Effect of dust size distribution on ion-acoustic solitons in dusty plasmas with different dust grains

Theoretical studies are carried out for ion acoustic solitons in multicomponent nonuniform plasma considering the dust size distribution. The Korteweg?de Vries equation for ion acoustic solitons is given by using the reductive perturbation technique. Two special dust size distributions are considered. The dependences of the width and amplitude of solitons on dust size parameters are shown. It is found that the properties of a solitary wave depend on the shape of the size distribution function of dust grains.     

Nonlinear propagation of ion-acoustic waves through the Burgers equation in weakly relativistic plasmas

The Burgers equation is obtained to study the characteristics of nonlinear propagation of ionacoustic shock, singular kink, and periodic waves in weakly relativistic plasmas containing relativistic thermal ions, nonextensive distributed electrons, Boltzmann distributed positrons, and kinematic viscosity of ions using the well-known reductive perturbation technique. This equation is solved by employing the (G'/G)-expansion method taking unperturbed positron-to-electron concentration ratio, electron-to-positron temperature ratio, strength of electrons nonextensivity, ion kinematic viscosity, and weakly relativistic streaming factor. The influences of plasma parameters on nonlinear propagation of ion-acoustic shock, periodic, and singular kink waves are displayed graphically and the relevant physical explanations are described. It is found that these parameters extensively modify the shock structures excitation. The obtained results may be useful in understanding the features of small but finite amplitude localized relativistic ion-acoustic shock waves in an unmagnetized plasma system for some astrophysical compact objects and space plasmas.     

Observation of nonlinear coupling between drift and ion-acoustic oscillations in low-frequency plasma turbulence

It is shown experimentally that the characteristics of structural ion-acoustic turbulence in a plasma are governed primarily by the development of density gradient-driven drift oscillations. The cyclicity of appearance and disappearance of drift wave packets and ensembles of ion-acoustic solitons in a steady-state turbulent plasma, as well as the correlation between them, is determined.     

Dissipative functions of processes of electromagnetic radiation interaction with biological objects

Entropy generation rate inside the biological systems due to internal irreversible processes of the interaction with electromagnetic radiation is calculated for the processes of chemical free-energy increase. The irreversibility of several processes (photosynthesis in plants, eyesight of man, bioresonance effects of high frequencies of microwaves) is estimated under concrete experimental conditions. It is shown that the irreversible of five biological processes differs very much (by 10(8) times).     

Vlasov modes in the theory of ion-acoustic turbulence

The existing theory of quasi-stationary plasma turbulence presumes that the growth rate of plasma waves is zero. In this paper, it is proposed to determine the spectrum of such waves by using the concept of undamped Vlasov waves. The results concerning the ion-acoustic velocity in the framework of this concept are presented for two models of ion-acoustic turbulence. It is shown that the use of the spectral properties of undamped ion-acoustic waves removes the uncertainty in estimating the time and efficiency of strong turbulent plasma heating.     

A nonlinear model of ionic wave propagation along microtubules

Microtubules (MTs) are important cytoskeletal polymers engaged in a number of specific cellular activities including the traffic of organelles using motor proteins, cellular architecture and motility, cell division and a possible participation in information processing within neuronal functioning. How MTs operate and process electrical information is still largely unknown. In this paper we investigate the conditions enabling MTs to act as electrical transmission lines for ion flows along their lengths. We introduce a model in which each tubulin dimer is viewed as an electric element with a capacitive, inductive and resistive characteristics arising due to polyelectrolyte nature of MTs. Based on Kirchhoff’s laws taken in the continuum limit, a nonlinear partial differential equation is derived and analyzed. We demonstrate that it can be used to describe the electrostatic potential coupled to the propagating localized ionic waves. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Short‐term propagation of rainfall perturbations on terrestrial ecosystems in central California

