Actively contracting bundles of polar filaments

We introduce a phenomenological model to study the properties of bundles of polar filaments which interact via active elements. The stability of the homogeneous state, the attractors of the dynamics in the unstable regime, and the tensile stress generated in the bundle are discussed. We find that the interaction of parallel filaments can induce unstable behavior and is responsible for active contraction and tension in the bundle. The interaction between antiparallel filaments leads to filament sorting. Our model could apply to simple contractile structures in cells such as stress fibers.     

聚丙烯腈基碳纤维原丝在纺丝过程中纳米孔变化规律与机理研究

应用小角X射线散射等方法, 系统、定量地测试表征了聚丙烯腈基碳纤维原丝中纳米孔的尺寸、形状、体积分数、单位体积中纳米孔绝对数量以及纤维总孔洞率等形态结构参量, 并对这些参量在水洗、水洗牵伸、热致密化、高压蒸汽牵伸及热稳定化等工艺过程中的变化规律及原因进行了研究. 结果表明, 纺丝过程中牵伸及高温热处理均可使纤维总孔洞率逐步下降. 纳米孔尺寸体积分数V_i测试表明, 对于小于10 nm³的小纳米孔和大于10³ nm³的较大纳米孔, 两者的V_i在纺丝初期水洗牵伸工艺中分别为0.217和0.369, 而在纺丝后期热稳定化处理后发生大幅度改变, 分别为0.948 与0.015. 其原因并不是在高压蒸汽牵伸及热稳定处理中较小纳米孔含量的增加, 而是较大纳米孔含量的大幅度减少. 纳米孔形状研究表明, 纺丝工艺中的多次牵伸处理均使纳米孔的长短轴比加大, 而大于玻璃化温度的热处理均使纳米孔长短轴比收缩, 并且对于较小纳米孔来说这种收缩更为显著.     

Mechanical properties of sorbents depending on nanopore sizes

The effect of the nanopore size on the mechanical properties of a porous carbon material with the density of 1.4 g/сm³ is discussed. The atomistic models of porous carbon materials depending on the nanopore size are constructed. The numerical experiments are implemented with using the molecular mechanical method based on the Brenner potential. The Young’s moduli are evaluated for porous carbon structures at certain nanopore dimensions and are found to decrease with the enlarging nanopores.     

Preparation of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-loaded electrospun fibers of polylactide/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) blends for use as catalysts in epoxidation of unsaturated oils

Nanofibers of polylactide (PLA)/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) blends, loaded with TiO₂ nanoparticles, have been prepared by an electrospinning method. The electrospun fiber mats were characterized by ATR-FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, EDX, and UV-visible spectroscopy to examine structures, functional groups, crystallinity, surface morphology, and UV absorptivity. It is clearly observed that TiO₂ particles are embedded on the filaments. All PLA-based spun fibers are completely amorphous in nature. The surface morphology of those blended with PVP is smoother and more uniform than the corresponding samples without PVP. Neat PLA fibers show a UV absorption band at around 200 nm, whereas the fibers loaded with TiO₂ nanoparticles show an additional absorption band covering the 200–380-nm region. Photo-degradation of the fiber samples are conducted in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) under UVA light. The results indicate that the PVP component dissolves into the PBS solution, and the PLA matrix degrades as a function of time. The fibers are then applied as a catalytic system for epoxidation of unsaturated sunflower oil (SFO), for use as additives or plasticizers for biopolymers, employing a performic acid oxidizing agent. The fibers, especially those containing PVP, can effectively enhance the epoxidation yield of oils with a slow rate of undesirable side reactions, which break ester bonds of triglycerides to generate free fatty acids.     

Preparation of High-Quality Polyacrylonitrile Precursors for Carbon Fibers Through a High Drawing Ratio in the Coagulation Bath During a Dry-Jet Wet Spinning Process

Excellent poly(acrylonitrile-co-itaconic acid) (99/1) (PAI) nascent fibers, which have an important role in preparing high-quality precursors for carbon fibers, were prepared by a dry-jet wet spinning process. Their structures were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an ultrasound solvent etching method, as well their properties being determined by a strength and extension meter and a fineness meter, both designed specifically for fibers. When a high drawing ratio, over 300%, was applied to the fibers in the dry-jet wet spinning coagulation bath, the molecular chains were easy to orient and regularly arrange, resulting in the relative crystallinity, crystal size and amorphous orientation degree of the nascent fibers being improved. The fibrils with large diameter were formed, increasing the bulk density with the overall porosity and pore numbers decreasing. Therefore, the nascent fibers had smaller diameters, higher strength, higher rupture elongation and smaller coefficients of variation. The optimum high performance PAI precursor fibers, with 0.59dtex in titer, 7.51cN/dtex in tensile strength, 7.9% in rupture elongation and the final carbon fiber with 5.54GPa in tensile strength, were obtained through a post-spinning treatment in which they were subjected to a high coagulation bath draw ratio and carbonization.     

Electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy studies of chromatin and metaphase chromosome structure

The folding of the chromatin filament and, in particular, the organization of genomic DNA within metaphase chromosomes has attracted the interest of many laboratories during the last five decades. This review discusses our current understanding of chromatin higher-order structure based on results obtained with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and different atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques.Chromatin isolated from different cell types in buffers without cations form extended filaments with nucleosomes visible as separated units. In presence of low concentrations of Mg²⁺, chromatin filaments are folded into fibers having a diameter of ∼30 nm. Highly compact fibers were obtained with isolated chromatin fragments in solutions containing 1–2 mM Mg²⁺. The high density of these fibers suggested that the successive turns of the chromatin filament are interdigitated. Similar results were obtained with reconstituted nucleosome arrays under the same ionic conditions. This led to the proposal of compact interdigitated solenoid models having a helical pitch of 4–5 nm. These findings, together with the observation of columns of stacked nucleosomes in different liquid crystal phases formed by aggregation of nucleosome core particles at high concentration, and different experimental evidences obtained using other approaches, indicate that face-to-face interactions between nucleosomes are very important for the formation of dense chromatin structures.Chromatin fibers were observed in metaphase chromosome preparations in deionized water and in buffers containing EDTA, but chromosomes in presence of the Mg²⁺ concentrations found in metaphase (5–22 mM) are very compact, without visible fibers. Moreover, a recent cryo-electron microscopy analysis of vitreous sections of mitotic cells indicated that chromatin has a disordered organization, which does not support the existence of 30-nm fibers in condensed chromosomes. TEM images of partially denatured chromosomes obtained using different procedures that maintain the ionic conditions of metaphase showed that bulk chromatin in chromosomes is organized forming multilayered plate-like structures. The structure and mechanical properties of these plates were studied using cryo-EM, electron tomography, AFM imaging in aqueous media, and AFM-based nanotribology and force spectroscopy. The results obtained indicated that the chromatin filament forms a flexible two-dimensional network, in which DNA is the main component responsible for the mechanical strength observed in friction force measurements. The discovery of this unexpected structure based on a planar geometry has opened completely new possibilities for the understanding of chromatin folding in metaphase chromosomes. It was proposed that chromatids are formed by many stacked thin chromatin plates oriented perpendicular to the chromatid axis. Different experimental evidences indicated that nucleosomes in the plates are irregularly oriented, and that the successive layers are interdigitated (the apparent layer thickness is 5–6 nm), allowing face-to-face interactions between nucleosomes of adjacent layers. The high density of this structure is in agreement with the high concentration of DNA observed in metaphase chromosomes of different species, and the irregular orientation of nucleosomes within the plates make these results compatible with those obtained with mitotic cell cryo-sections. The multilaminar chromatin structure proposed for chromosomes allows an easy explanation of chromosome banding and of the band splitting observed in stretched chromosomes.     

Direct observation of current in type-I edge-localized-mode filaments on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

Magnetically confined plasmas in the high confinement regime are regularly subjected to relaxation oscillations, termed edge localized modes (ELMs), leading to large transport events. Present ELM theories rely on a combined effect of edge current and the edge pressure gradients which result in intermediate mode number (n?10-15) structures (filaments) localized in the perpendicular plane and extended along the field lines. By detailed localized measurements of the magnetic field perturbation associated to type-I ELM filaments, it is shown that these filaments carry a substantial current.     

纳米孔壁面作用对蛋白质过孔影响的粗粒化分子动力学模拟

基于粗粒化分子动力学方法模拟电驱动蛋白质过孔过程,研究纳米孔-水/纳米孔-蛋白质相互作用对电泳迁移率的影响;用操控式分子动力学模拟分析蛋白质在不同相互作用下过孔摩擦系数和摩擦阻力.研究发现：蛋白质黏附纳米孔壁面对其过孔特性影响并不明显,而纳米孔-水相互作用对蛋白质过孔电泳迁移率和摩擦系数影响较大.随纳米孔-水相互作用增强,纳米孔壁面与蛋白质附近水分子运动差异显现,蛋白质过孔摩擦阻力显著增大,过孔摩擦系数随之增大,进而影响蛋白质过孔电泳迁移率.所得结果可为纳米孔材料设计提供理论指导.     

