Gravitational deposition in a rhythmically expanding and contracting alveolus.

In a previous simulation, our laboratory demonstrated that the flow induced by a rhythmically expanding and contracting alveolus is highly complex (Haber S, Butler JP, Brenner H, Emanuel I, and Tsuda A, J Fluid Mech 405: 243-268, 2000). Based on these earlier findings, we hypothesize that the trajectories and deposition of aerosols inside the alveoli differ substantially from those previously predicted. To test this hypothesis, trajectories of fine particles (0.5-2.5 microm in diameter) moving in the foregoing alveolar flow field and simultaneously subjected to the gravity field were simulated. The results show that alveolar wall motion is crucial in determining the enhancement of aerosol deposition inside the alveoli. In particular, 0.5- to 1-microm-diameter particles are sensitive to the detailed alveolar flow structure (e.g., recirculating flow), as they undergo gravity-induced convective mixing and deposition. Accordingly, deposition concentrations within each alveolus are nonuniform, with preferentially higher densities near the alveolar entrance ring, consistent with physiological observations. Deposition patterns along the acinar tree are also nonuniform, with higher deposition in the first half of the acinar generations. This is a result of the combined effects of enhanced alveolar deposition in the proximal region of the acinus due to alveoli expansion and contraction and reduction in the number of particles remaining in the gas phase down the acinar tree. We conclude that the cyclically expanding and contracting motion of alveoli plays an important role in determining gravitational deposition in the pulmonary acinus.     

Spatial segregation and cooperation in radially expanding microbial colonies under antibiotic stress

Antibiotic resistance in microbial communities reflects a combination of processes operating at different scales. In this work, we investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of bacterial colonies comprised of drug-resistant and drug-sensitive cells undergoing range expansion under antibiotic stress. Using the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis with plasmid-encoded β-lactamase, we track colony expansion dynamics and visualize spatial patterns in fluorescently labeled populations exposed to antibiotics. We find that the radial expansion rate of mixed communities is approximately constant over a wide range of drug concentrations and initial population compositions. Imaging of the final populations shows that resistance to ampicillin is cooperative, with sensitive cells surviving in the presence of resistant cells at otherwise lethal concentrations. The populations exhibit a diverse range of spatial segregation patterns that depend on drug concentration and initial conditions. Mathematical models indicate that the observed dynamics are consistent with global cooperation, despite the fact that β-lactamase remains cell-associated. Experiments confirm that resistant colonies provide a protective effect to sensitive cells on length scales multiple times the size of a single colony, and populations seeded with (on average) no more than a single resistant cell can produce mixed communities in the presence of the drug. While biophysical models of drug degradation suggest that individual resistant cells offer only short-range protection to neighboring cells, we show that long-range protection may arise from synergistic effects of multiple resistant cells, providing surprisingly large protection zones even at small population fractions.Subject terms: Microbial ecology, Antibiotics, Population dynamics     

Tetragonisca guard bees interpret expanding and contracting patterns as unintended displacement in space

Guard bees of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (Apidae: Meliponinae) hover in stable positions in front of the nest to protect the flight corridor leading to the nest entrance against insect intruders. To unravel the visual control of station keeping, we exposed these hovering guards to expanding and contracting patterns at the nest front. The bees fly away from an expanding pattern and towards the centre of a contracting pattern along a line connecting their initial position and the centre of expansion regardless of where in the visual field they view the pattern. The response of bees to a spinning radial pattern is different: they fly parallel to the pattern, up and down or forward and backward depending on whether they initially hover to the side, above or below the centre of rotation. The bees respond to horizontal and to vertical expansion and contraction. They also adjust their distance relative to a rotating spiral which produces a realistic flow field and thus allowed us to test to what extent the bees minimize image motion speed. We find that guard bees indeed move in the appropriate direction to minimize the image motion speed they experience. A comparison of bees hovering at different distances from the nestfront at the onset of pattern motion and experiencing very different image velocities shows that the dynamics of the reaction is quite uniform. At the pattern velocities tested, we did not find evidence that guard bees use image motion to control their flight speed. The bees' response rather suggests that the underlying mechanism might be insensitive to the size of motion vectors. Accepted: 2 April 1997     

