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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Testing A Thermodynamic Approach To Collective Animal Behavior In Laboratory Fish Schools, Julia A. Giannini, James G. Puckett Jun 2020

Testing A Thermodynamic Approach To Collective Animal Behavior In Laboratory Fish Schools, Julia A. Giannini, James G. Puckett

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Collective behaviors displayed by groups of social animals are observed frequently in nature. Understanding and predicting the behavior of complex biological systems is dependent on developing effective descriptions and models. While collective animal systems are characteristically nonequilibrium, we can employ concepts from equilibrium statistical mechanics to motivate the measurement of material-like properties in laboratory animal aggregates. Here, we present results from a new set of experiments that utilize high speed footage of two-dimensional schooling events, particle tracking, and projected static and dynamic light fields to observe and control the behavior of negatively phototaxic fish schools (Hemigrammus bleheri). First, …


Additive Modulation Of Dna-Dna Interactions By Interstitial Ions, Wei Meng, Raju Timsina, Abby Bull, Kurt Andresen, Xiangyun Qiu May 2020

Additive Modulation Of Dna-Dna Interactions By Interstitial Ions, Wei Meng, Raju Timsina, Abby Bull, Kurt Andresen, Xiangyun Qiu

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Quantitative understanding of biomolecular electrostatics, particularly involving multivalent ions and highly charged surfaces, remains lacking. Ion-modulated interactions between nucleic acids provide a model system in which electrostatics plays a dominant role. Using ordered DNA arrays neutralized by spherical cobalt3+ hexammine and Mg2+ ions, we investigate how the interstitial ions modulate DNA-DNA interactions. Using methods of ion counting, osmotic stress, and x-ray diffraction, we systematically determine thermodynamic quantities, including ion chemical potentials, ion partition, DNA osmotic pressure and force, and DNA-DNA spacing. Analyses of the multidimensional data provide quantitative insights into their interdependencies. The key finding of this study is that …


Similarities Between Insect Swarms And Isothermal Globular Clusters, Dan Gorbonos, Kasper Van Der Vaart, Michael Sinhuber, James G. Puckett, Andrew M. Reynolds, Nicholas T. Ouellette, Nir S. Gov Mar 2020

Similarities Between Insect Swarms And Isothermal Globular Clusters, Dan Gorbonos, Kasper Van Der Vaart, Michael Sinhuber, James G. Puckett, Andrew M. Reynolds, Nicholas T. Ouellette, Nir S. Gov

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Previous work has suggested that disordered swarms of flying insects can be well modeled as self-gravitating systems, as long as the “gravitational” interaction is adaptive. Motivated by this work, we compare the predictions of the classic, mean-field King model for isothermal globular clusters to observations of insect swarms. Detailed numerical simulations of regular and adaptive gravity allow us to expose the features of the swarms' density and velocity profiles that are due to long-range interactions and are captured by the King model phenomenology, and those that are due to adaptivity and short-range repulsion. Our results provide further support for adaptive …


Three-Dimensional Time-Resolved Trajectories From Laboratory Insect Swarms, Michael Sinhuber, Kasper Van Der Vaart, Rui Ni, James G. Puckett, Douglas H. Kelley, Nicholas T. Ouellette Mar 2019

Three-Dimensional Time-Resolved Trajectories From Laboratory Insect Swarms, Michael Sinhuber, Kasper Van Der Vaart, Rui Ni, James G. Puckett, Douglas H. Kelley, Nicholas T. Ouellette

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Aggregations of animals display complex and dynamic behaviour, both at the individual level and on the level of the group as a whole. Often, this behaviour is collective, so that the group exhibits properties that are distinct from those of the individuals. In insect swarms, the motion of individuals is typically convoluted, and swarms display neither net polarization nor correlation. The swarms themselves, however, remain nearly stationary and maintain their cohesion even in noisy natural environments. This behaviour stands in contrast with other forms of collective animal behaviour, such as flocking, schooling, or herding, where the motion of individuals is …