Question: Does vegetation buffer or amplify rainfall perturbations, and is it possible to forecast rainfall using mesoscale climatic signals? Location: Central California (USA). Methods: The risk of dry or wet rainfall events was evaluated using conditional probabilities of rainfall depending on El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The propagation of rainfall perturbations on vegetation was calculated using cross‐correlations between monthly seasonally adjusted (SA) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), and SA antecedent rainfall at different time‐scales. Results: In this region, El Niño events are associated with higher than normal winter precipitation (probability of 73%). Opposite but more predictable effects are found for La Niña events (89% probability of dry events). Chaparral and evergreen forests showed the longest persistence of rainfall effects (0‐8 months). Grasslands and wetlands showed low persistence (0‐2 months), with wetlands dominated by non‐stationary patterns. Within the region, the NDVI spatial patterns associated with higher (lower) rainfall are homogeneous (heterogeneous), with the exception of evergreen forests. Conclusions: Knowledge of the time‐scale of lagged effects of the non‐seasonal component of rainfall on vegetation greenness, and the risk of winter rainfall anomalies lays the foundation for developing a forecasting model for vegetation greenness. Our results also suggest greater competitive advantage for perennial vegetation in response to potential rainfall increases in the region associated with climate change predictions, provided that the soil allows storing extra rainfall.     

Numerical simulation for the propagation of nonlinear pulsatile waves in arteries.

The behavior of nonlinear pulsatile flow of incompressible blood contained in an elastic tube is examined. The theory takes into account the nonlinear convective terms of the Navier-Stokes equations. The motion of the arterial wall is characterized by a set of linearized differential equations. The region bounded by the flexible arterial wall is mapped into a fixed area in which numerical discretization takes place. The finite element method (Galerkin weighted residual approach) is used for the solution of this nonlinear system. The results obtained are pressure distribution, velocity profile, flow rate and wall displacements along the elastic tube (20 cm long).     

Structural perturbations in the plasma membrane during concanavalin A endocytosis

Endocytosis of Concanavalin A, triggered by its interaction with the surface of cells from a murine plasmocytoma line, is characterised by various steps which can be visualised by cytochemistry and freeze-fracturing. Plasma membrane internalisation is initiated by clustering of Concanavalin A receptors and by formation of intramembraneous particle necklaces, which were observed on fracture faces. Subsequent perturbation of the lipid bilayer precedes the fusion and formation of closed vesicles.     

Chromatin perturbations during the DNA damage response in higher eukaryotes

The DNA damage response is a widely used term that encompasses all signaling initiated at DNA lesions and damaged replication forks as it extends to orchestrate DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, cell death and senescence. ATM, an apical DNA damage signaling kinase, is virtually instantaneously activated following the introduction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex, which has a catalytic role in DNA repair, and the KAT5 (Tip60) acetyltransferase are required for maximal ATM kinase activation in cells exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation. The sensing of DNA lesions occurs within a highly complex and heterogeneous chromatin environment. Chromatin decondensation and histone eviction at DSBs may be permissive for KAT5 binding to H3K9me3 and H3K36me3, ATM kinase acetylation and activation. Furthermore, chromatin perturbation may be a prerequisite for most DNA repair. Nucleosome disassembly during DNA repair was first reported in the 1970s by Smerdon and colleagues when nucleosome rearrangement was noted during the process of nucleotide excision repair of UV-induced DNA damage in human cells. Recently, the multi-functional protein nucleolin was identified as the relevant histone chaperone required for partial nucleosome disruption at DBSs, the recruitment of repair enzymes and for DNA repair. Notably, ATM kinase is activated by chromatin perturbations induced by a variety of treatments that do not directly cause DSBs, including treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors. Central to the mechanisms that activate ATR, the second apical DNA damage signaling kinase, outside of a stalled and collapsed replication fork in S-phase, is chromatin decondensation and histone eviction associated with DNA end resection at DSBs. Thus, a stress that is common to both ATM and ATR kinase activation is chromatin perturbations, and we argue that chromatin perturbations are both sufficient and required for induction of the DNA damage response.     

Contraction of the muscle fiber during propagation of excitation

One-dimensional contraction propagating in a muscle fibre with prescribed load is considered theoretically. The analysis is based on the general model of continuous medium with mechanochemical reactions. Deformations and displacements in isotonic regime are calculated for two modes of stimulation: at the end point of the fibre or at some its intermediate point. Possible applications of the results to a cardiomyocyte are discussed in Addendum.     

