiwei

2015-01-01

The eruption of a filament in a kinklike fashion is often regarded as a signature of kink instability. However, the kink instability threshold for the filament’s magnetic structure is not widely understood. Using Hα observations from the New Vacuum Solar Telescope, we present a partial eruptive filament. During the eruption, the filament thread appeared to split from its middle and to break out in a kinklike fashion. In this period, the remaining filament material stayed below and erupted without the kinking motion later on. The coronal magnetic field lines associated with the filament are obtained from nonlinear force-free field extrapolations using the twelve-minute-cadence vector magnetograms of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory. We studied the extrapolated field lines passing through the magnetic dips which are in good agreement with the observed filament. The field lines are non-uniformly twisted and appear to be composed of two twisted flux ropes winding around each other. One of them has a higher twist than the other, and the flux rope with the higher twist has its dips aligned with the kinking eruptive thread at the beginning of its eruption. Before the eruption, moreover, the flux rope with the higher twist was found to expand with an approximately constant field twist. In addition, the helicity flux maps deduced from the HMI magnetograms show that some helicity is injected into the overlying magnetic arcade, but no significant helicity is injected into the flux ropes. Accordingly, we suggest that the highly twisted flux rope became kink unstable when the instability threshold declined with the expansion of the flux rope

Segmentation: Identification of consumer segments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høg, Esben

2005-01-01

It is very common to categorise people, especially in the advertising business. Also traditional marketing theory has taken in consumer segments as a favorite topic. Segmentation is closely related to the broader concept of classification. From a historical point of view, classification has its...... origin in other sciences as for example biology, anthropology etc. From an economic point of view, it is called segmentation when specific scientific techniques are used to classify consumers to different characteristic groupings. What is the purpose of segmentation? For example, to be able to obtain...... a basic understanding of grouping people. Advertising agencies may use segmentation totarget advertisements, while food companies may usesegmentation to develop products to various groups of consumers. MAPP has for example investigated the positioning of fish in relation to other food products...

Extension of filament propagation in water with Bessel-Gaussian beams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Kaya

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We experimentally studied intense femtosecond pulse filamentation and propagation in water for Bessel-Gaussian beams with different numbers of radial modal lobes. The transverse modes of the incident Bessel-Gaussian beam were created from a Gaussian beam of a Ti:sapphire laser system by using computer generated hologram techniques. We found that filament propagation length increased with increasing number of lobes under the conditions of the same peak intensity, pulse duration, and the size of the central peak of the incident beam, suggesting that the radial modal lobes may serve as an energy reservoir for the filaments formed by the central intensity peak.

Antimicrobial activity of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) cultivar Avenger against pathogenic bacteria, phytopathogenic filamentous fungi and yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Pacheco-Cano, R D; Salcedo-Hernández, R; López-Meza, J E; Bideshi, D K; Barboza-Corona, J E

2018-01-01

The objective of this study was to show whether the edible part of broccoli has antibacterial and antifungal activity against micro-organism of importance in human health and vegetable spoilage, and to test if this effect was partially due to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Crude extracts were obtained from florets and stems of broccoli cultivar Avenger and the inhibitory effect was demonstrated against pathogenic bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Proteus vulgaris), phytopathogenic fungi (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Asperigillus niger) and yeasts (Candida albicans and Rhodotorula sp.). It was shown that samples treated with proteolytic enzymes had a reduction of approximately 60% in antibacterial activity against Staph. xylosus, suggesting that proteinaceous compounds might play a role in the inhibitory effect. Antimicrobial components in crude extracts were thermoresistant and the highest activity was observed under acidic conditions. It was shown that antifungal activity of broccoli's crude extracts might not be attributed to chitinases. Organic broccoli cultivar Avenger has antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria, yeast and phytophatogenic fungi. Data suggest that this effect is partially due to AMPs. Broccoli's crude extracts have activity not only against pathogenic bacteria but also against phytophatogenic fungi of importance in agriculture. We suggest for first time that the inhibitory effect is probably due to AMPs. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

SOLAR MAGNETIZED 'TORNADOES': RELATION TO FILAMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su Yang; Veronig, Astrid; Temmer, Manuela [IGAM-Kanzelhoehe Observatory, Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 5, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Wang Tongjiang [Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064 (United States); Gan Weiqun, E-mail: yang.su@uni-graz.at [Key Laboratory of Dark Matter and Space Astronomy, Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China)

2012-09-10

Solar magnetized 'tornadoes', a phenomenon discovered in the solar atmosphere, appear as tornado-like structures in the corona but are rooted in the photosphere. Like other solar phenomena, solar tornadoes are a feature of magnetized plasma and therefore differ distinctly from terrestrial tornadoes. Here we report the first analysis of solar 'tornadoes' (two papers which focused on different aspects of solar tornadoes were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and Nature, respectively, during the revision of this Letter). A detailed case study of two events indicates that they are rotating vertical magnetic structures probably driven by underlying vortex flows in the photosphere. They usually exist as a group and are related to filaments/prominences, another important solar phenomenon whose formation and eruption are still mysteries. Solar tornadoes may play a distinct role in the supply of mass and twists to filaments. These findings could lead to a new explanation of filament formation and eruption.

Characterization of gold nanoparticle binding to microtubule filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Jing C.; Wang Xianghuai; Xue Mei; Xu Zheng; Hamasaki, Toshikazu; Yang, Yang; Wang Kang; Dunn, Bruce

2010-01-01

Microtubule (MT) protein filaments were used as templates for fabricating Au nanowires as a bottom-up approach for fabricating building blocks for future integrated circuits. Photochemical reduction methods were employed to form Au nanoparticles which bind and uniformly cover the MT filaments. Synthesis of the MT-templated Au nanowires was characterized using UV/vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, binding between the MT filaments and Au nanoparticles was investigated using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to establish the nature of the binding sites. A variety of functional groups were identified by SERS to interact with the Au including imidazole, sulfur, aromatic rings, amine, and carboxylate. The imidazole ring in the histidine is the most prominent functional group for Au binding. The results from these studies provide better understanding of the binding between Au and the biotemplate and give insight concerning methods to improve Au coverage for MT-templated Au nanowires.

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

Filamentation and spatiotemporal distribution of extracellular polymeric substances: role on X.fastidiosa single cell adhesion and biofilm formation (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Janissen, Richard; Murillo, Duber M.; Niza, Barbara; Sahoo, Prasana K.; Monteiro, Moniellen P.; César, Carlos L.; Carvalho, Hernandes F.; de Souza, Alessandra A.; Cotta, Monica A.

2016-04-01

Biofilms can be defined as a community of microorganisms attached to a surface, living embedded in a self- produced matrix of hydrated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) which comprises most of the biofilm mass. We have recently used an extensive pool of microscopy techniques (confocal fluorescence, electron and scanning probe microscopies) at the micro and nanoscales in order to create a detailed temporal observation of Xylella fastidiosa biofilm formation, using both wild type strain and Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)-modified cells of this citrus phytopathogen. We have identified three different EPS compositions, as well as their spatial and temporal distribution from single cell to mature biofilm formation stages. In the initial adhesion stage, soluble-EPS (S-EPS) accumulates at cell polar regions and forms a surface layer which facilitates irreversible cell attachment and cell cluster formation. These small clusters are subsequently connected by filamentous cells; further S-EPS surface coverage facilitates cell attachment and form filaments, leading to a floating framework of mature biofilms. The important role of EPS in X.fastidiosa biology was further investigated by imunolabelling experiments to detect the distribution of XadA1 adhesin, which is expressed in early stages of biofilm formation and released in outer membrane vesicles. This protein is located mainly in S-EPS covered areas, as well as on the filaments, indicating a molecular pathway to the enhanced cell attachment previously observed. These results suggest that S-EPS may thus represent an important target for disease control, slow plant colonization by the bacteria, keeping the plant more productive in the field.

A Multi-spacecraft View of a Giant Filament Eruption during 2009 September 26/27

Science.gov (United States)

Gosain, Sanjay; Schmieder, Brigitte; Artzner, Guy; Bogachev, Sergei; Török, Tibor

2012-12-01

We analyze multi-spacecraft observations of a giant filament eruption that occurred during 2009 September 26 and 27. The filament eruption was associated with a relatively slow coronal mass ejection. The filament consisted of a large and a small part, and both parts erupted nearly simultaneously. Here we focus on the eruption associated with the larger part of the filament. The STEREO satellites were separated by about 117° during this event, so we additionally used SoHO/EIT and CORONAS/TESIS observations as a third eye (Earth view) to aid our measurements. We measure the plane-of-sky trajectory of the filament as seen from STEREO-A and TESIS viewpoints. Using a simple trigonometric relation, we then use these measurements to estimate the true direction of propagation of the filament which allows us to derive the true R/R ⊙-time profile of the filament apex. Furthermore, we develop a new tomographic method that can potentially provide a more robust three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction by exploiting multiple simultaneous views. We apply this method also to investigate the 3D evolution of the top part of filament. We expect this method to be useful when SDO and STEREO observations are combined. We then analyze the kinematics of the eruptive filament during its rapid acceleration phase by fitting different functional forms to the height-time data derived from the two methods. We find that for both methods an exponential function fits the rise profile of the filament slightly better than parabolic or cubic functions. Finally, we confront these results with the predictions of theoretical eruption models.

