Effect of actin concentration on the structure of actin-containing liposomes

Liposomes encapsulating monomeric actin (G-actin) were produced via extrusion through 400 and 600 nm pore diameter polycarbonate membranes in low ionic strength buffer (G-buffer). After actin-containing liposomes were subjected to high ionic strength polymerization buffer (F-buffer), morphological changes in the structure of actin-containing liposomes were studied using asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AFFF) coupled with multiangle static light scattering (MASLS). The general shape of these liposomes was initially determined by fitting three form factors, which describe the angular distribution of scattered light from a spherical thin shell, thin disk, and thin rod, to the experimentally measured light scattering spectra to regress the dimensions of the liposomes corresponding to the proposed geometry. Light scattering spectra that yielded a best fit to the thin disk model were analyzed further and fit to the ellipsoidal of revolution form factor to regress both the major and minor axis dimensions. The results of this analysis showed that actin-containing liposomes extruded through 400 and 600 nm pore diameter membranes in F-buffer, at a low actin concentration (0.1 mg/mL), assumed a spherical shape, which is also the case for plain liposomes (no actin present) in G-buffer and F-buffer. When the actin concentration was increased to 1 mg/mL, the polymerizing actin filaments stretched the initially spherical liposome into a disklike shape. However, when the actin concentration was further increased to 5 mg/mL, the liposomes reverted back to a spherical shape.     

Mean configurational distribution function for the steady state and stern-volmer representation

A slight discrepancy appears between the treatment of the steady state of diffusion controlled bimolecular quenching of excited species either by the pair model or by the continuum model. A simplifying assumption is pointed out which helps to solve the steady state case but which is responsible for the discrepancy. The error involved is of small importance considering the experimental accuracy.

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Generation of high quality tunable Bessel beams using a liquid-immersion axicon

By immersing a conventional glass axicon in index-matching liquid, we generated high quality, tunable, quasi-non-diffracting Bessel beams. The aberrations resulting from the roundness of the axicon tip are minimized when a large base angle is used in liquid-immersion. This configuration also allows coarse and fine tunability through changing the liquid and adjusting the temperature, respectively. Our experimental results match very well with calculated intensity profiles. We succeeded to generate two-meter long plasma channels in air by focusing femtosecond laser pulses with the liquid-immersion axicon.     

3-D echo planar (1)HMRS imaging in MS: metabolite comparison from supratentorial vs. central brain

To determine if metabolite ratios as measured by 3-dimensional echo planar spectroscopy imaging (3D-EPSI) from central brain regions of interest (ROI) centered at the corpus callosum reflect imaging metrics of large volumes of supratentorial brain (STB) from patients with multiple sclerosis. METHODS: 48 MS patients with relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, and primary progressive disease underwent a 3D-EPSI sequence covering large volumes of STB. Metabolite ratios were first estimated from all voxels within a STB mask using a linear regression of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) over Creatine (Cr), NAA over choline (Cho) and Cho over Cr. Secondly, spectroscopic voxels from a central brain (CB) ROI centered at the corpus callosum were selected within the STB. Ratios were compared using Bland-Altman regression analysis and Spearman's correlation coefficients between STB versus central brain. Ratios from studied ROIs were correlated with the EDSS and compared to normal controls. RESULTS: Very strong correlations ranging from 0.884 and 0.938 (p < 0.0001) were found for all metabolite ratios between STB versus central brain. NAA/Cr ratios were similarly and negatively correlated with the EDSS across all ROIs, trends ranging from -0.257 to -0.314 (p < 0.1). NAA/Cr from all MS patients was similarly decreased compared to controls across all ROIs (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Metabolite ratios from a central brain ROI were statistically equivalent and highly correlated with ratios from the STB. The study of NAA/Cr using (1)HMRS from a central brain ROI centered at the corpus callosum seems to be representative of brainwide axonal changes in patients with MS.     

Structural changes in data communication in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks are an important technology for making distributed autonomous measures in hostile or inaccessible environments. Among the challenges they pose, the way data travel among them is a relevant issue since their structure is quite dynamic. The operational topology of such devices can often be described by complex networks. In this work, we assess the variation of measures commonly employed in the complex networks literature applied to wireless sensor networks. Four data communication strategies were considered: geometric, random, small-world, and scale-free models, along with the shortest path length measure. The sensitivity of this measure was analyzed with respect to the following perturbations: insertion and removal of nodes in the geometric strategy; and insertion, removal and rewiring of links in the other models. The assessment was performed using the normalized Kullback-Leibler divergence and Hellinger distance quantifiers, both deriving from the Information Theory framework. The results reveal that the shortest path length is sensitive to perturbations.     

On estimating a density using Hellinger distance and some other strange facts

Résumé On s'intéresse ici aux possibles vitesses d'estimation d'une densité à support compact dans ^m sous des hypothèses de régularité, lorsque la perte est mesurée par le carré de la distance de Hellinger (on regardera aussi le cas connu des normes pour 1q2) et le risque est le risque minimax sur la famille. On donne une méthode générale permettant de traiter les problèmes dans le cadre de la théorie de l'approximation sous des conditions concernant l'entropie métrique et l' -capacité des familles à estimer. Les rapports entre régularité et entropie métrique étant bien connus, nous pourrons aussi traiter les cas classiques et d'autres qui le sont moins. Sous des conditions de bornes inférieures les vitesses sont celles observées pour la norme mais elles diffèrent dans le cas général. On montre aussi que les restrictions sur la compacité du support ou la régularité sont indispensables et que leur absence mène à l'impossibilité d'obtenir une estimation raisonnable en ce sens que n'importe quelle suite d'estimateurs sera arbitrairement mauvaise en un point au moins. Un résultat analogue est vrai sous des conditions de régularité.

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This work was carried out during a visit of the author at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at Berkeley     

Thermodynamic study of alkali sulphates: Calculation of enthalpy,entropy and Gibbs free energy

Joined with measures of specific heat at low temperature , a calorimetric study of alkali sulphates from ordinary temperature to 1500 K has allowed the calculation of enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy of these salts. The value of entropy at melting point is compared with the value assessed by an acoustical method.     

Quinazolines. VII. Synthesis of 1,3-Diamino-5,6-dihydrobenzo[f]quinazolines

Eighteen new 1,3-diamino-5,6-dihydrobenzo[f] quinazolines ( 6 , R. = alkyl, Cl, MeO) were synthesized via the condensation of appropriate 2-tetralones with cyanoguanidine under fusion conditions. Methods were developed for the preparation of a number of heretofore undescribed 2-tetralones as precursors. The final products can be viewed as conformationally rigid analogs of pyrimethamine ( 2 ), and are of interest as inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase and as potential antimalarial and antitumor agents.