Kac-moody lie algebras and soliton equations: II. Lax equations associated with A1(1)

The soliton equations associated with sl(2) eigenvalue problems polynomial in the eigenvalue parameter are given a unified treatment; they are shown to be generated by a single family of commuting Hamiltonians on a subalgebra of the loop algebra of sl(2). The conserved densities and fluxes of the usual ANKS hierarchy are identified with conserved densities and fluxes for the polynomial eigenvalue problems. The Hamiltonian structures of the soliton equations associated with the polynomial eigenvalue problems are given a unified treatment.     

Kac-moody lie algebras and soliton equations: III. Stationary equations associated with A1(1)

The Hamiltonian structure of stationary soliton equations associated with the AKNS eigenvalue problem is derived in two ways. First, it is shown to arise from the Kostant-Kirillov symplectic structure on a coadjoint orbit in an infinite-dimensional Lie algebra. Second, it is obtained as the restriction to a finite-dimensional manifold of the infinite-dimensional Hamiltonian structure associated with a certain eigenvalue problem polynomial in the eigenvalue parameter.     

Propagation of solitary waves in channels of decreasing depth

The changes which occur in a right-going solitary wave as it travels a channel of decreasing depth are discussed. In addition to the changes in the solitary wave, we have found through a judicious use of the conservation laws two secondary structures (a shelf and a reflection). Each of these structures is small with respect to the solitary wave, though the mass flux associated with each is of the same order as that of the solitary wave. Of interest is that the amplitude of the reflected wave does not satisfy Green's law. But rather, the amplitude of the reflected wave is constant along left-going characteristics. This finding allows us to satisfy the mass flux conservation laws to leading order and establishes the perturbed Korteweg-deVries equation as a consistent approximation for the right-going profile.     

Cryogenic OrbiSIMS Localizes Semi‐Volatile Molecules in Biological Tissues

OrbiSIMS is a recently developed instrument for label‐free imaging of chemicals with micron spatial resolution and high mass resolution. We report a cryogenic workflow for OrbiSIMS (Cryo‐OrbiSIMS) that improves chemical detection of lipids and other biomolecules in tissues. Cryo‐OrbiSIMS boosts ionization yield and decreases ion‐beam induced fragmentation, greatly improving the detection of biomolecules such as triacylglycerides. It also increases chemical coverage to include molecules with intermediate or high vapor pressures, such as free fatty acids and semi‐volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). We find that Cryo‐OrbiSIMS reveals the hitherto unknown localization patterns of SVOCs with high spatial and chemical resolution in diverse plant, animal, and human tissues. We also show that Cryo‐OrbiSIMS can be combined with genetic analysis to identify enzymes regulating SVOC metabolism. Cryo‐OrbiSIMS is applicable to high resolution imaging of a wide variety of non‐volatile and semi‐volatile molecules across many areas of biomedicine.     

Effects on peptide binding affinity for TNFα by PEGylation and conjugation to hyaluronic acid

Conjugation of cytokine-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to hyaluronic acid (HA) having M_w of 1.6 MDa was previously shown to be an effective strategy for localized delivery to sites of inflammation. Despite the disparity in size of the mAb and HA, the mAb–HA conjugate was found bind tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) as strongly as the non-conjugated antibody, suggesting conjugation to this charged polysaccharide can provide an alternative to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugation, which has been shown to reduce binding interactions for many proteins. To explore conjugation chemistries more systematically, we report a study on a model peptide inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-α to investigate the effects of site-specific conjugation to HA and PEG. We compared the binding affinities of a variety of WP9QY peptide–polymer conjugates for TNFα in order to examine the effects of PEG molecular weight as well as the effects of PEG versus functionalized hyaluronic acid (HA) conjugation. The results indicate that the binding affinity of the PEG conjugates decreases in comparing PEG with mass 2 k, 10 k, and 30 k, which was attributed to PEG shrouding of the peptide, while conjugation to a 66 kDa HA chain preserved peptide binding affinity. We attribute this difference to the increased solubility of HA compared to PEG, potentially due to the carboxylic acid functional groups. In addition, the results demonstrate that conjugation to HA via a short PEG linker significantly enhances the association rate k_on, which may reflect an increased peptide accessibility. By balancing both the advantages associated with the PEG conjugates and with the HA conjugates, the HA–PEG2k–WP9QY conjugate was able to improve the binding affinity of the peptide for TNFα by a factor of two. Optimization of polymer chemistry could be used to improve delivery of protein therapeutics for localized and systemic administration.     

Through the eye of an electrospray needle: mass spectrometric identification of the major peptides and proteins in the milk of the one‐humped camel (Camelus dromedarius)

The milk of the one‐humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) reportedly offers medicinal benefits, perhaps because of its unique bioactive components. Milk proteins were determined by (1) two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and peptide mass mapping and (2) liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) following one‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Over 200 proteins were identified: some known camel proteins including heavy‐chain immunoglobulins and others exhibiting regions of exact homology with proteins from other species. Indigenous peptides were also identified following isolation and concentration by two strategies: (1) gel‐eluted liquid fraction entrapment electrophoresis and (2) small‐scale electrophoretic separation. Extracts were analyzed by LC–MS/MS and peptides identified by matching strategies, by de novo sequencing and by applying a sequence tag tool requiring similarity to the proposed sequence, but not an exact match. A plethora of protein cleavage products including some novel peptides were characterized. These studies demonstrate that camel milk is a rich source of peptides, some of which may serve as nutraceuticals. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel tetranuclear 5f compound: a new synthon for exploring U(IV) chemistry

In the course of structurally characterizing previously reported complexes based on the 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane)) (dmpe) ligand ([(dmpe)(2)UCl(4)] (1) and [(dmpe)(2)UMe(4)] (2)), we find that adjusting the U/dmpe ratio leads to an unprecedented species. Whereas the use of two or three equivalents of dmpe relative to UCl(4) produces 1 as a blue-green solid, the use of a 1:1 dmpe/UCl(4) stoichiometry yields [(dmpe)(4)U(4)Cl(16)]·2CH(2)Cl(2)·(3·2CH(2)Cl(2)) as a green solid. In turn, 3 is used to prepare a mixed-chelating ligand complex featuring the bidentate ligand 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dmbpy), [(dmpe)(dmbpy)UCl(4)] (4). The measured magnetic susceptibilities for 1-4 trend toward nonmagnetic ground states at low temperatures.