Array Of Filaments Research Articles

Intense supercontinuum generation in the near-ultraviolet range from a 400-nm femtosecond laser filament array in fused silica**Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB922404), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11274053, 11474039, 11474040, and 11004240), the Science and Technology Department of Jilin Province, China (Grant No. 20170519018JH), and the Innovation Fund of

An intense supercontinuum (SC) in the near-ultraviolet range is generated from filamentation by focusing a 400-nm laser into fused silica with a microlens array (MLA). The spectrum of the SC is shown to be sensitive to the distance between the MLA and fused silica. In our optimal conditions, the near-ultraviolet SC can cover a range of 350–600 nm, where a bandwidth of approximately 55 nm above the 1μ J/nm spectral energy density and 20 nm bandwidth with tens of μJ/nm are achieved. In addition, the energy conversion efficiency of the 400 nm laser for SC generation is further analyzed. A maximum conversion efficiency of 66% is obtained when the entrance face of fused silica is set around the focus of the MLA.

Intensity control of individual DBD plasma filament. I. Experiment with a needle electrode

Filamentary volume dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) produces patterned plasma structures that are currently being explored for reconfigurable metamaterial applications. In this work, the presence and intensity of a single filament (within an array of filaments) are controlled by biasing a low voltage needle electrode by less than 7% of the driving voltage. The current, voltage, and time-averaged normalized light intensity were measured while varying the needle voltage through self-biasing resistors. For a 7.5 kV, 3.2 kHz DBD in air, the needle-controlled filament intensity varies from 80% to 0% of the light intensity of surrounding filaments. When the biased voltage prevents a filament from forming, the voltage difference across the air gap and between the electrodes remains well above the breakdown voltage. Redistributed charge inside the DBD rather than the cross-gap voltage difference is the mechanism which controls the filament intensity when surrounding filaments are present. This work presents a method for controlling an array of plasma filaments with needle electrodes, at voltage biases more manageable for a control circuit.

Intensity control of individual DBD plasma filament. II. Fundamental physical mechanism

Filamentary volume dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) produces patterned plasma structures that are currently being explored for reconfigurable metamaterial applications. Previous work has demonstrated control of the presence and intensity of a single DBD plasma filament (within an array of filaments) by biasing a low voltage needle electrode. The results were attributed to redistributed charge inside the DBD due to the modified electric field created by the needle electrode. In the present work, results from a 3D electrodynamic field simulation bolster this argument. Results show that increasing needle bias voltage causes changes in the transverse electric field structure, resulting in redistribution and build-up of surface charge at the needle location. This reduces the needle plasma filament intensity and eventually extinguishes the filament. Specifically, extinguishment of the filament corresponds with the following transitions in the field profile: (1) the applied longitudinal electric field profile along the needle lies below that of the adjacent mesh filament; (2) the surface charge on the dielectric at the needle and adjacent mesh locations is equal; and (3) the transverse electric field reverses direction and forces charge toward the needle location. The calculated surface charge on the dielectric barrier agrees with experimentally measured filament light intensity to within 8%, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Analysis of the data and trends suggests a method for predicting filament pattern formation and reducing the necessary voltage bias.

Pattern formation in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with competing nonlocal nonlinearities

AbstractWe study beam propagation in the framework of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with competing Gaussian nonlocal nonlinearities. We demonstrate that such system can give rise to self-organization of light into stable states of trains or hexagonal arrays of filaments, depending on the transverse dimensionality. This long-range ordering can be achieved by mere unidirectional beam propagation. We discuss the dynamics of long-range ordering and the crucial role which the phase of the wavefunction plays for this phenomenon. Furthermore we discuss how transverse dimensionality affects the order of the phasetransition.