Free energy and scalings for polymer translocation through a nanopore: A molecular dynamics simulation study combined with milestoning

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations combined with milestoning method are used to study the stochastic process of polymer chain translocation though a nanopore. We find that the scalings for polymer translocation process (the chain is initialized with the first monomer in the nanopore) and for polymer escape process (the chain is initialized with the middle monomer in the nanopore) are different. The translocation process is mainly controlled by the entropic barrier, while the polymer escape process is driven by the effective force due to free energy difference.     

Effects of two-step freezing on the ultra-structural components of murine osteoblast cultures

Understanding the ultra-structural response of cells to the cryopreservation process is important for designing cryopreservation strategies for cells and tissues. Cell-cell interaction and cell-scaffold interactions alter cryopreservation response and, in turn, the cellular structures involved in adhesion and intercellular contact are possible targets of cryopreservation-induced damage. Immuno-fluorescence was used to assess the status of the actin filaments (F-actin), focal adhesions (vinculin) and gap junctions (connexin-43) of murine osteoblasts attached to hydroxyapatite (HA) discs and plastic coverslips for a two-step freezing process. The freezing process de-polymerized and distorted the actin filaments of dead cells, while those of live cells experienced little change. Vinculin and connexin-43 structures were rarely seen in dead cells, while a portion of vinculin (8.14+/-2.27 percent) and connexin-43 (21.7+/-4.7 percent) structures remained in live cells. These results suggest that focal adhesions and gap junctions may support cell robustness during cryopreservation. The present study contributes to our knowledge of the damage mechanisms associated with attached cells during a freezing process.     

Studying the Degradation of Reinforced Composites by High-Resolution Ultrasonic Means

Nondestructive means of pulsed acoustic microscopy are used to visualize and assess the bulk microstructure of carbon fiber reinforced composites. Irreversible changes in the composite structure under the influence of external mechanical and climatic factors are studied, and the dynamics of the accumulation and growth of microscopic defects leading to destruction is studied. Ultrasonic explorations are conducted at frequencies of 50–100 MHz. It is shown that scattered (diffracted) radiation participates in image formation; this makes it possible to detect small cavities (detachment of reinforcing fibers), clusters of microscopic defects, and inclined extended cracks oriented along the fibers’ packing. These cracks are precursors to the brittle fracture of a composite, and their visualization is difficult with standard ultrasonic methods.     

What Laboratory-Produced Plasma Structures Can Contribute to the Understanding of Cosmic Structures Both Large and Small

The tradition of the classical 1901 work by Birkeland [1] on aurora phenomena by laboratory terrella experiments was resumed by Alfvén [2], Cowling [3], Ferraro et al. [4], and by Bennett [5] in his terrella experiments. In 1954 [6] when experimenters accidentally produced in the laboratory structures later identified as diamagnetic vortex filaments, and in 1961 [7] when filaments, later identified as current-carrying paramagnetic plasma vortex structures (which are both electric motors and dynamos), were observed in the Z and theta-pinch experiments, this tradition was being further reestablished. It has been successfully argued [6], [8], [11], [20] that both of these types of vortices are force-free minimum-free-energy structures that spontaneously spring to life as readily as do thousands of spherical bubbles and water droplets during the splash of a breaking water wave. The Birkeland aurora filaments are a hybrid combination of these two basic types (paramagnetic and diamagnetic) of plasma vortices. It is to be expected that such structures on a cosmic scale play an important role in the cosmos, and indeed they do in the formation of galaxies, stars, binary stars, solar systems, solar prominences, solar flares, solar wind, comet tails, cosmic "strings" in the Crab nebula, string-like galactic clusters, expansion of the Universe, giant galactic jets, cosmic rays, sunspots, vortex rolls in sunspot penumbra, twinkling of radio stars by the density fluctuations in the ionosphere, turbulence at the interface between the solar wind and the earth's magnetosphere, etc.     

TEM study of locally coated nanopore fabricated by ion-beam-induced deposition in a thin membrane

We studied the formation of locally coated sub-10-nm nanopores fabricated by ion-beam milling and ion-beam-induced deposition (IBID) in a thin silicon nitride membrane. Two typical precursor gases representing conductive ((CH₃)₃Pt(CpCH₃), CPC for short) and insulating (tetra ethyl oxysilane, TEOS for short) material deposition are used. Three-dimensional electron tomography, EDX and EELS analysis are used to measure the changes in chemical composition and shape of the pores after their formation and at various stages of pore shrinkage. The formation and shrinkage are shown to be due to a shifting competition between IBID and material sputtering during ion-beam exposure. The chemical distribution at the rim of the nanopore is dependent on the precursor gases used: CPC forms a thin carbon layer with small embedded Pt particles at the top and inner surfaces of the nanopore, whereas TEOS forms SiO_xC_y with Ga particles dispersed at the rim of the nanopore.     

