Apparatus

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Life Sciences

Kinds of Apparatus

  • attachment apparatus
  • basal apparatus
  • conceptual apparatus
  • contractile apparatus
  • coupling apparatus
  • experimental apparatus
  • feeding apparatus
  • flagellar apparatus
  • golgi apparatus
  • hyoid apparatus
  • jaw apparatus
  • masticatory apparatus
  • nail apparatus
  • oral apparatus
  • photosynthetic apparatus
  • state apparatus
  • test apparatus
  • testing apparatus


  • Selected Abstracts


    THE GOVERNMENTALIZATION OF LEARNING AND THE ASSEMBLAGE OF A LEARNING APPARATUS

    EDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 4 2008
    Maarten Simons
    Doubting whether these concepts and related historical-analytical perspectives are still useful, the authors suggest the concept "learning apparatus" as a point of departure for an analysis of the "grammar of learning." They draw on Michel Foucault's analysis of governmentality to describe how learning has become a matter of both government and self-government. In describing the governmentalization of learning and the current assemblage of a "learning apparatus," Simons and Masschelein indicate how the concept of learning has become disconnected from education and teaching and has instead come to refer to a kind of capital, to something for which the learner is personally responsible, to something that can and should be managed, and to something that must be employable. Finally, the authors elaborate how these discourses combine to play a crucial role in contemporary advanced liberalism that seeks to promote entrepreneurship. [source]


    A NEW TEST APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FRICTION FORCE MEASUREMENT IN JOURNAL BEARINGS UNDER DYNAMIC LOADING: Part I

    EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES, Issue 5 2005
    A. Biyiklio
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    EVIDENCE FOR A SPECIALIZED LOCALIZATION OF THE CHLOROPLAST ATP-SYNTHASE SUBUNITS ,, ,, AND , IN THE EYESPOT APPARATUS OF CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII (CHLOROPHYCEAE),

    JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
    Melanie Schmidt
    The eyespot apparatus (EA) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii P. A. Dang. consists of two layers of carotenoid-rich lipid globules subtended by thylakoids. The outermost globule layer is additionally associated with the chloroplast envelope membranes and the plasma membrane. In a recent proteomic approach, we identified 202 proteins from isolated EAs of C. reinhardtii via at least two peptides, including, for example, structural components, signalling-related proteins, and photosynthetic-related membrane proteins. Here, we have analyzed the proteins of the EA with regard to their topological distribution using thermolysin to find out whether the arrangement of globules and membranes provides protection mechanisms for some of them. From about 230 protein spots separated on two-dimensional gels, the majority were degraded by thermolysin. Five major protein spots were protected against the action of this protease. These proteins and some that were degradable were identified by mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, the thermolysin-resistant proteins represented the , and , subunits of the soluble CF1 complex of the chloroplast ATP synthase. Degradable proteins included typical membrane proteins like LHCs, demonstrating that thermolysin is not in general sterically prevented by the EA structure from reaching membrane-associated proteins. A control experiment showed that the CF1 complex of thylakoids is efficiently degraded by thermolysin. Blue native PAGE of thermolysin-treated EAs followed by SDS-PAGE revealed that the , and , subunits are present in conjunction with the , subunit in a thermolysin-resistant complex. These results provide strong evidence that a significant proportion of these ATP-synthase subunits have a specialized localization and function within the EA of C. reinhardtii. [source]


    IMPACT OF IRON LIMITATION ON THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC APPARATUS OF THE DIATOM CHAETOCEROS MUELLERI (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)

    JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 6 2001
    Margaret Davey
    Iron starvation induced marked increases in flavodoxin abundance and decreases in light-saturated and light-limited photosynthesis rates in the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri. Consistent with the substitution of flavodoxin for ferredoxin as an early response to iron starvation, increases of flavodoxin abundance were observed before declines of cell division rate or chl a specific photosynthesis rates. Changes in the abundance of flavodoxin after the addition of iron to iron-starved cells indicated that flavodoxin was not actively degraded under iron-replete conditions. Greater declines in light-saturated oxygen evolution rates than dark oxygen consumption rates indicated that the mitochondrial electron transfer chain was not affected as greatly by iron starvation as the photosynthetic electron transfer chain. The carbon:nitrogen ratio was unaffected by iron starvation, suggesting that photosynthetic electron transfer was a primary target of iron starvation and that reductions in nitrate assimilation were due to energy limitation (the C:N ratio would be expected to rise under nitrogen-limited but energy-replete conditions). Parallel changes were observed in the maximum light-saturated photosynthesis rate and the light-limited initial slope of the photosynthesis-light curve during iron starvation and recovery. The lowest photosynthesis rates were observed in iron-starved cells and the highest values in iron-replete cells. The light saturation parameter, Ik, was not affected by iron starvation, nor was the chl-to-C ratio markedly reduced. These observations were consistent with iron starvation having a similar or greater effect on photochemical charge separation in PSII than on downstream electron transfer steps. Declines of the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence in iron-starved cells were consistent with PSII being a primary target of iron starvation. The functional cross-section of PSII was affected only marginally (<20%) by iron starvation, with the largest values observed in iron-starved cells. The rate constant for electron transfer calculated from fast repetition rate fluorescence was found to covary with the light-saturated photosynthesis rate; it was lowest in the most severely starved cells. [source]


    ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE BASAL BODY COMPLEX AND PUTATIVE VESTIGIAL FEEDING APPARATUS IN PHACUS PLEURONECTES (EUGLENOPHYCEAE)

    JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2001
    Article first published online: 24 SEP 200
    Shin, W.1, Boo, S. M.2, & Triemer, R. E.1 1Department of Life Science, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA; 2Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejon 305-764, Korea Phacus pleuronectes (O. F. Müller) Dujardin is a phototrophic euglenoid with small discoid chloroplasts, a flat, rigid body, and longitudinally arranged pellicular strips. The flagellar apparatus consisted of two basal bodies and three flagellar roots typical of many phototrophic euglenoids, but also had a large striated fiber that connected the two basal bodies and associated with the ventral root. The three roots, in combination with the dorsal microtubular band, extended anteriorly and formed the major cytoskeletal elements supporting the reservoir membrane and ultimately the pellicle. A cytoplasmic pocket arose in the reservoir/canal transition region. It was supported by the ventral root and a C-shaped band of electron-opaque material that lined the cytoplasmic side of the pocket. A large striated fiber extended from this C-shaped band toward the reservoir membrane. The presence of striated fibers in the basal apparatus and associated with the microtubule reinforced pocket suggested that P. pleuronectes may be at the base of the Phacus lineage and may be more closely related to the phagotrophic euglenoids than to Phacus species which are ovoid in shape and have thicker pellicle strips. [source]


    Fine Structural Analysis of the Silk Apparatus in the Funnel-web Spider, Agelena limbata (Araneae: Agelenidae)

    ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2002
    Jong-Gu PARK
    ABSTRACT Silk apparatus of the funnel-web spider, Agelena limbata was located at the ventral end of the abdominal part, and was composed of internal silk glands and external spinnerets. Among the three pairs of spinnerets, the posterior pairs were highly elongated along the body axis. By the light and electron microscopic inspections, it was found that four types of silk glands were connected through the typical spinning tubes of each spinneret. Anterior spinnerets comprise 2 pairs of the ampullate and 125 to 150 pairs (female) or 110 to 114 (male) of pyriform glands. Another 2 pairs of ampullate glands in both sexes, 5 to 8 pairs of tubuliform glands in females, and 20 to 26 pairs (female) or 15 to 17 pairs (male) of aciniform glands were connected on the median spinnerets. Additional 8 to 10 pairs of tubuliforms in female and 41 to 53 pairs (female) or 27 to 32 pairs (male) of aciniform glands were on the posterior spinnerets, respectively. While the ampullate and tubuliform glands were connected with the spigot-type spinning tubes, the pyriform and aciniform glands with that of spool-type tubes. It has been also revealed that the tubuliform glands were only observed in female spiders, however the flagelliform and aggregate glands which had the function of adhesive thread production in orb-web spiders were not observed at both sexes of this spiders. [source]