The effects of slip velocity on a micropolar fluid through a porous channel with expanding or contracting walls

In this paper, a simple mathematical model depicting blood flow in the deforming porous channel is developed with an emphasis on the permeability property of the blood vessel and slip boundary based on Beavers and Joseph slip condition. In this study, the blood is represented by a micropolar fluid. With such an ideal model, the governing equations are reduced to ordinary ones by introducing suitable similar transformations. Homotopy analysis method is employed to obtain the expressions for velocity and microrotation fields. Graphs are sketched for some values of parameters such as slip coefficient and expansion ratio, and the associated dynamic characteristics are analysed in detail.     

Two-dimensional viscous flow between slowly expanding or contracting walls with weak permeability

Since the transport of biological fluids through contracting or expanding vessels is characterized by low seepage Reynolds numbers, the current study focuses on the viscous flow driven by small wall contractions and expansions of two weakly permeable walls. The scope is limited to two-dimensional symmetrical solutions inside a simulated channel with moving porous walls. In seeking an exact solution, similarity transformations are used in both space and time. The problem is first reduced to a nonlinear differential equation that is later solved both numerically and analytically. The analytical procedure is based on double perturbations in the permeation Reynolds number R and the wall expansion ratio alpha. Results are correlated and compared via variations in R and alpha. Under the auspices of small [R] and [alpha], the analytical result constitutes a practical equivalent to the numerical solution. We find that, when suction is coupled with wall contraction, rapid flow turning is precipitated near the wall where the boundary layer is formed. Conversely, when injection is paired with wall expansion, the flow adjacent to the wall is delayed. In this case, the viscous boundary layer thickens as injection or expansion rates are reduced. Furthermore, the pressure drop along the plane of symmetry increases when the rate of contraction is increased and when either the rate of expansion or permeation is reduced. As nonlinearity is retained, our solutions are valid from a large cross-section down to the state of a completely collapsed system.     

Viscous flow through slowly expanding or contracting porous walls with low seepage Reynolds number: a model for transport of biological fluids through vessels

In this article, the problem of laminar, isothermal, incompressible and viscous flow in a rectangular domain bounded by two moving porous walls, which enable the fluid to enter or exit during successive expansions or contractions, is investigated. The governing non-linear equations and their associated boundary conditions are transformed into a highly non-linear ordinary differential equation. The series solution of the problem is obtained by utilising the homotopy perturbation method. Graphical results are presented to investigate the influence of the non-dimensional wall dilation rate and seepage Reynolds number (Re) on the velocity, normal pressure distribution and wall shear stress. Since the transport of biological fluids through contracting or expanding vessels is characterised by low seepage Res, the current study focuses on the viscous flow driven by small wall contractions and expansions of two weakly permeable walls.     

Viscous flow through slowly expanding or contracting porous walls with low seepage Reynolds number: a model for transport of biological fluids through vessels

In this article, the problem of laminar, isothermal, incompressible and viscous flow in a rectangular domain bounded by two moving porous walls, which enable the fluid to enter or exit during successive expansions or contractions, is investigated. The governing non-linear equations and their associated boundary conditions are transformed into a highly non-linear ordinary differential equation. The series solution of the problem is obtained by utilising the homotopy perturbation method. Graphical results are presented to investigate the influence of the non-dimensional wall dilation rate and seepage Reynolds number (Re) on the velocity, normal pressure distribution and wall shear stress. Since the transport of biological fluids through contracting or expanding vessels is characterised by low seepage Res, the current study focuses on the viscous flow driven by small wall contractions and expansions of two weakly permeable walls.     

