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Wall Characteristics (wall + characteristic)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Influence of the Wall Characteristics on the Development of MARFE in Tokamaks

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 7-9 2006
O. Marchuk
Abstract Multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge (MARFE) normally develops in fusion devices close to the density limit. MARFE is considered a result of thermal instabilities excited under critical conditions through different mechanisms: impurity radiation, recycling of neutral particles, anomalous transport of charged particles and energy. Recent experiments on tokamaks TEXTOR and JET show that plasma-wall interaction, leading to release of recycling neutrals and impurities, plays a very important role for the formation of MARFE. In the present contribution we develop further the MARFE models based on the instability of particle recycling on the tokamak wall by including a simple description for the release of recycling neutrals from the wall surface into the plasma. This development takes into account the time delay between the out flow of charged particles from the plasma and in flux of neutrals. The linear stability analysis shows that this does not change the critical plasma density for the MARFE formation but modifies significantly the growth rate of unstable perturbations developing when the density exceeds the threshold. These findings are confirmed in a non-linear consideration by solving the equations for the particle, momentum and energy transfer in the plasma coupled with the wall particle balance equations. This is done in a one-dimensional approximation by taking into account the variation of the main plasma parameters in the poloidal direction and making averaging in the radial direction over the plasma edge width of the penetration depth of neutrals. The intrinsic poloidal asymmetry of the system, defining the MARFE localization, is introduced by the Shafranov shift of magnetic flux surfaces. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

PHYLOGENY OF AULACOSEIRA (BACILLARIOPHYTA) BASED ON MOLECULES AND MORPHOLOGY,

JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
Stacy M. Edgar
The phylogeny of 67 populations representing 45 species of Aulacoseira Thwaites was estimated by maximum parsimony methods using a combination of nucleotide sequence data and qualitative and quantitative morphological characteristics of the silica cell wall gathered primarily from original observation by LM and SEM. A new type of character using continuous quantitative variables that describe the ontogenetic-allometric trajectories of cell wall characteristics over the life cycle (size range) of diatoms is introduced. In addition to the 45 Aulacoseira species, the phylogeny also incorporated one Miosira Krammer, Lange-Bertalot, and Schiller species and two outgroup species (Melosira varians Agardh and Stephanopyxis nipponica Gran & Yendo). Fifteen species, represented by 24 populations, also contained molecular data from the nuclear genome (18S rDNA), and 11 of these species (18 populations) contained data from the chloroplast genome (rbcL) as well, which were sequenced or downloaded from GenBank. The phylogeny of Aulacoseira is composed of five major clades: 1) an A. crenulata (Ehrenburg) Thwaites and A. italica (Ehrenburg) Simonsen clade, which is the most basal; 2) an A. granulata (Ehrenburg) Simonsen complex clade; 3) an A. ambigua (Grunow) Simonsen clade; 4) an A. subarctica (O. Müller) Haworth and A. distans (Ehrenburg) Simonsen clade; and 5) an A. islandica (O. Müller) Simonsen clade that also contained endemic species from Lake Baikal, Siberia and many extinct Aulacoseira taxa. Monophyly of Aulacoseira can only be achieved if Miosira is no longer given separate generic status. [source]

Tension wood as a model for functional genomics of wood formation

NEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2004
Gilles Pilate
Summary Wood is a complex and highly variable tissue, the formation of which is developmentally and environmentally regulated. In reaction to gravitropic stimuli, angiosperm trees differentiate tension wood, a wood with specific anatomical, chemical and mechanical features. In poplar the most significant of these features is an additional layer that forms in the secondary wall of tension wood fibres. This layer is mainly constituted of cellulose microfibrils oriented nearly parallel to the fibre axis. Tension wood formation can be induced easily and strongly by bending the stem of a tree. Located at the upper side of the bent stem, tension wood can be compared with the wood located on its lower side. Therefore tension wood represents an excellent model for studying the formation of xylem cell walls. This review summarizes results recently obtained in the field of genomics on tension wood. In addition, we present an example of how the application of functional genomics to tension wood can help decipher the molecular mechanisms responsible for cell wall characteristics such as the orientation of cellulose microfibrils. [source]

2325: Dynamic retinal vessel analysis , how different parameters create the whole picture

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010
I LANZL
Purpose Dynamic vessel analysis is usually associated with the observation of the reaction of retinal vessels to a defined stimulus. The data which is generated this way may be further analysed with respect to the dynamic unstimulated and stimulated vessel behaviour. Assessment of different parameters may highlight different aspects of the underlying disease. Methods Vessel diameters of retinal vessel segments were assessed by Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA) in healthy volunteers of different age groups and patients with diabetes, glaucoma and systemic hypertension. Mathematical analysis of unstimulated vessels was used to describe vessel wall characteristics. Methods of signal analysis including Fourier Transformation, spectral filtration, auto- and cross correlation were applied to evaluate characteristic oscillations and pulse wave propagation along the vessel. Results Characteristic different vessel behaviour and vessel wall conformation are obtained by dynamic quantitative evaluations from the unstimulated vessels in physiologic aging and disease. Conclusion Dynamic vessel analysis includes information which may lead to further understanding of the vascular status and underlying disease pathology. It is also feasible to assess pulse wave velocities in retinal arterioles und thus clinically characterize the elasticity of the upstream vasculature in health and disease. [source]