Nanoscale Dynamics of Actin Filaments in the Red Blood Cell Membrane Skeleton

Red blood cell (RBC) shape and deformability are supported by a planar network of short actin filament (F-actin) nodes (∼37 nm length, 15-18 subunits) interconnected by long spectrin strands at the inner surface of the plasma membrane. Spectrin-F-actin network structure underlies quantitative modeling of forces controlling RBC shape, membrane curvature and deformation, yet the nanoscale organization and dynamics of the F-actin nodes in situ is not well understood. We examined F-actin distribution and dynamics in RBCs using fluorescent-phalloidin labeling of F-actin imaged by multiple microscopy modalities. Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) and Zeiss Airyscan confocal microscopy demonstrate that F-actin is concentrated in multiple brightly stained F-actin foci ∼200-300 nm apart interspersed with dimmer F-actin staining regions. Single molecule STORM imaging of Alexa-647-phalloidin-labeled F-actin and computational analysis also indicates an irregular, non-random distribution of F-actin nodes. Treatment of RBCs with LatA and CytoD indicates F-actin foci distribution depends on actin polymerization, while live cell imaging reveals dynamic local motions of F-actin foci, with lateral movements, appearance and disappearance. Regulation of F-actin node distribution and dynamics via actin assembly/disassembly pathways and/or via local extension and retraction of spectrin strands may provide a new mechanism to control spectrin-F-actin network connectivity, RBC shape and membrane deformability.

A Compact Widely Tunable Bandpass Filter Dedicated to Preselectors

This article presents a novel compact widely tunable bandpass filter. The filter consists of two resonators that are double-coupled, inductively, where the coupling inductances are elements of the input and output networks. The application of double-coupling enabled the transmission zero next to the upper cutoff frequency. This makes the filter useful for applications in preselector networks used in receiving systems with a low to intermediate frequency with the desired channel frequency lower than the image channel frequency. The article shows the practical realisation of the varactor-tuned example filter fabricated as a microstrip planar network of an overall size of 0.03λg × 0.045λg. The tuning range of the proposed filter is from 410 MHz to 880 MHz with the fractional bandwidth equal to 7.5–8.1% and an in-band insertion loss better than −3.4 dB. The achieved IP3 value exceeds 17.5 dBm.

Mesoscale networks and corresponding transitions from self-assembly of block copolymers

A series of cubic network phases was obtained from the self-assembly of a single-composition lamellae (L)-forming block copolymer (BCP) polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS) through solution casting using a PS-selective solvent. An unusual network phase in diblock copolymers, double-primitive phase (DP) with space group of Im3¯m, can be observed. With the reduction of solvent evaporation rate for solution casting, a double-diamond phase (DD) with space group of Pn3¯m can be formed. By taking advantage of thermal annealing, order–order transitions from the DP and DD phases to a double-gyroid phase (DG) with space group of Ia3¯d can be identified. The order–order transitions from DP (hexapod network) to DD (tetrapod network), and finally to DG (trigonal planar network) are attributed to the reduction of the degree of packing frustration within the junction (node), different from the predicted Bonnet transformation from DD to DG, and finally to DP based on enthalpic consideration only. This discovery suggests a new methodology to acquire various network phases from a simple diblock system by kinetically controlling self-assembling process.

Nanoscale organization of Actin Filaments in the Red Blood Cell Membrane Skeleton

Red blood cell (RBC) shape and deformability are supported by a planar network of short actin filament (F-actin) nodes interconnected by long spectrin molecules at the inner surface of the plasma membrane. Spectrin-F-actin network structure underlies quantitative modelling of forces controlling RBC shape, membrane curvature and deformation, yet the nanoscale organization of F-actin nodes in the network in situ is not understood. Here, we examined F-actin distribution in RBCs using fluorescent-phalloidin labeling of F-actin imaged by multiple microscopy modalities. Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) and Zeiss Airyscan confocal microscopy demonstrate that F-actin is concentrated in multiple brightly stained F-actin foci ∼200-300 nm apart interspersed with dimmer F-actin staining regions. Live cell imaging reveals dynamic lateral movements, appearance and disappearance of F-actin foci. Single molecule STORM imaging and computational cluster analysis of experimental and synthetic data sets indicate that individual filaments are non-randomly distributed, with the majority as multiple filaments, and the remainder sparsely distributed as single filaments. These data indicate that F-actin nodes are non-uniformly distributed in the spectrin-F-actin network and necessitate reconsideration of current models of forces accounting for RBC shape and membrane deformability, predicated upon uniform distribution of F-actin nodes and associated proteins across the micron-scale RBC membrane.

Total positivity for the Lagrangian Grassmannian

International audience The positroid decomposition of the Grassmannian refines the well-known Schubert decomposition, and has a rich combinatorial structure. There are a number of interesting combinatorial posets which index positroid varieties,just as Young diagrams index Schubert varieties. In addition, Postnikov’s boundary measurement map gives a family of parametrizations for each positroid variety. The domain of each parametrization is the space of edge weights of a weighted planar network. The positroid stratification of the Grassmannian provides an elementary example of Lusztig’s theory of total non negativity for partial flag varieties, and has remarkable applications to particle physics.We generalize the combinatorics of positroid varieties to the Lagrangian Grassmannian, the moduli space of maximal isotropic subspaces with respect to a symplectic form

Non-Monochromatic and Conflict-Free Colorings on Tree Spaces and Planar Network Spaces

It is well known that any set of n intervals in $$\mathbb {R} ^1$$R1 admits a non-monochromatic coloring with two colors and a conflict-free coloring with three colors. We investigate generalizations of this result to colorings of objects in more complex 1-dimensional spaces, namely so-called tree spaces and planar network spaces.

Deep learning in turbulent convection networks

We explore heat transport properties of turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in horizontally extended systems by using deep-learning algorithms that greatly reduce the number of degrees of freedom. Particular attention is paid to the slowly evolving turbulent superstructures—so called because they are larger in extent than the height of the convection layer—which appear as temporal patterns of ridges of hot upwelling and cold downwelling fluid, including defects where the ridges merge or end. The machine-learning algorithm trains a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) with U-shaped architecture, consisting of a contraction and a subsequent expansion branch, to reduce the complex 3D turbulent superstructure to a temporal planar network in the midplane of the layer. This results in a data compression by more than five orders of magnitude at the highest Rayleigh number, and its application yields a discrete transport network with dynamically varying defect points, including points of locally enhanced heat flux or “hot spots.” One conclusion is that the fraction of heat transport by the superstructure decreases as the Rayleigh number increases (although they might remain individually strong), correspondingly implying the increased importance of small-scale background turbulence.

A Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Supported NHC–Palladium Complex as a Highly Efficient and Recyclable Suzuki Coupling Catalyst

A practical heterogeneous catalyst was prepared by anchoring a triazine-tethered N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)–palladium complex on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. The immobilized complex was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and surface area analysis. It proved to be a highly active and durable heterogeneous catalyst for Suzuki coupling reactions. At room temperature, the use of this catalyst enabled the preparation of various biaryls and heterobiaryls in short reaction times. The catalytic system could be recycled at least 10 times with almost consistent activity. The results reveal that the stable palladium complex is strongly anchored on the surface of GO nanosheets. Interestingly, an open planar network of the GO nanosheet support plays a role during the catalytic process in enhancing the catalytic activity.