Dynamic supercoiling bifurcations of growing elastic filaments

Certain bacteria form filamentous colonies when the cells fail to separate after dividing. In Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thermus, and Cyanobacteria, the filaments can wrap into complex supercoiled structures as the cells grow. The structures may be solenoids or plectonemes, with or without branches in the latter case. Any microscopic theory of these morphological instabilities must address the nature of pattern selection in the presence of growth, for growth renders the problem nonautonomous and the bifurcations dynamic. To gain insight into these phenomena, we formulate a general theory for growing elastic filaments with bending and twisting resistance in a viscous medium, and study an illustrative model problem: a growing filament with preferred twist, closed into a loop. Growth depletes the twist, inducing a twist strain. The closure of the loop prevents the filament from unwinding back to the preferred twist; instead, twist relaxation is accomplished by the formation of supercoils. Growth also produces viscous stresses on the filament which even in the absence of twist produce buckling instabilities. Our linear stability analysis and numerical studies reveal two dynamic regimes. For small intrinsic twist the instability is akin to Euler buckling, leading to solenoidal structures, while for large twist it is like the classic writhing of a twisted filament, producing plectonemic windings. This model may apply to situations in which supercoils form only, or more readily, when axial rotation of filaments is blocked. Applications to specific biological systems are proposed.     

Arithmetic functions with linear recurrence sequences

We obtain asymptotic formulas for all the moments of certain arithmetic functions with linear recurrence sequences. We also apply our results to obtain asymptotic formulas for some mean values related to average orders of elements in finite fields.     

Shape preservation regions for six-dimensional spaces

We analyze the critical length for design purposes of six-dimensional spaces invariant under translations and reflections containing the functions 1, cos t and sin t. These spaces also contain the first degree polynomials as well as trigonometric and/or hyperbolic functions. We identify the spaces whose critical length for design purposes is greater than 2π and find its maximum 4π. By a change of variables, two biparametric families of spaces arise. We call shape preservation region to the set of admissible parameters in order that the space has shape preserving representations for curves. We describe the shape preserving regions for both families. To our friend Mariano Gasca on occasion of his 60th birthday Research partially supported by the Spanish Research Grant MTM2006-03388, by Gobierno de Aragón and Fondo Social Europeo.     

Conditions for the production of a single conducting nanostructure by electroforming

The process of electroforming (the production of a carboniferous conducting medium when the current flows through an organic material under a high electric field) in open sandwichlike structures with an insulating gap several tens of nanometers in width is considered. It is shown experimentally that there are factors that both favor (external ballast resistor) and prevent (local spreading resistance and the presence of the initial conductivity in the insulating gap) the production of a single conducting element between the electrodes. A simple model of the process in terms of the equivalent electric circuit is proposed. The model helps to find the trade-off between these factors and to construct an I-V diagram, which exhibits a region within which a single conducting nanostructure can be electroformed. An expression that relates the minimum permissible resistance of the nanostructure to its geometric parameters is derived.     

Inclusion of cinnamaldehyde in modified γ-cyclodextrins

This work deals with the formation of inclusion complexes between cinnamaldehyde and two synthetic alkylcarbonates of γ-cyclodextrin, namely ethylcarbonate-γ-CD and octylcarbonate-γ-CD. Complexation was monitored by phase-solubility studies, by FT-IR spectroscopy and by DSC and TG analysis. The diffusion of cinnamaldehyde through a cellulose membrane was investigated in the absence and in the presence of each of the two γ-CD alkylcarbonates. Studies on photostability and stability over time were carried out on different cosmetic formulations containing pure cinnamaldehyde or an equivalent amount of cinnamaldehyde complexed with the two alkylcarbonates. Phase-solubility diagrams, DSC, FTIR and TGA analysis suggested the formation of inclusion complexes. The diffusion of cinnamaldehyde through the cellulose membrane decreased in the presence of the two alkylcarbonates confirming the interaction of this molecule with the inclusion agents. Moreover the stability of cinnamaldehyde to light and heat resulted increased by complexing this fragrance material with the two alkylcarbonates.