Pharmacokinetics of lithium in rat brain regions by spectroscopic imaging

Lithium (Li) and its salts have been demonstrated to be the most effective drug in both acute and prophylactic treatment of bipolar disorder. The exact molecular mechanisms and particular target regions accounting for its mood-stabilizing effect remain unknown. Knowledge of Li distribution and its regional pharmacokinetic properties in the living brain is of value in localizing its action in the brain. Pharmacokinetic measurements in different anatomical regions of the human brain are not yet available. Limited pharmacokinetic measurements in rat brain subvolumes have been performed using atomic absorption technique. However, a noninvasive way of estimating the pharmacokinetics in different regions of the brain where the drug exerts its beneficial effects would allow such methods to be used in the study of patients undergoing Li therapy. Earlier (7)Li MR studies on rat brain regions have provided preliminary pharmacokinetic information from the whole brain. Using (7)Li MR spectroscopic imaging (SI) technology, Li distribution in brain regions of the rat at therapeutic dosages has been recently demonstrated by us. Here we report feasibility of local pharmacokinetic measurements on brain regions obtained by magnetic resonance SI technology. Our results suggest that Li is most active in a region stretching from the anterior cingulate cortex and striatum to the caudal midbrain, with greatest activity including the preoptic area and hypothalamic region. Some activity was seen in prefrontal cortex, but only minimal amounts in the region of the cerebellum and metencephalic brainstem.     

A comparison of several invariant imbedding algorithms for the solution of two-point boundary-value problems

A comparison of several invariant imbedding algorithms for the numerical solution of two-point boundary-value problems is presented. These include the Scott algorithm, the Kagiwada-Kalaba algorithm, the addition formulas, and the sweep method. Advantages and disadvantages of each algorithm are discussed, and numerical examples are presented.     

Transfer reactions induced by 12C ON 18O and 26Mg AT 46 MeV

It is argued that a recent claim that there is an error of a factor of two in the Law- Campbell theory of K-electron shake-off in β^? decay is wrong.     

Diffusion coefficient depends on time, not on absorption

The recent controversy over whether the photon diffusion coefficient depends on absorption is addressed by use of the analytical solution of the photon transport equation in an infinite homogeneous scattering medium. The diffusion coefficient is found to be independent of absorption but temporally dependent. After a long period of time, the photon diffusion coefficient approaches D=1/3mu(s)(?) , which supports a claim made by Furutsu and Yamada [Phys. Rev. E 50, 3634 (1994)]. At early times, the diffusion coefficient is smaller than D=1/3mu(s)(?) , but this reduction cannot be expressed as D=1/3(mu(s)(?)+mu(a)) , since the time-dependent diffusion coefficient is found to be unrelated to absorption.     

A very complicated structure of resonances in a nonlinear system with cyclic symmetry: Nonlinear forced localization

The fundamental and subharmonic resonances of a nonlinear cyclic assembly are examined using the asymptotic method of multiple-scales. The system consists of a number of identical cantilever beams coupled by means of weak linear stiffnesses. Assuming beam inextensionality, geometric nonlinearities arise due to longitudinal inertia and the nonlinear relation between beam curvature and transverse displacement. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are discretized by a Galerkin procedure and the resulting set of coupled ordinary differential equations is solved using an asymptotic analysis. The unforced assembly is known to possess localized nonlinear normal modes, which give rise to a very complicated topological structure of fundamental and subharmonic response curves. In contrast to the linear system which exhibits as many forced resonances as its number of degrees of freedom, the nonlinear system is found to possess a number of additional resonance branches which have no counterparts in linear theory. Some of the additional resonances are spatially localized, corresponding to motions of only a small subset of periodic elements. The analytical results are verified by numerical Poincaré maps, and the forced localization features of the nonlinear assembly are demonstrated by considering its response to impulsive excitations.     

Detecting and modeling nonlinearity in the gas furnace data

Using a modification of the Hinich, J Time Ser Anal 3(3):169–176, (1982) bispectrum test for nonlinearity and Gaussianity, the residuals of the Tiao and Box, J Am Stat Assoc 76:802–816, (1981) constrained and unconstrained VAR models for the gas furnace data reject the assumption of Gaussianity and linearity over a grid of bandwidths for estimating the bispectrum. These findings call into question the specification of the linear VAR and VARMA models assumed by Tiao and Box, J Am Stat Assoc 76:802–816, (1981). Utilizing the alternative Hinich J Nonparametr Stat 6:205–221, (1996) nonlinearity test, the residuals of the VAR model were shown to exhibit episodic nonlinearity. The sensitivity of the findings to outliers is investigated by estimating and testing the residuals of L1 and MINIMAX models from 1–6 lags. Building on the linear dynamic specification, a multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) model is estimated, using two software implementations, and shown to remove the nonlinearity in the residuals. Leverage plots were used to illustrate the “cost” of imposing a linearity assumption. Out-of-sample forecasting tests from 1–6 periods ahead found that using the sum-of-squared errors criteria, the MARS model out performed ACE, GAM and projection pursuit models.     

Bionano donor-acceptor hybrids of porphyrin, ssDNA, and semiconductive single-wall carbon nanotubes for electron transfer via porphyrin excitation

Photoinduced electron transfer in self-assemblies of porphyrins ion-paired with ssDNA wrapped around single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been reported. To accomplish the three-component hybrids, two kinds of diameter-sorted semiconducting SWCNT(n,m)s of different diameter ((n,m) = (6,5) and (7,6)) and free-base or zinc porphyrin bearing peripheral positive charges ((TMPyP(+))M (tetrakis(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphyrin); M = Zn and H(2)) serving as light-absorbing photoactive materials are utilized. The donor-acceptor hybrids are held by ion-pairing between the negatively charged phosphate groups of ssDNA on the surface of the SWCNT and the positively charged at the ring periphery porphyrin macrocycle. The newly assembled bionano donor-acceptor hybrids have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spectroscopic methods. Photoinduced electron transfer from the excited singlet porphyrin to the SWCNTs directly and/or via ssDNA as an electron mediator has been established by performing systematic studies involving the steady-state and time-resolved emission as well as the transient absorption studies. Higher charge-separation efficiency has been successfully demonstrated by the selection of the appropriate semiconductive SWCNTs with the right band gap, in addition to the aid of ssDNA as the electron mediator.