Phase-dependent Effect Research Articles

A Bidirectional and Phase-Dependent Effect of Oxidative Stress on Colorectal Cancer: First Evidence in Humans

A Bidirectional and Phase-Dependent Effect of Oxidative Stress on Colorectal Cancer: First Evidence in Humans

The osteogenetic activities of mesenchymal stem cells in response to Mg2+ ions and inflammatory cytokines: a numerical approach using fuzzy logic controllers.

Magnesium (Mg2+) ions are frequently reported to regulate osteogenic activities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, we propose a numerical model to study the regulatory importance of Mg2+ ions on MSCs osteoblastic differentiation in the presence of an inflammatory response. A fuzzy logic controller was formulated to receive the concentrations of Mg2+ ions and the inflammatory cytokines of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-1β, and IL-8 as cellular inputs and predict the cells’ early and late differentiation rates. Five sets of empirical data obtained from published cell culture experiments were used to calibrate the model. The model successfully reproduced the empirical data regarding the concentration- and phase-dependent effect of Mg2+ ions on the differentiation process. In agreement with the experiments, the model showed the stimulatory role of Mg2+ ions on the early differentiation phase, once administered at low concentration, and their inhibitory role on the late differentiation phase. The numerical approach used in this study suggested 6–8 mM as the most effective concentration of Mg2+ ions in promoting the early differentiation process. Also, the proposed model sheds light on the fundamental differences in the behavioral properties of cells cultured in different experiments, e.g. differentiation rate and the sensitivity of the cultured cells to stimulatory signals such as Mg2+ ions. Thus, it can be used to interpret and compare different empirical findings. Moreover, the model successfully reproduced the nonlinearities in the concentration-dependent role of the inflammatory cytokines in early and late differentiation rates. Overall, the proposed model can be employed in studying the osteogenic properties of Mg-based implants in the presence of an inflammatory response.

Anticipation of Scheduled Feeding in BTBR Mice Reveals Independence and Interactions Between the Light- and Food-Entrainable Circadian Clocks.

Many animal species exhibit food-anticipatory activity (FAA) when fed at a fixed time of the day. FAA exhibits properties of a daily rhythm controlled by food-entrainable circadian oscillators (FEOs). Lesion studies indicate that FEOs are separate from the light-entrainable circadian pacemaker (LEP) located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. While anatomically distinct, food- and light-entrainable clocks do appear to interact, and the output of these clocks may be modulated by their phase relation. We report here an analysis of FAA in the BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mouse strain that provides new insights into the nature of interactions between food- and light-entrained clocks and rhythms. BTBR mice fed ad libitum exhibit an unusually short active phase and free-running circadian periodicity (~22.5 h). In a light-dark cycle, BTBR mice limited to a 4 h daily meal in the light period show robust FAA compared to the C57BL/6J mice. In constant darkness, BTBR mice exhibit clear and distinct free-running and food-anticipatory rhythms that interact in a phase-dependent fashion. The free-running rhythm exhibits phase advances when FAA occurs in the mid-to-late rest phase of the free run, and phase delays when FAA occurs in the late active phase. A phase-response curve (PRC) inferred from these shifts is similar to the PRC for activity-induced phase shifts in nocturnal rodents, suggesting that the effects of feeding schedules on the LEP in constant darkness are mediated by FAA. A phase-dependent effect of the free-running rhythm on FAA was evident in both its magnitude and duration; FAA counts were greatest when FAA occurred during the active phase of the free-running rhythm. The LEP inhibited FAA when FAA occurred at the end of the subjective day. These findings provide evidence for interactions between food- and light-entrainable circadian clocks and rhythms and demonstrate the utility of the BTBR mouse model in probing these interactions.

Examining motor evoked potential amplitude and short-interval intracortical inhibition on the up-going and down-going phases of a transcranial alternating current stimulation (tacs) imposed alpha oscillation.

Many brain regions exhibit rhythmical activity thought to reflect the summed behaviour of large populations of neurons. The endogenous alpha rhythm has been associated with phase-dependent modulation of corticospinal excitability. However, whether exogenous alpha rhythm, induced using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) also has a phase-dependent effect on corticospinal excitability remains unknown. Here, we triggered transcranial magnetic stimuli (TMS) on the up- or down-going phase of a tACS-imposed alpha oscillation and measured motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI). There was no significant difference in MEP amplitude or SICI when TMS was triggered on the up- or down-going phase of the tACS-imposed alpha oscillation. The current study provides no evidence of differences in corticospinal excitability or GABAergic inhibition when targeting the up-going (peak) and down-going (trough) phase of the tACS-imposed oscillation.