Hugh Esmor Huxley MBE. 25 February 1924 — 25 July 2013

Hugh Esmor Huxley devoted his life to understanding how muscles contract. He was born in Birkenhead and entered Christ's College, Cambridge, in 1941 to study Physics. Joining the RAF in 1943 as an Acting Pilot Officer, he later moved to the Malvern Telecommunications Research Establishment where his pioneering work on developing H 2 S Mk IVA airborne radar over two years to 1947 led to his being elected a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1948 while still an undergraduate. He started X-ray research on living muscle with Sir John Kendrew at the Medical Research Council Unit in the Cavendish Laboratory and showed that skeletal muscle is made of a hexagonal array of thick and thin filaments. In 1952 he moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study muscle ultrastructure by electron microscopy, where he was joined by Jean Hanson, and in 1954 they published the sliding filament hypothesis (7) † . Back in London he produced ultra-thin sections of muscle barely 150 Å thick, which showed cross-bridges between the filaments, and in 1960 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. His research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology from 1962 led to his proposal of the swinging cross-bridge model. His ambition of studying cross-bridge movement in living muscle by X-ray diffraction in the millisecond time range required ever stronger X-ray sources and more sensitive detectors. The development in the 1970s of beam lines from synchrotron radiation opened a new perspective that fascinated him for the rest of his working life. From his last work at Argonne National Laboratory with Massimo Reconditi, Hugh finally convinced himself that he had incontrovertible evidence for the tilting lever-arm model.

Structural Basis of Arp2/3 Complex Inhibition by GMF, Coronin, and Arpin

The evolutionarily conserved Arp2/3 complex plays a central role in nucleating the branched actin filament arrays that drive cell migration, endocytosis, and other processes. To better understand Arp2/3 complex regulation, we used single-particle electron microscopy to compare the structures of Arp2/3 complex bound to three different inhibitory ligands: glia maturation factor (GMF), Coronin, and Arpin. Although the three inhibitors have distinct binding sites on Arp2/3 complex, they each induced an “open” nucleation-inactive conformation. Coronin promoted a standard (previously described) open conformation of Arp2/3 complex, with the N-terminal β-propeller domain of Coronin positioned near the p35/ARPC2 subunit of Arp2/3 complex. GMF induced two distinct open conformations of Arp2/3 complex, which correlated with the two suggested binding sites for GMF. Furthermore, GMF synergized with Coronin in inhibiting actin nucleation by Arp2/3 complex. Arpin, which uses VCA-related acidic (A) motifs to interact with the Arp2/3 complex, induced the standard open conformation, and two new masses appeared at positions near Arp2 and Arp3. Furthermore, Arpin showed additive inhibitory effects on Arp2/3 complex with Coronin and GMF. Together, these data suggest that Arp2/3 complex conformation is highly polymorphic and that its activities can be controlled combinatorially by different inhibitory ligands.

Modeling the Resistive Critical Current Transitions of Striated Superconducting Tapes

Striating a high-temperature superconducting tape into an array of narrow filaments is a viable way to reduce thermal losses in ac applications, provided the patterning process yields uniform filaments whose total critical current density scales with that of the pristine tape. To help explain some of the scaling discrepancies that are often encountered during the optimization of such a patterning step, a model was developed to calculate the expected critical current values for tapes simulated with various nonuniform critical current distributions of filaments. These results show that if the filaments are permanently damaged when their critical currents are exceeded, then a particular threshold filament can be identified whose transition to the normal state prompts a subsequent transition of all or most of the tape's remaining superconducting filaments. These critical current and threshold filament values were determined analytically for linear critical current distributions, while Monte Carlo simulations were statistically analyzed for Gaussian distributions.

Morphological And Molecular Analyses of an Anatomical Novelty: The Pelvic Fin Filaments of the South American Lungfish.

The pelvic fins of male South American lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa, are adorned with a distinctive array of filaments, which grow and become highly vascularized during the breeding season. The resemblance between these pelvic fin filaments (PFFs) and external gills of other vertebrates suggested that this gill-like structure was used for physiological gas exchange. It has been proposed that the unique pelvic fin of male L. paradoxa is used for release of oxygen from its blood into the environment in order to aerate its nesting brood, or, conversely, as an auxiliary respiratory organ by absorbing oxygen from the environment into its bloodstream. Here, we employed histology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to assess whether the morphology and molecular profile of PFFs are compatible with a role in gas exchange. First, we closely examined its external morphology and showed that PFFs develop from short papillae during the rainy season, but remain covered by a thick nonvascularized epithelium. Histological examination confirmed that capillaries within the filaments are separated from the exterior by a basement membrane and a stratified epithelium composed of four to five cell layers. In addition, SEM analysis revealed significant differences between the fin filament epithelium and typical gill epithelium. Finally, our qPCR results showed that five genes commonly expressed in gills were downregulated in PFFs relative to their expression in regular pectoral fin epidermis. Collectively, our results do not directly support a role for PFFs, commonly referred to as "limb gills", in oxygen release or uptake.

