A Fresh Look at Tear Film Structure and Dynamics

Elevated levels of acyl chain saturation of meibomian lipids are associated with vastly different effects: from enhanced tear film (TF) stability in infants to shortened TF breakup time in meibomian gland disease patients. Thus it is important to study the effect of saturation on the surface properties of human meibum (MGS). Therefore, MGS films (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 25, 50, 67, and 100% saturation) were spread at the air/water interface of a Langmuir surface balance. The layers’ capability to reorganize during dynamic area changes was accessed via the surface pressure (π)-area (A) compression isotherms and step/relaxation dilatational rheology studies. Film structure was monitored with Brewster angle microscopy. The raise in the % (at ≥10%) of saturation resulted in the formation of stiffer, thicker, and more elastic films at π ≥ 12 mN/m with the effects being proportional to the saturation level. At the same time, at low (≤10 mN/m) π the raise in saturation resulted in altered spreading and heterogeneous structure of MGS layers. The strong impact of saturation on MGS surface properties correlates with our recent spectroscopy study, which demonstrated that saturation induced increase of MGS acyl chain order, phase transition temperature, and cooperativity.

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The effect of an aluminum heat-sink layer on the laser-induced amorphization of SiOx/TeGeSn/SiOx phase-change recording films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100154846 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 574-575

Author(s):

Matthew R. Libera ◽

Martin Chen

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Phase Change ◽

Heat Sink ◽

Multilayer Film ◽

Glassy Phase ◽

Film Structure ◽

Glass Forming ◽

Active Storage ◽

Dielectric Layers ◽

Amorphous States

Phase-change erasable optical storage is based on the ability to switch a micron-sized region of a thin film between the crystalline and amorphous states using a diffraction-limited laser as a heat source. A bit of information can be represented as an amorphous spot on a crystalline background, and the two states can be optically identified by their different reflectivities. In a typical multilayer thin-film structure the active (storage) layer is sandwiched between one or more dielectric layers. The dielectric layers provide physical containment and act as a heat sink. A viable phase-change medium must be able to quench to the glassy phase after melting, and this requires proper tailoring of the thermal properties of the multilayer film. The present research studies one particular multilayer structure and shows the effect of an additional aluminum layer on the glass-forming ability.

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Nucleosome dynamics

Biochemical Society Symposium ◽

10.1042/bss0730109 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 73 ◽

pp. 109-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chris Stockdale ◽

Michael Bruno ◽

Helder Ferreira ◽

Elisa Garcia-Wilson ◽

Nicola Wiechens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Chromatin Structure ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Dynamic Properties ◽

Structure And Dynamics ◽

Nucleosome Dynamics ◽

Sharp Focus ◽

Recent Advances ◽

Insight Into ◽

Chromatin Structure And Dynamics

In the 30 years since the discovery of the nucleosome, our picture of it has come into sharp focus. The recent high-resolution structures have provided a wealth of insight into the function of the nucleosome, but they are inherently static. Our current knowledge of how nucleosomes can be reconfigured dynamically is at a much earlier stage. Here, recent advances in the understanding of chromatin structure and dynamics are highlighted. The ways in which different modes of nucleosome reconfiguration are likely to influence each other are discussed, and some of the factors likely to regulate the dynamic properties of nucleosomes are considered.

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