A MULTI-SPACECRAFT VIEW OF A GIANT FILAMENT ERUPTION DURING 2009 SEPTEMBER 26/27

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gosain, Sanjay [National Solar Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Schmieder, Brigitte [LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC, Universite Paris Diderot, 5 Place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon (France); Artzner, Guy [CNRS UMR 8617, Institut d' astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), F-91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Bogachev, Sergei [Lebedev Physical Institute of Russian Academy of Science, Leninskij prospekt 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Toeroek, Tibor [Predictive Science, Inc., 9990 Mesa Rim Rd., Suite 170, San Diego, CA 92121 (United States)

2012-12-10

We analyze multi-spacecraft observations of a giant filament eruption that occurred during 2009 September 26 and 27. The filament eruption was associated with a relatively slow coronal mass ejection. The filament consisted of a large and a small part, and both parts erupted nearly simultaneously. Here we focus on the eruption associated with the larger part of the filament. The STEREO satellites were separated by about 117 Degree-Sign during this event, so we additionally used SoHO/EIT and CORONAS/TESIS observations as a third eye (Earth view) to aid our measurements. We measure the plane-of-sky trajectory of the filament as seen from STEREO-A and TESIS viewpoints. Using a simple trigonometric relation, we then use these measurements to estimate the true direction of propagation of the filament which allows us to derive the true R/R{sub Sun }-time profile of the filament apex. Furthermore, we develop a new tomographic method that can potentially provide a more robust three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction by exploiting multiple simultaneous views. We apply this method also to investigate the 3D evolution of the top part of filament. We expect this method to be useful when SDO and STEREO observations are combined. We then analyze the kinematics of the eruptive filament during its rapid acceleration phase by fitting different functional forms to the height-time data derived from the two methods. We find that for both methods an exponential function fits the rise profile of the filament slightly better than parabolic or cubic functions. Finally, we confront these results with the predictions of theoretical eruption models.

A MULTI-SPACECRAFT VIEW OF A GIANT FILAMENT ERUPTION DURING 2009 SEPTEMBER 26/27

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosain, Sanjay; Schmieder, Brigitte; Artzner, Guy; Bogachev, Sergei; Török, Tibor

2012-01-01

We analyze multi-spacecraft observations of a giant filament eruption that occurred during 2009 September 26 and 27. The filament eruption was associated with a relatively slow coronal mass ejection. The filament consisted of a large and a small part, and both parts erupted nearly simultaneously. Here we focus on the eruption associated with the larger part of the filament. The STEREO satellites were separated by about 117° during this event, so we additionally used SoHO/EIT and CORONAS/TESIS observations as a third eye (Earth view) to aid our measurements. We measure the plane-of-sky trajectory of the filament as seen from STEREO-A and TESIS viewpoints. Using a simple trigonometric relation, we then use these measurements to estimate the true direction of propagation of the filament which allows us to derive the true R/R ☉ -time profile of the filament apex. Furthermore, we develop a new tomographic method that can potentially provide a more robust three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction by exploiting multiple simultaneous views. We apply this method also to investigate the 3D evolution of the top part of filament. We expect this method to be useful when SDO and STEREO observations are combined. We then analyze the kinematics of the eruptive filament during its rapid acceleration phase by fitting different functional forms to the height-time data derived from the two methods. We find that for both methods an exponential function fits the rise profile of the filament slightly better than parabolic or cubic functions. Finally, we confront these results with the predictions of theoretical eruption models.

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

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

Density profiles in the Scrape-Off Layer interpreted through filament dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Militello, Fulvio

2017-10-01

We developed a new theoretical framework to clarify the relation between radial Scrape-Off Layer density profiles and the fluctuations that generate them. The framework provides an interpretation of the experimental features of the profiles and of the turbulence statistics on the basis of simple properties of the filaments, such as their radial motion and their draining towards the divertor. L-mode and inter-ELM filaments are described as a Poisson process in which each event is independent and modelled with a wave function of amplitude and width statistically distributed according to experimental observations and evolving according to fluid equations. We will rigorously show that radially accelerating filaments, less efficient parallel exhaust and also a statistical distribution of their radial velocity can contribute to induce flatter profiles in the far SOL and therefore enhance plasma-wall interactions. A quite general result of our analysis is the resiliency of this non-exponential nature of the profiles and the increase of the relative fluctuation amplitude towards the wall, as experimentally observed. According to the framework, profile broadening at high fueling rates can be caused by interactions with neutrals (e.g. charge exchange) in the divertor or by a significant radial acceleration of the filaments. The framework assumptions were tested with 3D numerical simulations of seeded SOL filaments based on a two fluid model. In particular, filaments interact through the electrostatic field they generate only when they are in close proximity (separation comparable to their width in the drift plane), thus justifying our independence hypothesis. In addition, we will discuss how isolated filament motion responds to variations in the plasma conditions, and specifically divertor conditions. Finally, using the theoretical framework we will reproduce and interpret experimental results obtained on JET, MAST and HL-2A.

Characterization of type-I ELM induced filaments in the far scrape-off layer of ASDEX upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmid, Andreas

2008-03-18

This thesis focuses on the characterization of filaments and their propagation in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. The aim is to provide experimental measurements for understanding the filament formation process and their temporal evolution, and to provide a comprehensive database for an extrapolation to future fusion devices. For this purpose, a new magnetically driven probe for filament measurements has been developed and installed in ASDEX Upgrade. The probe carries several Langmuir probes and a magnetic coil in between. The Langmuir probes allow for measurements of the radial and poloidal/toroidal propagation of filaments as well as for measurements of filament size, density, and their radial (or temporal) evolution. The magnetic coil on the filament probe allows for measurements of currents in the filaments. A set of 7 coils, measuring 3 field components at different positions along the filament, has been used to measure the magnetic signature during an ELM. The aim was, on the one hand, to study which role filaments play for the magnetic structure, and on the other hand if the parallel currents predicted by the sheath damped model could be verified. Filament temperatures have been derived and the corresponding heat transport mechanisms have been studied. (orig.)

Characterization of type-I ELM induced filaments in the far scrape-off layer of ASDEX upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmid, Andreas

2008-01-01

This thesis focuses on the characterization of filaments and their propagation in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. The aim is to provide experimental measurements for understanding the filament formation process and their temporal evolution, and to provide a comprehensive database for an extrapolation to future fusion devices. For this purpose, a new magnetically driven probe for filament measurements has been developed and installed in ASDEX Upgrade. The probe carries several Langmuir probes and a magnetic coil in between. The Langmuir probes allow for measurements of the radial and poloidal/toroidal propagation of filaments as well as for measurements of filament size, density, and their radial (or temporal) evolution. The magnetic coil on the filament probe allows for measurements of currents in the filaments. A set of 7 coils, measuring 3 field components at different positions along the filament, has been used to measure the magnetic signature during an ELM. The aim was, on the one hand, to study which role filaments play for the magnetic structure, and on the other hand if the parallel currents predicted by the sheath damped model could be verified. Filament temperatures have been derived and the corresponding heat transport mechanisms have been studied. (orig.)

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

Effect of an Energy Reservoir on the Atmospheric Propagation of Laser-Plasma Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenmann, Shmuel; Peñano, Joseph; Sprangle, Phillip; Zigler, Arie

2008-04-01

The ability to select and stabilize a single filament during propagation of an ultrashort, high-intensity laser pulse in air makes it possible to examine the longitudinal structure of the plasma channel left in its wake. We present the first detailed measurements and numerical 3-D simulations of the longitudinal plasma density variation in a laser-plasma filament after it passes through an iris that blocks the surrounding energy reservoir. Since no compensation is available from the surrounding background energy, filament propagation is terminated after a few centimeters. For this experiment, simulations indicate that filament propagation is terminated by plasma defocusing and ionization loss, which reduces the pulse power below the effective self-focusing power. With no blockage, a plasma filament length of over a few meters was observed.

Effect of an Energy Reservoir on the Atmospheric Propagation of Laser-Plasma Filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenmann, Shmuel; Penano, Joseph; Sprangle, Phillip; Zigler, Arie

2008-01-01

The ability to select and stabilize a single filament during propagation of an ultrashort, high-intensity laser pulse in air makes it possible to examine the longitudinal structure of the plasma channel left in its wake. We present the first detailed measurements and numerical 3-D simulations of the longitudinal plasma density variation in a laser-plasma filament after it passes through an iris that blocks the surrounding energy reservoir. Since no compensation is available from the surrounding background energy, filament propagation is terminated after a few centimeters. For this experiment, simulations indicate that filament propagation is terminated by plasma defocusing and ionization loss, which reduces the pulse power below the effective self-focusing power. With no blockage, a plasma filament length of over a few meters was observed

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.

Stimulated Raman scattering in the presence of filamentation in underdense plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barr, H.C.; Boyd, T.J.M.; Coutts, G.A.

1986-01-01

A model of stimulated Raman scattering from underdense plasmas in which the laser intensity profile and plasma density have been corrupted by the filamentation instability is described. The model accounts in a unified way for inhomogeneity in the density, for Landau damping, and for local enhancements in lightwave intensities. In shallow filaments the concentration of the light gives rise to modest increases in growth. On the other hand, for deeper filaments the inhomogeneity and Landau damping dominate to suppress the instability. In addition, backscatter is enhanced relative to sidescatter

Laser-filamentation-induced condensation and snow formation in a cloud chamber.

