Buckman's first law of covariation–a case of proportionality

Buckman's first law of covariation states that in ammonoids, coarseness of ribs and other ornamentation correlates negatively with degree of compression (whorl height/width ratio) and involution. This ‘law’ has escaped several attempts at functional or physiological explanation. However, Buckman's first law becomes self‐evident, and almost collapses to a tautology, when we reword it as follows: Size of lateral and ventral ornamentation correlates with size of the aperture (its width and height, respectively). In a shell that is strongly compressed laterally, the diameter of the aperture, and hence the soft parts within, is small in the lateral direction. For such a shell, coarse lateral ribbing would imply impossibly strong relative compression and expansion of the soft body through the formation of a rib. Conversely, if the shell is depressed (compressed dorsoventrally), the diameter of the soft parts is small in the dorsoventral direction, and the ventral ribbing correspondingly small. Buckman's first law is thus simply a statement of proportionality that needs no special explanation. On the contrary, any departure from this ‘law’ would imply strong deformations of the soft body as ornamentation was formed. Measurements on the Triassic ammonite Pseudodanubites halli show that ventral ribs get relatively stronger on compressed specimens, in accordance with this view of Buckman's law. ? Ammonoids, intraspecific variation, morphometry, ornamentation.     

Paraffin Compression Due to the Rotary Microtome

The extent of compression of microtome sections has been studied for blocks with tissue and also blocks of clear paraffin. Thick sections are commonly compressed 15% or more, while in sections below 5 or 10 μ, compression may exceed 50%. Compensatory thickening of sections occurs. The degree of compression for various paraffin samples and for various conditions of knife edge, temperature, etc., is compared. Microscopical work, particularly where quantitative data or reconstructions are involved, is often seriously unpaired by unrecognized artifacts of sectioning. The present work indicates the magnitude of such artifacts. Compensation for distortions of sections is not easy because tissues, particularly dense tissues, may compress less than the paraffin matrix. Section corrugation is due to this inequality in compression. Absorption of water in section flattening causes some tissue readjustment, but this varies with different tissues and different fixations.     

Movement of [14C]sucrose along the stolon of Saxifraga sarmentosa

Summary The characteristics of ¹³⁷Cs transport along the stolon of Saxifraga previously reported have been confirmed for applied sucrose and natural assimilate. Long-distance transport is strictly unidirectional, with a symmetrical short-distance spread from the point of application. Only the latter takes place in a long piece of excised stolon. Transport is readily reversed when the parent plant is darkened and the daugther, plantlet allowed to photosynthesise. These findings strongly support a mass-flow mechanism for the stolon. They also confirm the value of ¹³⁷Cs as a tracer for assimilate movement, though in contrast to assimilate it suffers appreciable lateral leakage. Pulse labelling of the subtending leaf failed to produce a sharp peak of activity in the stolon. A flattening with time of the ¹⁴C profile is considered to be due to differing linear velocities in parallel sieve tubes.This work formed part of that submitted for the degree, of Ph. D. of the University of London.     

Hypertension from compression and/or enucleation of the adrenal glands in the rat.

Previos studies have shown that compression of the adrenal glands is as effective as adrenal enucleation in causing hypertension in rats. Unilateral adrenal enucleation is ineffective, however, if a normal contralateral adrenal gland is present. The studies reported herein demonstrate that unilateral compression also fails to cause hypertension in the presence of a normal contralateral gland. When present singly, either enucleate or compressed adrenals cause hypertension; when either is present with a normal contralateral gland, the blood pressure is unaffected. When compressed or enucleate glands constitute the pair, in any combination, hypertension ensues. However, whereas an enucleate gland remains extremely atrophic in the presence of a normal gland, compressed glands attain a much larger size under this circumstance. Furthermore, a compressed gland is less inhibitory to the regeneration of a contralateral enucleate gland than is a normal adrenal. Whereas enucleate glands, whether bilateral or unilateral, are always smaller than normal glands, compressed adrenals may be enlarged. The hypertensogenic function of compressed adrenals is, like that of enucleate glands, suppressed by the presence of a normal gland. The growth response of compressed or enucleate glands, whether bilateral or single, appears to depend upon the degree of injury inflicted upon them. There is a considerable discrepancy in the size of individual members of a pair when one or both have been injured, that members of a normal pair do not exhibit.     