Collective Gradient Sensing In Fish Schools, James G. Puckett, Aawaz R. Pokhrel, Julia A. Giannini May 2018

Collective Gradient Sensing In Fish Schools, James G. Puckett, Aawaz R. Pokhrel, Julia A. Giannini

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Throughout the animal kingdom, animals frequently benefit from living in groups. Models of collective behaviour show that simple local interactions are sufficient to generate group morphologies found in nature (swarms, flocks and mills). However, individuals also interact with the complex noisy environment in which they live. In this work, we experimentally investigate the group performance in navigating a noisy light gradient of two unrelated freshwater species: golden shiners (Notemigonuscrysoleucas) and rummy nose tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri). We find that tetras outperform shiners due to their innate individual ability to sense the environmental gradient. Using numerical simulations, we examine how group performance …


Universality Of Quantum Information In Chaotic Cfts, Nima Lashkari, Anatoly Dymarsky, Hong Liu Mar 2018

Universality Of Quantum Information In Chaotic Cfts, Nima Lashkari, Anatoly Dymarsky, Hong Liu

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We study the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis (ETH) in chaotic conformal field theories (CFTs) of arbitrary dimensions. Assuming local ETH, we compute the reduced density matrix of a ball-shaped subsystem of finite size in the infinite volume limit when the full system is an energy eigenstate. This reduced density matrix is close in trace distance to a density matrix, to which we refer as the ETH density matrix, that is independent of all the details of an eigenstate except its energy and charges under global symmetries. In two dimensions, the ETH density matrix is universal for all theories with the …


The Impact Of Base Stacking On The Conformations And Electrostatics Of Single-Stranded Dna, Alex Plumridge, Steve P. Meisburger, Kurt Andresen, Lois Pollack Feb 2017

The Impact Of Base Stacking On The Conformations And Electrostatics Of Single-Stranded Dna, Alex Plumridge, Steve P. Meisburger, Kurt Andresen, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is notable for its interactions with ssDNA binding proteins (SSBs) during fundamentally important biological processes including DNA repair and replication. Previous work has begun to characterize the conformational and electrostatic properties of ssDNA in association with SSBs. However, the conformational distributions of free ssDNA have been difficult to determine. To capture the vast array of ssDNA conformations in solution, we pair small angle X-ray scattering with novel ensemble fitting methods, obtaining key parameters such as the size, shape and stacking character of strands with different sequences. Complementary ion counting measurements using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy …


Quantitative Analysis Of Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy On Folded Chromatin Fibers, He Meng, Kurt Andresen, John Van Noort Apr 2015

Quantitative Analysis Of Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy On Folded Chromatin Fibers, He Meng, Kurt Andresen, John Van Noort

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Single-molecule techniques allow for picoNewton manipulation and nanometer accuracy measurements of single chromatin fibers. However, the complexity of the data, the heterogeneity of the composition of individual fibers and the relatively large fluctuations in extension of the fibers complicate a structural interpretation of such force-extension curves. Here we introduce a statistical mechanics model that quantitatively describes the extension of individual fibers in response to force on a per nucleosome basis. Four nucleosome conformations can be distinguished when pulling a chromatin fiber apart. A novel, transient conformation is introduced that coexists with single wrapped nucleosomes between 3 and 7 pN. Comparison …


Temperature Dependent C-Axis Hole Mobilities In Rubrene Single Crystals Determined By Time-Of-Flight, Russell L. Lidberg, Tom J. Pundsack, Neale O. Haugen, Lucas R. Johnstone, C. Daniel Frisbie Mar 2015

Temperature Dependent C-Axis Hole Mobilities In Rubrene Single Crystals Determined By Time-Of-Flight, Russell L. Lidberg, Tom J. Pundsack, Neale O. Haugen, Lucas R. Johnstone, C. Daniel Frisbie

