Growth kinetics of platelet thrombi

A model for the kinetics of a platelet thrombus growth is presented, which takes into account the principal hydrodynamic and cellular adhesion features of thrombus development. These consist of the rate at which platelets encounter the growing thrombus, their residence time near the surface of the thrombus, the rate of escape over the potential barrier between the free platelets and the surface of the thrombus, and the influence of ADP or related agents on the height of this potential barrier. The latter is explained in terms of the changes in the shape and surface potential of platelets, which are induced by exposure to ADP or related agents.In qualitative agreement with available experimental data, the model predicts an approximately exponential growth of the thrombus volume, a maximum in the growth rate with respect to the blood flow rate, and a plateau value which is reached by the thrombus volume with time. It is shown that at low flow rates the rate of provision of platelets by the blood stream is the determining factor, while at high flow rates the kinetics of adhesion to the surface of the thrombus are predominant. Under all circumstances, when the blood conduit becomes more than about half occluded, the resulting decrease in the blood flow rate decreases, in turn, the growth rate of the thrombus.     

Development and assessment of a coupled crop–climate model

It is well established that crop production is inherently vulnerable to variations in the weather and climate. More recently the influence of vegetation on the state of the atmosphere has been recognized. The seasonal growth of crops can influence the atmosphere and have local impacts on the weather, which in turn affects the rate of seasonal crop growth and development. Considering the coupled nature of the crop–climate system, and the fact that a significant proportion of land is devoted to the cultivation of crops, important interactions may be missed when studying crops and the climate system in isolation, particularly in the context of land use and climate change.
To represent the two-way interactions between seasonal crop growth and atmospheric variability, we integrate a crop model developed specifically to operate at large spatial scales (General Large Area Model for annual crops) into the land surface component of a global climate model (GCM; HadAM3). In the new coupled crop–climate model, the simulated environment (atmosphere and soil states) influences growth and development of the crop, while simultaneously the temporal variations in crop leaf area and height across its growing season alter the characteristics of the land surface that are important determinants of surface fluxes of heat and moisture, as well as other aspects of the land-surface hydrological cycle. The coupled model realistically simulates the seasonal growth of a summer annual crop in response to the GCM's simulated weather and climate. The model also reproduces the observed relationship between seasonal rainfall and crop yield. The integration of a large-scale single crop model into a GCM, as described here, represents a first step towards the development of fully coupled crop and climate models. Future development priorities and challenges related to coupling crop and climate models are discussed.     

Regulation of mammalian cell growth by autocrine growth factors: analysis of consequences for inoculum cell density effects

Effects of inoculum cell density on mammalian cell growth in culture have been observed in a variety of experimental systems. Although these effects have been attributed generally to medium conditioning by the cells, there has previously been no quantitative theory proposed for this phenomenon based on developments in molecular and cell biology. In this article, we offer such a theory founded on the regulatory action of autocrine growth factors. A particularly relevant example of these is platelet- derived growth factor (PDGF), which is produced by fibroblastic cells in response to stimulation by transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta), a common serum constituent, and provides a mitogenic signal for the same cells. A simple mathematical model for the production, diffusive transport, and binding of autocrine growth factors to cell surface receptors, coupled to a model for the dependence of cell proliferation on growth factor receptor binding allows prediction of initial cell population growth rate as a function of inoculum cell density. We focus on situations involving anchorage-dependent cell growth, in which the cells are attached to a surface. A number of clear results are obtained, most notably the following: 1) for cells cultured on spherical microcarrier bead surfaces, the inoculum cell density needed to produce a given growth rate is linearly proportional to the bead radius; and 2) all other factors being equal, the inoculum cell density on a unit surface area basis needed to produce a given growth rate is greater for spherical microcarrier surfaces than for flat culture dish surfaces. These two results are consistent with the experimental observations of Hu and coworkers(1,2) for fibroblast growth in minimal medium plus serum. The model also allows elucidation of the influence of other system parameters, both biological and physical, on initial cell proliferation rate and the inoculum cell density dependence.     