Science.gov (United States)

Ju, Jingjing; Liu, Jiansheng; Wang, Cheng; Sun, Haiyi; Wang, Wentao; Ge, Xiaochun; Li, Chuang; Chin, See Leang; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan

2012-04-01

Using 1 kHz, 9 mJ femtosecond laser pulses, we demonstrate laser-filamentation-induced spectacular snow formation in a cloud chamber. An intense updraft of warm moist air is generated owing to the continuous heating by the high-repetition filamentation. As it encounters the cold air above, water condensation and large-sized particles spread unevenly across the whole cloud chamber via convection and cyclone like action on a macroscopic scale. This indicates that high-repetition filamentation plays a significant role in macroscopic laser-induced water condensation and snow formation.

Measurements of the Motion of Plasma Filaments in a Plasma Ball

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campanell, M.; Laird, J.; Provost, T.; Vasquez, S.; Zweben, S.J.

2010-01-01

Measurements were made of the motion of the filamentary structures in a plasma ball using high speed cameras and other optical detectors. These filaments traverse the ball radially at ∼106 cm/sec at the driving frequency of ∼26 kHz, and drift upward through the ball at ∼1 cm/sec. Varying the applied high voltage and frequency caused the number, length, and diameter of the filaments to change. A custom plasma ball was constructed to observe the effects of varying gas pressure and species on the filament structures.

A rapid PCR-based approach for molecular identification of filamentous fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuanyuan; Prior, Bernard A; Shi, Guiyang; Wang, Zhengxiang

2011-08-01

In this study, a novel rapid and efficient DNA extraction method based on alkaline lysis, which can deal with a large number of filamentous fungal isolates in the same batch, was established. The filamentous fungal genomic DNA required only 20 min to prepare and can be directly used as a template for PCR amplification. The amplified internal transcribed spacer regions were easy to identify by analysis. The extracted DNA also can be used to amplify other protein-coding genes for fungal identification. This method can be used for rapid systematic identification of filamentous fungal isolates.

Measurements of the Motion of Plasma Filaments in a Plasma Ball

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campanell, M.; Laird, J.; Provost, T.; Vasquez, S.; Zweben, S. J.

2010-01-26

Measurements were made of the motion of the filamentary structures in a plasma ball using high speed cameras and other optical detectors. These filaments traverse the ball radially at ~106 cm/sec at the driving frequency of ~26 kHz, and drift upward through the ball at ~1 cm/sec. Varying the applied high voltage and frequency caused the number, length, and diameter of the filaments to change. A custom plasma ball was constructed to observe the effects of varying gas pressure and species on the filament structures.

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.

Myosin isoform switching during assembly of the Drosophila flight muscle thick filament lattice.

Science.gov (United States)

Orfanos, Zacharias; Sparrow, John C

2013-01-01

During muscle development myosin molecules form symmetrical thick filaments, which integrate with the thin filaments to produce the regular sarcomeric lattice. In Drosophila indirect flight muscles (IFMs) the details of this process can be studied using genetic approaches. The weeP26 transgenic line has a GFP-encoding exon inserted into the single Drosophila muscle myosin heavy chain gene, Mhc. The weeP26 IFM sarcomeres have a unique MHC-GFP-labelling pattern restricted to the sarcomere core, explained by non-translation of the GFP exon following alternative splicing. Characterisation of wild-type IFM MHC mRNA confirmed the presence of an alternately spliced isoform, expressed earlier than the major IFM-specific isoform. The two wild-type IFM-specific MHC isoforms differ by the presence of a C-terminal 'tailpiece' in the minor isoform. The sequential expression and assembly of these two MHCs into developing thick filaments suggest a role for the tailpiece in initiating A-band formation. The restriction of the MHC-GFP sarcomeric pattern in weeP26 is lifted when the IFM lack the IFM-specific myosin binding protein flightin, suggesting that it limits myosin dissociation from thick filaments. Studies of flightin binding to developing thick filaments reveal a progressive binding at the growing thick filament tips and in a retrograde direction to earlier assembled, proximal filament regions. We propose that this flightin binding restricts myosin molecule incorporation/dissociation during thick filament assembly and explains the location of the early MHC isoform pattern in the IFM A-band.

Small-scale eruptive filaments on the quiet sun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermans, L.M.; Martin, S.F.

1986-01-01

A study of a little known class of eruptive events on the quiet sun was conducted. All of 61 small-scale eruptive filamentary structures were identified in a systematic survey of 32 days of H alpha time-lapse films of the quiet sun acquired at Big Bear Solar Observatory. When fully developed, these structures have an average length of 15 arc seconds before eruption. They appear to be the small-scale analog of large-scale eruptive filaments observed against the disk. At the observed rate of 1.9 small-scale eruptive features per field of view per average 7.0 hour day, the rate of occurence of these events on the sun were estimated to be greater than 600 per 24 hour day.. The average duration of the eruptive phase was 26 minutes while the average lifetime from formation through eruption was 70 minutes. A majority of the small-scale filamentary sturctures were spatially related to cancelling magnetic features in line-of-sight photospheric magnetograms. Similar to large-scale filaments, the small-scale filamentary structures sometimes divided opposite polarity cancelling fragments but often had one or both ends terminating at a cancellation site. Their high numbers appear to reflect the much greater flux on the quiet sun. From their characteristics, evolution, and relationship to photospheric magnetic flux, it was concluded that the structures described are small-scale eruptive filaments and are a subset of all filaments

Wettability dynamics of liquid filaments on horizontal substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Diez, Javier; Ravazzoli, Pablo; Cuellar, Ingrith; Gonzalez, Alejandro

2017-11-01

We study the hydrodynamic mechanisms involved in the motion of the contact line formed at the end region of a liquid filament laying on a planar and horizontal substrate. Since the flow develops under partially wetting conditions, the tip of the filament recedes and forms a bulged region (head) that subsequently develops a neck region behind it. Later the neck breaks up leading to a separated drop, while the rest of the filament restarts the sequence. One main feature of this flow is that the whole dynamics and final drop shapes are strongly influenced by the hysteresis of the contact angle typical in most of the liquid-substrate systems. The time evolution till breakup is studied experimentally and pictured in terms of a hybrid wettability theory which involves the Cox-Voinov hydrodynamic approach combined with the molecular kinetic theory developed by Blake. The parameters of this theory are determined for our liquid-substrate system (silicone oil ``coated glass). The experimental results of the retracting filament are described in terms of a simple heuristic model and compared with numerical simulations of the full Navier-Stokes equations. This study is of special interest in the context of pulsed laser-induced dewetting. The authors acknowledge support from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientficas y Tcnicas (CONICET, Argentina) with Grant PIP 844/2012 and Agencia Nacional de Promocin Cientfica y Tecnolgica (ANPCyT, Argentina) with Grant PICT 931/2012.

Bundling Actin Filaments From Membranes: Some Novel Players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clément eThomas

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Progress in live-cell imaging of the cytoskeleton has significantly extended our knowledge about the organization and dynamics of actin filaments near the plasma membrane of plant cells. Noticeably, two populations of filamentous structures can be distinguished. On the one hand, fine actin filaments which exhibit an extremely dynamic behavior basically characterized by fast polymerization and prolific severing events, a process referred to as actin stochastic dynamics. On the other hand, thick actin bundles which are composed of several filaments and which are comparatively more stable although they constantly remodel as well. There is evidence that the actin cytoskeleton plays critical roles in trafficking and signaling at both the cell cortex and organelle periphery but the exact contribution of actin bundles remains unclear. A common view is that actin bundles provide the long-distance tracks used by myosin motors to deliver their cargo to growing regions and accordingly play a particularly important role in cell polarization. However, several studies support that actin bundles are more than simple passive highways and display multiple and dynamic roles in the regulation of many processes, such as cell elongation, polar auxin transport, stomatal and chloroplast movement, and defense against pathogens. The list of identified plant actin-bundling proteins is ever expanding, supporting that plant cells shape structurally and functionally different actin bundles. Here I review the most recently characterized actin-bundling proteins, with a particular focus on those potentially relevant to membrane trafficking and/or signaling.

EIT and SXT Observations of a Quiet Region Filament Ejection: First Eruption, Then Reconnection

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Thompson, Barbara J.; Six, N. Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We observe a slow-onset quiet-region filament eruption with the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) on SOHO, and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) on Yohkoh. This event occurred on 1999 April 18, and was likely the origin of a coronal mass ejection (CME) detected by SOHO at 08:30 UT on that day. In EIT, one-half of the filament shows two stages of evolution: Stage I is a slow, roughly constant upward movement at approx. 1 km per second lasting approximately 6.5 hours, and Stage 2 is a rapid upward eruption at approximately 16 kilometers per second occurring just before the filament disappears into interplanetary space. The other half of the filament shows little motion along the line-of-sight during the time of Stage 1, but erupts along with the rest of the filament during Stage 2. There is no obvious emission from the filament in SXT until Stage 2; at that time an arcade of EUV and soft X-ray loops forms first at the central location of the filament, and then expands outward along the length of the filament channel. A plot of EUV intensity versus time of the central portion of the filament (where the postflare loops initially form) shows a flat profile during Stage 1, and a rapid upturn after the start of Stage 2. This lightcurve is delayed from what would be expected if "tether-cutting" reconnection in the core of the erupting region were responsible for the initiation of the eruption. Rather, these observations suggest that a loss of stability of the magnetic field holding the filament initiates the eruption, with reconnection in the core region occurring only as a byproduct.