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Hole mobilities (μ) in rubrene single crystals (space group Cmca) along the crystallographic c-axis have been investigated as a function of temperature and applied electric field by the time-of-fight method. Measurements demonstrate an inverse power law dependence on temperature, namely,μ=μ0T−n with n = 1.8, from room temperature down to 180 K. At 296 K, the average value of μ was found to be 0.29 cm2/Vs increasing to an average value of 0.70 cm2/Vs at 180 K. Below 180 K a decrease in mobility is observed with further cooling. Overall, these results confirm the …


Searching For Effective Forces In Laboratory Insect Swarms, James G. Puckett, Douglas H. Kelley, Nicholas T. Ouellette Apr 2014

Searching For Effective Forces In Laboratory Insect Swarms, James G. Puckett, Douglas H. Kelley, Nicholas T. Ouellette

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Collective animal behaviour is often modeled by systems of agents that interact via effective social forces, including short-range repulsion and long-range attraction. We search for evidence of such effective forces by studying laboratory swarms of the flying midge Chironomus riparius. Using multi-camera stereoimaging and particle-tracking techniques, we record three-dimensional trajectories for all the individuals in the swarm. Acceleration measurements show a clear short-range repulsion, which we confirm by considering the spatial statistics of the midges, but no conclusive long-range interactions. Measurements of the mean free path of the insects also suggest that individuals are on average very weakly coupled, but …


Solution Scattering And Fret Studies Of Nucleosomes Reveal Dna: Unwrapping Effects Of H3 And H4 Tail Removal, Kurt Andresen, Isabel Jimenez-Useche, Steven C. Howell, Chongli Yuan, Xiangyun Qiu Nov 2013

Solution Scattering And Fret Studies Of Nucleosomes Reveal Dna: Unwrapping Effects Of H3 And H4 Tail Removal, Kurt Andresen, Isabel Jimenez-Useche, Steven C. Howell, Chongli Yuan, Xiangyun Qiu

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Using a combination of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements we have determined the role of the H3 and H4 histone tails, independently, in stabilizing the nucleosome DNA terminal ends from unwrapping from the nucleosome core. We have performed solution scattering experiments on recombinant wild-type, H3 and H4 tail-removed mutants and fit all scattering data with predictions from PDB models and compared these experiments to complementary DNA-end FRET experiments. Based on these combined SAXS and FRET studies, we find that while all nucleosomes exhibited DNA unwrapping, the extent of this unwrapping is increased for nucleosomes …


Ion Competition In Condensed Dna Arrays In The Attractive Regime, Xiangyun Qiu, John Giannini, Steven C. Howell, Qi Xia, Fuyou Ke, Kurt Andresen Aug 2013

Ion Competition In Condensed Dna Arrays In The Attractive Regime, Xiangyun Qiu, John Giannini, Steven C. Howell, Qi Xia, Fuyou Ke, Kurt Andresen

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Physical origin of DNA condensation by multivalent cations remains unsettled. Here, we report quantitative studies of how one DNA-condensing ion (Cobalt3+ Hexammine, or Co3+Hex) and one nonDNA-condensing ion (Mg2+) compete within the interstitial space in spontaneously condensed DNA arrays. As the ion concentrations in the bath solution are systematically varied, the ion contents and DNA-DNA spacings of the DNA arrays are determined by atomic emission spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively. To gain quantitative insights, we first compare the experimentally determined ion contents with predictions from exact numerical calculations based on nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equations. Such calculations …


Elucidating Internucleosome Interactions And The Roles Of Histone Tails, Steven C. Howell, Kurt Andresen, Isabel Jimenez-Useche, Chongli Yuan, Xiangyun Qiu Jul 2013

Elucidating Internucleosome Interactions And The Roles Of Histone Tails, Steven C. Howell, Kurt Andresen, Isabel Jimenez-Useche, Chongli Yuan, Xiangyun Qiu