A fine-scaled predictive model for changes in species distribution patterns of high mountain plants induced by climate warming

Induced by global warming, mountain plant species are migrating upwards. Species inhabiting the nival zone of today are threatened by competitors which move from the alpine zone towards the summits. The manner in which species move depends on their abilities to cope with microtopographical situations. We present a spatially explicit predictive model which draws scenarios of future species distribution patterns at a typical high mountain of the European Alps. The altitudinal temperature gradient is examined. Based on the lapse rate and on definitions of topographical niches of species, a +1 °C- and a +2 °C-warming scenario are modelled using a fine-scaled digital elevation model. Nival species will lose area and become restricted to specific topographical situations. Alpine and subnival grassland species are predicted to expand their area, mainly along stable surface situations. Whether the migration will take place as a filling or a moving process is specific to the particular species. Overall, biodiversity is apparently not threatened on the decadal scale. In special cases, however, genetic losses are likely both on a local and on a regional scale.     

Morphological models of radiate accretive growth and the influence of hydrodynamics

In many marine sessile organisms (for example sponges and stony corals) the skeleton is formed by an accretive growth process, where layers of material are secreted on top of each other in a surface normal deposition process. In many of these organisms the growth process exhibits a strong morphological plasticity due to differences in exposure to water movement. In general, many of these organisms tend to form thin-branching growth forms under sheltered conditions, while the growth form gradually transforms into a more compact shape when the exposure of water movement increases. In this paper, we investigate this phenomenon by combining a three-dimensional simulation model of radiate accretive growth driven by the local availability of simulated food particles and a model, based on the lattice Boltzmann method, for simulating food particle distributions caused by a combination of flow and diffusion. In the simulations two different models of a suspension feeder with accretive growth were compared. In the first model, the deposition process is exclusively driven by the local availability of food particles, in the second model the deposition process was determined by the combination of local amount of contact to the environment and availability of food particles. In the simulations it was found that hydrodynamics has a strong impact on the overall morphologies which develop in the accretive growth process. In the model exclusively driven by the local availability of food particles, column-shaped objects emerged under diffusion conditions, while more spherical and lobed object were found for the flow-dominated case. In the simulations, the Péclet number was varied independently from the Reynolds number, which was kept at a relatively low constant value. In a range of increasing Péclet numbers, indicating an increasing influence of hydrodynamics, the simulated morphologies gradually transformed from thin-branching ones into more spherical and compact morphologies in the model where deposition was controlled by the local availability of food particles and the local amount of contact with the environment.     

长江中游大城市不透水面增长模式及其驱动因素

以1995、2003、2010、2015年4期遥感影像数据为基础,对武汉、长沙、南昌为例的长江中游城市20年不透水面增长及驱动因素进行研究。结果表明,三城市不透水面增长显著,接近预警水平,格局呈突围扩张的基本态势;现阶段武汉不透水面主要为城郊面源"零星"增长模式贡献较大;长沙、南昌则主要来源于新城"线式"延伸及其内部"面式"填充模式;道路投资、区划政策、城市规划控制、固定资产投资、房产投资、人口增长、透水技术等是影响三城市不透水增长的主要因素,但各因素影响敏感度在三城市中又有差异;三城市可从强化城乡规划的管理措施、控制过热的房地投资经济政策措施、平衡区域人口格局的社会政策措施以及推广透水材料和技术的科技措施等方面来缓解不透水率的增长。     

Interactions Between Pattern Formation and Domain Growth

In this paper we develop a theoretical framework for investigating pattern formation in biological systems for which the tissue on which the spatial pattern resides is growing at a rate which is itself regulated by the diffusible chemicals that establish the spatial pattern. We present numerical simulations for two cases of interest, namely exponential domain growth and chemically controlled growth. Our analysis reveals that for domains undergoing rapid exponential growth dilution effects associated with domain growth influence both the spatial patterns that emerge and the concentration of chemicals present in the domain. In the latter case, there is complex interplay between the effects of the chemicals on the domain size and the influence of the domain size on the formation of patterns. The nature of these interactions is revealed by a weakly nonlinear analysis of the full system. This yields a pair of nonlinear equations for the amplitude of the spatial pattern and the domain size. The domain is found to grow (or shrink) at a rate that depends quadratically on the pattern amplitude, the particular functional forms used to model the local tissue growth rate and the kinetics of the two diffusible species dictating the resulting behaviour.     

