The effect of the external medium on the gravitropic curvature of rice (Oryza sativa, Poaceae) roots

The roots of rice seedlings, growing in artificial pond water, exhibit robust gravitropic curvature when placed perpendicular to the vector of gravity. To determine whether the statolith theory (in which intracellular sedimenting particles are responsible for gravity sensing) or the gravitational pressure theory (in which the entire protoplast acts as the gravity sensor) best accounts for gravity sensing in rice roots, we changed the physical properties of the external medium with impermeant solutes and examined the effect on gravitropism. As the density of the external medium is increased, the rate of gravitropic curvature decreases. The decrease in the rate of gravicurvature cannot be attributed to an inhibition of growth, since rice roots grown in 100 Osm/m3 (0.248 MPa) solutions of different densities all support the same root growth rate but inhibit gravicurvature increasingly with increasing density. By contrast, the sedimentation rate of amyloplasts in the columella cells is unaffected by the external density. These results are consistent with the gravitational pressure theory of gravity sensing, but cannot be explained by the statolith theory.     

The effect of the external medium on the gravity-induced polarity of cytoplasmic streaming in Chara corallina (Characeae)

Gravity induces a polarity of cytoplasmic streaming in vertical internodal cells of Chara such that the downwardly directed stream moves faster than the upwardly directed stream. In order to determine whether the statolith theory (in which intracellular sedimenting particles are responsible for gravity sensing) or the gravitational pressure theory (in which the entire protoplast acts as the gravity sensor) best explain the gravity response in Chara internodal cells, we controlled the physical properties of the external medium, including density and osmolarity, with impermeant solutes and examined the effect on the polarity of cytoplasmic streaming. As the density of the external medium is increased, the polarity of cytoplasmic streaming decreases and finally disappears when the density of the external medium is equal to that of the cell (1015 kg/m3). A further increase in the density of the external medium causes a reversal of the gravity response. These results are consistent with the gravitational pressure theory of gravity sensing since the buoyancy of the protoplast is dependent on the difference between the density of the protoplast and the external medium, and are inconsistent with the statolith theory since the buoyancy of intracellular particles are unaffected by changes in the external medium.     

Gravity reception in the walking fly, Calliphora erythrocephala: Tonic and modulatory influences of leg afferents on the head position

The proprioceptive gravity receptor system of the fly, Calliphora erythrocephala, is functionally organized in a manner similar to the statocyst system in vertebrates, molluscs and crustaceans. It includes one system in which excitation is modulated by the gravitational stimulus, and another which exerts a tonic excitation on the neurones of the reflex arc between the leg receptors and the neck muscles. While the modulating system for the compensatory head movement of the walking flies is located only in the forelegs and the middle legs, the tonic excitation is mediated by receptors of all legs.     

Gravitation importance in the evolution of prehypertension

Gravitation plays the important role in a pathogeny of the essential hypertension (EH). Modifications of hydrostatic pressure during body position changes, related to gravitational action, produce the significant hemodynamics shifts. Discordance of the orthostatic hemodynamics reactions with gravitational action can lead to orthostatic hypotension or proceed without any clinical signs during increased hemodynamic respond. Absence of physiological circulatory orthostatic responses, possibly, is very initial sign of EH development. This assumption is confirmed by the outcomes of the prospective studies in whose have been shown that EH more often develops in patients with normal arterial pressure accompanied by circulatory orthostatic disorders. The prehypertension (PH) became the studies subject only after publication of the report 7 of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (7 JNC). Its diagnosis based on blood pressure (BP) measurement. According to the report, the PH is a risk factor of EH development. Peculiarities of life development on the Earth, phylogenetic features of cardiovascular system evolution and physical effects of gravitational action, allow us to advance a hypothesis that the PH is the beginning of EH pathogenesis. One of the diagnostic methods may be the system hemodynamics study at passive head-up tilt.     

Prediction of internal pressure profile of compression bandages using stress relaxation parameters

The efficacy of compression therapy using compression bandages is highly dependent on the level of compression applied and the sustenance of the pressure during the course of treatment. This study attempts to predict the pressure profile generated by compression bandages using constitutive equations describing relaxation behavior of viscoelastic materials. It is observed that this pressure profile is highly correlated with the stress relaxation behavior of the bandage. To model the pressure profile, the stress relaxation behavior of compression bandages was studied and modeled using three mechanical models: the Maxwell model, the standard linear solid model and the two-component Maxwell model with a nonlinear spring. It was observed that the models with more component values explained the experimental relaxation curves better. The parameters used for modelling relaxation behavior were used to describe the pressure profile, which is significantly dependent on the longitudinal stress relaxation behavior of the bandage, using the modified Laplace's law equation. This approach thus helps in evaluating the bandage performance with time during compression therapy as novel wound care management.     