Nonlocal thermoelectricity in a topological Andreev interferometer

We discuss the phase dependent nonlocal thermoelectric effect in a topological Josephson junction in contact with a normal-metal probe. We show that, due to the helical nature of topological edge states, nonlocal thermoelectricity is generated by a purely Andreev interferometric mechanism. This response can be tuned by imposing a Josephson phase difference, through the application of a dissipationless current between the two superconductors, even without the need of applying an external magnetic field. We discuss in detail the origin of this effect and we provide also a realistic estimation of the nonlocal Seebeck coefficient that results of the order of few $\mu V/K$.

Detecting Ocean Glint on Exoplanets Using Multiphase Mapping

Abstract Rotational mapping and specular reflection (glint) are two proposed methods to directly detect liquid water on the surface of habitable exoplanets. However, false positives for both methods may prevent the unambiguous detection of exoplanet oceans. We use simulations of Earth as an exoplanet to introduce a combination of multiwavelength, multiphase, time-series direct-imaging observations and accompanying analyses that may improve the robustness of exoplanet ocean detection by spatially mapping the ocean glint signal. As the planet rotates, the glint spot appears to “blink” as Lambertian scattering continents interrupt the specular reflection from the ocean. This manifests itself as a strong source of periodic variability in crescent-phase disk-integrated reflected light curves. We invert these light curves to constrain the longitudinal slice maps and apparent albedo of multiple surfaces at both quadrature and crescent phase. At crescent phase, the retrieved apparent albedo of ocean-bearing longitudinal slices is increased by a factor of 5, compared to the albedo at quadrature phase, due to the contribution from glint. The land-bearing slices exhibit no significant change in apparent albedo with phase. The presence of forward-scattering clouds in our simulated observation increases the overall reflectivity toward crescent, but we find that clouds do not correlate with any specific surfaces, thereby allowing for the phase-dependent glint effect to be interpreted as distinct from cloud scattering. Retrieving the same longitudinal map at quadrature and crescent phases may be used to tie changes in the apparent albedo with phase back to specific geographic surfaces (or longstanding atmospheric features), although this requires ideal geometries. We estimate that crescent-phase time-dependent glint measurements are feasible for between 1 and 10 habitable zone exoplanets orbiting the nearest G, K, and M dwarfs using a space-based, high-contrast, direct-imaging telescope with a diameter between 6 and 15 m.

Multiple stressors and benthic harmful algal blooms (BHABs): Potential effects of temperature rise and nutrient enrichment

Blooms of Ostreopsis cf. ovata, causing health incidence and mass human intoxications in the Mediterranean, gained special attention over the past decades. To study the potential effects of temperature and nutrient enrichment on this benthic dinoflagellate and other associated microalgae in situ, a multifactorial experiment was set up along a temperature gradient of a heat pump system in Monaco. Microalgae were quantified in experimental units, in the natural biofilm and in the water column. No significant interaction was observed between temperature and nutrients. A species- and bloom phase-dependent effect of the increased temperature was recorded, while the nutrient enrichment had a significant effect only at the end of the experiment (when cell abundances were low). Temperature effects were also visible in the biofilm and the surrounding water. The observed assemblages were mainly driven by changes in abundances of Ostreopsis cf. ovata and Actinocyclus sp., affected in different ways.

Evidence for a vibrational phase-dependent isotope effect on the photochemistry of vision.

Vibronic coupling is key to efficient energy flow in molecular systems and a critical component of most mechanisms invoking quantum effects in biological processes. Despite increasing evidence for coherent coupling of electronic states being mediated by vibrational motion, it is not clear how and to what degree properties associated with vibrational coherence such as phase and coupling of atomic motion can impact the efficiency of light-induced processes under natural, incoherent illumination. Here, we show that deuteration of the H11-C11=C12-H12 double-bond of the 11-cis retinal chromophore in the visual pigment rhodopsin significantly and unexpectedly alters the photoisomerization yield while inducing smaller changes in the ultrafast isomerization dynamics assignable to known isotope effects. Combination of these results with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations reveals a vibrational phase-dependent isotope effect that we suggest is an intrinsic attribute of vibronically coherent photochemical processes.