    Carbon dioxide generation calorimetry,Errors induced by the simplifying assumptions in the standard test methods

    FIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 2 2009
    S. Brohez
    Abstract Carbon dioxide generation (CDG) calorimetry is commonly used for measuring heat release rates of materials. Calorimetric equation provided in the ASTM E 2058 and the NFPA code 287 is a simplified equation since the water content in the ambient air and the fumes as well as the expansion factor of the combustion gases are neglected. This paper provides general equation for CDG calorimetry based on the Tewarson formulation. A comparison is proposed between the Standard test methods (simplified equation) and the general one. It is shown that the errors induced by the simplifying assumptions are negligible for oxygen depletion factor values commonly encountered in the Fire Propagation Apparatus (where large dilution factors of the combustion gases are used before the measurements of species concentrations). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Screening of plenum cables using a small-scale fire test protocol

    FIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 1 2006
    Mohammed M. Khan
    Abstract The extent of flame propagation of electric cables in the FM Global intermediate-scale parallel panel test (PPT) using a 60 kW sand burner has been correlated with a dimensional fire propagation index (FPI,)[(m/s1/2)/(kW/m)2/3] derived from ignition and vertical propagation tests in small-scale ASTM E-2058 Fire Propagation Apparatus (FPA). Two distinct types of fire behavior were observed in the PPT. The cables that did not propagate beyond the vicinity of the ignition burner flames have a FPI equal to or less than 7 [(m/s1/2)/(kW/m)2/3], whereas cables that propagated to the top of the 4.9 m parallel panels had a FPI equal to or greater than 14 [(m/s1/2)/(kW/m)2/3]. All the plenum rated (Ul-910 or NFPA 262 tested) cables tested in this study did not exhibit flame propagation in the PPT, had FPI values of 7 [(m/s1/2)/(kW/m)2/3] or less and generated considerably lower smoke than those cables that propagated in the PPT. Based on this study, it is suggested that FPI measured in ASTM E-2058 FPA may be used for screening cables for UL-910 or NFPA262 tests, thus requiring substantially less cable to be supplied for testing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Current awareness in flavour and fragrance

    FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009
    Article first published online: 14 OCT 200
    In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of flavour and fragrance. Each bibliography is divided into 7 sections: 1 Flavour of food; 2 Fragrances; 3 Essential oils; 4 Food constituents; 5 Taints & off-flavours; 6 Sensory evaluation & psychophysics; 7 Apparatus & methodology. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted (10 weeks journals. Search ended 9th. Sept. 2009) [source]


    Current awareness in flavour and fragrance

    FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2002
    Article first published online: 27 MAY 200
    In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of flavour and fragrance. Each bibliography is divided into 7 sections: 1 Flavour of food; 2 Fragrances; 3 Essential oils; 4 Food constituents; 5 Taints & off-flavours; 6 Sensory evaluation & psychophysics; 7 Apparatus & methodology. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted (10 weeks journals. Search ended 17th. Apr. 2002) [source]


    Current awareness in flavour and fragrance

    FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002
    Article first published online: 4 APR 200
    In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of flavour and fragrance. Each bibliography is divided into 7 sections: 1 Flavour of food; 2 Fragrances; 3 Essential oils; 4 Food constituents; 5 Taints & off-flavours; 6 Sensory evaluation & psychophysics; 7 Apparatus & methodology. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted (7 weeks journals. Search ended 6th. Feb. 2002) [source]


    Propagation of a shear band in sandstone

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 11 2007
    J. J. Riedel
    Abstract Closed-loop, servo-controlled experiments were conducted to investigate the development of a shear band in Berea sandstone at various confining pressures. The tests were performed with the University of Minnesota Plane-Strain Apparatus, which was designed to allow the shear band to develop in an unrestricted manner. Measured load and displacements provided estimates of the stress and deformation states whereby dilatancy and friction were evaluated prior to localization. Experiments were stopped at various stages of shear-band development within the strain-softening regime. The specimens displayed a progression of deformation from inception, where the shear band was characterized by a high density of intragranular microcracks and crushed grains, to the tip where the intragranular microcracks were significantly less dense and separated by intact grains. Decreased slip deformation towards the tip of the shear band indicated that localization developed and propagated in plane. Thin-section microscopy showed porosity increase within the shear band was 3,4 grain diameters wide. Increased porosity did not extend beyond the tip of the shear band. A cohesive zone model of shear fracture, used to examine the stress field near the tip, showed similarities to principal compressive stress orientations interpreted from intragranular microcracks. Thus, propagation of the shear band could be associated with in-plane mode II fracture. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Electrostatics of pharmaceutical inhalation aerosols

    JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 12 2009
    Philip Chi Lip Kwok
    Abstract Objectives This review focuses on the key findings and developments in the rapidly expanding research area of pharmaceutical aerosol electrostatics. Key findings Data from limited in-vivo and computational studies suggest that charges may potentially affect particle deposition in the airways. Charging occurs naturally in the absence of electric fields through triboelectrification, that is contact or friction for solids and flowing or spraying for liquids. Thus, particles and droplets emitted from pulmonary drug delivery devices (dry powder inhalers, metered dose inhalers with or without spacers, and nebulisers) are inherently charged. Apparatus with various operation principles have been employed in the measurement of pharmaceutical charges. Aerosol charges are dependent on many physicochemical parameters, such as formulation composition, device construction, relative humidity and solid-state properties. In some devices, electrification has been purposefully applied to facilitate powder dispersion and liquid atomisation. Summary Currently, there are no regulatory requirements on characterising electrostatic properties of inhalation aerosols. As research in this area progresses, the new knowledge gained may become valuable for the development and regulation of inhalation aerosol products. [source]


    Three-dimensional chemical mapping by scanning transmission X-ray spectromicroscopy

    JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 5 2007
    Göran A. Johansson
    Three-dimensional (3-d) chemical mapping using angle-scan tomography in a scanning transmission X-ray microscope is demonstrated. Apparatus, experimental procedures and data processing are presented and the 3-d spatial resolution is evaluated. The technique is illustrated using mapping of a low-density acrylate polyelectrolyte in and outside of polystyrene microspheres dispersed in water in a 4,µm-diameter microcapillary. The 3-d chemical visualization provides information about the microstructure that had not previously been observed. [source]


    A New Apparatus for Particle Impact Tests

    PARTICLE & PARTICLE SYSTEMS CHARACTERIZATION, Issue 4 2003
    Yevgeny Petukhov
    Abstract Breakage and chipping of particles due to collision with a hard surface is a common occurrence in many conveying and handling systems, such as pneumatic conveying and jet-mills. Studies of the breakage mechanism of particles due to impact and the effect of impact velocity and the number of impacts have been investigated in depth both experimentally and theoretically. In this paper, a new concept and apparatus are introduced for conducting particle impact tests. In most of the published test rigs, particles were accelerated towards a target. In our apparatus, the target moves and hits the particles. Using this concept, the machine can operate in a vacuum, which will reduce errors caused by air streams and turbulence. The performance of the new apparatus is analyzed and the breakage phenomenon is discussed, to some extent, for two materials. The results are presented in terms of the increase in the weight percentage of the feed broken and the decrease in the weight median size as the impact velocity or number of impacts increases. [source]


    The Decomposition of some RDX and HMX Based Materials in the One Dimensional Time to Explosion Apparatus.

    PROPELLANTS, EXPLOSIVES, PYROTECHNICS, Issue 1 2007
    Part 2.
    Abstract Various methods of assessment have been applied to the One Dimensional Time to Explosion (ODTX) apparatus and experiments with the aim of allowing an estimate of the comparative violence of the explosion event to be made. Non-mechanical methods used were a simple visual inspection, measuring the increase in the void volume of the anvils following an explosion and measuring the velocity of the sound produced by the explosion over 1 metre. Mechanical methods used included monitoring piezo-electric devices inserted in the frame of the machine and measuring the rotational velocity of a rotating bar placed on the top of the anvils after it had been displaced by the shock wave. This last method, which resembles original Hopkinson Bar experiments, seemed the easiest to apply and analyse, giving relative rankings of violence and the possibility of the calculation of a "detonation" pressure. [source]


