Interactions between antimicrobial polynorbornenes and phospholipid vesicles monitored by light scattering and microcalorimetry

Antimicrobial polynorbornenes composed of facially amphiphilic monomers have been previously reported to accurately emulate the antimicrobial activity of natural host-defense peptides (HDPs). The lethal mechanism of most HDPs involves binding to the membrane surface of bacteria leading to compromised phospholipid bilayers. In this paper, the interactions between biomimetic vesicle membranes and these cationic antimicrobial polynorbornenes are reported. Vesicle dye-leakage experiments were consistent with previous biological assays and corroborated a mode of action involving membrane disruption. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed that these antimicrobial polymers cause extensive aggregation of vesicles without complete bilayer disintegration as observed with surfactants that efficiently solubilize the membrane. Fluorescence microscopy on vesicles and bacterial cells also showed polymer-induced aggregation of both synthetic vesicles and bacterial cells. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) afforded free energy of binding values (Delta G) and polymer to lipid binding ratios, plus revealed that the interaction is entropically favorable (Delta S>0, Delta H>0). It was observed that the strength of vesicle binding was similar between the active polymers while the binding stoichiometries were dramatically different.     

Synthesis of S-Sulfonyl-Phosphinothioates and Phosphinodithioates,a Novel Organophosphorus-sulphur Structure

Abstract

Racemic and optically active S-sulphonylphosphinothioates R-SO₂-S-P(O)Bu'Ph and dithioates R-SO₂-S-P(S)Bu'Ph (R [dbnd] Me, p-tolyl) have been prepared for the first time by the reaction of the corresponding acids Bu'PhP(S)SH (X [dbnd] O,S) of their salts with sulphonylating reagents RSO₂-Y (Y [dbnd] Cl, O-SO₂R, triazolide).     

Eventual Regularity of the Solutions to the Supercritical Dissipative Quasi-Geostrophic Equation

We show that a solution to the supercritical surface quasi-geostrophic equation that is smooth up to a certain time must remain smooth forever.     

Application of small amplitude cyclic voltammetry for the investigation of Naβ-alumina/metallic electrode interface electric properties

The use of small amplitude cyclic voltammetry for investigation of the β-alumina/metallic electrode interface is proposed. Voltammetric curve analysis is based on the electric circuit consisting of three elements. The plots of the reciprocal of capacity determined from voltammograms versus the reciprocal of voltage sweep period square root are extrapolated to obtain the limiting value of capacity. This limit corresponds to C_LF obtained in the ac impedance technique. This method can be mostly useful when the low frequency limit in impedance measurements is insufficient for exact determination of capacitive components of the electric equivalent circuit.     

Singular values and Schmidt pairs of composition operators on the Hardy space

We find the singular values and corresponding Schmidt pairs of a compact composition operator Cφ induced by φ(z)=az+b, where |a|+|b|<1, on the classical Hardy space. We do so by solving a functional equation that is a generalization of Schröder's equation: find a function f, holomorphic on the open unit disc, and a complex number λ such that G(z)f(ψ(z))=λf(ψ(z)), where ψ is a holomorphic self-map of the open unit disc with an interior fixed point and G is a bounded holomorphic function on the open unit disc. In addition, we find the spectrum of the weighted composition operator MGCψ.     

An Equivalence of Scalar Curvatures on Hermitian Manifolds

For a Kähler metric, the Riemannian scalar curvature is equal to twice the Chern scalar curvature. The question we address here is whether this equivalence can hold for a non-Kähler Hermitian metric. For such metrics, if they exist, the Chern scalar curvature would have the same geometric meaning as the Riemannian scalar curvature. Recently, Liu–Yang showed that if this equivalence of scalar curvatures holds even in average over a compact Hermitian manifold, then the metric must in fact be Kähler. However, we prove that a certain class of non-compact complex manifolds do admit Hermitian metrics for which this equivalence holds. Subsequently, the question of to what extent the behavior of said metrics can be dictated is addressed and a classification theorem is proved.     

On Large Time Behavior and Selection Principle for a Diffusive Carr–Penrose Model

This paper is concerned with the study of a diffusive perturbation of the linear LSW model introduced by Carr and Penrose. A main subject of interest is to understand how the presence of diffusion acts as a selection principle, which singles out a particular self-similar solution of the linear LSW model as determining the large time behavior of the diffusive model. A selection principle is rigorously proven for a model which is a semiclassical approximation to the diffusive model. Upper bounds on the rate of coarsening are also obtained for the full diffusive model.     

On Global Asymptotic Stability for the LSW Model with Subcritical Initial Data

Journal of Statistical Physics - The main result of the paper is a global asymptotic stability result for solutions to the Lifschitz–Slyozov–Wagner (LSW) system of equations. This...