Internal supporting structures of some Late Ordovician graptolites from South China revealed by micro-CT

Three-dimensionally preserved pyritic internal moulds of the Late Ordovician graptolites Appendispinograptus leptothecalis and Styracograptus chiai from the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation of the Daheba section, Hunan Province, South China, were imaged by micro-CT. The distinctive pea-shaped pits/dimples aligned in a zigzag line arising from the second/third thecal pair on the tubarium in these species are interpreted as the surface expression of the junction between the lateral thecal walls and the thickened internal cross-bars that support the nema. The relations between different internal structures such as the nema, median septum, aboral lists, interthecal septa and cross-bars are summarized, and examples of these supporting systems in different taxa are illustrated. The presence of isolated cross-bars in different diplograptid tubarium may suggest that they have evolved as a result of constructional restrictions.     

Critical dependence of calcium-activated force on width in highly compressed skinned fibers of the frog.

Force development by skinned frog semitendinosus fibers was studied at various levels of lateral compression to compare the results with intact fibers and to evaluate the limits on cross-bridge movements during isometric contraction. The skinned fibers were compressed osmotically using a high molecular weight polymer, dextran T500. Ca-activated force remained constant down to 58% of the fiber width (w0) after skinning, corresponding to a nearly twofold change in separation between the thin and thick filaments in the myofilament lattice. This agrees with the earlier result on intact fibers, and gives additional evidence that the cross-bridge mechanism for force generation is relatively insensitive to large changes in interfilament separation. Further compression, below 0.58 w0, produced a sharp drop in force, and the force was practically zero at a fiber width of 50%. The effect at high compression was the same at all pCa's, which indicates that the Ca sensitivity of the myofilaments is unaffected by radial compression. The stiffness of the fiber remained high in rigor in the presence of dextran, which indicates that the rigor cross-bridge attachment is not inhibited, and actually may be improved, with decreases in the interfilament space. Also, the drop in active force with the highest compression was similar when the compressed fibers were put in rigor before contraction, which suggests that the force drop also was not due to a hindrance to cross-bridge attachment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The effect of axial compression and distraction on cervical facet mechanics during anterior shear,flexion, axial rotation,and lateral bending motions

The subaxial cervical facets are important load-bearing structures, yet little is known about their mechanical response during physiological or traumatic intervertebral motion. Facet loading likely increases when intervertebral motions are superimposed with axial compression forces, increasing the risk of facet fracture. The aim of this study was to measure the mechanical response of the facets when intervertebral axial compression or distraction is superimposed on constrained, non-destructive shear, bending and rotation motions. Twelve C6/C7 motion segments (70 ± 13 yr, nine male) were subjected to constrained quasi-static anterior shear (1 mm), axial rotation (4°), flexion (10°), and lateral bending (5°) motions. Each motion was superimposed with three axial conditions: (1) 50 N compression; (2) 300 N compression (simulating neck muscle contraction); and, (3) 2.5 mm distraction. Angular deflections, and principal and shear surface strains, of the bilateral C6 inferior facets were calculated from motion-capture data and rosette strain gauges, respectively. Linear mixed-effects models (α = 0.05) assessed the effect of axial condition. Minimum principal and maximum shear strains were largest in the compressed condition for all motions except for maximum principal strains during axial rotation. For right axial rotation, maximum principal strains were larger for the contralateral facets, and minimum principal strains were larger for the left facets, regardless of axial condition. Sagittal deflections were largest in the compressed conditions during anterior shear and lateral bending motions, when adjusted for facet side.     

Cubital Tunnel External Compression Syndrome

External compression of the cubital tunnel comprises the acute and subacute forms of ulnar nerve compression at the elbow. Subacute compression is often seen in hospital practice and sometimes results in partial crippling of the hand. Prognosis for complete recovery is poor. Avoidance of a position of the elbow which predisposes to external compression of the ulnar nerve within the cubital tunnel is advised when a patient is on the operating table, in bed or in an armchair. Prolonged severe elbow flexion in these circumstances should also be avoided. The patient suffering from the syndrome should be instructed to avoid further pressure so that worsening of the palsy is minimized. A compressed nerve is likely to be more sensitive than a normal nerve to ischaemia produced by subsequent pressure. Surgical treatment is sometimes indicated at least to halt progression of the palsy.     