Persistence and diversity of directional landscape connectivity improves biomass pulsing in simulations of expanding and contracting wetlands

In flood-pulsed ecosystems, hydrology and landscape structure mediate transfers of energy up the food chain by expanding and contracting in area, enabling spatial expansion and growth of fish populations during rising water levels, and subsequent concentration during the drying phase. Connectivity of flooded areas is dynamic as waters rise and fall, and is largely determined by landscape geomorphology and anisotropy. We developed a methodology for simulating fish dispersal and concentration on spatially-explicit, dynamic floodplain wetlands with pulsed food web dynamics, to evaluate how changes in connectivity through time contribute to the concentration of fish biomass that is essential for higher trophic levels. The model also tracks a connectivity index (DCI) over different compass directions to see if fish biomass dynamics can be related in a simple way to topographic pattern. We demonstrate the model for a seasonally flood-pulsed, oligotrophic system, the Everglades, where flow regimes have been greatly altered. Three dispersing populations of functional fish groups were simulated with empirically-based dispersal rules on two landscapes, and two twelve-year time series of managed water levels for those areas were applied. The topographies of the simulations represented intact and degraded ridge-and-slough landscapes (RSL). Simulation results showed large pulses of biomass concentration forming during the onset of the drying phase, when water levels were falling and fish began to converge into the sloughs. As water levels fell below the ridges, DCI declined over different directions, closing down dispersal lanes, and fish density spiked. Persistence of intermediate levels of connectivity on the intact RSL enabled persistent concentration events throughout the drying phase. The intact landscape also buffered effects of wet season population growth. Water level reversals on both landscapes negatively affected fish densities by depleting fish populations without allowing enough time for them to regenerate. Testable, spatiotemporal predictions of the timing, location, duration, and magnitude of fish concentration pulses were produced by the model, and can be applied to restoration planning.     

Evaluating the role of contracting and expanding rainforest in initiating cycles of speciation across the Isthmus of Panama

Climatic and geological changes across time are presumed to have shaped the rich biodiversity of tropical regions. However, the impact climatic drying and subsequent tropical rainforest contraction had on speciation has been controversial because of inconsistent palaeoecological and genetic data. Despite the strong interest in examining the role of climatic change on speciation in the Neotropics there has been few comparative studies, particularly, those that include non-rainforest taxa. We used bird species that inhabit humid or dry habitats that dispersed across the Panamanian Isthmus to characterize temporal and spatial patterns of speciation across this barrier. Here, we show that these two assemblages of birds exhibit temporally different speciation time patterns that supports multiple cycles of speciation. Evidence for these cycles is further corroborated by the finding that both assemblages consist of 'young' and 'old' species, despite dry habitat species pairs being geographically more distant than pairs of humid habitat species. The matrix of humid and dry habitats in the tropics not only allows for the maintenance of high species richness, but additionally this study suggests that these environments may have promoted speciation. We conclude that differentially expanding and contracting distributions of dry and humid habitats was probably an important contributor to speciation in the tropics.     

A mathematical model of mechanical responses of contracting muscle fibers to temperature jumps

A structural and kinetic model of actomyosin interaction in a contracting muscle fiber has been proposed, based on the assumption that the myosin molecular motor generates force in two steps. Initially, a nonstereospecifically attached myosin head rolls on the actin surface and stereospecifically locks on actin. Then its α-helical lever arm (neck domain) tilts about its catalytic domain. The model also includes the modern scheme of ATP hydrolysis by actomyosin. The results of modeling presented here quantitatively reproduce all experimentally observed characteristics of the responses of tension and stiffness of muscle fibers to T-jumps of different amplitudes.     