Investigation and modeling of the effects of light spectrum and incident angle on the growth of Chlorella vulgaris in photobioreactors

An in‐depth investigation of how various illumination conditions influence microalgal growth in photobioreactors (PBR) has been presented. Effects of both the light emission spectrum (white and red) and the light incident angle (0° and 60°) on the PBR surface were investigated. The experiments were conducted in two fully controlled lab‐scale PBRs, a torus PBR and a thin flat‐panel PBR for high cell density culture. The results obtained in the torus PBR were used to build the kinetic growth model of Chlorella vulgaris taken as a model species. The PBR model was then applied to the thin flat‐panel PBR, which was run with various illumination conditions. Its detailed representation of local rate of photon absorption under various conditions (spectral calculation of light attenuation, incident angle influence) enabled the model to take into account all the tested conditions with no further adjustment. This allowed a detailed investigation of the coupling between radiation field and photosynthetic growth. Effects of all the radiation conditions together with pigment acclimation, which was found to be relevant, were investigated in depth. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:247–261, 2016     

关于玉米粒重的研究

玉米粒重由库容大小和库充实度决定,两者受籽粒和植株体内同化物供应和激素代谢水平的影响。在综述了粒重形成过程,介绍了各种环境因子（温度、水分、光照等）和栽培措施（营养元素、植物生长调节剂等）对库容建成和库充实度的影响的同时,分析了控制粒重增加的生理原因。     

Determinism of carbon and nitrogen reserve accumulation in legume seeds

In legume plants, the determination of individual seed weight is a complex phenomenon that depends on two main factors. The first one corresponds to the number of cotyledon cells, which determines the potential seed weight as the cotyledon cell number is related to seed growth rate during seed filling. Since cell divisions take place between flowering and the beginning of seed filling, any stress occurring before the beginning of seed filling can affect individual seed growth rate (C and N reserve accumulation in seeds), and thus individual seed weights. The second factor concerns carbon and nitrogen supply to the growing seed to support reserve accumulation. Grain legume species produce protein-rich seeds involving high requirement of nitrogen. Since seed growth rate as determined by cotyledon cell number is hardly affected by photoassimilate availability during the filling period, a reduction of photosynthetic activity caused by nitrogen remobilization in leaves (e.g., remobilization of essential proteins involved in photosynthesis) can lead to shorten the duration of the filling period, and by that can provoke a limitation of individual seed weights. Accordingly, any biotic or abiotic stress during seed filling causing a decrease in photosynthetic activity should lead to a reduction of the duration of seed filling.     

In Situ Morphology Studies of the Mechanism for Solution Additive Effects on the Formation of Bulk Heterojunction Films

The most successful active film morphology in organic photovoltaics is the bulk heterojunction (BHJ). The performance of a BHJ arises from a complex interplay of the spatial organization of the segregated donor and acceptor phases and the local order/quality of the respective phases. These critical morphological features develop dynamically during film formation, and it has become common practice to control them by the introduction of processing additives. Here, in situ grazing incidence X‐ray diffraction (GIXD) and grazing incidence small angle X‐ray scattering (GISAXS) studies of the development of order in BHJ films formed from the donor polymer poly(3‐hexylthiophene) and acceptor phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester under the influence of two common additives, 1,8‐octanedithiol and 1‐chloronaphthalene, are reported. By comparing optical aggregation to crystallization and using GISAXS to determine the number and nature of phases present during drying, two common mechanisms by which the additives increase P3HT crystallinity are identified. Additives accelerate the appearance of pre‐crystalline nuclei by controlling solvent quality and allow for extended crystal growth by delaying the onset of PCBM‐induced vitrification. The glass transition effects vary system‐to‐system and may be correlated to the number and composition of phases present during drying.     

Atomic force microscopy of crystalline insulins: the influence of sequence variation on crystallization and interfacial structure.