EIT And SXT Observations of a Quiet-Region Filament Ejection: First Eruption, Then Reconnection

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Thompson, Barbara J.

2001-01-01

We observe a slow-onset quiet-region filament eruption with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) on Yohkoh. This event occurred on 1999 April 18 and was likely the origin of a coronal mass ejection detected by SOHO at 08:30 UT on that day. In the EIT observation, one-half of the filament shows two stages of evolution: stage 1 is a slow, roughly constant upward movement at approximately 1 km/s lasting approximately 0.5 hr, and stage 2 is a rapid upward eruption at approximately 16 km/s occurring just before the filament disappears into interplanetary space. The other half of the filament shows little motion along the line of sight during the time of stage 1 but erupts along with the rest of the filament during stage 2. There is no obvious emission from the filament in the SXT observation until stage 2; at that time, an arcade of EUV and soft X-ray loops forms first at the central location of the filament and then expands outward along the length of the filament channel. A plot of EUV intensity versus time of the central portion of the filament (where the postflare loops initially form) shows a flat profile during stage 1 and a rapid upturn after the start of stage 2. This light curve is delayed from what would be expected if 'tether-cutting' reconnection in the core of the erupting region were responsible for the initiation of the eruption. Rather, these observations suggest that a loss of stability of the magnetic field holding the filament initiates the eruption, with reconnection in the core region occurring only as a by-product.

Filament-induced remote surface ablation for long range laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rohwetter, Ph.; Stelmaszczyk, K.; Woeste, L.; Ackermann, R.; Mejean, G.; Salmon, E.; Kasparian, J.; Yu, J.; Wolf, J.-P.

2005-01-01

We demonstrate laser induced ablation and plasma line emission from a metallic target at distances up to 180 m from the laser, using filaments (self-guided propagation structures ∼ 100 μm in diameter and ∼ 5 x 10 13 W/cm 2 in intensity) appearing as femtosecond and terawatt laser pulses propagating in air. The remarkable property of filaments to propagate over a long distance independently of the diffraction limit opens the frontier to long range operation of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. We call this special configuration of remote laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy 'remote filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy'. Our results show main features of filament-induced ablation on the surface of a metallic sample and associated plasma emission. Our experimental data allow us to estimate requirements for the detection system needed for kilometer-range remote filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy experiment

Femtosecond filaments for rapid and flexible writing of Fiber-Bragg grating (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Ertorer, Erden; Haque, Moez; Li, Jianzhao; Herman, Peter R.

2017-03-01

Kerr-lens self-channelling of femtosecond laser light offers a novel high-aspect geometry for laser processing inside transparent materials. In glass materials, the laser filaments enable white-light continuum generation, scribing, nanochannel formation, and refractive index modification. In the present work, refractive index matching oils were applied around optical fiber to eliminate astigmatic aberration and thereby form highly symmetric and uniform filaments selectively in the cladding or core waveguide of standard single-mode optical fibre (SMF-28). Under tight focusing, long filaments exceeding 20 um length were formed with single pulses to sub-micron diameter. Arrays of 0.5 um spaced filaments are verified by formation of strong fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). Flexible positioning of the filament arrays within the fiber core offers wide scope for coupling to cladding and radiation modes and creating new types of in-fibre optical devices.

Stochastic calculus of protein filament formation under spatial confinement

Science.gov (United States)

Michaels, Thomas C. T.; Dear, Alexander J.; Knowles, Tuomas P. J.

2018-05-01

The growth of filamentous aggregates from precursor proteins is a process of central importance to both normal and aberrant biology, for instance as the driver of devastating human disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The conventional theoretical framework for describing this class of phenomena in bulk is based upon the mean-field limit of the law of mass action, which implicitly assumes deterministic dynamics. However, protein filament formation processes under spatial confinement, such as in microdroplets or in the cellular environment, show intrinsic variability due to the molecular noise associated with small-volume effects. To account for this effect, in this paper we introduce a stochastic differential equation approach for investigating protein filament formation processes under spatial confinement. Using this framework, we study the statistical properties of stochastic aggregation curves, as well as the distribution of reaction lag-times. Moreover, we establish the gradual breakdown of the correlation between lag-time and normalized growth rate under spatial confinement. Our results establish the key role of spatial confinement in determining the onset of stochasticity in protein filament formation and offer a formalism for studying protein aggregation kinetics in small volumes in terms of the kinetic parameters describing the aggregation dynamics in bulk.

AC Loss Reduction in Filamentized YBCO Coated Conductors with Virtual Transverse Cross-cuts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yifei [ORNL; Duckworth, Robert C [ORNL; Ha, Tam T [ORNL; List III, Frederick Alyious [ORNL; Gouge, Michael J [ORNL; Chen, Y [SuperPower Incorporated, Schenectady, New York; X, Xiong, [SuperPower Incorporated, Schenectady, New York; Selvamanickam, V. [SuperPower Incorporated, Schenectady, New York

2011-01-01

While the performance of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-x} (YBCO)-based coated conductors under dc currents has improved significantly in recent years, filamentization is being investigated as a technique to reduce ac loss so that the 2nd generation (2G) high temperature superconducting (HTS) wires can also be utilized in various ac power applications such as cables, transformers and fault current limiters. Experimental studies have shown that simply filamentizing the superconducting layer is not effective enough to reduce ac loss because of incomplete flux penetration in between the filaments as the length of the tape increases. To introduce flux penetration in between the filaments more uniformly and further reduce the ac loss, virtual transverse cross-cuts were made in superconducting filaments of the coated conductors fabricated using the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. The virtual transverse cross-cuts were formed by making cross-cuts (17 - 120 {micro}m wide) on the IBAD (ion beam assisted deposition)-MgO templates using laser scribing followed by depositing the superconducting layer ({approx} 0.6 {micro}m thick). AC losses were measured and compared for filamentized conductors with and without the cross-cuts under applied peak ac fields up to 100 mT. The results were analyzed to evaluate the efficacy of filament decoupling and the feasibility of using this method to achieve ac loss reduction.

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.

Limitation of critical current density by intermetallic formation in fine filament Nb-Ti superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larbalestier, D.C.; Chengren, L.; Starch, W.; Lee, P.J.

1985-01-01

Two experiments have been performed to investigate the role that the intermetallic reaction between the copper matrix and the Nb-Ti filaments plays in limiting the critical current density (J/sub c/) of Nb 45.6 wt% Ti composites. The first experiment involved composites which were industrially extruded. It was found that as the number of heat treatments increased, the J/sub c/ declined, the resistive transition broadened and the filaments sausaged. The filament sausaging was initiated by intermetallic particles at the filament matrix interface. A series of many heat treatment procedures were then applied to composites fabricated in the authors own laboratories without extrusion. Very high J/sub c/ values were obtained at filament sizes of 20 μm. When the same heat treatment procedures were applied to 4 - 5 μm conductors, extensive sausaging and degraded J/sub c/ values resulted. This degradation was also found to be due to the formation of Cu-Nb-Ti intermetallic compounds. It is concluded that a reliable filament diffusion barrier technology is necessary to permit full flexibility in the heat treatment of 2 - 5 μ filament Nb-Ti composites

Limitation of critical current density by intermetallic formation in fine filament Nb-Ti superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larbalestier, D.C.; Chengren, Li; Lee, P.J.; Starch, W.

1985-01-01

Two experiments have been performed to investigate the role that the intermetallic reaction between the copper matrix and the Nb-Ti filaments plays in limiting the critical current density (J /SUB c/ ) of Nb 46.5 wt% Ti composites. The first experiment involved composites which were industrially extruded. It was found that as the number of heat treatments increased, the J /SUB c/ declined, the resistive transition broadened and the filaments sausaged. The filament sausaging was initiated by intermetallic particles at the filament matrix interface. A series of many heat treatment procedures were then applied to composites fabricated in our own laboratories without extrusion. Very high J /SUB c/ values were obtained at filament sizes of 20 μm. When the same heat treatment procedures were applied to 4 - 5 μm conductors, extensive sausaging and degraded J /SUB c/ values resulted. This degradation was also found to be due to the formation of Cu-Nb-Ti intermetallic compounds. It is concluded that a reliable filament diffusion barrier technology is necessary to permit full flexibility in the heat treatment of 2 - 5 μm filament Nb-Ti composites

Recycled Sm-Co bonded magnet filaments for 3D printing of magnets

Science.gov (United States)

Khazdozian, Helena A.; Manzano, J. Sebastián; Gandha, Kinjal; Slowing, Igor I.; Nlebedim, Ikenna C.

2018-05-01

Recycling of rare earth elements, such as Sm and Nd, is one technique towards mitigating long-term supply and cost concerns for materials and devices that depend on these elements. In this work recycled Sm-Co powder recovered from industrial grinding swarfs, or waste material from magnet processing, was investigated for use in preparation of filament for 3D printing of bonded magnets. Recycled Sm-Co powder recovered from swarfs was blended into polylactic acid (PLA). Up to 20 vol.% of the recycled Sm-Co in PLA was extruded at 160°C to produce a filament. It was demonstrated that no degradation of magnetic properties occurred due to the preparation or extrusion of the bonded magnet material. Good uniformity of the magnetic properties is exhibited throughout the filament, with the material first extruded being the exception. The material does exhibit some magnetic anisotropy, allowing for the possibility of the development of anisotropic filaments. This work provides a path forward for producing recycled magnetic filament for 3D printing of permanent magnets.