The Drosophila formin Fhos is a primary mediator of sarcomeric thin-filament array assembly.

Actin-based thin filament arrays constitute a fundamental core component of muscle sarcomeres. We have used formation of the Drosophila indirect flight musculature for studying the assembly and maturation of thin-filament arrays in a skeletal muscle model system. Employing GFP-tagged actin monomer incorporation, we identify several distinct phases in the dynamic construction of thin-filament arrays. This sequence includes assembly of nascent arrays after an initial period of intensive microfilament synthesis, followed by array elongation, primarily from filament pointed-ends, radial growth of the arrays via recruitment of peripheral filaments and continuous barbed-end turnover. Using genetic approaches we have identified Fhos, the single Drosophila homolog of the FHOD sub-family of formins, as a primary and versatile mediator of IFM thin-filament organization. Localization of Fhos to the barbed-ends of the arrays, achieved via a novel N-terminal domain, appears to be a critical aspect of its sarcomeric roles.

Generation of periodic filament arrays in air through two-dimensional acousto-optic modulation

We have numerically studied femtosecond laser filament array generation in air by using two-dimensional acousto-optic modulation (AOM). Similar regular filament distributions have been achieved compared with filamentation by using a microlens array (MLA) in air. The overall length of filamentation with the same onset can be prolonged almost triple that generated in the case of a single lens. The modulation frequency, namely, acoustic period, has a great effect on the elongation. For the supercontinuum (SC), more efficient enhancement on the blue side, especially the visible spectrum, can be obtained with higher frequency of acousto-optic modulation, but at the cost of weaker redshift. The energy evolution process is different from the case with an MLA due to the sinusoidal phase modulation, which interprets distinguishes between these two cases. The AOM offers a convenient way to control the filamentation and SC emission, which can be a valid substitute of an MLA.

Design and construction of Keda Space Plasma Experiment (KSPEX) for the investigation of the boundary layer processes of ionospheric depletions.

In this work, the design and construction of the Keda Space Plasma EXperiment (KSPEX), which aims to study the boundary layer processes of ionospheric depletions, are described in detail. The device is composed of three stainless-steel sections: two source chambers at both ends and an experimental chamber in the center. KSPEX is a steady state experimental device, in which hot filament arrays are used to produce plasmas in the two sources. A Macor-mesh design is adopted to adjust the plasma density and potential difference between the two plasmas, which creates a boundary layer with a controllable electron density gradient and inhomogeneous radial electric field. In addition, attachment chemicals can be released into the plasmas through a tailor-made needle valve which leads to the generation of negative ions plasmas. Ionospheric depletions can be modeled and simulated using KSPEX, and many micro-physical processes of the formation and evolution of an ionospheric depletion can be experimentally studied.

Splendid coloration of the peacock spider Maratus splendens.

Jumping spiders are well known for their acute vision and often bright colours. The male peacock spider Maratus splendens is richly coloured by scales that cover the body. The colours of the white, cream and red scales, which have an elaborate shape with numerous spines, are pigmentary. Blue scales are unpigmented and have a structural colour, created by an intricate photonic system consisting of two chitinous layers with ridges, separated by an air gap, with on the inner sides of the chitin layers an array of filaments. We have characterized the optical properties of the scales by microspectrophotometry, imaging scatterometry and light and scanning electron microscopy. Optical modelling revealed that the filament array constitutes a novel structural coloration system, which subtly fine tunes the scale reflectance to the observed blue coloration.

