Nature of the motor element in electrokinetic shape changes of cochlear outer hair cells

It is the prevailing notion that cochlear outer hair cells function as mechanical effectors as well as sensory receptors. Electrically induced changes in the shape of mammalian outer hair cells, studied in vitro, are commonly assumed to represent an aspect of their effector process that may occur in vivo. The nature of the motile process is obscure, even though none of the established cellular motors can be involved. Although it is known that the motile response is under voltage control, it is uncertain whether the stimulus is a drop in the voltage along the long axis of the cell or variation in the transmembrane potential. We have now performed experiments with cells partitioned in differing degrees between two chambers. Applied voltage stimulates the cell membrane segments in opposite polarity to an amount dependent on the partitioning. The findings show, in accordance with previous suggestions, that the driving stimulus is a local transmembrane voltage drop and that the cellular motor consists of many independent elements, distributed along the cell membrane and its associated cortical structures. We further show that the primary action of the motor elements is along the longitudinal dimension of the cell without necessarily involving changes in intracellular hydrostatic pressure. This establishes the outer hair cell motor as unique among mechanisms that control cell shape.     

Non-equilibration of hydrostatic pressure in blebbing cells

Current models for protrusive motility in animal cells focus on cytoskeleton-based mechanisms, where localized protrusion is driven by local regulation of actin biochemistry. In plants and fungi, protrusion is driven primarily by hydrostatic pressure. For hydrostatic pressure to drive localized protrusion in animal cells, it would have to be locally regulated, but current models treating cytoplasm as an incompressible viscoelastic continuum or viscous liquid require that hydrostatic pressure equilibrates essentially instantaneously over the whole cell. Here, we use cell blebs as reporters of local pressure in the cytoplasm. When we locally perfuse blebbing cells with cortex-relaxing drugs to dissipate pressure on one side, blebbing continues on the untreated side, implying non-equilibration of pressure on scales of approximately 10 microm and 10 s. We can account for localization of pressure by considering the cytoplasm as a contractile, elastic network infiltrated by cytosol. Motion of the fluid relative to the network generates spatially heterogeneous transients in the pressure field, and can be described in the framework of poroelasticity.     

Live imaging of stem cell and progeny behaviour in physiological hair-follicle regeneration

Tissue development and regeneration depend on cell-cell interactions and signals that target stem cells and their immediate progeny. However, the cellular behaviours that lead to a properly regenerated tissue are not well understood. Using a new, non-invasive, intravital two-photon imaging approach we study physiological hair-follicle regeneration over time in live mice. By these means we have monitored the behaviour of epithelial stem cells and their progeny during physiological hair regeneration and addressed how the mesenchyme influences their behaviour. Consistent with earlier studies, stem cells are quiescent during the initial stages of hair regeneration, whereas the progeny are more actively dividing. Moreover, stem cell progeny divisions are spatially organized within follicles. In addition to cell divisions, coordinated cell movements of the progeny allow the rapid expansion of the hair follicle. Finally, we show the requirement of the mesenchyme for hair regeneration through targeted cell ablation and long-term tracking of live hair follicles. Thus, we have established an in vivo approach that has led to the direct observation of cellular mechanisms of growth regulation within the hair follicle and that has enabled us to precisely investigate functional requirements of hair-follicle components during the process of physiological regeneration.     

水工混凝土结构裂缝的稳定性分析

对于带缝运行的水工混凝土结构,裂缝的稳定性直接关系到整个结构的安全状况.针对水工混凝土结构中裂缝扩展的稳定性问题,主要从断裂力学的角度,以缝端应力强度因子为特征参数,结合某重力拱坝,讨论了裂缝稳定性随水压、温度以及二者的不同组合的演变过程,分析了裂缝的转异特征.对该重力拱坝,水位对应力强度因子的影响较小,裂缝的稳定性主要受温度变化的影响.低温较低水位对裂缝的稳定最为不利,高温低水位对裂缝的稳定性也有一定的影响.还讨论了裂缝的时间效应和转异特征.     

