scholarly journals Wave onset in central gray matter - its intrinsic optical signal and phase transitions in extracellular polymers

2001 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
VERA M. FERNANDES-DE-LIMA ◽  
JOÃO E. KOGLER ◽  
JOCELYN BENNATON ◽  
WOLFGANG HANKE

The brain is an excitable media in which excitation waves propagate at several scales of time and space. ''One-dimensional'' action potentials (millisecond scale) along the axon membrane, and spreading depression waves (seconds to minutes) at the three dimensions of the gray matter neuropil (complex of interacting membranes) are examples of excitation waves. In the retina, excitation waves have a prominent intrinsic optical signal (IOS). This optical signal is created by light scatter and has different components at the red and blue end of the spectrum. We could observe the wave onset in the retina, and measure the optical changes at the critical transition from quiescence to propagating wave. The results demonstrated the presence of fluctuations preceding propagation and suggested a phase transition. We have interpreted these results based on an extrapolation from Tasaki's experiments with action potentials and volume phase transitions of polymers. Thus, the scatter of red light appeared to be a volume phase transition in the extracellular matrix that was caused by the interactions between the cellular membrane cell coat and the extracellular sugar and protein complexes. If this hypothesis were correct, then forcing extracellular current flow should create a similar signal in another tissue, provided that this tissue was also transparent to light and with a similarly narrow extracellular space. This control tissue exists and it is the crystalline lens. We performed the experiments and confirmed the optical changes. Phase transitions in the extracellular polymers could be an important part of the long-range correlations found during wave propagation in central nervous tissue.

Gels ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Haruma Kawaguchi

The discovery of phenomena of volume phase transition has had a great impact not only on bulk gels but also on the world of microgels. In particular, research on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels, whose transition temperature is close to body temperature, has made remarkable progress in almost 35 years. This review presents some breakthrough findings in microgels that exhibit volume phase transitions and outlines recent works on the synthesis, structural analysis, and research direction of microgels.


2012 ◽  
Vol 465 ◽  
pp. 141-145
Author(s):  
Hai Yan Wang ◽  
Qian Liao ◽  
Qiao Lan Shao ◽  
Gao Qiu ◽  
Xi Hua Lu

There have much study about thermo-responsive nanogels,which exhibit temperature-controlled volume phase transitions.There have been few reports,however,of electrostatically neutral,thermosensitive nanogels with a high composition of hydrophilic monomer.Here,we describe the synthesis and characterization of a new class of nonionic copolymer nanogels based on N-ispropylacrylamide(NIPAM) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide(DMA),wich exhibit tunable volume phase transition temperatures.And increasing percentages of DMA in copolymer gels raises the LCST,and attenuates and broadens the volume phases transition.Through DLS, AFM and UV-Vis measurement it's size,shape and VPTTs.The character of nonionic NIPAM/DMA nanogels show it's tunable phase transitions promise to be useful for applicatipns in biotechnology and medicine.


Author(s):  
L. T. Pawlicki ◽  
R. M. Siegoczyński ◽  
S. Ptasznik ◽  
K. Marszałek

AbstractThe main purpose of the experiment was a thermodynamic research with use of the electric methods chosen. The substance examined was olive oil. The paper presents the resistance, capacitive reactance, relative permittivity and resistivity of olive. Compression was applied with two mean velocities up to 450 MPa. The results were shown as functions of pressure and time and depicted on the impedance phase diagram. The three first order phase transitions have been detected. All the changes in material parameters were observed during phase transitions. The material parameters measured turned out to be the much more sensitive long-time phase transition factors than temperature. The values of material parameters and their dependence on pressure and time were compared with the molecular structure, arrangement of molecules and interactions between them. Knowledge about olive oil parameters change with pressure and its phase transitions is very important for olive oil production and conservation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (39) ◽  
pp. 26645-26650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingxin Zeng ◽  
Chuang Yao ◽  
Kai Wang ◽  
Chang Q. Sun ◽  
Bo Zou

H–O bond energy governs the PCx for Na/H2O liquid–VI–VII phase transition. Solute concentration affects the path of phase transitions differently with the solute type. Solute–solute interaction lessens the PC2 sensitivity to compression. The PC1 goes along the liquid–VI boundary till the triple phase joint.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Đorđe Dangić ◽  
Olle Hellman ◽  
Stephen Fahy ◽  
Ivana Savić

AbstractThe proximity to structural phase transitions in IV-VI thermoelectric materials is one of the main reasons for their large phonon anharmonicity and intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity κ. However, the κ of GeTe increases at the ferroelectric phase transition near 700 K. Using first-principles calculations with the temperature dependent effective potential method, we show that this rise in κ is the consequence of negative thermal expansion in the rhombohedral phase and increase in the phonon lifetimes in the high-symmetry phase. Strong anharmonicity near the phase transition induces non-Lorentzian shapes of the phonon power spectra. To account for these effects, we implement a method of calculating κ based on the Green-Kubo approach and find that the Boltzmann transport equation underestimates κ near the phase transition. Our findings elucidate the influence of structural phase transitions on κ and provide guidance for design of better thermoelectric materials.


RSC Advances ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (29) ◽  
pp. 17622-17629
Author(s):  
Ae Ran Lim

We studied the thermal behavior and structural dynamics of [NH3(CH2)3NH3]CdBr4 near phase transition temperatures.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongdong Lu ◽  
Mingning Zhu ◽  
Jing Jin ◽  
Brian R. Saunders

Thermally- and pH-responsive microgels (MGs) and hydrogels are fascinating network systems that have been applied in biomedical engineering and sensing. The volume-swelling ratio (Q) and the volume-phase transition temperatures (VPTTs)...


Gels ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Simon Friesen ◽  
Yvonne Hannappel ◽  
Sergej Kakorin ◽  
Thomas Hellweg

A full quantitative description of the swelling of smart microgels is still problematic in many cases. The original approach of Flory and Huggins for the monomer–solvent interaction parameter χ cannot be applied to some microgels. The reason for this obviously is that the cross-linking enhances the cooperativity of the volume phase transitions, since all meshes of the network are mechanically coupled. This was ignored in previous approaches, arguing with distinct transition temperatures for different meshes to describe the continuous character of the transition of microgels. Here, we adjust the swelling curves of a series of smart microgels using the Flory–Rehner description, where the polymer–solvent interaction parameter χ is modeled by a Hill-like equation for a cooperative thermotropic transition. This leads to a very good description of all measured microgel swelling curves and yields the physically meaningful Hill parameter ν. A linear decrease of ν is found with increasing concentration of the cross-linker N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide in the microgel particles p(NIPAM), p(NNPAM), and p(NIPMAM). The linearity suggests that the Hill parameter ν corresponds to the number of water molecules per network chain that cooperatively leave the chain at the volume phase transition. Driven by entropy, ν water molecules of the solvate become cooperatively “free” and leave the polymer network.


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