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The nucleosome is the first level of genome organization and regulation in eukaryotes where negatively charged DNA is wrapped around largely positively charged histone proteins. Interaction between nucleosomes is dominated by electrostatics at long range and guided by specific contacts at short range, particularly involving their flexible histone tails. We have thus quantified how internucleosome interactions are modulated by salts (KCl, MgCl2) and histone tail deletions (H3, H4 N-terminal), using small-angle x-ray scattering and theoretical modeling. We found that measured effective charges at low salts are ∼1/5th of the theoretically predicted renormalized charges and that H4 tail deletion …


Reconstructing Three-Dimensional Shape Envelopes From Time-Resolved Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering Data, Jessica Lamb, Lisa W. Kwok, Xiangyun Qiu, Kurt Andresen, Hye Yoon Park, Lois Pollack Dec 2008

Reconstructing Three-Dimensional Shape Envelopes From Time-Resolved Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering Data, Jessica Lamb, Lisa W. Kwok, Xiangyun Qiu, Kurt Andresen, Hye Yoon Park, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Modern computing power has made it possible to reconstruct low-resolution, three-dimensional shapes from solution small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data on biomolecules without a priori knowledge of the structure. In conjunction with rapid mixing techniques, SAXS has been applied to time resolve conformational changes accompanying important biological processes, such as biomolecular folding. In response to the widespread interest in SAXS reconstructions, their value in conjunction with such time-resolved data has been examined. The group I intron from Tetrahymena thermophila and its P4–P6 subdomain are ideal model systems for investigation owing to extensive previous studies, including crystal structures. The goal of this …


Abrupt Transition From A Free, Repulsive To A Condensed, Attractive Dna Phase, Induced By Multivalent Polyamine Cations, Xiangyun Qiu, Kurt Andresen, Jessica S. Lamb, Lisa W. Kwok, Lois Pollack Nov 2008

Abrupt Transition From A Free, Repulsive To A Condensed, Attractive Dna Phase, Induced By Multivalent Polyamine Cations, Xiangyun Qiu, Kurt Andresen, Jessica S. Lamb, Lisa W. Kwok, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have investigated the energetics of DNA condensation by multivalent polyamine cations. Solution small angle x-ray scattering was used to monitor interactions between short 25 base pair dsDNA strands in the free supernatant DNA phase that coexists with the condensed DNA phase. Interestingly, when tetravalent spermine is used, significant inter-DNA repulsion is observed in the free phase, in contrast with the presumed inter-DNA attraction in the coexisting condensed phase. DNA condensation thus appears to be a discrete, first-order-like, transition from a repulsive gaseous to an attractive condensed solid phase, in accord with the reported all-or-none condensation of giant DNA. We …


Mono- And Trivalent Ions Around Dna: A Small-Angle Scattering Study Of Competition And Interactions, Kurt Andresen, Xiangyun Qiu, Suzette A. Pabit, Jessica S. Lamb, Hye Yoon Park, Lisa W. Kwok, Lois Pollack Jul 2008

Mono- And Trivalent Ions Around Dna: A Small-Angle Scattering Study Of Competition And Interactions, Kurt Andresen, Xiangyun Qiu, Suzette A. Pabit, Jessica S. Lamb, Hye Yoon Park, Lisa W. Kwok, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The presence of small numbers of multivalent ions in DNA-containing solutions results in strong attractive forces between DNA strands. Despite the biological importance of this interaction, e.g., DNA condensation, its physical origin remains elusive.Wecarried out a series of experiments to probe interactions between short DNA strands as small numbers of trivalent ions are included in a solution containing DNA and monovalent ions. Using resonant (anomalous) and nonresonant small angle x-ray scattering, we coordinated measurements of the number and distribution of each ion species around the DNA with the onset of attractive forces between DNA strands. DNA-DNA interactions occur as the …


Inter-Dna Attraction Mediated By Divalent Counterions, Xiangyun Qiu, Kurt Andresen, Lisa W. Kwok, Jessica S. Lamb, Hye Yoon Park, Lois Pollack Jul 2007