Quantitative Evaluation of Stomatal Cytoskeletal Patterns during the Activation of Immune Signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Historically viewed as primarily functioning in the regulation of gas and water vapor exchange, it is now evident that stomata serve an important role in plant immunity. Indeed, in addition to classically defined functions related to cell architecture and movement, the actin cytoskeleton has emerged as a central component of the plant immune system, underpinning not only processes related to cell shape and movement, but also receptor activation and signaling. Using high resolution quantitative imaging techniques, the temporal and spatial changes in the actin microfilament array during diurnal cycling of stomatal guard cells has revealed a highly orchestrated transition from random arrays to ordered bundled filaments. While recent studies have demonstrated that plant stomata close in response to pathogen infection, an evaluation of stimulus-induced changes in actin cytoskeletal dynamics during immune activation in the guard cell, as well as the relationship of these changes to the function of the actin cytoskeleton and stomatal aperture, remains undefined. In the current study, we employed quantitative cell imaging and hierarchical clustering analyses to define the response of the guard cell actin cytoskeleton to pathogen infection and the elicitation of immune signaling. Using this approach, we demonstrate that stomatal-localized actin filaments respond rapidly, and specifically, to both bacterial phytopathogens and purified pathogen elicitors. Notably, we demonstrate that higher order temporal and spatial changes in the filament array show distinct patterns of organization during immune activation, and that changes in the naïve diurnal oscillations of guard cell actin filaments are perturbed by pathogens, and that these changes parallel pathogen-induced stomatal gating. The data presented herein demonstrate the application of a highly tractable and quantifiable method to assign transitions in actin filament organization to the activation of immune signaling in plants.

Cofilin-mediated actin dynamics promotes actin bundle formation during Drosophila bristle development.

The actin bundle is an array of linear actin filaments cross-linked by actin-bundling proteins, but its assembly and dynamics are not as well understood as those of the branched actin network. Here we used the Drosophila bristle as a model system to study actin bundle formation. We found that cofilin, a major actin disassembly factor of the branched actin network, promotes the formation and positioning of actin bundles in the developing bristles. Loss of function of cofilin or AIP1, a cofactor of cofilin, each resulted in increased F-actin levels and severe defects in actin bundle organization, with the defects from cofilin deficiency being more severe. Further analyses revealed that cofilin likely regulates actin bundle formation and positioning by the following means. First, cofilin promotes a large G-actin pool both locally and globally, likely ensuring rapid actin polymerization for bundle initiation and growth. Second, cofilin limits the size of a nonbundled actin-myosin network to regulate the positioning of actin bundles. Third, cofilin prevents incorrect assembly of branched and myosin-associated actin filament into bundles. Together these results demonstrate that the interaction between the dynamic dendritic actin network and the assembling actin bundles is critical for actin bundle formation and needs to be closely regulated.

The Pseudomonas syringae Type III Effector HopG1 Induces Actin Remodeling to Promote Symptom Development and Susceptibility during Infection.

The plant cytoskeleton underpins the function of a multitude of cellular mechanisms, including those associated with developmental- and stress-associated signaling processes. In recent years, the actin cytoskeleton has been demonstrated to play a key role in plant immune signaling, including a recent demonstration that pathogens target actin filaments to block plant defense and immunity. Herein, we quantified spatial changes in host actin filament organization after infection with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000), demonstrating that the type-III effector HopG1 is required for pathogen-induced changes to actin filament architecture and host disease symptom development during infection. Using a suite of pathogen effector deletion constructs, coupled with high-resolution microscopy, we found that deletion of hopG1 from Pst DC3000 resulted in a reduction in actin bundling and a concomitant increase in the density of filament arrays in Arabidopsis, both of which correlate with host disease symptom development. As a mechanism underpinning this activity, we further show that the HopG1 effector interacts with an Arabidopsis mitochondrial-localized kinesin motor protein. Kinesin mutant plants show reduced disease symptoms after pathogen infection, which can be complemented by actin-modifying agents. In total, our results support a model in which HopG1 induces changes in the organization of the actin cytoskeleton as part of its virulence function in promoting disease symptom development.