The self-association of proteins is influenced by amino acid sequence, molecular conformation, and the presence of molecular additives. In the presence of phenolic additives, LysB28ProB29 insulin, in which the C-terminal prolyl and lysyl residues of wild-type human insulin have been inverted, can be crystallized into forms resembling those of wild-type insulins in which the protein exists as zinc-complexed hexamers organized into well-defined layers. We describe herein tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM) studies of single crystals of rhombohedral (R3) LysB28ProB29 that reveal the influence of sequence variation on hexamer-hexamer association at the surface of actively growing crystals. Molecular scale lattice images of these crystals were acquired in situ under growth conditions, enabling simultaneous identification of the rhombohedral LysB28ProB29 crystal form, its orientation, and its dynamic growth characteristics. The ability to obtain crystallographic parameters on multiple crystal faces with TMAFM confirmed that bovine and porcine insulins grown under these conditions crystallized into the same space group as LysB28ProB29 (R3), enabling direct comparison of crystal growth behavior and the influence of sequence variation. Real-time TMAFM revealed hexamer vacancies on the (001) terraces of LysB28ProB29, and more rounded dislocation noses and larger terrace widths for actively growing screw dislocations compared to wild-type bovine and porcine insulin crystals under identical conditions. This behavior is consistent with weaker interhexamer attachment energies for LysB28ProB29 at active growth sites. Comparison of the single crystal x-ray structures of wild-type insulins and LysB28ProB29 suggests that differences in protein conformation at the hexamer-hexamer interface and accompanying changes in interhexamer bonding are responsible for this behavior. These studies demonstrate that subtle changes in molecular conformation due to a single sequence inversion in a region critical for insulin self-association can have a significant effect on the crystallization of proteins.     

Rolle der n-Alkane in Melasse-Nährmedium beim Oberflächenverfahren der Citronensäurefermentation

The investigation of unfitness of beet molasses for citric acid production shows the presence of hydroacarbons in a toxic fraction of lipid extracts derived from antifoaming agents used in the suger industry. The model experiments demonstrate that these compounds dispersed in water solutions of the medium create on the surface of growing spores a layer which isolates them from the surrounding and prevents their normal growth. The inhibition effect of hydrocarbons on Aspergillus niger increases with degree of their dispersion in the water phase and is promoted by surface active substances e.g. emulgators present in antifoaming additives.     

A model of physiological adaptation in unicellular algae

A simple growth model for unicellular algae is used to show that environmentally induced changes in cellular composition can be explained in terms of controlled adjustments acting to maximize the specific growth rate. The model is based on a division of cellular carbon into four distinct compartments: carbon associated with the photosynthetic apparatus, carbon associated with those components engaged in macromolecular synthesis, carbon associated with structural components and stored carbon. Flows of material between compartments, and between cells and their environment, are defined in terms of the environmental conditions and the distribution of carbon amongst compartments. Given that growth is balanced under a specific set of environmental conditions, there exists a unique, optimal allocation of carbon for which the rate of growth is maximal. Changes in this optimal allocation of material induced by changes in light intensity, nutrient availability or temperature are qualitatively similar to compositional changes observed in a wide variety of algal species. Empirical estimates for each of the model parameters are derived and used to show that reasonable quantitative agreement between observed and predicted behaviour is attainable. The model and parameter set are also used to illustrate the influence of cell size on growth rate. Under a given set of environmental conditions, the function relating cell size to growth rate has a single maximum. The size at which growth rate is maximal varies inversely with light intensity and directly with nutrient availability and temperature. Such behaviour is consistent with some empirical observations on the influence of environmental factors on the size distribution of natural phytoplankton communities.     

Incorporation of silicone oil into elastomers enhances barnacle detachment by active surface strain

Silicone-oil additives are often used in fouling-release silicone coatings to reduce the adhesion strength of barnacles and other biofouling organisms. This study follows on from a recently reported active approach to detach barnacles, which was based on the surface strain of elastomeric materials, by investigating a new, dual-action approach to barnacle detachment using Ecoflex®-based elastomers incorporated with poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based oil additives. The experimental results support the hypothesis that silicone-oil additives reduce the amount of substratum strain required to detach barnacles. The study also de-coupled the two effects of silicone oils (ie surface-activity and alteration of the bulk modulus) and examined their contributions in reducing barnacle adhesion strength. Further, a finite element model based on fracture mechanics was employed to qualitatively understand the effects of surface strain and substratum modulus on barnacle adhesion strength. The study demonstrates that dynamic substratum deformation of elastomers with silicone-oil additives provides a bifunctional approach towards management of biofouling by barnacles.     