A filament of dark matter between two clusters of galaxies.

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, Jörg P; Werner, Norbert; Clowe, Douglas; Finoguenov, Alexis; Kitching, Tom; Miller, Lance; Simionescu, Aurora

2012-07-12

It is a firm prediction of the concordance cold-dark-matter cosmological model that galaxy clusters occur at the intersection of large-scale structure filaments. The thread-like structure of this 'cosmic web' has been traced by galaxy redshift surveys for decades. More recently, the warm–hot intergalactic medium (a sparse plasma with temperatures of 10(5) kelvin to 10(7) kelvin) residing in low-redshift filaments has been observed in emission and absorption. However, a reliable direct detection of the underlying dark-matter skeleton, which should contain more than half of all matter, has remained elusive, because earlier candidates for such detections were either falsified or suffered from low signal-to-noise ratios and unphysical misalignments of dark and luminous matter. Here we report the detection of a dark-matter filament connecting the two main components of the Abell 222/223 supercluster system from its weak gravitational lensing signal, both in a non-parametric mass reconstruction and in parametric model fits. This filament is coincident with an overdensity of galaxies and diffuse, soft-X-ray emission, and contributes a mass comparable to that of an additional galaxy cluster to the total mass of the supercluster. By combining this result with X-ray observations, we can place an upper limit of 0.09 on the hot gas fraction (the mass of X-ray-emitting gas divided by the total mass) in the filament.

Cold Milky Way HI Gas in Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Kalberla, P. M. W.; Kerp, J.; Haud, U.; Winkel, B.; Ben Bekhti, N.; Flöer, L.; Lenz, D.

2016-04-01

We investigate data from the Galactic Effelsberg-Bonn H I Survey, supplemented with data from the third release of the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS III) observed at Parkes. We explore the all-sky distribution of the local Galactic H I gas with | {v}{{LSR}}| \\lt 25 km s-1 on angular scales of 11‧-16‧. Unsharp masking is applied to extract small-scale features. We find cold filaments that are aligned with polarized dust emission and conclude that the cold neutral medium (CNM) is mostly organized in sheets that are, because of projection effects, observed as filaments. These filaments are associated with dust ridges, aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures by Planck at 353 GHz. The CNM above latitudes | b| \\gt 20^\\circ is described by a log-normal distribution, with a median Doppler temperature TD = 223 K, derived from observed line widths that include turbulent contributions. The median neutral hydrogen (H I) column density is NH I ≃ 1019.1 cm-2. These CNM structures are embedded within a warm neutral medium with NH I ≃ 1020 cm-2. Assuming an average distance of 100 pc, we derive for the CNM sheets a thickness of ≲0.3 pc. Adopting a magnetic field strength of Btot = (6.0 ± 1.8) μG, proposed by Heiles & Troland, and assuming that the CNM filaments are confined by magnetic pressure, we estimate a thickness of 0.09 pc. Correspondingly, the median volume density is in the range 14 ≲ n ≲ 47 cm-3. The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for support under grant numbers KE757/11-1, KE757/7-3, KE757/7-2, KE757/7-1, and BE4823/1-1.

Comparison of the filament behaviour observed during type I ELMs in ASDEX upgrade and MAST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirk, A; Ayed, B; Counsell, G F; Lisgo, S; Price, M; Tallents, S; Herrmann, A; Eich, T; Muller, H W; Schmid, A; Wilson, H

2008-01-01

A study of the evolution of the filaments observed during Type I ELMs on ASDEX Upgrade and MAST is presented. The filaments start off rotating toroidally/poloidally with velocities close to that of the pedestal. This velocity then decreases as the filaments propagate radially. On both devices the ion saturation current e-folding lengths of the filaments show a weak, if any, dependence on the size of the ELM (δW ELM /W ped ). On MAST the measured radial velocities of the filaments also show at most a weak dependence on δW ELM /W ped

FLUX CANCELLATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE ERUPTIVE FILAMENT OF 2011 JUNE 7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yardley, S. L.; Green, L. M.; Williams, D. R.; Van Driel-Gesztelyi, L.; Valori, G.; Dacie, S., E-mail: stephanie.yardley.13@ucl.ac.uk [Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT (United Kingdom)

2016-08-20

We investigate whether flux cancellation is responsible for the formation of a very massive filament resulting in the spectacular eruption on 2011 June 7. We analyze and quantify the amount of flux cancellation that occurs in NOAA AR 11226 and its two neighboring active regions (ARs 11227 and 11233) using line-of-sight magnetograms from the Heliospheric Magnetic Imager. During a 3.6 day period building up to the eruption of the filament, 1.7 × 10{sup 21} Mx, 21% of AR 11226's maximum magnetic flux, was canceled along the polarity inversion line (PIL) where the filament formed. If the flux cancellation continued at the same rate up until the eruption then up to 2.8 × 10{sup 21} Mx (34% of the AR flux) may have been built into the magnetic configuration that contains the filament plasma. The large flux cancellation rate is due to an unusual motion of the positive-polarity sunspot, which splits, with the largest section moving rapidly toward the PIL. This motion compresses the negative polarity and leads to the formation of an orphan penumbra where one end of the filament is rooted. Dense plasma threads above the orphan penumbra build into the filament, extending its length, and presumably injecting material into it. We conclude that the exceptionally strong flux cancellation in AR 11226 played a significant role in the formation of its unusually massive filament. In addition, the presence and coherent evolution of bald patches in the vector magnetic field along the PIL suggest that the magnetic field configuration supporting the filament material is that of a flux rope.

Fabrication and characterization of fine filaments of NbTi in a copper matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hemachalam, K.; King, C.G.; Scanlan, R.M.; Zeitlin, B.A.

1986-01-01

Practical multifilamentary Nb-46.5 Wt. % Ti/Cu composites have been made by a double extrusion process. The composites contain up to 6000 filaments with a diameter of 2 to 6 μm at the final wire size. Through careful attention to the billet design and thermo-mechanical processing, the formation of intermetallics (Cu-Ti-Nb) is virtually halted. The intermetallic precipitates, when allowed to form at the filament surface, interfere with the uniform reduction and give rise to poor filament quality; including filament breaks and reduction in critical current density, Jc. The integrity of the present fine filaments is studied with SEM and compared with that of conventionally processed material. The Jc, as a function of the filament size, is investigated over a transverse magnetic field of up to 8 Tesla. The value of 'n' in /rho/=kI /SUP n/ is measured and the results are compared to those obtained for similar M.F. wires currently under study at other institutions. It is hoped that the fine filamentary wire produced by the double extrusion process will greatly reduce the magnetization which is responsible for field distortions in the High Energy Physics program applications

STAR FORMATION IN THE TAURUS FILAMENT L 1495: FROM DENSE CORES TO STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmalzl, Markus; Kainulainen, Jouni; Henning, Thomas; Launhardt, Ralf; Quanz, Sascha P.; Alves, Joao; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Pineda, Jaime E.; Roman-Zuniga, Carlos G.

2010-01-01

We present a study of dense structures in the L 1495 filament in the Taurus Molecular Cloud and examine its star-forming properties. In particular, we construct a dust extinction map of the filament using deep near-infrared observations, exposing its small-scale structure in unprecedented detail. The filament shows highly fragmented substructures and a high mass-per-length value of M line = 17 M sun pc -1 , reflecting star-forming potential in all parts of it. However, a part of the filament, namely B 211, is remarkably devoid of young stellar objects. We argue that in this region the initial filament collapse and fragmentation is still taking place and star formation is yet to occur. In the star-forming part of the filament, we identify 39 cores with masses from 0.4 to 10 M sun and preferred separations in agreement with the local Jeans length. Most of these cores exceed the Bonnor-Ebert critical mass, and are therefore likely to collapse and form stars. The dense core mass function follows a power law with exponent Γ = 1.2 ± 0.2, a form commonly observed in star-forming regions.

Interaction of current filaments in dielectric barrier discharges with relation to surface charge distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stollenwerk, L

2009-01-01

In a planar, laterally extended dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system operated in glow mode, a filamentary discharge is observed. The filaments tend to move laterally and hence tend to cause collisions. Thereby, usually one collision partner becomes destroyed. In this paper, the collision process and especially the preceding time period is investigated. Beside the luminescence density of the filaments, the surface charge density accumulated between the single breakdowns of the DBD is observed via an optical measurement technique based on the linear electro-optical effect (pockels effect). A ring-like substructure of the surface charge distribution of a single filament is found, which correlates to the filament interaction behaviour. Furthermore, a preferred filament distance is found, suggesting the formation of a filamentary quasi-molecule.

Merging and energy exchange between optical filaments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Georgieva, D. A., E-mail: dgeorgieva@tu-sofia.bg [Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Sofia, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1000 Sofia (Bulgaria); Kovachev, L. M. [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradcko Chaussee Blvd., 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria)

2015-10-28

We investigate nonlinear interaction between collinear femtosecond laser pulses with power slightly above the critical for self-focusing P{sub cr} trough the processes of cross-phase modulation (CPM) and degenerate four-photon parametric mixing (FPPM). When there is no initial phase difference between the pulses we observe attraction between pulses due to CPM. The final result is merging between the pulses in a single filament with higher power. By method of moments it is found that the attraction depends on the distance between the pulses and has potential character. In the second case we study energy exchange between filaments. This process is described through FPPM scheme and requests initial phase difference between the waves.