Ionic basis of membrane potential in outer hair cells of guinea pig cochlea

Mammalian hearing involves features not found in other species, for example, the separation of sound frequencies depends on an active control of the cochlear mechanics. The force-generating component in the cochlea is likely to be the outer hair cell (OHC), one of the two types of sensory cell through which current is gated by mechano-electrical transducer channels sited on the apical surface. Outer hair cells isolated in vitro have been shown to be motile and capable of generating forces at acoustic frequencies. The OHC membrane is not, however, electrically tuned, as found in lower vertebrates. Here we describe how the OHC resting potential is determined by a Ca2+-activated K+ conductance at the base of the cell. Two channel types with unitary sizes of 240 and 45 pS underlie this Ca2+-activated K+ conductance and we suggest that their activity is determined by a Ca2+ influx through the apical transducer channel, as demonstrated in other hair cells. This coupled system simultaneously explains the large OHC resting potentials observed in vivo and indicates how the current gated by the transducer may be maximized to generate the forces required in cochlear micromechanics.     

Osmotic Pressure of Water in Nafion~

Mechanical failure modes leading to cracks or breeches in proton exchange membrane fuel cells are driven by mechanical forces associated with swelling from water uptake and shrinkage from dehumidifi-cation. To determine the magnitude of compressive mechanical stress imposed by water swelling in a proton exchange fuel-cell membrane, the osmotic pressure of water in a perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer (Nafion? N 117) membrane was measured using a hydrostatic piston-cylinder device with an in-situ hydrophilic frit. Experiments indicate that hydrostatic stresses greater than 103.5 MPa are created in a membrane when swollen with water at 23℃ suggesting that pressure from water swelling can distort Nafion N 117-based structures as the osmotic pressure is of the same order of magnitude as the flow stress of Nafion N 117.     

流体静高压容器泄漏原因分析及预防措施

根据流体静高压容器加载时下压杆爆炸前后的实验数据、检验结果,从材料选择、高压容器对中、上下缸载荷分配三方面分析了容器泄漏原因:(1)阳磨菇头选材有错、热处理不当导致Bridgman密封组件失效;(2)下压杆选材及热处理工艺有误导致加载时脆性断裂;(3)压杆导向和定位不良,球面垫块球半径过大均可严重导致压杆脆性断裂;(4)密封套圈无支承面太小,容易造成上下油缸压力差偏大,引起下压杆炸碎。由此,提出相应的预防措施。     

The origin of spontaneous activity in the developing auditory system

Spontaneous activity in the developing auditory system is required for neuronal survival as well as the refinement and maintenance of tonotopic maps in the brain. However, the mechanisms responsible for initiating auditory nerve firing in the absence of sound have not been determined. Here we show that supporting cells in the developing rat cochlea spontaneously release ATP, which causes nearby inner hair cells to depolarize and release glutamate, triggering discrete bursts of action potentials in primary auditory neurons. This endogenous, ATP-mediated signalling synchronizes the output of neighbouring inner hair cells, which may help refine tonotopic maps in the brain. Spontaneous ATP-dependent signalling rapidly subsides after the onset of hearing, thereby preventing this experience-independent activity from interfering with accurate encoding of sound. These data indicate that supporting cells in the organ of Corti initiate electrical activity in auditory nerves before hearing, pointing to an essential role for peripheral, non-sensory cells in the development of central auditory pathways.     

Research on effects of hydrostatic pressure on the dielectric property of Pb(Zn 1/3Nb2/3) O3-Ba Ti O3PbTiO3 relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

The dielectric properties of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3BaTiO3-PbTiO3 relaxor ferroelectric ceramics near the rhombohedral and tetragonal phase boundary were investigated under hydrostatic pressure. It was found that hydrostatic pressure made their phase transition temperature Tc and the peak temperature Tm decreased, and the frequency dispersion and relaxor behavior enhanced. In these disorder systems of composite pervoskite structures, there appeared polar clusters or nanodomains. The unique physical characteristics, which made the relaxor behavior enhanced, is that the correlation length among these nanodo- mains decreases greatly with the pressure increasing.     

静水压力下橡胶动态力学参数的声管测量方法

建立了利用水声声管进行静水压力下橡胶材料动态力学参数测量的方法.基于含均匀圆柱空腔结构中弹性波传播的等效复波数近似解和水声声管中等效复波数的测量、求解方法,通过制作均匀实心结构和含均匀圆柱空腔结构两种试样,分别获取其纵波波数和等效复波数,联合求解反演出橡胶材料的动态力学参数.对某橡胶材料常压和静压下的动态力学参数进行测试,总结出静水压力对橡胶材料动态力学参数的影响规律,对测试误差产生的原因进行讨论分析.对比静水压力下某声学覆盖层的吸声系数测试结果和采用实测橡胶材料参数进行有限元分析的结果,表明该方法具有较高的精度和潜在的应用价值.     