Effect of Soy Proteins on the Growth of Clostridium perfringens

Proteins that are used to fabricate imitation foods such as synthetic meats were evaluated for stimulative or inhibitory effects on the growth of Clostridium perfringens. Growth rate and extent were measured in thioglycolate medium without dextrose. This liquid medium contains Trypticase (BBL) which served as the protein control. For comparison, various soy proteins, synthetic meats, beef, turkey, sodium caseinate, and combinations of each were substituted for Trypticase. Meat loaf systems were also employed to determine the effects of protein additives to meat under actual meat loaf conditions. Growth of C. perfringens type A, strain S40, was measured in the respective media at 45 C at a pH of 7.0 and an E(h) of below -300 mv. Viable populations were enumerated by agar plate techniques on Trypticase-sulfite-yeast-citrate-agar incubated anaerobically (90% N(2)-10% CO(2)) for 18 hr at 35 C. When compared to Trypticase, some soy proteins had stimulative effects on the growth of C. perfringens, whereas sodium caseinate and some soy proteins were inhibitory. In liquid medium in which meat or soy meat was the source of protein, there was a marked stimulation by beef, chicken, and soy beef. Soy chicken supported growth at a rate less than observed with Trypticase. Under actual meat loaf conditions, the addition of soy meat or protein additives to beef did not affect the growth of C. perfringens. The addition of protein additives to turkey meat loaves significantly enhanced the rate of growth of C. perfringens. The stimulative effects of some soy proteins are significant in relation to control of foodborne disease.     

Crystallization Control of Ternary‐Cation Perovskite Absorber in Triple‐Mesoscopic Layer for Efficient Solar Cells

Controlling the crystallization of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite is of vital importance to achieve high performing perovskite solar cells. The growth mechanism of perovskites has been intensively studied in devices with planar structures and traditional structures. However, for the printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells, it is difficult to study the crystallization mechanism of perovskite owing to the complicated mesoporous structure. Here, a solvent evaporation controlled crystallization method to achieve ideal crystallization in the mesoscopic structure is provided. Combining results of scanning electron microscope and X‐ray diffraction, it is found that adjusting the evaporation rate of solvent can control the crystallization rate of perovskite and a model for the crystallization process during annealing in mesoporous structures is proposed. Finally, a homogeneous pore filling in the mesoscopic structure without any additives is successfully achieved and a stabilized power conversion efficiency of 16.26% using ternary‐cation perovskite absorber is realized. The findings will provide better understanding of perovskite crystallization in printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells and pave the way for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells.     

微生态添加剂EM对蓝狐育成期生长、代谢及免疫机能的影响

在蓝狐育成期的日粮中分别添加不同剂量的微生态制剂EM,研究不同剂量的EM添加剂对幼狐生长发育,消化代谢及免疫机能的影响。结果表明,EM添加剂能增强幼狐的采食量和平均日增重,Ⅲ组,Ⅳ组的平均日增重显著高于对照组（P＜0．05）;显著提高粗蛋白（CP）,粗纤维（CF）,矿物质元素Ca,p的消化率和净蛋白的利用率（P＜0．05）,且与剂量有关,Ⅲ组CP的消化率提高8．21％,净蛋白的利用率提高16．27％,Ca,P的消化率分别提高9．82％,12．13％,EM添加剂对粗脂肪（EE）,无N浸出物（NFE）的消化率无影响（P＞0．05）,能有效预防和治疗幼狐的腹泻和便血症,显著提高幼狐的免疫机能（P＜0．05）,提高幼狐的成活率,同时减少矿物质元素的排放量,EM是一种高产,安全,环保型的饲料添加剂,可在毛皮动物养殖业中推广应用。