The interplay between chemistry and interfacial-tension-driven hydrodynamic instabilities has been studied experimentally. The system on hand consists of two immiscible liquids separated along an initially plane inter...The interplay between chemistry and interfacial-tension-driven hydrodynamic instabilities has been studied experimentally. The system on hand consists of two immiscible liquids separated along an initially plane interface at which an interfacial reaction takes place to produce in situ a surfactant. It is identified that the dynamics of the system depends on the orientation of the Hele-Shaw cell with respect to the vector of gravity. If the nele-Shaw cell is placed vertically, Marangoni cells with vigorous convection develop in both phases along a nearly planar interface. However, if the Hele-Shaw cell is tilted off the gravity, the instabilities in the system are characterized by the large scale interracial deformation with a spatio-temporal periodicity together with the chemo-Marangoni convection. The focus is on the exploration of the transition from the cellular mode to the large scale interfacial deformation.展开更多
Gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA) contributes substantially to neurocognitive function as an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human cerebral cortex. However, the pathophysiology of disorders such as epilepsy a...Gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA) contributes substantially to neurocognitive function as an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human cerebral cortex. However, the pathophysiology of disorders such as epilepsy are not well understood, since GABA agonists are not quite effective in treating epilepsy. Knowledge of the mechanism of action of GABA would contribute to review previously proposed anti-epileptic processes by GABA agonists. In this study based on recent experiments on GABAergic astrocytes, we developed a modified GABAergic astrocyte model, and successfully simulated a long-lasting Ca^(2+) oscillation in astrocytes after 0.5-s stimulation of GABAergic transmission. We then incorporated this GABAergic astrocyte model into a classical Ullah-Schiff seizure model and surprisingly found that this GABAergic astrocyte model functions to hinder the anti-epileptic action of GABA agonists, thereby explaining their low efficiency in previous experiments. These results also update our knowledge of the mechanism of action of GABA and the effects of astrocytes on physiological and pathological functions of the brain.展开更多
基金Deutsche Forschung Gemainschaft(Ec/201/1-5)Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft und Raumfahrt(50WM0058).
文摘The interplay between chemistry and interfacial-tension-driven hydrodynamic instabilities has been studied experimentally. The system on hand consists of two immiscible liquids separated along an initially plane interface at which an interfacial reaction takes place to produce in situ a surfactant. It is identified that the dynamics of the system depends on the orientation of the Hele-Shaw cell with respect to the vector of gravity. If the nele-Shaw cell is placed vertically, Marangoni cells with vigorous convection develop in both phases along a nearly planar interface. However, if the Hele-Shaw cell is tilted off the gravity, the instabilities in the system are characterized by the large scale interracial deformation with a spatio-temporal periodicity together with the chemo-Marangoni convection. The focus is on the exploration of the transition from the cellular mode to the large scale interfacial deformation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11472202)
文摘Gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA) contributes substantially to neurocognitive function as an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human cerebral cortex. However, the pathophysiology of disorders such as epilepsy are not well understood, since GABA agonists are not quite effective in treating epilepsy. Knowledge of the mechanism of action of GABA would contribute to review previously proposed anti-epileptic processes by GABA agonists. In this study based on recent experiments on GABAergic astrocytes, we developed a modified GABAergic astrocyte model, and successfully simulated a long-lasting Ca^(2+) oscillation in astrocytes after 0.5-s stimulation of GABAergic transmission. We then incorporated this GABAergic astrocyte model into a classical Ullah-Schiff seizure model and surprisingly found that this GABAergic astrocyte model functions to hinder the anti-epileptic action of GABA agonists, thereby explaining their low efficiency in previous experiments. These results also update our knowledge of the mechanism of action of GABA and the effects of astrocytes on physiological and pathological functions of the brain.