    A Light and Scanning Electron Microscopic Study of the Closing Apparatus in Tintinnid Ciliates (Ciliophora, Spirotricha, Tintinnina): A Forgotten Synapomorphy

    THE JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
    SABINE AGATHA
    ABSTRACT. A membranous closing apparatus shuts the lorica opening in disturbed tintinnids of six genera belonging to four families. The homology of the apparatuses is investigated, using data from the literature and Mediterranean tintinnids studied in vivo and by scanning electron microscopy. Morphological and functional similarities indicate that the foldable closing apparatus is not only a synapomorphy of the genera Codonella (Codonellidae) and Dictyocysta (Dictyocystidae), as suggested 80 years ago, but also of Codonaria (Codonellidae) and Codonellopsis (Codonellopsidae). In Codonaria, Codonella, and Dictyocysta, the apparatuses merge posteriorly into membranous lorica sacs, which probably represent homologous structures. The diagnoses of these genera are improved according to the new findings. The close relationship of Codonella, Codonellopsis, and Dictyocysta is also inferred from small subunit rRNA phylogenies and the ultrastructure of the capsules. It contradicts the current lorica-based classification of the tintinnids. The assumption that the diaphragm-like apparatus in the genera Salpingacantha and Salpingella is not homologous to the foldable ones in the genera mentioned above is supported by molecular and cytological features. [source]


    Ultrastructure of the Harmful Unarmored Dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides (Dinophyceae) with Reference to the Apical Groove and Flagellar Apparatus

    THE JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
    MITSUNORI IWATAKI
    ABSTRACT. The external and internal ultrastructure of the harmful unarmored dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides Margalef has been examined with special reference to the apical groove and three-dimensional structure of the flagellar apparatus. The apical groove is U-shaped and connected to the anterior sulcal extension on the dorsal side of the epicone. The eyespot is located dorsally and composed of two layers of globules situated within the chloroplast. A narrow invagination of the plasma membrane is associated with the eyespot. The nuclear envelope has normal nuclear pores similar to other eukaryotes but different from the Gymnodinium group with diagnostic nuclear chambers. The longitudinal and transverse basal bodies are separated by approximately 0.5,1.0 ,m and interconnected directly by a striated basal body connective and indirectly by microtubular and fibrous structures. Characteristic features of the flagellar apparatus are as follows: (1) a nuclear extension projects to the R1 (longitudinal microtubular root) and is connected to the root by thin fibrous material; (2) fibrillar structures are associated with the longitudinal and transverse flagellar canal; and (3) a striated ventral connective extends toward the posterior end of the cell along the longitudinal flagellar canal. We conclude, based on both morphological and molecular evidence, that Cochlodinium is only distantly related to Gymnodinium. [source]


    Comparison of work of breathing using drawover and continuous flow anaesthetic breathing systems in children,

    ANAESTHESIA, Issue 4 2007
    G. T. Bell
    Summary We compared the work of breathing under general anaesthesia in children using drawover and continuous flow anaesthetic systems. A pilot study was conducted in four children weighing >,20 kg in whom it would usually be considered appropriate to use breathing systems designed for adult anaesthesia. The pilot study compared work of breathing using the Mapleson D breathing system and the Triservice Anaesthetic Apparatus (TSAA). Work of breathing was calculated using the modified Campbell technique that calculates work using a pressure volume loop derived from oesophageal pressure and airway gas volume measurements. We found no difference in the work of breathing when comparing the Mapleson D and the TSAA in children >,20 kg. Following completion of the pilot study, we conducted a study on 10 children weighing between 10 and 20 kg comparing work of breathing using the Mapleson F breathing system and the TSAA. We found no significant difference in the work of breathing between the Mapleson F and the TSAA for these children. The TSAA can therefore be recommended for use down to a lower weight limit of 10 kg. [source]


    Immunohistolocalization and Gene Expression of the Carbonic Anhydrase Isoenzymes (CA-II and CA-VI) in Glands Associated with the Canine Lacrimal Apparatus

    ANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 1 2010
    Y. Sugiura
    Summary Cytosolic and secretory carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes (CA-II and CA-VI, respectively) were detected by immunohistolocalization using specific canine CA-II and CA-VI antisera. CA-II and CA-VI were identified in glands associated with the canine lacrimal apparatus, such as lacrimal gland, superficial gland of the third eyelid (third eyelid gland) and tarsal gland. CA-II and CA-VI mRNA signals were also detected by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in the same tissues. Some serous acinar cells and duct segments in the lacrimal gland and serous acinar cells in the third eyelid gland were immunopositive for anti-CA-II and CA-VI antisera. In particular, some immunopositive acini to CA-II and CA-VI on the edge of the third eyelid gland are histologically similar to sebaceous gland cells. Sebaceous gland cells in the tarsal and ciliary glands also showed immunopositivity to both CA antisera. CA-II and CA-VI gene transcripts were detected in the same regions. These results suggest that secreted CA-VI may form together with cytosolic CA-II, a high-activity isozyme mostly considered as a bicarbonate producer, in a mutually complementary system for the maintenance of bicarbonate levels to regulate pH in tear fluid and protect the corneal epithelia against injuries. In sebaceous gland cells in the lacrimal apparatus, CA-VI may be related to lipogenesis in an unknown function. [source]


    Comparative Functional Morphology of the Masticatory Apparatus in the Long-snouted Crocodiles

    ANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 4 2002
    H. Endo
    Summary The masticatory muscles and their related structures of the skull were observed in the Indian gavial (Gavialis gangeticus), the false gavial (Tomistoma schlegelii), and the African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) to detail some morphological differences in comparison with the other crocodile species, and to compare and elucidate the functional strategy of themasticatory apparatus in these long-snouted species. The Musculus pterygoideus posterior was relatively smaller in the three species compared with many short-snouted crocodiles. It suggests that the masticatory power in fish-eating long-snouted species is not so high as in the short-snouted crocodiles, while the masticatory muscles were morphologically different among the three long-snouted species as follows. The M. pterygoideus posterior of the false gavial was extended in the lateral side of the lower jaw unlike the Indian gavial. The M. pseudotemporalis and the Fenestra supratemporalis were largely developed in the Indian gavial, however we suggest that the other two species possess the weak bundles in this muscle. The false gavial and the African slender-snouted crocodile have the pterygoid bone well-developed extending dorso-ventrally and it is suggested that the M. adductor mandibulae posterior attached to the pterygoid bone may be much larger than the Indian gavial. These data morphologically clarify the masticatory mechanism in the long-snouted crocodiles different from the short-snouted species, and demonstrate that the evolutional strategy to share the functional role in the masticatory muscles have been differently established between the Indian gavial and the other two species. We also obtained the morphological data in the fossil skull of the Machikane crocodile (Toyotamaphymeia machikanense) and concluded from the fossil characters that the considerable developments of the M.pterygoideus posterior and the M.pseudotemporalis in this species had not morphologically been consistent with both the Indian and false gavials. [source]


    SecondSkin: An interactive method for appearance transfer

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 7 2009
    A. Van Den Hengely
    Abstract SecondSkin estimates an appearance model for an object visible in a video sequence, without the need for complex interaction or any calibration apparatus. This model can then be transferred to other objects, allowing a non-expert user to insert a synthetic object into a real video sequence so that its appearance matches that of an existing object, and changes appropriately throughout the sequence. As the method does not require any prior knowledge about the scene, the lighting conditions, or the camera, it is applicable to video which was not captured with this purpose in mind. However, this lack of prior knowledge precludes the recovery of separate lighting and surface reflectance information. The SecondSkin appearance model therefore combines these factors. The appearance model does require a dominant light-source direction, which we estimate via a novel process involving a small amount of user interaction. The resulting model estimate provides exactly the information required to transfer the appearance of the original object to new geometry composited into the same video sequence. [source]


    Mechanisms of exercise-induced improvements in the contractile apparatus of the mammalian myocardium

    ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 4 2010
    O. J. Kemi
    Abstract One of the main outcomes of aerobic endurance exercise training is the improved maximal oxygen uptake, and this is pivotal to the improved work capacity that follows the exercise training. Improved maximal oxygen uptake in turn is at least partly achieved because exercise training increases the ability of the myocardium to produce a greater cardiac output. In healthy subjects, this has been demonstrated repeatedly over many decades. It has recently emerged that this scenario may also be true under conditions of an initial myocardial dysfunction. For instance, myocardial improvements may still be observed after exercise training in post-myocardial infarction heart failure. In both health and disease, it is the changes that occur in the individual cardiomyocytes with respect to their ability to contract that by and large drive the exercise training-induced adaptation to the heart. Here, we review the evidence and the mechanisms by which exercise training induces beneficial changes in the mammalian myocardium, as obtained by means of experimental and clinical studies, and argue that these changes ultimately alter the function of the whole heart and contribute to the changes in whole-body function. [source]


    The Dual Mode Microwave Afterglow Apparatus for Measuring the Electron Temperature Dependence of the Electron-Ion Recombination

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 4 2008
    O. Miku
    Abstract Three dual mode microwave apparatus (one using S -band and two using X -band) have been developed to determine ambipolar diffusion and electron-ion recombination rates under conditions such that Tgas = 300K and Te is varied from 300 K to 6300 K, in the afterglow period of the dc glow discharge. TheTM010 cylindrical cavity (in S -band) and TM011 open cylindrical cavity (X -band) are used to determine the electron density during the afterglow period and a non-resonant waveguide mode is used to apply a constant microwave heating field to the electrons. To test the properties of the apparatus the neon afterglow plasma has been investigated. At Te = 300 K a value of , (Ne+2) = (1.7± 0.2) × 10,7cm3/s is obtained which is in good agreement with values of other investigators. Also similar variations of , as T,0.4e (S -band) and as T,0.42e (X -band) obeyed over the range 300 , Te , 6300K are in good agreement with some other previous measurements. The simplicity of the X-band microwave apparatus also allows the measurements of the gas temperature dependency and the study of electron attachment and may be used simultaneously with optical or mass spectrometry investigations. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Growth and characterization of LiF single crystal fibers

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2006
    M. Alshourbagy
    Abstract Single crystal LiF fibers have been grown by the micro-pulling-down (µ-PD) technique. The fibers are 0.6 mm in diameter and 100 mm in length and of good optical quality. We describe the experimental apparatus for growth and analyze the sample structure and its spectroscopic characteristics. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Nanocrystalline non-planar carbons: Growth of carbon nanotubes and curled nanostructures

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10-11 2005
    S. Orlanducci
    Abstract We present a variety of non-planar graphitic nanostructures selectively generated in a modified Hot-Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition (HF-CVD) apparatus, using purpose-synthesized amorphous carbon nanoparticles or graphite powders as solid state precursor. The employed methodologies enable to successfully synthesize homogeneous and well organized deposits of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, onion-like nanostructures, and nanotube bundles coated by nano-sized diamond grains. Variations in the morphological aspect of such non-planar graphite-based nanostructures are observed changing the experimental conditions: the solid state reactants, the filament and substrate temperatures, the catalyst concentration, and the atomic hydrogen flux over the substrate play key roles in the phenomenon. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Crystal growth and structural refinement of NaMn7O12

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10-11 2005
    E. Gilioli
    Abstract We report the crystal growth and the structural refinement of NaMn7O12, a manganite having a double perovskite structure. As in many similar compounds, there is coexistence of Mn3+ and Mn4+ but in this material they orderly occupy different sites for crystallographic reasons. Therefore, this peculiar structure can be considered as a model system for studying complex mechanisms such as charge, orbital and spin ordering. High purity bulk samples and "large" single crystals are needed to study tiny modifications in the crystallographic and magnetic structures associated to the ordering phenomena. Almost single phase (more than 96% pure) and single crystals (up to about 150 µm) of NaMn7O12 were synthesized by solid state reaction under pressure in a multi-anvil apparatus. Single crystal x-ray diffraction and SEM analysis have been used to characterize the crystals. The structure refinement indicates that NaMn7O12 crystallizes in the cubic Im3 space group, with a = 7.312 Å and Z = 2. Further studies are in progress to optimize the synthesis conditions, in order to grow larger crystals. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Susceptibility of isolated myofibrils to in vitro glutathionylation: Potential relevance to muscle functions,