一定压强下CaH2单晶的光学性质分析

根据密度泛函理论,采用平面波赝势方法,对单晶CaH2在0～500?GPa的静水压下的光学性质进行了理论研究。结果表明单晶CaH2在0～500?GPa的静水压范围内没有好的透明性,且吸收波段随压强的增加出现了蓝移的现象。计算的晶格常数与实验值符合得很好。     

曲轴连杆轴颈静压轴承的设计与数值模拟

针对静压轴承在曲轴连杆主轴颈上的应用问题,设计了油腔位于连杆主轴颈上的特殊结构静压轴承和油路通道.为了保证油源压力和轴承直径的均衡,改进了静压轴承的设计方法,确定了油源压力,计算了主要参数,最后确定了满足刚度无穷大条件的κ-β0值.采用流体动力学仿真软件对所设计的静压轴承进行仿真分析,得到了轴承的压力等高线和速度矢量图...     

一定压强下CaH2单晶的光学性质分析

根据密度泛函理论,采用平面波赝势方法,对单晶CaH2在0～500GPa的静水压下的光学性质进行了理论研究。结果表明单晶CaH2在0～500GPa的静水压范围内没有好的透明性,且吸收波段随压强的增加出现了蓝移的现象。计算的晶格常数与实验值符合得很好。     

Conditional telomerase induction causes proliferation of hair follicle stem cells

TERT, the protein component of telomerase, serves to maintain telomere function through the de novo addition of telomere repeats to chromosome ends, and is reactivated in 90% of human cancers. In normal tissues, TERT is expressed in stem cells and in progenitor cells, but its role in these compartments is not fully understood. Here we show that conditional transgenic induction of TERT in mouse skin epithelium causes a rapid transition from telogen (the resting phase of the hair follicle cycle) to anagen (the active phase), thereby facilitating robust hair growth. TERT overexpression promotes this developmental transition by causing proliferation of quiescent, multipotent stem cells in the hair follicle bulge region. This new function for TERT does not require the telomerase RNA component, which encodes the template for telomere addition, and therefore operates through a mechanism independent of its activity in synthesizing telomere repeats. These data indicate that, in addition to its established role in extending telomeres, TERT can promote proliferation of resting stem cells through a non-canonical pathway.     

压力下半导体GaAs的电子表面态

使用插值拟合近似获得晶格常数、带隙随压力的解析表示，采用变分法研究了流体静力学压力对半导体GaAs电子本征表面态的影响，数值结果表明，随压力增加电子表面态能级明显向上移动，且电子趋近表面。     

Deafness and renal tubular acidosis in mice lacking the K-Cl co-transporter Kcc4

Hearing depends on a high K(+) concentration bathing the apical membranes of sensory hair cells. K(+) that has entered hair cells through apical mechanosensitive channels is transported to the stria vascularis for re-secretion into the scala media(). K(+) probably exits outer hair cells by KCNQ4 K(+) channels(), and is then transported by means of a gap junction system connecting supporting Deiters' cells and fibrocytes() back to the stria vascularis. We show here that mice lacking the K(+)/Cl(-) (K-Cl) co-transporter Kcc4 (coded for by Slc12a7) are deaf because their hair cells degenerate rapidly after the beginning of hearing. In the mature organ of Corti, Kcc4 is restricted to supporting cells of outer and inner hair cells. Our data suggest that Kcc4 is important for K(+) recycling() by siphoning K(+) ions after their exit from outer hair cells into supporting Deiters' cells, where K(+) enters the gap junction pathway. Similar to some human genetic syndromes(), deafness in Kcc4-deficient mice is associated with renal tubular acidosis. It probably results from an impairment of Cl(-) recycling across the basolateral membrane of acid-secreting alpha-intercalated cells of the distal nephron.     

Mechanosensitivity of mammalian auditory hair cells in vitro

Intracellular responses recorded in vitro from the cochleas of anaesthetized mammals have shown that the mechanoreceptive inner and outer hair cells are sharply tuned, accounting for many of the properties of the afferent fibres in the auditory nerve. However, in vivo it has not been possible to measure directly the excitatory mechanical input to these cells (the displacement of their mechanosensitive stereocilia) and thus to determine the relationship between the receptor potentials and displacement of their stereocilia. As a means of circumventing this technical difficulty, we have developed an organ culture of the mouse cochlea and here we describe the receptor potentials generated by the hair cells in response to direct displacement of their stereocilia.