Thermodynamic Model Equations for Heterogeneous Multicomponent Non-Ionic Solution Transport in a Multimembrane System

Non-equilibrium thermodynamic model equations for non-ionic and heterogeneous n-component solution transport in a m-membrane system are presented. This model is based on two equations. The first one describes the volume transport of the solution and the second the transport of the solute. Definitions of the hydraulic permeability, reflection and diffusive permeability coefficients of the m-membrane system and relations between the coefficients of the m-membrane system and the respective membranes of the system are also given. The validity of this model for binary and ternary solutions was verified, using a double-membrane cell with a horizontally mounted membrane. In the cell, volume and solute fluxes were measured as a function of concentration and gravitational configuration.     

Gravity perception in plants: a multiplicity of systems derived by evolution?

The origin and subsequent evolution of life on Earth have taken place within an environment where a 1g gravitational field is omnipresent. Living organisms, at whatever stage in their evolution, have accommodated this variable in both their structure and their function. Systems have also evolved whereby gravitational accelerations are perceived by gravisensors and these, in turn, have led to responses that give particular spatial orientations to living processes. It is proposed that, the higher the evolutionary status of an organism, the more likely it is that it will possess multiple systems for gravisensing because evolution discards little that assists fitness and hence supplements with new gravisensing systems those which already existed within evolutionarily older, less complex organisms. Moreover, in comparison with a single gravisensing system, a multiplicity of systems permits gravity to participate in a wider range of developmental programmes, such as taxes, morphisms and tropisms, through the action of different sensory mechanisms coupled to distinct signalling and response pathways. Whatever the precise mechanism of graviperception in any given set of conditions, all may transduce the g-force by means of a membrane system. Transduction may involve the endoplasmic reticulum and thence the plasma membrane.     

Does gravitational pressure of blood hinder flow to the brain of the giraffe?

Vascular pressure consists of the sum of two pressures: (a) pressure developed by the pumping of the ventricles against the resistance of vessels, designated as viscous flow pressure, and (b) pressure caused by gravity, traditionally called hydrostatic, better described as gravitational pressure. In a conduit, both of these pressures must be overcome when a liquid is discharged to a higher level of gravitational potential energy. If a liquid is returned to its original level, gravity neither helps nor hinders flow because of the siphon effect. This circumstance prevails in the circulatory system. Hence, P1-P2 in the Poiseuille equation excludes gravitational pressure between those points. The long neck of the giraffe, therefore, poses no impediment to blood flow in the erect posture. The giraffe has a high aortic pressure. This is not for driving the blood to its head but is for minimizing the gravitational drop of intravascular pressure and collapse of the vessels. The cerebral circulation is protected by the cerebrospinal fluid which undergoes parallel changes in pressure with posture. Other vessels in the head are less protected by connective tissue, surrounding muscles and other structures. The high aortic pressure in the giraffe is probably caused by the high total peripheral resistance of the systemic circuit due to vascular adaptations related to the overall height of the animal.     

Where is my hand in space? The internal model of gravity influences proprioception

Knowing where our limbs are in space is crucial for a successful interaction with the external world. Joint position sense (JPS) relies on both cues from muscle spindles and joint mechanoreceptors, as well as the effort required to move. However, JPS may also rely on the perceived external force on the limb, such as the gravitational field. It is well known that the internal model of gravity plays a large role in perception and behaviour. Thus, we have explored whether direct vestibular-gravitational cues could influence JPS. Participants passively estimated the position of their hand while they were upright and therefore aligned with terrestrial gravity, or pitch-tilted 45° backwards from gravity. Overall participants overestimated the position of their hand in both upright and tilted postures; however, the proprioceptive bias was significantly reduced when participants were tilted. Our findings therefore suggest that the internal model of gravity may influence and update JPS in order to allow the organism to interact with the environment.     