Effects of Fipronil and surface behavior of neuronal insect and mammalian membranes

The effects of Fipronil as well as the comparison between synaptosomal natural membranes (NMs) of mammal (NMBt) and insect (NMTi), that contain the ionotropic receptor GABA, was studied.This is the first report of biophysical studies of insect NMs and one of the first on the effects of Fipronil over membranes.Our result showed that NMTi appears to be more disordered than NMBt, generates more compressible films at the air-water interphase and they both showed a 2D transition in its compression isotherm. Each NM showed different lateral distribution and characteristic domain shapes when observed by DiI-C18 epifluorescence microscopy. Laurdan GP images suggested that in NMTi films, Ld and Ld-Lo phases are evenly abundant whereas in NMBt the Ld-Lo phase predominates. The differences observed might be attributed to differences in NMs lipid composition.The lipophilic insecticide Fipronil penetrated both NMs packed up to bilayer-compatible lateral pressures. The interface rearrangement after π_t affected the interaction of Fipronil mainly in NMTi. The capability of the compound to be incorporated in expanded Langmuir films and remain when they are compressed was also observed. Fluorescence microscopy images suggest a disordering effect in NMTi while it ordered NMBt, showing that Fipronil affected the lateral distribution of lipids in NMs.We suggest that changes in order and lipid lateral organization caused by Fipronil might contribute to its mechanism of action.Our experiments evidenced that differences in the physical state of insect and mammal membranes become relevant for the design of new compounds with potential biological activity.     

PHOTOREACTIONS OF PARTIALLY BLINDED WHIP-TAIL SCORPIONS

The experiments dealt with in this paper were devised to ascertain (1) the relative effectiveness as photoreceptors of the whip-tail scorpion''s median eyes, lateral eye groups, and cutaneous sensitive areas, and (2) the effect on orientation produced by symmetrical and by asymmetrical interference with the photoreceptive mechanism. Each of the receptors was eliminated unilaterally and bilaterally, singly and in combinations with other receptors. In all, sixteen different abnormal conditions of the photoreceptive apparatus were produced. The reactions of animals thus partially blinded were measured in terms of angular deflection from an initial path of locomotion. Measurements obtained under anterior, lateral, and bilaterally balanced illumination were compared with measurements made on normal animals under the same conditions of illumination. The change from the normal reaction induced by covering a photoreceptor was taken as an index of the effectiveness of the receptor prevented from functioning. By comparing the values of the changes from normal reactions produced by the elimination of the several receptors, their relative effectiveness is approximated as median eyes : lateral eyes : cutaneous sensitive areas :: 1:1.6:2.2. All animals in which the receptive mechanism was rendered functionally asymmetrical exhibited, when subJected to bilaterally balanced illumination, deflections toward the side which had been made less sensitive. In a series of measurements made on animals in ten different conditions of asymmetry the amplitudes of the deflections were proportional to the degree of unbalance which had been produced in the photosensitive mechanism. Animals in which the receptive mechanism was reduced but left in a symmetrical condition maintained an undisturbed balance of reaction when subjected to equal, opposed lights. Under lateral or anterior illumination the rate of attaining a new direction of orientation was reduced in proportion to the extent of the interference with the receptive mechanism. The reactions of symmetrically and asymmetrically blinded scorpions indicate that orientation is attained and maintained by a transmission of impulses to the muscles of locomotion which is proportional bilaterally to the excitation of the symmetrically located photoreceptors. In their effect on orientation the three pairs of receptors are completely coordinated. Orientation depends upon bringing the excitation of the receptive mechanism as a whole into bilateral equilibrium.     

Estimation of flattening coefficient for absorption and circular dichroism using simulation

The absorbance and circular dichroism (CD) of suspensions is lower than if the same amount of chromophore were uniformly distributed throughout the medium. Several mathematical treatments of this absorption flattening phenomenon have been presented using various assumptions and approximations. This article demonstrates an alternative simulation approach that allows relaxation of assumptions. On current desktop computers, the algorithm runs quickly with enough particles and light paths considered to get answers that are usually accurate to better than 3%. Results from the simulation agree with the most popular analytical model for 0.01 volume fraction of particles, showing that the extent of flattening depends mainly on the absorbance through a particle diameter. Unlike previous models, the simulation can show that flattening is significantly lower when volume fraction increases to 0.1 but is higher when the particles have a size distribution. The simulation can predict the slope of the nearly linear relationship between flattening of CD and the absorbance of the suspension. This provides a method to correct experimental CD data where volume fraction and particle size are known.     