Short-term effects of electrical nerve stimulation on spinal reciprocal inhibition depend on gait phase during passive stepping

A combination of electrical nerve stimulation (ENS) and passive or active cyclic movements (i.e., pedaling and stepping) has been suggested to induce stronger short-term effects in spinal circuits as compared to either intervention alone. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether the effects of ENS during passive stepping are dependent on the timing of the stimulation during the stepping cycle. A total of 10 able-bodied participants were recruited for the study. Two interventions were assessed during passive ground stepping: (1) ENS of the common peroneal nerve (CPN) during the swing phase (ENSswing) and (2) stance phase (ENSstance). ENS was applied at the motor threshold intensity on the tibialis anterior muscle for a total of 30 min. Spinal reciprocal inhibition (RI) was assessed by conditioning the H-reflex in the soleus muscle with electrical stimulation to the CPN before (baseline), as well as 5, 15, and 30 min after each intervention. Compared to the baseline, the amount of RI was increased 5 and 15 min after the ENSswing intervention, whereas it was decreased after the ENSstance intervention. This suggests that ENS has a phase-dependent effect on RI during passive stepping. Overall, the results imply that phase-dependent timing of ENS is essential for guiding plasticity in the spinal circuits.

Phase evolution and photoluminescence in Er3+ doped glass ceramics containing lutetium oxyfluoride nanocrystals

Crystalline phase evolution through merely adjusting composition was achieved in silicate glass ceramics containing LunOn-1Fn+2 (n = 5–10) nanocrystals. Orthorhombic or cubic phase nanocrystals were precipitated in the aluminosilicate glass matrix after thermal treatment together with varying the Na2O/NaF ratio. Oxyfluoride nanocrystals with quasi-spherical shape show homogenous and dense distribution in glass matrix by transmission electron microscopy measurement. Intense upconversion and mid-infrared emissions were realized in these glass ceramics compared to the precursor glass, and the emission spectral shapes, relative emission intensity and fluorescence decay curves of Er3+ in cubic LuOF embedded samples exhibit remarkable differences due to the crystal phase dependent effect in glass ceramics. These results indicate that the crystallization and luminescence properties of oxyfluoride glass ceramics could be modified through the alteration of glass composition, which could be used for the development of novel glass ceramics and design of luminescent properties.

Optical-response properties in an atom-assisted optomechanical system with a mechanical pump

We investigate the optical-response properties of a coherent-mechanical pumped optomechanical system (OMS) coupled to a Λ-type three-level atomic ensemble. Due to the optomechanical and the cavity-atom couplings, the optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) phenomena could both be observed from our proposal. In the presence of a coherent mechanical pump, we show that the OMIT behavior of the probe field exhibits a phase-dependent effect, leading to the switch from OMIT to optomechanically induced absorption or amplification, while the feature of EIT remains unchanged. The distinctly different effects of the mechanical pump on OMIT and EIT behavior assure us that the absorption (amplification) and transparency of the output probe field can be simultaneously observed. Moreover, a tunable switch from slow to fast light can also be realized by tuning the phase and amplitude of the mechanical pump. In particular, the presence of the atomic ensemble can further adjust the group delay, providing additional flexibility for achieving the tunable switch.

Carbachol Induces Phase-dependent Phase Shifts of Per1 Transcription Rhythms in Cultured Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Slices.

Among nonphotic stimulants, a classic cholinergic agonist, carbachol, is known to have a strong and unique phase-resetting effect on the circadian clock: Intracerebroventricular carbachol treatment causes phase delays during the subjective early night and phase advances in the subjective late night, but the effects of this drug on the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in vivo and in vitro are still controversial. In the present study, we succeeded in reproducing the biphasic phase-shifting effect of carbachol on clock gene expression in organotypic SCN slices prepared from mice carrying a Per1-promoter fused luciferase gene ( Per1-luc). Since this biphasic effect of carbachol in Per1-luc SCN was prevented by atropine but not by mecamylamine, we concluded that these phase shifts were muscarinic receptor-dependent. Next, we analyzed the expression of muscarinic receptors in the SCN by in situ hybridization and found that M3 and M4 subtypes were expressed in SCN cells. These signals appeared neonatally and reached adult levels at postnatal day 10. Together, these findings suggest that carbachol has a phase-dependent phase-shifting effect on the SCN clock through muscarinic receptor subtypes expressed in the SCN.