Improving electret properties of PP filaments with barium titanate

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃) containing polypropylene (PP) composite filaments were melt spun to modify polymer electrostatic charging characteristics. Sample filaments were charged with a corona instrument and their surface potentials were measured. Initial surface potential as well as potential stability was monitored through an accelerated decay procedure. It was found that both BaTiO₃ concentration and charging temperature influence the charging characteristics of the fibers. When BaTiO₃/PP composite filaments were charged at 130 °C, significant enhancements were observed when compared to samples charged at room temperature. The distribution of BaTiO₃ particles within the filaments and changes in the crystal structure were also examined.     

对浸入水或甲醇中的石墨氧化物的理论研究 (cited: 3)

采用密度泛函理论优化了含水和不含水的石墨氧化物的多种结构. 当层间没有水分子时,优化的层间距在6 ?左右,小于6.5～7 ?的实验值. 反之,水石墨氧化物的层间距和实验值符合很好. 基于优化的石墨氧化物结构,用分子动力学方法模拟了水或甲醇中的石墨氧化物. 对于不含水的石墨氧化物,水和甲醇分子不进入其层间. 而对于含水的石墨氧化物,液体分子进入层间,增大了层间距,半定量地重复了实验现象.     

MD模拟方法研究圆柱形纳米微孔的吸附平衡

本文用MD（分子动力学）模拟方法对圆柱形纳米微孔中的Lennard-Jones流体的物理吸附平衡及界面现象进行了研究。模拟中引入新型势模型,采用了计数法计算平衡压力,预测了在不同孔径下（直径为 3～5nm）的吸附等温线,分析了毛细凝聚理论用于纳米微孔吸附的局限性。并比较了同一纳米尺度的窄缝形微孔和圆柱形微孔吸附的差异。     

Computer analysis of the AFM images of the nanopore system on the SiO2/Si structure surface,obtained by Zn ion implantation

A computer study of morphological characteristics using AFM images of a self-organized surface nanopore system in the structure of SiO₂/Si(100) is performed. The nanopore system is obtained via Zn ion doping with subsequent thermal annealing. AFM images of the nanopore system are studied using the STIMAN 3D software. A correct quantitative estimate is made of the morphology of this nanopore system using a number of parameters (equivalent diameter, area, total area, and shape coefficient). Estimating the morphology of the self-organized surface nanopore system in the structure of SiO₂/Si(100) allows us to narrow the possible practical applications of the resulting system in opto- and nanoelectronics.     

Influences of hydrogen contents in precursor Si film to excimer laser crystallization

This paper presents for the first time experimental results which show a crucial role of the local Si-H bonding structures in Si precursors for crystallinity of polycrystalline silicon (p-Si), obtained by an excimer laser crystallization (ELC) process. This role was revealed in the distinct differences among (111) lattice plane spacings of p-Si according to deposition and dehydrogenation conditions of the precursors. It was also found that preablation behaviors, especially ebullition of the melt, are highly sensitive to the precursors. These results provide an important guide for the selection of the most adequate precursor in production, and also contribute an understanding of the mechanism of the ELC process.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of nanopore processing in a graphene sheet by using gas cluster ion beam

The formation of a nanopore in a graphene sheet by collision with an argon cluster is simulated using molecular dynamics method. The number of removed carbon atoms and the size of the nanopore are obtained as a function of the kinetic energy of the cluster. In contrast to nanosculpting with a monomer ion beam, the size of the nanopore that is created by one shot of the cluster varies because of the variety of atom configuration. However, the mean size of the nanopore can be controlled over a wide range only by changing the kinetic energy of the cluster. This implies that the cleaning and processing of the graphene sheet may be realized simultaneously by changing the acceleration energy of the cluster.     

Probing nanotube-nanopore interactions

We demonstrate a new nanoscale system consisting of a nanotube threaded through a nanopore in aqueous solution. Its electrical and mechanical properties are sensitive to experimentally controllable conformational changes on sub-Angstrom length scales. Ionic current transport through a nanopore is significantly suppressed by the threading nanotube and the mechanical interactions between the nanotube and pore are accounted for by a folding geometry. The experiments provide first measurements of the longitudinal resolution and metrology of a solid-state nanopore "microscope." This new nanostructure provides a means to study molecule-nanotube interactions in conducting ionic solutions as well as geometrical and surface properties of nanopores and nanotubes.