Dynamics of Heterogeneous Liners with Prolonged Plasma Creation

Prolonged plasma creation in heterogeneous liners, in which the liner substance is separated into two phase states (a hot plasma and a cold skeleton), is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. This situation is typical of multiwire, foam, and even gas liners in high-current high-voltage facilities. The main mechanisms governing the rate at which the plasma is created are investigated, and the simplest estimates of the creation rate are presented. It is found that, during prolonged plasma creation, the electric current flows through the entire cross section of the produced plasma shell, whose thickness is comparable with the liner radius; in other words, a current skin layer does not form. During compression, such a shell is fairly stable because of its relatively high resilience. It is shown that, under certain conditions, even a thick plasma shell can be highly compressed toward the discharge axis. A simplified numerical simulation of the compression of a plasma shell in a liner with prolonged plasma creation is employed in order to determine the conditions for achieving regimes of fairly compact and relatively stable radial compression of the shell.     

Lungs under cyclic compression and expansion

The pressure-volume relationship of lungs subjected to repeated compression and expansion is studied in detail. The investigation was motivated by an attempt to understand why lungs are frequently injured by compression waves; hence the lung was compressed to a degree greater than normally encountered in physiological conditions. Attention was focused on the collapse of the lung at a critical strain and the reopening of the trap at a critical stress. We found that when a rabbit lung is compressed, about one-half to one-quarter of its gas may be trapped in the alveoli because of the closure of airways. Reopening of the trap occurs at a pressure higher than the critical pressure for collapsing. The difference of the critical pressures of collapsing and reopening is influenced by the rate of strain and the strain history, especially by the maximum compressive stress imposed on the lung. The stress-strain relationship of the lung tissue, which resembles the PV curves, depends strongly on the strain history.     

Mechanical effects of compression of peripheral nerves

Effects of graded compression on nerve function were analyzed in order to evaluate the relative importance of pressure level and duration of compression for functional deterioration. The pressure was applied by means of a small inflatable cuff. The effects of two pressure levels, i.e., 80 mm Hg applied for 2 hr or 400 mm Hg applied for 15 min, were studied in rabbit tibial nerves. The lower pressure tested, which is known to induce ischemia of the compressed nerve segment, also causes some degree of mechanical deformation of the nerve trunk, which leads to incomplete recovery following pressure release. The duration of compression is of importance for the degree of nerve injury even at the higher pressure level tested.     

The free diffusion of macromolecules in tissue-engineered skeletal muscle subjected to large compression strains

Pressure-related deep tissue injury (DTI) represents a severe pressure ulcer, which initiates in compressed muscle tissue overlying a bony prominence and progresses to more superficial tissues until penetrating the skin. Individual subjects with impaired motor and/or sensory capacities are at high risk of developing DTI. Impaired diffusion of critical metabolites in compressed muscle tissue may contribute to DTI, and impaired diffusion of tissue damage biomarkers may further impose a problem in developing early detection blood tests. We hypothesize that compression of muscle tissue between a bony prominence and a supporting surface locally influences the diffusion capacity of muscle. The objective of this study was therefore, to determine the effects of large compression strains on free diffusion in a tissue-engineered skeletal muscle model. Diffusion was measured with a range of fluorescently labeled dextran molecules (10, 20, 150kDa) whose sizes were representative of both hormones and damage biomarkers. We used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to compare diffusion coefficients (D) of the different dextrans between the uncompressed and compressed (48-60% strain) states. In a separate experiment, we simulated the effects of local partial muscle ischemia in vivo, by reducing the temperature of compressed specimens from 37 to 34 degrees C. Compared to the D in the uncompressed model system, values in the compressed state were significantly reduced by 47+/-22% (p<0.02). A 3 degrees C temperature decrease further reduced D in the compressed specimens by 10+/-6% (p<0.05). In vivo, the effects of large strains and ischemia are likely to be summative, and hence, the present findings suggest an important role of impaired diffusion in the etiology of DTI, and should also be considered when developing biochemical screening methods for early detection of DTI.     