Towards filament free semiconductor lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McInerney, John; O'Brien, Peter; Skovgaard, Peter M. W.

2000-01-01

We outline physical models and simulations for suppression of self-focusing and filamentation in large aperture semiconductor lasers. The principal technical objective is to generate multi-watt CW or quasi-CW outputs with nearly diffraction limited beams, suitable for long distance free space...... propagation structures in lasers and amplifiers which suppress lateral reflections....

CARMA LARGE AREA STAR FORMATION SURVEY: OBSERVATIONAL ANALYSIS OF FILAMENTS IN THE SERPENS SOUTH MOLECULAR CLOUD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernández-López, M.; Looney, L.; Lee, K.; Segura-Cox, D. [Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign, 1002 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Arce, H. G.; Plunkett, A. [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, P.O. Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101 (United States); Mundy, L. G.; Storm, S.; Teuben, P. J.; Pound, M. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Isella, A.; Kauffmann, J. [Astronomy Department, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Tobin, J. J. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Rosolowsky, E. [Departments of Physics and Statistics, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7 (Canada); Kwon, W. [SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Landleven 12, 9747-AD Groningen (Netherlands); Ostriker, E. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Tassis, K. [Department of Physics and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, GR-710 03 Heraklion, Crete (Greece); Shirley, Y. L., E-mail: manferna@gmail.com [Steward Observatory, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

2014-08-01

We present the N{sub 2}H{sup +} (J = 1 → 0) map of the Serpens South molecular cloud obtained as part of the CARMA Large Area Star Formation Survey. The observations cover 250 arcmin{sup 2} and fully sample structures from 3000 AU to 3 pc with a velocity resolution of 0.16 km s{sup –1}, and they can be used to constrain the origin and evolution of molecular cloud filaments. The spatial distribution of the N{sub 2}H{sup +} emission is characterized by long filaments that resemble those observed in the dust continuum emission by Herschel. However, the gas filaments are typically narrower such that, in some cases, two or three quasi-parallel N{sub 2}H{sup +} filaments comprise a single observed dust continuum filament. The difference between the dust and gas filament widths casts doubt on Herschel ability to resolve the Serpens South filaments. Some molecular filaments show velocity gradients along their major axis, and two are characterized by a steep velocity gradient in the direction perpendicular to the filament axis. The observed velocity gradient along one of these filaments was previously postulated as evidence for mass infall toward the central cluster, but these kind of gradients can be interpreted as projection of large-scale turbulence.

Morgellons disease: a filamentous borrelial dermatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Middelveen, Marianne J; Stricker, Raphael B

2016-01-01

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 result from proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in epithelial tissue. Culture, histopathological and molecular evidence of spirochetal infection associated with MD has been presented in several published studies using a variety of techniques. Spirochetes genetically identified as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto predominate as the infective agent in most of the Morgellons skin specimens studied so far. Other species of Borrelia including Borrelia garinii , Borrelia miyamotoi , and Borrelia hermsii have also been detected in skin specimens taken from MD patients. The optimal treatment for MD remains to be determined.

High-resolution Observations of Downflows at One End of a Pre-eruption Filament

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Qin; Deng, Na; Jing, Ju; Wang, Haimin, E-mail: ql47@njit.edu [Space Weather Research Laboratory, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102-1982 (United States)

2017-06-01

Studying the dynamics of filaments at the pre-eruption phase can shed light on the precursor of eruptive events. Such high-resolution studies (of the order of 0.″1) are highly desirable yet very rare. In this work, we present a detailed observation of a pre-eruption evolution of a filament obtained by the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope (NST) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). One end of the filament is anchored at the sunspot in the NOAA active region (AR) 11515, which is well observed by NST H α off-bands from four hours before to one hour after the filament eruption. A M1.6 flare is associated with the eruption. We observed persistent downflowing materials along the H α multi-threaded component of the loop toward the AR end during the pre-eruption phase. We traced the trajectories of plasma blobs along the H α threads and obtained a plane-of-sky velocity of 45 km s{sup −1} on average. Furthermore, we estimated the real velocities of the downflows and the altitude of the filament by matching the observed H α threads with magnetic field lines extrapolated from a nonlinear force-free field model. Observations of chromospheric brightenings at the footpoints of the falling plasma blobs are also presented. The lower limit of the kinetic energy per second of the downflows through the brightenings is found to be ∼10{sup 21} erg. Larger FOV observations from BBSO full-disk H α images show that the AR end of the filament started ascending four hours before the flare. We attribute the observed downflows at the AR end of the filament to the draining effect of the filament rising prior to its eruption. During the slow-rise phase, the downflows continuously drained away ∼10{sup 15}g mass from the filament over a few hours, which is believed to be essential for the instability, and could be an important precursor of eruptive events.

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.

Tracer filamentation at an unstable ocean front

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yen Chia; Mahadevan, Amala; Thiffeault, Jean-Luc; Yecko, Philip

2017-11-01

A front, where two bodies of ocean water with different physical properties meet, can become unstable and lead to a flow with high strain rate and vorticity. Phytoplankton and other oceanic tracers are stirred into filaments by such flow fields, as can often be seen in satellite imagery. The stretching and folding of a tracer by a two-dimensional flow field has been well studied. In the ocean, however, the vertical shear of horizontal velocity is typically two orders of magnitude larger than the horizontal velocity gradient. Theoretical calculations show that vertical shear alters the way in which horizontal strain affects the tracer, resulting in thin, sloping structures in the tracer field. Using a non-hydrostatic ocean model of an unstable ocean front, we simulate tracer filamentation to identify the effect of vertical shear on the deformation of the tracer. In a complementary laboratory experiment, we generate a simple, vertically sheared strain flow and use dye and particle image velocimetry to quantify the filamentary structures in terms of the strain and shear. We identify how vertical shear alters the tracer filaments and infer how the evolution of tracers in the ocean will differ from the idealized two-dimensional paradigm. Support of NSF DMS-1418956 is acknowledged.

Spatiotemporal distribution of different extracellular polymeric substances and filamentation mediate Xylella fastidiosa adhesion and biofilm formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Janissen, Richard; Murillo, Duber M; Niza, Barbara; Sahoo, Prasana K; Nobrega, Marcelo M; Cesar, Carlos L; Temperini, Marcia L A; Carvalho, Hernandes F; de Souza, Alessandra A; Cotta, Monica A

2015-04-20

Microorganism pathogenicity strongly relies on the generation of multicellular assemblies, called biofilms. Understanding their organization can unveil vulnerabilities leading to potential treatments; spatially and temporally-resolved comprehensive experimental characterization can provide new details of biofilm formation, and possibly new targets for disease control. Here, biofilm formation of economically important phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa was analyzed at single-cell resolution using nanometer-resolution spectro-microscopy techniques, addressing the role of different types of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) at each stage of the entire bacterial life cycle. Single cell adhesion is caused by unspecific electrostatic interactions through proteins at the cell polar region, where EPS accumulation is required for more firmly-attached, irreversibly adhered cells. Subsequently, bacteria form clusters, which are embedded in secreted loosely-bound EPS, and bridged by up to ten-fold elongated cells that form the biofilm framework. During biofilm maturation, soluble EPS forms a filamentous matrix that facilitates cell adhesion and provides mechanical support, while the biofilm keeps anchored by few cells. This floating architecture maximizes nutrient distribution while allowing detachment upon larger shear stresses; it thus complies with biological requirements of the bacteria life cycle. Using new approaches, our findings provide insights regarding different aspects of the adhesion process of X. fastidiosa and biofilm formation.

Monitoring and troubleshooting of non-filamentous settling and dewatering problems in an industrial activated sludge treatment plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjellerup, B. V.; Keiding, Kristian; Nielsen, Per Halkjær

2001-01-01

dewaterability. The monitoring program revealed that a deterioration of the floc strength and the settling properties in the process tanks was closely connected to downstream dewatering problems and poor effluent quality. Particularly severe problems were observed a few weeks after the production at the factory......A large industrial activated sludge wastewater treatment plant had temporary problems with settling and dewatering of the sludge. Microscopical investigations revealed that the poor settling properties were not due to presence of filamentous bacteria, but poor floc properties. In order...... to characterise the changes in floc properties that led to settling and dewatering problems and to find reasons for this taking place, a comprehensive monitoring program was conducted during more than one year. The monitoring program included various measurements of floc settleability, floc strength and sludge...

Chemical Strategies for the Covalent Modification of Filamentous Phage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew B Francis

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Historically filamentous bacteriophage have been known to be the workhorse of phage display due to their ability to link genotype to phenotype. More recently, the filamentous phage scaffold has proved to be powerful outside the realms of phage display technology in fields such as molecular imaging, cancer research and materials and vaccine development. The ability of the virion to serve as a platform for a variety of applications heavily relies on the functionalization of the phage coat proteins with a wide variety of functionalities. Genetic modification of the coat proteins has been the most widely used strategy for functionalizing the virion; however complementary chemical modification strategies can help to diversify the range of materials that can be developed. This review emphasizes the recent advances that have been made in the chemical modification of filamentous phage as well as some of the challenges that are involved functionalizing the virion.