A muscle contracting substance from a plant's closing Fly-Trap

Summary A muscle contracting substance (MCS) occurs in crushed, incubated traps of the insectivorous plant, the Venus Fly-Trap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis). This MCS is provisionally identified as lysophosphatidic acid. More MCS is produced from traps which have been touched than from untouched traps, which may be due to activation of phospholipase D. This enzyme hydrolyses phospholipids of membranes, and could alter the physiological properties of membranes.Abbreviations MCS muscle contracting substance - ACh acetylcholine     

Buckling and postbuckling of radially loaded microtubules by nonlocal shear deformable shell model

This paper presents an investigation on the buckling and postbuckling of microtubules (MTs) subjected to a uniform external radial pressure in thermal environments. The microtubule is modeled as a nonlocal shear deformable cylindrical shell which contains small scale effects. The governing equations are based on higher order shear deformation shell theory with a von Kármán-Donnell-type of kinematic nonlinearity and include the extension-twist and flexural-twist couplings. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent. A singular perturbation technique is employed to determine the buckling pressure and postbuckling equilibrium paths. The small scale parameter e₀a is estimated by matching the buckling pressure of MTs measured from the experiments with the numerical results obtained from the nonlocal shear deformable shell model. The numerical results show that buckling pressure and postbuckling behavior of MTs are very sensitive to the small scale parameter e₀a. The results reveal that the 13_3 microtubule has a stable postbuckling path, whereas the 13_2 microtubule has an unstable postbuckling behavior due to the presence of skew angles.     

On the existence of radially symmetric blow-up solutions for the Keller-Segel model

We investigate the existence of radially symmetric solutions of the Keller-Segel model [abstract see text] which blow up in finite or infinite time, i.e.[abstract see text] for T(max) < or = infinity, under a larger class of initial data than in [10] and [11].     

Akinetic myocardial infarcts must contain contracting myocytes: finite-element model study

Infarcted segments of myocardium demonstrate functional impairment ranging in severity from hypokinesis to dyskinesis. We sought to better define the contributions of passive material properties (stiffness) and active properties (contracting myocytes) to infarct thickening. Using a finite-element (FE) model, we tested the hypothesis that infarcted myocardium must contain contracting myocytes to be akinetic and not dyskinetic. A three-dimensional FE mesh of the left ventricle was developed with echocardiographs from a reperfused ovine anteroapical infarct. The nonlinear stress-strain relationship for the diastolic myocardium was anisotropic with respect to the local muscle fiber direction, and an elastance model for active fiber stress was incorporated. The diastolic stiffness (C) and systolic material property (isometric tension at longest sarcomere length and peak intracellular calcium concentration, T(max)) of the uninfarcted remote myocardium were assumed to be normal (C = 0.876 kPa, T(max) = 135.7 kPa). Diastolic and systolic properties of the infarct necessary to produce akinesis, defined as an average radial strain between -0.01 and 0.01, were determined by assigning a range of diastolic stiffnesses and scaling infarct T(max) to represent the percentage of contracting myocytes between 0% and 100%. As C was increased to 11 times normal (C = 10 kPa) the percentage of T(max) necessary for akinesis increased from 20% to 50%. Without contracting myocytes, C = 250 kPa was necessary to achieve akinesis. If infarct stiffness is <285 times normal, contracting myocytes are required to prevent dyskinetic infarct wall motion.     

Investigation of ion acceleration in an expanding laser plasma by using a hybrid Boltzmann-Vlasov-Poisson model

The acceleration of ions of different species from a plasma slab under the action of a charge-separation electric field driven by hot and cold electrons is studied by using a hybrid Boltzmann-Vlasov-Poisson model. The obtained spatial and energy distributions of light and heavy ions in different charge states demonstrate that the model can be efficiently used to study the ion composition in a multispecies expanding laser plasma. The regular features of the acceleration of ions of different species are investigated. The formation of compression and rarefaction waves in the halo of light ion impurity, as well as their effect on the energy spectrum of the accelerated ions, is analyzed. An approach is proposed that makes it possible to describe the production of fast ions by laser pulses of a given shape. It is shown that the energy of fast ions can be increased markedly by appropriately shaping the pulse. The effect of heating of the bulk of the cold target electrons on the ion acceleration is discussed.     