Retention of episomes during protoplasting and during propagation in the L state

Kawakami, Masaya (Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.), and Otto E. Landman. Retention of episomes during protoplasting and during propagation in the L state. J. Bacteriol. 92:398-404. 1966.-In earlier work, it was observed that the mesosomes of Bacillus magaterium and B. subtilis are expelled from the cell interior during protoplasting and that mesosome fragments are released into the supernatant fluid as the cell wall disintegrates. Since the resultant protoplasts remain intact and capable of reproduction, the expelled contents of the mesosome "bag" are presumably external to the protoplast membrane and nonessential to survival. Accordingly, if episomes (plasmids) were localized in the extramembrane mesosome "bag," it would be predicted that protoplasting would cure cells of their episomes. This prediction was tested in three different systems: B. subtilis W23 carrying phage SP-10, B. megaterium 216 carrying megacinogenic factors A and C, and B. megaterium C4M(-) carrying megacinogenic factor C. No curing due to protoplasting was observed. Even during propagation in the L form, when septation is not functioning and the distribution of deoxyribonucleic acid to daughter cells is severely disrupted, curing was not observed in any of the above systems nor in Salmonella L forms carrying F(0)lac. It is concluded that episomes are located at a position on the interior side of the cell membrane and that their distribution to daughter cells is coordinated with that of the chromosome.     

Temperature control in the rooting medium during propagation

Control of rooting medium temperature by using electronic controllers with thermistor or semiconductor sensors is described and compared with electromechanical sensors. Electronic controllers are advantageous in that they are versatile, and can more accurately sense and control temperature in the rooting zone itself. Such improved control may often result in higher percentage of rooted cuttings and in better root systems.     

Effects of environmental perturbations during postnatal development on the phenotypic integration of the skull

Integration and modularity are fundamental determinants of how natural selection effects evolutionary change in complex multivariate traits. Interest in the study of the specific developmental basis of integration through experimental approaches is fairly recent and it has mainly focused on its genetic determinants. In this study, we present evidence that postnatal environmental perturbations can modify the covariance structure by influencing the variance of some developmental processes relative to the variances of other processes that contribute to such structure. We analyzed the effects of the reduction of nutrient supply in different ontogenetic stages (i.e. before and after weaning, and from birth to adulthood) in Rattus norvegicus. Our results show that this environmental perturbation alters the phenotypic variation/covariation structure of the principal modules of the skull (base, vault, and face). The covariance matrices of different treatment groups exhibit low correlations and are significantly different, indicating that the treatments influence covariance structure. Postnatal nutrient restriction also increases the variance of somatic growth. This increased variance drives an increase in overall integration of cranial morphology through the correlated allometric effects of size variation. The extent of this increase in integration depends on the time and duration of the nutritional restriction. These results support the conclusion that environmental perturbations can influence integration and thus covariance structure via developmental plasticity.     

Initiation and propagation of spectrin heterodimer assembly involves distinct energetic processes

Red cell spectrin alpha and beta subunits consist primarily of many tandem homologous motifs with very similar three- helix-bundle structures and similar dimer interfaces. Although misassembled homodimers can form under some conditions, correctly aligned heterodimers consistently assemble provided a small "dimer initiation" site near the actin binding domain is present. The dimer initiation site has been characterized to some extent, but little is known about the subsequent, low-affinity lateral interactions of the remaining motifs along the length of this ropelike molecule or the forces involved in these two steps of the dimerization process. In this study, we used isothermal titration calorimetry to deduce the mechanism and energetics of the two heterodimer assembly phases. The high-affinity initiation of dimerization is primarily enthalpically driven, which is consistent with initial alignment and docking of specific complementary alpha and beta motifs in the dimer initiation site driven by long-range electrostatic interactions followed by tight binding stabilized by hydrogen bonds and other hydrophilic interactions. In contrast, the subsequent weak lateral associations of additional motifs are primarily entropically driven, suggesting binding primarily involves weak hydrophobic interactions. Although initial docking is largely electrostatic, the only lateral interaction within the first four pairs of motifs that involves a net change in protons is the interaction of the alpha18 and beta4 repeats. This substoichiometric uptake of protons could be due to a pKa shift of a histidine in the alpha18 motif located near the dimer interface in a proposed homology-based model. On the basis of this analysis of heterodimer thermodynamics, a detailed model of spectrin dimer assembly is proposed.