Dynamics of Large Femtosecond Filament Arrays: Possibilities, Limitations, and Trade-Offs

Stable propagation of large, multifilament arrays over long distances in air paves new ways for microwave-radiation manipulation. Although the dynamics of a single or a few filaments has been discussed in previous studies, we show that the stability of large plasma-filament arrays is significantly more complicated and is constrained by several trade-offs. Here, we analyze the stability properties of rectangular arrays as a function of four parameters: relative phase of the generating beams, number of filaments, separation between them, and initial power. We find that arrays with an alternating filament phase are more stable than similar arrays with all beams in phase. Additionally, we show that increasing the size of an array increases its stability and that a proper choice of the beam separation and the initial power has to be made in order to obtain a dense and regular array of filaments.

Identification of Cell Cycle Dependent Interaction Partners of the Septins by Quantitative Mass Spectrometry.

The septins are a conserved family of GTP-binding proteins that, in the baker's yeast, assemble into a highly ordered array of filaments at the mother bud neck. These filaments undergo significant structural rearrangements during the cell cycle. We aimed at identifying key components that are involved in or regulate the transitions of the septins. By combining cell synchronization and quantitative affinity-purification mass-spectrometry, we performed a screen for specific interaction partners of the septins at three distinct stages of the cell cycle. A total of 83 interaction partners of the septins were assigned. Surprisingly, we detected DNA-interacting/nuclear proteins and proteins involved in ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis predominantly present in alpha-factor arrested that do not display an assembled septin structure. Furthermore, two distinct sets of regulatory proteins that are specific for cells at S-phase with a stable septin collar or at mitosis with split septin rings were identified.Complementary methods like SPLIFF and immunoprecipitation allowed us to more exactly define the spatial and temporal characteristics of selected hits of the AP-MS screen.

Periodic magnetic domains in single-crystalline cobalt filament arrays

Magnetic structures with controlled domain wall pattern may be applied as potential building blocks for three-dimensional magnetic memory and logic devices. Using a unique electrochemical self-assembly method, we achieve regular single-crystalline cobalt filament arrays with specific geometric profile and crystallographic orientation, and the magnetic domain configuration can be conveniently tailored. We report the transition of periodic antiparallel magnetic domains to compressed vortex magnetic domains depending on the ratio of height to width of the wires. A ``phase diagram'' is obtained to describe the dependence of the type of magnetic domain and the geometrical profiles of the wires. Magnetoresistance of the filaments demonstrates that the contribution of a series of ${180}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ domain walls is over $0.15%$ of the zero-field resistance $\ensuremath{\rho}(H=0)$. These self-assembled magnetic nanofilaments, with controlled periodic domain patterns, offer an interesting platform to explore domain-wall-based memory and logic devices.

Crystal structure of Cdc11, a septin subunit from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Septins are a conserved family of GTP-binding proteins that assemble into a highly ordered array of filaments at the mother bud neck in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Many molecular functions and mechanisms of the septins in S. cerevisiae were already uncovered. However, structural information is only available from modeling the crystallized subunits of the human septins into the EM cryomicroscopy data of the yeast hetero-octameric septin rod. Octameric rods are the building block of septin filaments in yeast. We present here the first crystal structure of Cdc11, the terminal subunit of the octameric rod and discuss its structure in relation to its human homologues. Size exclusion chromatography analysis revealed that Cdc11 forms homodimers through its C-terminal coiled coil tail.

Magnetic filament brushes: tuning the properties of a magnetoresponsive supracolloidal coating.

We present a theoretical study on the design of a supramolecular magnetoresponsive coating. The coating is formed by a relatively dense array of supracolloidal magnetic filaments grafted to a surface in a polymer brush-like arrangement. In order to determine and optimise the properties of the magnetic filament brush, we perform extensive computer simulations with a coarse-grained model that takes into account the correlations between the magnetic moments of the particles and the backbone crosslinks. We show that the self-assembly of magnetic beads from neighbouring filaments defines the equilibrium structural properties of the complete brush. In order to control this self-assembly, we highlight two external stimuli that can lead to significant effects: temperature of the system and an externally applied magnetic field. Our study reveals self-assembly scenarios inherently driven by the crosslinking and grafting constraints. Finally, we explain the mechanisms of structural changeovers in the magnetic filament brushes and confirm the possibility of controlling them by changing the temperature or the intensity of an external magnetic field.