Inter-Dna Attraction Mediated By Divalent Counterions, Xiangyun Qiu, Kurt Andresen, Lisa W. Kwok, Jessica S. Lamb, Hye Yoon Park, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Can nonspecifically bound divalent counterions induce attraction between DNA strands? Here, we present experimental evidence demonstrating attraction between short DNA strands mediated by Mg2 ions. Solution small angle x-ray scattering data collected as a function of DNA concentration enable model independent extraction of the second virial coefficient. As the [Mg2] increases, this coefficient turns from positive to negative reflecting the transition from repulsive to attractive inter-DNA interaction. This surprising observation is corroborated by independent light scattering experiments. The dependence of the observed attraction on experimental parameters including DNA length provides valuable clues to its origin.


Focusing Capillary Optics For Use In Solution Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering, Jessica S. Lamb, Sterling Cornaby, Kurt Andresen, Lisa W. Kwok, Hye Yoon Park, Xiangyun Qiu, Detlef-M. Smilgies, Donald H. Bilderback, Lois Pollack Feb 2007

Focusing Capillary Optics For Use In Solution Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering, Jessica S. Lamb, Sterling Cornaby, Kurt Andresen, Lisa W. Kwok, Hye Yoon Park, Xiangyun Qiu, Detlef-M. Smilgies, Donald H. Bilderback, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Measurements of the global conformation of macromolecules can be carried out using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Glass focusing capillaries, manufactured at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), have been successfully employed for SAXS measurements on the heme protein cytochrome c. These capillaries provide high X-ray flux into a spot size of tens of micrometres, permitting short exposures of small-volume samples. Such a capability is ideal for use in conjunction with microfluidic mixers, where time resolution may be determined by beam size and sample volumes are kept small to facilitate mixing and conserve material.


Measuring Inter-Dna Potentials In Solution, Xiangyun Qiu, Lisa W. Kwok, Hye Yoon Park, Jessica S. Lamb, Kurt Andresen, Lois Pollack Apr 2006

Measuring Inter-Dna Potentials In Solution, Xiangyun Qiu, Lisa W. Kwok, Hye Yoon Park, Jessica S. Lamb, Kurt Andresen, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Interactions between short strands of DNA can be tuned from repulsive to attractive by varying solution conditions and have been quantified using small angle x-ray scattering techniques. The effective DNA interaction charge was extracted by fitting the scattering profiles with the generalized one-component method and inter-DNA Yukawa pair potentials. A significant charge is measured at low to moderate monovalent counterion concentrations, resulting in strong inter-DNA repulsion. The charge and repulsion diminish rapidly upon the addition of divalent counterions. An intriguing short range attraction is observed at surprisingly low divalent cation concentrations, ~16 mM Mg2+. Quantitative measurements of inter- DNA potentials …


Spatial Distribution Of Competing Ions Around Dna In Solution, Kurt Andresen, R. Das, Hye Yoon Park, H. Smith, Lisa W. Kwok, Jessica S. Lamb, E. J. Kirkland, D. Herschlag, K. D. Finkelstein, Lois Pollack Dec 2004

Spatial Distribution Of Competing Ions Around Dna In Solution, Kurt Andresen, R. Das, Hye Yoon Park, H. Smith, Lisa W. Kwok, Jessica S. Lamb, E. J. Kirkland, D. Herschlag, K. D. Finkelstein, Lois Pollack

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The competition of monovalent and divalent cations for proximity to negatively charged DNA is of biological importance and can provide strong constraints for theoretical treatments of polyelectrolytes. Resonant x-ray scattering experiments have allowed us to monitor the number and distribution of each cation in a mixed ion cloud around DNA. These measurements provide experimental evidence to support a general theoretical prediction: the normalized distribution of each ion around polyelectrolytes remains constant when ions are mixed at different ratios. In addition, the amplitudes of the scattering signals throughout the competition provide a measurement of the surface concentration parameter that predicts the …