A microstructural model of elastostatic properties of articular cartilage in confined compression

A microstructural model of cartilage was developed to investigate the relative contribution of tissue matrix components to its elastostatic properties. Cartilage was depicted as a tensed collagen lattice pressurized by the Donnan osmotic swelling pressure of proteoglycans. As a first step in modeling the collagen lattice, two-dimensional networks of tensed, elastic, interconnected cables were studied as conceptual models. The models were subjected to the boundary conditions of confined compression and stress-strain curves and elastic moduli were obtained as a function of a two-dimensional equivalent of swelling pressure. Model predictions were compared to equilibrium confined compression moduli of calf cartilage obtained at different bath concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.50 M NaCl. It was found that a triangular cable network provided the most consistent correspondence to the experimental data. The model showed that the cartilage collagen network remained tensed under large confined compression strains and could therefore support shear stress. The model also predicted that the elastic moduli increased with increasing swelling pressure in a manner qualitatively similar to experimental observations. Although the model did not preclude potential contributions of other tissue components and mechanisms, the consistency of model predictions with experimental observations suggests that the cartilage collagen network, prestressed by proteoglycan swelling pressure, plays an important role in supporting compression.     

Continuous optical discharge in a gravitational field

A two-dimensional radiative gas-dynamic model is applied to calculating the parameters of a continuous optical discharge in a vertical focused CO₂ laser beam in air at atmospheric pressure in the Earth’s gravitational field.     

An approach to determine pressure profile generated by compression bandage using quasi-linear viscoelastic model

Understanding the stress relaxation behavior of the compression bandage could be very useful in determining the behavior of the interface pressure exerted by the bandage on a limb during the course of the compression treatment. There has been no comprehensive study in the literature to investigate the pressure profile (interface pressure with time) generated by a compression bandage when applied at different levels of strain. The present study attempts to describe the pressure profile, with the use of a quasi-linear viscoelastic model, generated by a compression bandage during compression therapy. The quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) theory proposed by Fung (Fung, 1972, "Stress Strain History Relations of Soft Tissues in Simple Elongation," Biomechanics: Its Foundations and Objectives, Y. C. Fung, N. Perrone, and M. Anliker, eds., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 181-207). was used to model the nonlinear time- and history-dependent relaxation behavior of the bandage using the ramp strain approach. The regression analysis was done to find the correlation between the pressure profile and the relaxation behavior of the bandage. The parameters of the QLV model, describing the relaxation behavior of the bandage, were used to determine the pressure profile generated by the bandage at different levels of strain. The relaxation behaviors of the bandage at different levels of strain were well described by the QLV model parameters. A high correlation coefficient (nearly 0.98) shows a good correlation of the pressure profile with the stress relaxation behavior of the bandage.The prediction of the pressure profile using the QLV model parameters were in agreement with the experimental data. The pressure profile generated by a compression bandage could be predicted using the QLV model describing the nonlinear relaxation behavior of the bandage. This new application of the QLV theory helps in evaluating the bandage performance during compression therapy as scientific wound care management.     

Identification of the material parameters of soft tissues in the compressed leg

Elastic compression is recommended in prophylaxis and the treatment of venous disorder of the human leg. However, the mechanisms of compression are not completely understood and the response of internal tissues to the external pressure is partially unknown. To address this later issue, a 3D FE model of a human leg is developed. The geometry is derived from 3D CT scans. The FE model is made up of soft tissues and rigid bones. An inverse method is applied to identify the properties of soft tissues which are modelled as hyperelastic, near-incompressible, homogeneous and isotropic materials. The principle is to calibrate the constitutive properties using CT scans carried out with and without the presence of a compression sock. The deformed geometry computed by the calibrated FE model is in agreement with the geometry deduced from the CT scans. The model also provides the internal pressure distribution, which may lead to medical exploitation in the future.     

Examining the case for the effect of barrier compression on tunneling, vibrationally enhanced catalysis, catalytic entropy and related issues

The idea that tunneling is enhanced by the compression of the donor-acceptor distance has attracted significant interest. In particular, recent studies argued that this proposal is consistent with pressure effects on enzymatic reactions, and that the observed pressure effects support the idea of vibrationally enhanced catalysis. However, a careful analysis of the current works reveals serious inconsistencies in the evidence presented to support these hypotheses. Apparently, tunneling decreases upon compression, and external pressure does not lead to the applicable compression of the free energy surface. Additionally, pressure experiments do not provide actual evidence for vibrationally enhanced catalysis. Finally, the temperature dependence of the entropy change in hydride transfer reactions is shown to reflect simple electrostatic effects.     

