title: Contraction behaviors ofVorticellasp. stalk investigated using high-speed video camera. II: Viscosity effect of several types of polymer additives.
abstract: The contraction process of livingVorticellasp. in polymer solutions with various viscosities has been investigated by image processing using a high-speed video camera. The viscosity of the external fluid ranges from 1 to 5mPa·s for different polymer additives such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, polyethylene oxide, and Ficoll. The temporal change in the contraction length ofVorticellasp. in various macromolecular solutions is fitted well by a stretched exponential function based on the nucleation and growth model. The maximum speed of the contractile process monotonically decreases with an increase in the external viscosity, in accordance with power law behavior. The index values approximate to 0.5 and this suggests that the viscous energy dissipated by the contraction ofVorticellasp. is constant in a macromolecular environment.
authors.affiliation: United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kamiguri
authors.affiliation: United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.affiliation: United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Ruri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hidema
authors.affiliation: United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Zenji
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yatabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakamachi Koganei-shi, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Niihama National College of Technology, 7-1 Yakumo-Cho, Niihama, Ehime 792-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Photophysique et Photochimie Supramoléculaires et Macromoléculaires, UMR 8531 CNRS, D'Alembert Institute, ENS Cachan, 61 av. President Wilson, F-94230 Cachan, France.
authors.forename: Robert Bernard
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Pansu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideharu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ushiki
keywords: Vorticella sp.; high-speed video camera; image processing; microviscosity; nucleation and growth; polymer; stretched exponential; viscosity