Endothelium-derived relaxing and contracting factors

Endothelium-dependent relaxation of blood vessels is produced by a large number of agents (e.g., acetylcholine, ATP and ADP, substance P, bradykinin, histamine, thrombin, serotonin). With some agents, relaxation may be limited to certain species and/or blood vessels. Relaxation results from release of a very labile non-prostanoid endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) or factors. EDRF stimulates guanylate cyclase of the vascular smooth muscle, with the resulting increase in cyclic GMP activating relaxation. EDRF is rapidly inactivated by hemoglobin and superoxide. There is strong evidence that EDRF from many blood vessels and from cultured endothelial cells is nitric oxide (NO) and that its precursor is L-arginine. There is evidence for other relaxing factors, including an endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor in some vessels. Flow-induced shear stress also stimulates EDRF release. Endothelium-dependent relaxation occurs in resistance vessels as well as in larger arteries, and is generally more pronounced in arteries than veins. EDRF also inhibits platelet aggregation and adhesion to the blood vessel wall. Endothelium-derived contracting factors appear to be responsible for endothelium-dependent contractions produced by arachidonic acid and hypoxia in isolated systemic vessels and by certain agents and by rapid stretch in isolated cerebral vessels. In all such experiments, the endothelium-derived contracting factor appears to be some product or by-product of cyclooxygenase activity. Recently, endothelial cells in culture have been found to synthesize a peptide, endothelin, which is an extremely potent vasoconstrictor. The possible physiological roles and pathophysiological significance of endothelium-derived relaxing and contracting factors are briefly discussed.     

Endothelium-derived relaxing and contracting factors

Key discoveries in the past decade revealed that the endothelium can modulate the tone of underlying vascular smooth muscle by the synthesis/release of potent vasorelaxant (endothelium-derived relaxing factors; EDRF) and vasoconstrictor substances (endothelium-derived contracting factors; EDCF). It has become evident that the synthesis and release of these substances contribute to the multitude of physiological functions the vascular endothelium performs. Accumulating evidence suggests that at least one of the EDRFs is identical with nitric oxide (NO) or a labile nitroso compound, which is produced from L-arginine by an NADPH- and Ca(2+)-dependent enzyme, arginine oxidase. The existence of more than one chemically distinct EDRF has been proposed, including an endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). The target of EDRF (NO) is soluble guanylate cyclase (increase in cyclic GMP) while EDHF appears to activate a K(+)-channel in vascular smooth muscle. Recent data suggest that muscarinic receptor subtypes selectively mediate the release of EDRF(NO) (M2) and EDHF (M1). EDRF(NO) affects not only the underlying vascular smooth muscle, but also platelets, inhibiting their aggregation and adhesion to the endothelium. The antiaggregatory effect of EDRF is synergistic with prostacyclin, so their combined release may represent a physiological mechanism aimed at preventing thrombus formation. An additional proposed biological function of EDRF(NO) is cytoprotection by virtue of scavenging superoxide radicals. The endothelium can also mediate vasoconstriction by the release of a variety of endothelium-derived contracting factors (EDCF). Other than the unique peptide endothelin, the nature of EDCFs has not yet been firmly established. Autoregulation of cerebral and renal blood flow and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction may represent the physiological role of endothelium-dependent vasoconstriction. Growing evidence indicates that the endothelium can serve as a unique mechanoreceptor, sensing and transducing physical stimuli (e.g., shear forces, pressure) into changes in vascular tone by the release of EDRFs or EDCFs. In physiological states, a delicate balance exists between endothelium-derived vasodilators and vasoconstrictors. Alterations in this balance can result in local (vasospasm) and generalized (hypertension) increase in vascular tone and also in facilitated thrombus formation. Endothelial dysfunction may also contribute to the pathophysiology of angiopathies associated with hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.