The importance of frictional interactions in maintaining the stability of the twining habit

The stability of twining vines under gravitational loads suggests an important role for friction. The coefficient of friction, μ, between vine stems and wood is high, often five times greater than between leather and wood, as determined by slip tests on an inclined plane. Stem trichomes function like ratchets to facilitate climbing upward (or to facilitate slipping if the stem is inverted). A mathematical model predicts large masses (kg) must be applied to the base of a twining vine to cause slipping. Vines slip as predicted when μ is low and arc length on the pole is short, and they break before slipping when μ is large or arc length is long. In contrast, twining vines are unstable in compression, collapsing when small masses (<10 g) are hung from the top of the vine. However, if the loads are applied below the uppermost gyre, the stabilizing tensional effect dominates. Therefore, in nature vines twining on a cylindrical support are stable under gravitational loads, unless these loads occur near the apex. A corollary is that a short apical coil can hold up large masses of maturing shoot.     

Colloid osmotic homeostasis in humans: intravascular oncotic energy under varying gravitational potential

From theoretical considerations it is possible to predict plasma volume—oncotic pressure changes that occur under changing gravitational or acceleration fields. The intravascular volume—colloid osmotic pressure integral has the dimensions of energy and correlates with the gravitational potential to which an individual is subjected.The postural hypotension found in returning astronauts and cosmonauts whose cardiovascular reflexes had been previously well trained can be explained in part on the basis of decreased total intravascular oncotic energy upon return from zero gravity conditions. Conversely a period of cardiovascular stress due to increased plasma volume occurs when going from higher to lower gravitational potentials.     

The opposing physiological effects of high pressures and inert gases.

The physiological effects on mammals of elevated pressures (approximately 100 atmospheres) must be considered in the context of the inert gases breathed. The most striking effect of pressure per se is a central hyperexcitability manifest at first by trembling of the entremities and finally by convulsions. Paralysis and death occur at higher pressures. The primary effects of the inert gases breathed are inert gas narcosis and general anesthesia. The exciting effects of pressure per se and the depressive effects of the inert gases tend to oppose each other. Thus consciousness may be restored to anesthetized mice by raising the pressure, and conversely the threshold pressure that causes convulsions is elevated in the presence of anesthetics. These mutually antagonistic effects can be rationalized in terms of model which proposes that both anesthetics and pressure non-specifically perturb thelipid bilayer regions of neutral membranes. This model is termed the critical volume hypothesis. Anthesthetics dissolve in and expand these lipid bilayer regions, while pressure causes mechanical compression. Expansion leads to anesthesia and compression to convulsions if a critical degree of change is achieved. At elevated partial pressures of inert gas the gas-induced expansion is opposed by the compression of pressure per se. With very insoluble gases, such as helium, this expansion is so small that net compression results and the effects of helium differ little from those of pressure per se. With more soluble gases, such as nitrogen, net expansion results in inert gas narcosis and anesthesia. The critical volume hypothesis enables "safe" mixtures of "expanding" and "compressing" gases to be defined. These enable higher pressures to be better tolerated by mammals.     

A triphasic analysis of corneal swelling and hydration control.

Physiological studies strongly support the view that hydration control in the cornea is dependent on active ion transport at the corneal endothelium. However, the mechanism by which endothelial ion transport regulates corneal thickness has not been elaborated in detail. In this study, the corneal stroma is modeled as a triphasic material under steady-state conditions. An ion flux boundary condition is developed to represent active transport at the endothelium. The equations are solved in cylindrical coordinates for confined compression and in spherical coordinates to represent an intact cornea. The model provides a mechanism by which active ion transport at the endothelium regulates corneal hydration and provides a basis for explaining the origin of the "imbibition pressure" and stromal "swelling pressure." The model encapsulates the Donnan view of corneal swelling as well as the "pump-leak hypothesis."     

Effects of microgravity and hypergravity on aging and longevity of insects

The effects of microgravity and hypergravity on aging are still poorly documented, particularly in mammals. However, there is a growing interest for the use of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and this species may be now considered as a model organism in gravitational biology studies dealing with aging.     

3D Simulation of Internal Tablet Strength During Tableting

This study presents a new approach to model powder compression during tableting. The purpose of this study is to introduce a new discrete element simulation model for particle–particle bond formation during tablet compression. This model served as the basis for calculating tablet strength distribution during a compression cycle. Simulated results were compared with real tablets compressed from microcrystalline cellulose/theophylline pellets with various compression forces. Simulated and experimental compression forces increased similarly. Tablet-breaking forces increased with the calculated strengths obtained from the simulations. The calculated bond strength distribution inside the tablets showed features similar to those of the density and pressure distributions in the literature. However, the bond strength distributions at the center of the tablets varied considerably between individual tablets.