Selenium redox cycling in the protective effects of organoselenides against oxidant-induced DNA damage

The biological role of selenium is a subject of intense current interest, and the antioxidant activity of selenoenzymes is now known to be dependent upon redox cycling of selenium within their active sites. Exogenously supplied or metabolically generated organoselenium compounds, capable of propagating a selenium redox cycle, might therefore supplement natural cellular defenses against the oxidizing agents generated during metabolism. We now report evidence that selenium redox cycling can enhance the protective effects of organoselenium compounds against oxidant-induced DNA damage. Phenylaminoethyl selenides were found to protect plasmid DNA from peroxynitrite-mediated damage by scavenging this powerful cellular oxidant and forming phenylaminoethyl selenoxides as the sole selenium-containing products. The redox properties of these organoselenoxide compounds were investigated, and the first redox potentials of selenoxides in the literature are reported here. Rate constants were determined for the reactions of the selenoxides with cellular reductants such as glutathione (GSH). These kinetic data were then used in a MatLab simulation, which showed the feasibility of selenium redox cycling by GSH in the presence of the cellular oxidant, peroxynitrite. Experiments were then carried out in which peroxynitrite-mediated plasmid DNA nick formation in the presence or absence of organoselenium compounds and GSH was monitored. The results demonstrate that GSH-mediated redox cycling of selenium enhances the protective effects of phenylaminoethyl selenides against peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage.     

Experimental implementation of a concatenated quantum error-correcting code

Concatenated coding provides a general strategy to achieve the desired level of noise protection in quantum information processing. We report the implementation of a concatenated quantum error-correcting code able to correct phase errors with a strong correlated component. The experiment was performed using liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance techniques on a four spin subsystem of labeled crotonic acid. Our results show that concatenation between active and passive quantum error correction is a practical tool to handle realistic noise involving both independent and correlated errors.     

Trapped ion chain as a neural network: error resistant quantum computation

We demonstrate the possibility of realizing a neural network in a chain of trapped ions with induced long range interactions. Such models permit one to store information distributed over the whole system. The storage capacity of such a network, which depends on the phonon spectrum of the system, can be controlled by changing the external trapping potential. We analyze the implementation of error resistant universal quantum information processing in such systems.     

Characterizing the structure of preserved information in quantum processes

We introduce a general operational characterization of information-preserving structures-encompassing noiseless subsystems, decoherence-free subspaces, pointer bases, and error-correcting codes-by demonstrating that they are isometric to fixed points of unital quantum processes. Using this, we show that every information-preserving structure is a matrix algebra. We further establish a structure theorem for the fixed states and observables of an arbitrary process, which unifies the Schr?dinger and Heisenberg pictures, places restrictions on physically allowed kinds of information, and provides an efficient algorithm for finding all noiseless and unitarily noiseless subsystems of the process.     

Comment on breakup densities of hot nuclei

In [V.E. Viola et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 (2004) 132701, D.S. Bracken et al., Phys. Rev. C 69 (2004) 034612] the observed decrease in spectral peak energies of IMFs emitted from hot nuclei was interpreted in terms of a breakup density that decreased with increasing excitation energy. Subsequently, Raduta et al. [Ad. Raduta et al., Phys. Lett. B 623 (2005) 43] performed MMM simulations that showed decreasing spectral peaks could be obtained at constant density. In this Letter we point out that this apparent inconsistency is due to a selective comparison of theory and data that overlooks the evolution of the fragment multiplicities as a function of excitation energy.     

High energy radiation fluences in the ISS-USLab: Ion discrimination and particle abundances

The ALTEA (Anomalous Long Term Effects on Astronauts) detector was used to characterize the radiation environment inside the USLab of the International Space Station (ISS), where it measured the abundances of ions from Be to Fe. We compare the ALTEA results with Alteino results obtained in the PIRS module of the Russian segment of the ISS, and normalize to the high energy Si abundances given by Simpson. These are the first particle spectral measurements, which include ions up to Fe, performed in the USLab. The small differences observed between those made inside the USLab and the Simpson abundances can be attributed to the transport through the spacecraft hull. However, the low abundance of Fe cannot be attributed to only this process.     

Synthesis of bifunctional chelating agents based on mono and diphosphonic derivatives of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid

Bifunctional chelating agents (BFCAs) are small molecules containing a chelating unit, able to strongly coordinate a metal ion, and a reactive functional group, devised to form a stable covalent bond with another molecule. BFCAs are widely employed since their conjugation to a suitable biomolecule (e.g., a peptide or an antibody) allows the synthesis of diagnostic or therapeutic agents that specifically target diseased tissue with metals or radiometals. For this reason, BFCAs find application in diagnostic imaging, molecular imaging, and radiotherapy of cancer. The synthesis of new BFCAs based on a diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) structure in which one or two carboxylic groups are replaced with phosphonic units is described. The phosphonic group, aside from being a classical isostere of the carboxylic acid in coordination chemistry, allows to modulate the physico-chemical properties of the ligands and of the corresponding complexes.     

Smart Coatings Prepared via MAPLE Deposition of Polymer Nanocapsules for Light-Induced Release

Herein, smart coatings based on photo-responsive polymer nanocapsules (NC) and deposited by laser evaporation are presented. These systems combine remotely controllable release and high encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles with the easy handling and safety of macroscopic substrates. In particular, azobenzene-based NC loaded with active molecules (thyme oil and coumarin 6) were deposited through Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) on flat inorganic (KBr) and organic (polyethylene, PE) and 3D (acrylate-based micro-needle array) substrates. SEM analyses highlighted the versatility and performance of MAPLE in the fabrication of the designed smart coatings. DLS analyses, performed on both MAPLE- and drop casting-deposited NC, demonstrated the remarkable adhesion achieved with MAPLE. Finally, thyme oil and coumarin 6 release experiments further demonstrated that MAPLE is a promising technique for the realization of photo-responsive coatings on various substrates.