    CYTOSKELETON, Issue 2 2010
    Chiara Passarelli
    Abstract In this study we investigated the molecular mechanism of glutathionylation on isolated human cardiac myofibrils using several pro-glutathionylating agents. Total glutathionylated proteins appeared significantly enhanced with all the pro-oxidants used. The increase was completely reversed by the addition of a reducing agent, demonstrating that glutathione binding occurs by a disulfide and that the process is reversible. A sensitive target of glutathionylation was ,-actin, showing a different reactivity to the several pro-glutathionylating agents by ELISA. Noteworthy, myosin although highly sensitive to the in vitro glutathionylation does not represent the primary glutathionylation target in isolated myofibrils. Light scattering measurements of the glutathionylated ,-actin showed a slower polymerisation compared to the non-glutathionylated protein and force development was depressed after glutathionylation, when the myofibrils were mounted in a force recording apparatus. Interestingly, confocal laser scanning microscopy of cardiac cryosections indicated, for the first time, the constitutive glutathionylation of ,-cardiac actin in human heart. Due to the critical location of ,-actin in the contractile machinery and to its susceptibility to the oxidative modifications, glutathionylation may represent a mechanism for modulating sarcomere assembly and muscle functionality under patho-physiological conditions in vivo. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Isolation and partial purification of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytokinetic apparatus,

    CYTOSKELETON, Issue 1 2010
    Brian A. Young
    Abstract Cytokinesis is the process by which a cell physically divides in two at the conclusion of a cell cycle. In animal and fungal cells, this process is mediated by a conserved set of proteins including actin, type II myosin, IQGAP proteins, F-BAR proteins, and the septins. To facilitate biochemical and ultrastructural analysis of cytokinesis, we have isolated and partially purified the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytokinetic apparatus. The isolated apparatus contains all components of the actomyosin ring for which we tested,actin, myosin heavy and light chain, and IQGAP,as well as septins and the cytokinetic F-BAR protein, Hof1p. We also present evidence indicating that the actomyosin rings associated with isolated cytokinetic apparati may be contractile in vitro, and show preliminary electron microscopic imaging of the cytokinetic apparatus. This first successful isolation of the cytokinetic apparatus from a genetically tractable organism promises to make possible a deeper understanding of cytokinesis. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Rab6 family proteins interact with the dynein light chain protein DYNLRB1

    CYTOSKELETON, Issue 3 2008
    Bas Wanschers
    Abstract The small GTPase Rab6 is a key regulator in the retrograde transfer from endosomes via the Golgi to the ER. Three isoforms of Rab6 have been identified, the ubiquitously expressed Rab6A and Rab6A,, and the brain specific Rab6B. Recent studies have shown that Rab6A, is the major isoform regulating this retrograde transport. Cytoplasmic dynein is the main motor protein complex for this transport. Dynein consists of two heavy chains, two intermediate chains, four light intermediatechains and several light chains, called roadblock/LC7 proteins or DYNLRB proteins. In mammalian cells two light chain isoforms have been identified, DYNLRB1 and DYNLRB2. We here show with yeast-two-hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation and pull down studies that DYNLRB1 specifically interacts with all three Rab6 isoforms and co-localises at the Golgi. This is the first example of a direct interaction between Rab6 isoforms and the dynein complex. Pull down experiments showed further preferred association of DYNLRB1 with GTP-bound Rab6A and interestingly GDP-bound Rab6A, and Rab6B. In addition DYNLRB1 was found in the Golgi apparatus where it co-localises with EYFP-Rab6 isoforms. DYNLRB is a putative modulator of the intrinsic GTPase activity of GTP-binding proteins. In vitro we were not able to reproduce this effect on Rab6 GTPase activity. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]