Josephson-phase-controlled interplay between correlation effects and electron pairing in a three-terminal nanostructure

We study the subgap spectrum of the interacting single-level quantum dot coupled between two superconducting reservoirs, forming the Josephson-type circuit, and additionally hybridized with a metallic normal lead. This system allows for the phase-tunable interplay between the correlation effects and the proximity-induced electron pairing resulting in the singlet-doublet (0-$\pi$) crossover and the phase-dependent Kondo effect. We investigate the spectral function, induced local pairing, Josephson supercurrent, and Andreev conductance in a wide range of system parameters by the numerically exact Numerical Renormalization Group and Quantum Monte Carlo calculations along with perturbative treatments in terms of the Coulomb repulsion and the hybridization term. Our results address especially the correlation effects reflected in dependencies of various quantities on the local Coulomb interaction strength as well as on the coupling to the normal lead. We quantitatively establish the phase-dependent Kondo temperature $\log T_{K}(\phi)\propto\cos^{2}(\phi/2)$ and show that it can be read off from the half-width of the zero-bias enhancement in the Andreev conductance in the doublet phase, which can be experimentally measured by the tunneling spectroscopy.

Phase-dependent multiple optomechanically induced absorption in multimode optomechanical systems with mechanical driving

We investigate theoretically the response of the output field from an optomechanical system consisting of $N$ nearly degenerate mechanical resonators each coupled to a common cavity mode. When the cavity is driven simultaneously by a strong control field and a weak probe field and each mechanical resonator is driven by a coherent mechanical pump, we obtain the analytical expression for the probe transmission. We show that the probe transmission spectrum can exhibit multiple optomechanically induced absorption (OMIA) with at most $N$ narrow absorption dips, which can be tuned by the phase and amplitude of the mechanical driving field as well as the control field. Moreover, it is shown that the peak probe transmission can be enhanced or suppressed by increasing the amplitude of the mechanical pump, which depends on the phase difference. This phase-dependent effect plays an important role in controlling the propagation of the probe field between OMIA and parametric amplification.

Tunable high-order sideband spectra generation using a photonic molecule optomechanical system.

A tunable high-order sideband spectra generation scheme is presented by using a photonic molecule optomechanical system coupled to a waveguide beyond the perturbation regime. The system is coherently driven by a two-tone laser consisting of a continuous-wave control field and a pulsed driving field which propagates through the waveguide. The frequency spectral feature of the output field is analyzed via numerical simulations, and we confirm that under the condition of intense and nanosecond pulse driving, the output spectrum exhibits the properties of high-order sideband frequency spectra. In the experimentally available parameter range, the output spectrum can be efficiently tuned by the system parameters, including the power of the driving pulse and the coupling rate between the cavities. In addition, analysis of the carrier-envelop phase-dependent effect of high-order sideband generation indicates that the system may present dependence upon the phase of the pulse. This may provide a further insight of the properties of cavity optomechanics in the nonlinear and non-perturbative regime, and may have potential applications in optical frequency comb and communication based on the optomechanical platform.

Nonlinear dynamics of an optomechanical system with a coherent mechanical pump: Second-order sideband generation

Second-order sideband generation in a coherent-mechanical pumped optomechanical system is discussed, and the features of the coherent mechanical pump induced enhancement of second-order sideband generation are identified. We show that the coherent mechanical pump induced enhancement of second-order sideband generation exhibits an essential difference between the case of a weak control field and a strong control field. In the weak control field case, the efficiency of second-order sideband generation increases as the amplitude of the mechanical pump increases. In the strong control field case, the effect of optomechanically induced transparency occurs and increasing the amplitude of the mechanical pump does not always bring an enhancement of second-order sideband generation. The phase-dependent effect of the second-order sideband generation with a coherent mechanical pump is also discussed, and it is shown that the phase difference ϕ plays an important role in the process of second-order sideband generation.

One day of nitrogen starvation reveals the effect of sigE and rre37 overexpression on the expression of genes related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Acclimation to nitrogen starvation is indispensable for the survival of cyanobacteria under natural environmental conditions. SigE and Rre37 are transcriptional regulators whose transcript and protein levels increase during nitrogen starvation. Previous work has shown that overexpression of either sigE or rre37 in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 activates the expression of genes related to sugar catabolism and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) biosynthesis, although their transcript levels were measured using the cells grown under nitrogen-replete conditions or after 4 h of nitrogen depletion. In this study, the transcript levels were quantified at one day after nitrogen depletion in the wild-type, sigE-overexpressing, and rre37-overexpressing cells. The results showed decreased expression of sugar catabolic enzymes after one day of nitrogen depletion in the wild-type strain. The levels of transcripts related to glycogen catabolism, glycolysis, and PHB biosynthesis were not increased by either sigE or rre37 overexpression after one day of nitrogen depletion. The expression of genes related to nitrogen assimilation and nitrate/nitrite transport was also reduced by either sigE or rre37 overexpression after nitrogen starvation, suggesting the genetic engineering had a phase-dependent effect on gene expression during nitrogen starvation.