Universal barrier to lateral spread of specific genes among microorganisms

A genetic circuit to suppress the lateral spread of cloned genes from recombinant to indigenous microorganisms in the environment has been developed. It is based on the endonucleolytic activity of the bacterial toxin colicin E3, which has a distinct target at the 3 end of the 16S ribosomal RNA; this sequence is conserved in virtually all prokaryotic and many eukaryotic genera. Cleavage at this sequence separates the mRNA binding sites from the remainder of the 16S rRNA, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis. While host bacteria carrying the genes for both colicin production and colicin immunity are perfectly viable, lateral transfer of the E3 gene to non-immune reciptents results in killing of such recipients. This genetic circuit decreases operational transfer frequencies of cloned genes linked to the E3 gene among a variety of bacterial genera by four to five orders of magnitude, in combination with transposon cloning vectors, the circuit is predicted to reduce the rate of lateral spread of specific genes to ecologically insignificant levels. This system therefore represents a useful tool both to explore the evolutionary and ecological consequences of experimentally reducing lateral gene spread among microorganisms, and to increase the ecological predictability of novel recombinant microorganisms.     

Structural organization of xanthine crystals in the median ocellus of a member of the ancestral insect group Archaeognatha

Biogenic purine crystals function in vision as mirrors, multilayer reflectors and light scatterers. We investigated a light sensory organ in a primarily wingless insect, the jumping bristletail Lepismachilis rozsypali (Archaeognatha), an ancestral group. The visual system of this animal comprises two compound eyes, two lateral ocelli, and a median ocellus, which is located on the front of the head, pointing downwards to the ground surface.We determined that the median ocellus contains crystals of xanthine, and we obtained insights into their function. To date, xanthine biocrystals have only been found in the Archaeognatha. We performed a structural analysis, using reflection light microscopy, cryo-FIB-SEM, microCT and cryo-SEM. The xanthine crystals cover the bottom of a bowl-shaped volume in the median ocellus, in analogy to a tapetum, and reflect photons to light-sensitive receptors that are spread in the volume without apparent order or preferential orientation. We infer that the median ocellus operates as an irregular multifocal reflector, which is not capable of forming images. A possible function of this organ is to improve photon capture, and by so doing assess distances from the ground surface when jumping by determining changes in the intensity and contrast of the incident light.     

Dynamic changes in body form during swimming in the water snake Nerodia sipedon

Video records of swimming water snakes show that during moderate to rapid swimming, the rear half to two-thirds of the trunk is compressed laterally, approaching the body form of some sea snakes. Body form of swimming snakes differed significantly from their shape when resting on a flat surface or when anesthetized and suspended in water. The extent of lateral flattening is positively correlated with swimming speed, a relationship generally supported by tests of trunk models in a flow tank. In Nerodia, the ability to temporarily flatten the trunk depends on kinetic costovertebral joints, a large compressible body cavity, and the absence of ventral skeletal support - features found in most snakes. Histological studies and manipulations of partially dissected preserved specimens showed that the resting angle of the ribs is maintained by localized elastic hypertrophy of the costovertebral capsular ligament. Trunk form during swimming in Nerodia is proposed to arise from anteromedial movement of the distal rib powered by deep muscles acting in concert with those proposed to generate undulation of the vertebral column.     

Theoretical Prediction of Disrupted Min Oscillation in Flattened Escherichia coli

The dynamics of the Min-protein system help Escherichia coli regulate the process of cell division by identifying the center of the cell. While this system exhibits robust bipolar oscillations in wild-type cell shapes, recent experiments have shown that when the cells are mechanically deformed into wide, flattened out, irregular shapes, the spatial regularity of these oscillations breaks down. We employ widely used stochastic and deterministic models of the Min system to simulate cells with flattened shapes. The deterministic model predicts strong bipolar oscillations, in contradiction with the experimentally observed behavior, while the stochastic model, which is based on the same reaction-diffusion equations, predicts more spatially irregular oscillations. We further report simulations of flattened but more symmetric shapes, which suggest that the flattening and lateral expansion may contribute as much to the irregular oscillation behavior as the asymmetry of the cell shapes.