During the autumn, the third-instar larvae of the gall fly Eurosta solidaginis acquire freeze tolerance and their crystallization temperatures increase into the -8 to -10 °C range. Despite conflicting reports, efficient endogenous ice nucleators have not been identified in this freeze-tolerant insect. We found large crystalloid spheres within the Malpighian tubules of overwintering larvae. ...

An understanding of the mechanism and structure of microtubule (MT)-nucleating sites within the pericentriolar material (PCM) of the centrosome has been elusive. This is partly due to the difficulty in obtaining large quantities of centrosomes for analysis, as well as to the problem of attaining interpretable structural data with conventional EM techniques. We describe a protocol for isolating ...

As an alternative to inorganic fillers based composites which present high density, epoxy thermosetting (TS) phase was in situ created a polypropylene (PP) matrix and compatibilized by grafted maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA). The aim of this study is scrutinize the chemistry establish relation between morphology, mechanical properties, crystalline structure thermosetting/thermoplastic system. Depend...

Focal adhesions (FAs) are large multi-protein complexes that act as transmembrane links between the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton. Recently, FAs were extensively characterized, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their mechanical and signalling functions remain unresolved. To address this question, we isolated protein complexes containing different FA components, from chic...

Since most insects are unable to survive internal ice formation a key factor in their overwintering survival is the regulation of the temperature at which they spontaneously freeze. To enhance their supercooling capacity overwintering insects eliminate endogenous ice nucleators, accumulate low-molecular-weight polyols and sugars, and synthesize hemolymph antifreeze proteins. A number of freeze-...

Identifying nucleation pathway is important for understanding the kinetics of first-order phase transitions in natural systems. In the present work, we study nucleation pathway of the Ising model in homogeneous and heterogeneous networks using the forward flux sampling method, and find that the nucleation processes represent distinct features along pathways for different network topologies. For...

Biologically formed calcite crystals have unique, sculptured shapes that are believed to be regulated locally by speci"c macromolecules and by directional #ux of ions into the microenvironment of crystal growth. This paper describes a biologically inspired synthesis of patterned calcitic "lms using micropatterned self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) which served as spatially constrained microenviro...