Optical control ofχ3-frequency conversion by the second-order modulation instability

A numerical study showing the excitation and control of second-order modulation instability (MI) dynamics in nonlinear optical fibers via two optical seed fields located under the MI gain spectrum is presented. The phase dependence of the two weak input seed fields on the temporal and spectral second-order MI dynamics, i.e., on the frequency generation process, is investigated. The considered approach allows the generation and control of asymmetric MI spectra, modifiable via the phase relation of the initial seed fields with considerably small amplitudes. An optimal frequency relation of the seed fields for the highest possible influence could be identified. Furthermore, the phase-dependent effect of second-order MI is discussed for a pulsed excitation and higher-order perturbative effects, such as higher-order dispersion, Raman scattering, and self-steepening.

Advances toward the elucidation of hypertonic saline effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa from cystic fibrosis patients.

ObjectivesNebulized hypertonic saline (HTS) has beneficial effects including reducing pulmonary exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients. Several mechanisms may explain these effects but antimicrobial activity of NaCl remains largely unexplored. We aimed to measure the antimicrobial effect of NaCl on Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the respiratory tract in CF patients.MethodsNaCl minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined for strains characterized for mucoidy, antimicrobial resistance, and ability to form biofilm using 0,9% to 15% NaCl solutions. NaCl effects on biofilm formation, preformed biofilm, and mobility were evaluated. Kinetics of antimicrobial effects was studied.ResultsThe growth of all isolates (n = 85) from 34 patients was inhibited by 6% NaCl solution. A 10% concentration had a bactericidal activity on 90% of the isolates. Mucoid and multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates displayed lower MICs compared to non-mucoid and to non-MDR isolates, respectively. Time-kill kinetics showed that NaCl exhibited a rapid, dose and growth phase dependent bactericidal effect. Three percent or more of NaCl inhibited biofilm formation for 69% of strongly adherent isolates. A dose-dependent decrease of preformed biofilm viability and an inhibitory activity on bacterial motility were observed.ConclusionsNaCl inhibited the growth of all isolates and killed 38% of tested isolates within concentration range currently used in therapeutics. Our results suggest that anti-pseudomonal activity is another mechanism of action of HTS to add to those already established. Clinical trials are needed to compare diverse HTS conditions of use (rhythm, dose and mode of delivery) to obtain efficient and optimized anti-P. aeruginosa effects. More generally, NaCl effect on other opportunistic pathogens as well as on global microbiotae recovered during polymicrobial diseases warrants further investigations.

Influence of light intensity and wavelength on testicular responses in male Brahminy myna

Experiments were performed on photosensitive male Brahminy myna to investigate the light intensity and wavelength dependent effect on photoperiodic induction of testicular growth. In the first experiment, we examined the comparative effect on complete (13L:11D) and skeleton (6L:6D:1L:11D) photoperiod with 700 lux intensity (series first) and inductive effects of 1-h light pulse (intensity = 2, 10, 50 and 100 lux) in skeleton photoperiod (second series). In the third series, birds were exposed to 13L:11D at different light intensity (50, 100, 500 and 1000 lux). In the second experiment, birds were subjected to a long photoperiod (13L:11D) with photo-phase being applied at 100 lux intensity, with two wavelengths: green (500 nm), red (640 nm) and a group under white light served as control (first series). In the second series, birds were exposed to 6L:6D:1L:11D with red and green light wave lengths at 50 and 100 lux intensity level. The third experiment analyzed the phase-dependent effect of light wavelength on photoperiodic clock, employing skeleton photoperiods (6L:6D:1L:11D) at 50 lux intensity with 6 and 1-h light pulses given at the same wavelength, 500 nm (green/green), 640 nm (red/red) and a group exposed to both pulses of white light (white/white) served as control (series first). In the second series, the two light pulses were given at a different wavelength combination, 6 h at 500 nm (green) and 1 h at 640 nm (red) in one group and vice-versa in the other. Taking all things into consideration, results demonstrate that intensity and wavelength of light play an important role in photoperiodic induction of seasonal responses in Brahminy myna and suggest that the avian photoperiodic response system is capable of fine discrimination between different light intensities and spectra.