Biomedical subjects

F Ludewig

Publications and source records attributed to F Ludewig.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Reversing the Brazil nut effect.

We propose a lattice model for studying the Brazil Nut Effect (BNE), i.e. the phase segregation occurring when a granular material is vertically shaked. The model considers the tap intensity and the mobility mu of the grains as the main physical parameters. Different mobilities for different grain species lead to segregation (BNE) patterns, reverse segregation (RBNE) patterns, "sandwhich" layered structures or vertical domains. A phase diagram (decompaction chi, mobility difference between both species Delta mu) is obtained in which the different phases are emphasized. In a narrow region of the diagram, different phases coexist. It is shown that the BNE segregation could be reversed by increasing the tap intensity or the characteristics of the grains. Numerical results are compared with earlier experimental works.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Effect of friction in a toy model of granular compaction.

A toy model of granular compaction which includes some resistance due to granular arches is proposed. In this model, the solid/solid friction of contacting grains is a key parameter and a slipping threshold omega(c) is defined. Realistic compaction behaviors have been obtained. Two regimes separated by a critical point omega*(c) of the slipping threshold have been emphasized: (i) a slow compaction with lots of paralyzed regions and (ii) an inverse logarithmic dynamics with a power-law scaling of grain mobility. Below the critical point omega*(c) , the physical properties of this frozen system become independent of omega(c) . Above the critical point omega*(c) --i.e., for low friction values--the packing properties behave as described by the classical Janssen theory for silos.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

High CO2-mediated down-regulation of photosynthetic gene transcripts is caused by accelerated leaf senescence rather than sugar accumulation.

The influence of elevated atmospheric CO2 on transcript levels of photosynthetic genes was investigated in leaves of Nicotiana tabacum cv. SamsunNN and cv. Wisconsin38 plants. Plants were grown under ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (800/1,000 ppm) atmospheric CO2, and transcript levels were determined in leaves of different age. Down-regulation of photosynthetic gene transcripts was apparent in senesing leaves only. A correlation between transcript levels and leaf contents of soluble sugars could not be found. To investigate whether a shift in leaf ontogeny would be involved in the regulation of photosynthetic genes transgenic tobacco plants expressing either the gus or ipt gene under control of the senescence-specific SAG-12 promoter [Gan, S. and Amasino, R.M. (1995) Science 270, 1986-1988] were included in our studies. As expected SAG-12-driven GUS activity increased with leaf age. This increase of GUS activity was stimulated by elevated atmospheric CO2, accompanied by a loss of chlorophyll and the down-regulation of photosynthetic genes, verifying that high CO2 accelerates leaf ontogeny. Senescence as well as down-regulation of photosynthetic genes could be delayed by ipt expression. Levels of soluble sugars were indistinguishable from wild type or even slightly elevated in ipt transgenic plants. Therefore, sugar accumulation as a cause for down-regulation of photosynthetic genes under high CO2 can be excluded. It appears more likely that the high CO2-mediated decline in photosynthetic gene transcripts is due to a temporal shift in leaf ontogeny.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗

PubMed2000

Ontogenetic changes of potato plants during acclimation to elevated carbon dioxide.

Transgenic potato plants (Solanum tuberosum cv. Desirée) with an antisense repression of the chloroplastic triosephosphate translocator were compared with wild-type plants. Plants were grown in chambers with either an atmosphere with ambient (400 mu bar) or elevated (1000 mu bar) CO2. After 7 weeks, the rate of CO2 assimilation between wild-type and transgenic plants in both CO2 concentrations was identical, but the tuber yield of both plant lines was increased by about 30%, when grown in elevated CO2. One explanation is that plants respond to the elevated CO2 only at a certain growth stage. Therefore, growth of wild-type plants was analysed between the second and the seventh week. Relative growth rate and CO2 assimilation were stimulated in elevated CO2 only in the second and the third weeks. During this period, the carbohydrate content of leaves grown with elevated CO2 was lower than that of leaves grown with ambient CO2. In plants grown in elevated CO2, the rate of CO2 assimilation started to decline after 5 weeks, and accumulation of carbohydrates began after 7 weeks. From this observation it was concluded that acclimation of potato plants to elevated CO2 is the result of accelerated development rather than of carbohydrate accumulation causing down-regulation of photosynthesis. For a detailed analysis for the cause of the stimulation of growth after 2 weeks, the contents of phosphorylated intermediates of wild-type plants and transgenics were measured. Stimulation of CO2 assimilation was accompanied by changes in the contents of phosphorylated intermediates, resulting in an increase in the amount of dihydroxyacetone phosphate, the metabolite which is exported from the chloroplast into the cytosol. An increase of dihydroxyacetone phosphate was found in wild-type plants in elevated CO2 when compared with ambient CO2 and in triosephosphate translocator antisense plants in ambient CO2, but not in the transgenic plants when grown in elevated CO2. These plants were not able to increase dihydroxyacetone phosphate further to cope with the increased CO2 supply. From these changes in phosphorylated intermediates in wild-type and transgenic plants it was concluded that starch and sucrose synthesis pathways can replace each other only at moderate carbon flux rates.

Acclimatization↗

PubMed1998

The role of transient starch in acclimation to elevated atmospheric CO2.

Although increased concentrations of CO2 stimulate photosynthesis, this stimulation is often lost during prolonged exposure to elevated carbon dioxide, leading to an attenuation of the potential gain in yield. Under these conditions, a wide variety of species accumulates non-structural carbohydrates in leaves. It has been proposed that starch accumulation directly inhibits photosynthesis, that the rate of sucrose and starch synthesis limits photosynthesis, or that accumulation of sugars triggers changes in gene expression resulting in lower activities of Rubisco and inhibition of photosynthesis. To distinguish these explanations, transgenic plants unable to accumulate transient starch due to leaf mesophyll-specific antisense expression of AGP B were grown at ambient and elevated carbon dioxide. There was a positive correlation between the capacity for starch synthesis and the rate of photosynthesis at elevated CO2 concentrations, showing that the capability to synthesize leaf starch is essential for photosynthesis in elevated carbon dioxide. The results show that in elevated carbon dioxide, photosynthesis is restricted by the rate of end product synthesis. Accumulation of starch is not responsible for inhibition of photosynthesis. Although transgenic plants contained increased levels of hexoses, transcripts of photosynthetic genes were not downregulated and Rubisco activity was not decreased arguing against a role of sugar sensing in acclimation to high CO2.

Acclimatization↗