Axi-symmetric patterns of active polar filaments on spherical and composite surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Pragya; Rao, Madan

2014-03-01

Experiments performed on Fission Yeast cells of cylindrical and spherical shapes, rod-shaped bacteria and reconstituted cylindrical liposomes suggest the influence of cell geometry on patterning of cortical actin. A theoretical model based on active hydrodynamic description of cortical actin that includes curvature-orientation coupling predicts spontaneous formation of acto-myosin rings, cables and nodes on cylindrical and spherical geometries [P. Srivastava et al, PRL 110, 168104(2013)]. Stability and dynamics of these patterns is also affected by the cellular shape and has been observed in experiments performed on Fission Yeast cells of spherical shape. Motivated by this, we study the stability and dynamics of axi-symmetric patterns of active polar filaments on the surfaces of spherical, saddle shaped and conical geometry and classify the stable steady state patterns on these surfaces. Based on the analysis of the fluorescence images of Myosin-II during ring slippage we propose a simple mechanical model for ring-sliding based on force balance and make quantitative comparison with the experiments performed on Fission Yeast cells. NSF Grant DMR-1004789 and Syracuse Soft Matter Program.

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.

THE FORMATION AND MAGNETIC STRUCTURES OF ACTIVE-REGION FILAMENTS OBSERVED BY NVST, SDO, AND HINODE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, X. L.; Xue, Z. K.; Wang, J. C.; Xiang, Y. Y.; Kong, D. F.; Yang, L. H. [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650216 (China); Pan, G. M. [College of Mathematics Physics and Information Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001 (China)

2015-08-15

To better understand the properties of solar active-region filaments, we present a detailed study on the formation and magnetic structures of two active-region filaments in active region NOAA 11884 during a period of four days. It is found that the shearing motion of the opposite magnetic polarities and the rotation of the small sunspots with negative polarity play an important role in the formation of two active-region filaments. During the formation of these two active-region filaments, one foot of the filaments was rooted in a small sunspot with negative polarity. The small sunspot rotated not only around another small sunspot with negative polarity, but also around the center of its umbra. By analyzing the nonlinear force-free field extrapolation using the vector magnetic fields in the photosphere, twisted structures were found in the two active-region filaments prior to their eruptions. These results imply that the magnetic fields were dragged by the shearing motion between opposite magnetic polarities and became more horizontal. The sunspot rotation twisted the horizontal magnetic fields and finally formed the twisted active-region filaments.

Status of the segment interconnect, cable segment ancillary logic, and the cable segment hybrid driver projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swoboda, C.; Barsotti, E.; Chappa, S.; Downing, R.; Goeransson, G.; Lensy, D.; Moore, G.; Rotolo, C.; Urish, J.

1985-01-01

The FASTBUS Segment Interconnect (SI) provides a communication path between two otherwise independent, asynchronous bus segments. In particular, the Segment Interconnect links a backplane crate segment to a cable segment. All standard FASTBUS address and data transactions can be passed through the SI or any number of SIs and segments in a path. Thus systems of arbitrary connection complexity can be formed, allowing simultaneous independent processing, yet still permitting devices associated with one segment to be accessed from others. The model S1 Segment Interconnect and the Cable Segment Ancillary Logic covered in this report comply with all the mandatory features stated in the FASTBUS specification document DOE/ER-0189. A block diagram of the SI is shown

Direct observation of conductive filament formation in Alq3 based organic resistive memories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Busby, Y., E-mail: yan.busby@unamur.be; Pireaux, J.-J. [Research Center in the Physics of Matter and Radiation (PMR), Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Spectroscopie Electronique (LISE), University of Namur, B-5000 Namur (Belgium); Nau, S.; Sax, S. [NanoTecCenter Weiz Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Franz-Pichler Straße 32, A-8160 Weiz (Austria); List-Kratochvil, E. J. W. [NanoTecCenter Weiz Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Franz-Pichler Straße 32, A-8160 Weiz (Austria); Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Novak, J.; Banerjee, R.; Schreiber, F. [Institute of Applied Physics, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen (Germany)

2015-08-21

This work explores resistive switching mechanisms in non-volatile organic memory devices based on tris(8-hydroxyquinolie)aluminum (Alq{sub 3}). Advanced characterization tools are applied to investigate metal diffusion in ITO/Alq{sub 3}/Ag memory device stacks leading to conductive filament formation. The morphology of Alq{sub 3}/Ag layers as a function of the metal evaporation conditions is studied by X-ray reflectivity, while depth profile analysis with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry is applied to characterize operational memory elements displaying reliable bistable current-voltage characteristics. 3D images of the distribution of silver inside the organic layer clearly point towards the existence of conductive filaments and allow for the identification of the initial filament formation and inactivation mechanisms during switching of the device. Initial filament formation is suggested to be driven by field assisted diffusion of silver from abundant structures formed during the top electrode evaporation, whereas thermochemical effects lead to local filament inactivation.

On filament structure and propagation within a commercial plasma globe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burin, M. J.; Simmons, G. G.; Ceja, H. G.; Zweben, S. J.; Nagy, A.; Brunkhorst, C.

2015-01-01

The filamentary discharge seen within commercial plasma globes is commonly enjoyed yet not well understood. Here, we investigate the discharge properties of a plasma globe using a variable high voltage amplifier. We find that increasing voltage magnitude increases the number of filaments while leaving their individual structure basically unchanged, a result typical of dielectric barrier discharges. The frequency of the voltage also affects filament population but more significantly changes filament structure, with more diffuse filaments seen at lower frequencies. Voltage polarity is observed to be important, especially at lower frequencies, where for negative-gradient voltages the discharge is more diffuse, not filamentary. At late stages of the discharge circular structures appear and expand on the glass boundaries. We find no trend of discharge speed with respect to voltage variables, though this may be due to manufacturer sample-to-sample variation. Each voltage cycle the discharge expands outward at ∼10–15 km/s, a speed significantly higher than the estimated electron drift yet considerably lower than that observed for most streamers. We discuss the physics of these observations and their relation to similar discharges that can be found within nature and industry

Laser filament-induced aerosol formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Saathoff

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Using the aerosol and cloud simulation chamber AIDA, we investigated the laser filament induced particle formation in ambient air, humid synthetic air, humid nitrogen, argon–oxygen mixture, and pure argon in order to simulate the particle formation under realistic atmospheric conditions as well as to investigate the influence of typical gas-phase atmospheric constituents on the particle formation. Terawatt laser plasma filaments generated new particles in the size range 3 to 130 nm with particle production rates ranging from 1 × 107 to 5 × 109 cm−3 plasma s−1 for the given experimental conditions. In all cases the particle formation rates increased exponentially with the water content of the gas mixture. Furthermore, the presence of a few ppb of trace gases like SO2 and α-pinene clearly enhanced the particle yield by number, the latter also by mass. Our findings suggest that new particle formation is efficiently supported by oxidized species like acids generated by the photoionization of both major and minor components of the air, including N2, NH3, SO2 and organics.

Multi-Chromatic Ultrashort Pulse Filamentation and Bulk Modification in Dielectrics

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-05

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0194 Multi- Chromatic Ultrashort Pulse Filamentation and Bulk Modification in Dielectrics Jeremy Gulley KENNESAW STATE...Jan 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Multi- chromatic Ultrashort Pulse Filamentation and Bulk Modification in Dielectrics 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT...in, and modification of, dielectric solids by multi- chromatic ultrashort laser pulses. It was a theoretical effort to develop models of multi

Fine-scale structures and material flows of quiescent filaments observed by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Xiao-Li; Xue, Zhi-Ke; Xiang, Yong-Yuan; Yang, Li-Heng

2015-10-01

Study of the small-scale structures and material flows associated with solar quiescent filaments is very important for understanding the formation and equilibrium of solar filaments. Using high resolution Hα data observed by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope, we present the structures of barbs and material flows along the threads across the spine in two quiescent filaments on 2013 September 29 and on 2012 November 2, respectively. During the evolution of the filament barb, several parallel tube-shaped structures formed and the width of the structures ranged from about 2.3 Mm to 3.3 Mm. The parallel tube-shaped structures merged together accompanied by material flows from the spine to the barb. Moreover, the boundary between the barb and surrounding atmosphere was very neat. The counter-streaming flows were not found to appear alternately in the adjacent threads of the filament. However, the large-scale patchy counter-streaming flows were detected in the filament. The flows in one patch of the filament have the same direction but flows in the adjacent patch have opposite direction. The patches of two opposite flows with a size of about 10″ were alternately exhibited along the spine of the filament. The velocity of these material flows ranged from 5.6 km s-1 to 15.0 km s-1. The material flows along the threads of the filament did not change their direction for about two hours and fourteen minutes during the evolution of the filament. Our results confirm that the large-scale counter-streaming flows with a certain width along the threads of solar filaments exist and are coaligned well with the threads.

Peroxide accumulation and cell death in filamentous fungi induced by contact with a contestant.

Science.gov (United States)

Silar, Philippe

2005-02-01

Podospora anserina and Coprinopsis cinerea (syn. Coprinus cinereus) are endowed with a defence system able to differentiate self vs. non-self and involving the generation of peroxide. Indeed, they produce peroxide when confronted with a filamentous fungus, only in non-self confrontations. Both species are not able to recognize yeasts and show a differential response to bacteria. The accumulation of peroxides in the ascomycete Podospora anserina requires an NADPH oxidase and a MAP kinase cascade, previously shown to be involved in fruit body formation, cell differentiation and cell degeneration. Confrontation is accompanied by the death of the contestant hyphae only in specific combinations of species. As in animals and plants, data suggest that peroxide is likely involved in signalling rather than playing a direct toxic role. Fungi display more complex behaviours than generally acknowledged, i.e. they are able to recognize potential contestants and built up defence reactions involving evolutionary conserved enzymes.

Acoustic Measurement of the Length of Air-plasma Filament Induced by an Intense Femtosecond Laser Pulse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu Si-Qing

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper studies acoustic emission from air-plasma filament induced by a strong femtosecond laser pulse. Acoustic signal is detected with a sensitive directional microphone. Acoustic measurement provides a new method to determine the length of a filament. Compared with other methods, acoustic measurement is simpler, more sensitive, and with higher spatial resolution. Information of filament length is experimentally acquired through measuring acoustic pressure at different position of filament. On the basis of the relationship between acoustic signal and free-electron density in filament, profile of free-electron density is demonstrated

Assembly of MreB filaments on liposome membranes: a synthetic biology approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Maeda, Yusuke T; Nakadai, Tomoyoshi; Shin, Jonghyeon; Uryu, Kunihiro; Noireaux, Vincent; Libchaber, Albert

2012-02-17

The physical interaction between the cytoskeleton and the cell membrane is essential in defining the morphology of living organisms. In this study, we use a synthetic approach to polymerize bacterial MreB filaments inside phospholipid vesicles. When the proteins MreB and MreC are expressed inside the liposomes, the MreB cytoskeleton structure develops at the inner membrane. Furthermore, when purified MreB is used inside the liposomes, MreB filaments form a 4-10 μm rigid bundle structure and deform the lipid vesicles in physical contact with the vesicle inner membrane. These results indicate that the fibrillation of MreB filaments can take place either in close proximity of deformable lipid membrane or in the presence of associated protein. Our finding might be relevant for the self-assembly of cytoskeleton filaments toward the construction of artificial cell systems.

Coupling between myosin head conformation and the thick filament backbone structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Zhongjun; Taylor, Dianne W; Edwards, Robert J; Taylor, Kenneth A

2017-12-01

The recent high-resolution structure of the thick filament from Lethocerus asynchronous flight muscle shows aspects of thick filament structure never before revealed that may shed some light on how striated muscles function. The phenomenon of stretch activation underlies the function of asynchronous flight muscle. It is most highly developed in flight muscle, but is also observed in other striated muscles such as cardiac muscle. Although stretch activation is likely to be complex, involving more than a single structural aspect of striated muscle, the thick filament itself, would be a prime site for regulatory function because it must bear all of the tension produced by both its associated myosin motors and any externally applied force. Here we show the first structural evidence that the arrangement of myosin heads within the interacting heads motif is coupled to the structure of the thick filament backbone. We find that a change in helical angle of 0.16° disorders the blocked head preferentially within the Lethocerus interacting heads motif. This observation suggests a mechanism for how tension affects the dynamics of the myosin heads leading to a detailed hypothesis for stretch activation and shortening deactivation, in which the blocked head preferentially binds the thin filament followed by the free head when force production occurs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extending Counter-streaming Motion from an Active Region Filament to a Sunspot Light Bridge

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haimin; Liu, Rui; Li, Qin; Liu, Chang; Deng, Na; Xu, Yan; Jing, Ju; Wang, Yuming; Cao, Wenda

2018-01-01

We analyze high-resolution observations from the 1.6 m telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory that cover an active region filament. Counter-streaming motions are clearly observed in the filament. The northern end of the counter-streaming motions extends to a light bridge, forming a spectacular circulation pattern around a sunspot, with clockwise motion in the blue wing and counterclockwise motion in the red wing, as observed in the Hα off-bands. The apparent speed of the flow is around 10–60 km s‑1 in the filament, decreasing to 5–20 km s‑1 in the light bridge. The most intriguing results are the magnetic structure and the counter-streaming motions in the light bridge. Similar to those in the filament, the magnetic fields show a dominant transverse component in the light bridge. However, the filament is located between opposed magnetic polarities, while the light bridge is between strong fields of the same polarity. We analyze the power of oscillations with the image sequences of constructed Dopplergrams, and find that the filament’s counter-streaming motion is due to physical mass motion along fibrils, while the light bridge’s counter-streaming motion is due to oscillation in the direction along the line-of-sight. The oscillation power peaks around 4 minutes. However, the section of the light bridge next to the filament also contains a component of the extension of the filament in combination with the oscillation, indicating that some strands of the filament are extended to and rooted in that part of the light bridge.

The formation and disappearance of filament barbs observed by SDO

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Leping; Zhang, Jun

2014-01-01

Employing six-day (August 16-21, 2010) SDO/AIA observations, we systematically investigate the formation and disappearance of 58 barbs of a northern (~N60) polar crown filament. Three different ways of barb formation are discovered, including (1) the convergence of surrounding moving materials (55.2%), (2) the flows of materials from the filament (37.9%), and (3) the material injections from neighboring brightening regions (6.9%). We also find three different types of barb disappearance, involving: (i) the bi-lateral movements (44.8%), and (ii) the outflowing (27.6%) of barb material resulting in the barb disappearance, as well as (iii) the barb disappearance associated with neighboring brightenings (27.6%). We propose that barbs exchange materials with the filament, surrounding atmosphere, and nearby brightening regions, causing the barb formation and disappearance.

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 of human Dmc1 protein on single-stranded DNA: a cautionary tale

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xiong; Egelman, Edward H.

2010-01-01

Proteins in the RecA/Rad51/RadA family form nucleoprotein filaments on DNA that catalyze a strand exchange reaction as part of homologous genetic recombination. Because of the centrality of this system to many aspects of DNA repair, the generation of genetic diversity, and cancer when this system fails or is not properly regulated, these filaments have been the object of many biochemical and biophysical studies. A recent paper has argued that the human Dmc1 protein, a meiotic homolog of bacterial RecA and human Rad51, forms filaments on single stranded DNA with ∼ 9 subunits per turn in contrast to the filaments formed on double stranded DNA with ∼ 6.4 subunits per turn, and that the stoichiometry of DNA binding is different between these two filaments. We show using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) that the Dmc1 filament formed on single stranded DNA has a mass per unit length expected from ∼ 6.5 subunits per turn. More generally, we show how ambiguities in helical symmetry determination can generate incorrect solutions, and why one sometimes must use other techniques, such as biochemistry, metal shadowing, or STEM to resolve these ambiguities. While three-dimensional reconstruction of helical filaments from EM images is a powerful tool, the intrinsic ambiguities that may be present with limited resolution are not sufficiently appreciated. PMID:20600108

Shortening actin filaments cause force generation in actomyosin network to change from contractile to extensile

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Nitin; Gardel, Margaret

Motor proteins in conjunction with filamentous proteins convert biochemical energy into mechanical energy which serves a number of cellular processes including cell motility, force generation and intracellular cargo transport. In-vitro experiments suggest that the forces generated by kinesin motors on microtubule bundles are extensile in nature whereas myosin motors on actin filaments are contractile. It is not clear how qualitatively similar systems can show completely different behaviors in terms of the nature of force generation. In order to answer this question, we carry out in vitro experiments where we form quasi 2D filamentous actomyosin networks and vary the length of actin filaments by adding capping protein. We show that when filaments are much shorter than their typical persistence length (approximately 10 microns), the forces generated are extensile and we see active nematic defect propagation, as seen in the microtubule-kinesin system. Based on this observation, we claim that the rigidity of rods plays an important role in dictating the nature of force generation in such systems. In order to understand this transition, we selectively label individual filaments and find that longer filaments show considerable bending and buckling, making them difficult to slide and extend along their length.

Translation elongation factor EF-Tu modulates filament formation of actin-like MreB protein in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Defeu Soufo, Hervé Joël; Reimold, Christian; Breddermann, Hannes; Mannherz, Hans G; Graumann, Peter L

2015-04-24

EF-Tu has been shown to interact with actin-like protein MreB and to affect its localization in Escherichia coli and in Bacillus subtilis cells. We have purified YFP-MreB in an active form, which forms filaments on glass slides in vitro and was active in dynamic light-scattering assays, polymerizing in milliseconds after addition of magnesium. Purified EF-Tu enhanced the amount of MreB filaments, as seen by sedimentation assays, the speed of filament formation and the length of MreB filaments in vitro. EF-Tu had the strongest impact on MreB filaments in a 1:1 ratio, and EF-Tu co-sedimented with MreB filaments, revealing a stoichiometric interaction between both proteins. This was supported by cross-linking assays where 1:1 species were well detectable. When expressed in E. coli cells, B. subtilis MreB formed filaments and induced the formation of co-localizing B. subtilis EF-Tu structures, indicating that MreB can direct the positioning of EF-Tu structures in a heterologous cell system. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis showed that MreB filaments have a higher turnover in B. subtilis cells than in E. coli cells, indicating different filament kinetics in homologous or heterologous cell systems. The data show that MreB can direct the localization of EF-Tu in vivo, which in turn positively affects the formation and dynamics of MreB filaments. Thus, EF-Tu is a modulator of the activity of a bacterial actin-like protein. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Segmented block copolymers with monodisperse aramide end-segments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Araichimani, A.; Gaymans, R.J.

2008-01-01

Segmented block copolymers were synthesized using monodisperse diaramide (TT) as hard segments and PTMO with a molecular weight of 2 900 g · mol-1 as soft segments. The aramide: PTMO segment ratio was increased from 1:1 to 2:1 thereby changing the structure from a high molecular weight multi-block