EFFECT OF METAL IONS ON THE LUMINESCENCE OF ACRIDINE DYES BOUND TO DNA

Abstract— The luminescence of acridine dyes intercalated in DNA was studied as a function of the concurrent binding of metal ions to DNA, in an effort to deduce specific site interactions of the dyes. Two dyes, proflavine (PF) and acridine orange (AO), and two metal ions, silver and mercuric, were used. Both ions quench the fluorescence of the dyes in aqueous solution at room temperature. The metal ions have a different effect on the fluorescence of these dyes when they are intercalated between the base pairs of DNA. The fluorescence of AO is decreased when silver is bound, while the fluorescence of PF is enhanced. Since Ag⁺ initially binds to GC sites in DNA, which quench the PF fluorescence, it ostensibly 'turns off' the quenching by DNA at these sites, and this effect is greater than the quenching effect of the silver ion itself. Hg²⁺ ion initially binds to AT sites in DNA. Since both dyes fluoresce from AT sites, Hg²⁺ is expected to quench their fluorescence. This behavior is observed at low r (metal ion/base). At higher r values, however, where Hg²⁺ is expected to begin binding to GC sites, the fluorescence of PF is enhanced. These quenching turn-off effects are tentatively interpreted in terms of a change in the structure of the dye/DNA complex which occurs when a metal ion binds at the intercalation site. At 77 K. no fluorescence enhancement is observed when metal ions bind; Ag⁺ quenches the fluorescence and enhances the phosphorescence of both dyes. Qualitatively similar results are obtained with Hg²⁺.     

A minimization version of a directed subgraph homeomorphism problem

We consider a special case of the directed subgraph homeomorphism or topological minor problem, where the host graph has a specific regular structure. Given an acyclic directed pattern graph, we are looking for a host graph of minimal height which still allows for an embedding. This problem has applications in compiler design for certain coarse-grain reconfigurable architectures. In this application domain, the task is to simultaneously schedule, bind and route a so-called data-flow graph, where vertices represent operations and arcs stand for data dependencies between the operations, given an orthogonal grid structure of reconfigurable processing elements (PEs) that have restricted communication abilities. We show that the problem of simultaneously scheduling, binding and routing is NP-complete by describing a logic engine reduction from NAE-3-SAT. This result holds even when the input graph is a directed tree with maximum indegree two. We also give a |V|^3/2-approximation algorithm. J. A. Brenner’s research supported by the DFG Research Center Matheon “Mathematics for key technologies”. J. C. van der Veen’s research supported by DFG Focus Program 1148, “Reconfigurable Architectures”, Grants FE 407/8-1 and FE 407/8-2.     

Convergence of nonconforming multigrid methods without full elliptic regularity

We consider nonconforming multigrid methods for symmetric positive definite second and fourth order elliptic boundary value problems which do not have full elliptic regularity. We prove that there is a bound () for the contraction number of the -cycle algorithm which is independent of mesh level, provided that the number of smoothing steps is sufficiently large. We also show that the symmetric variable -cycle algorithm is an optimal preconditioner.

     

Application of field-ion microscopy techniques to metallurgical problems

The invention of field-ion microscopy and related techniques by E.W. Müller has created a new field of high-resolution analyses. While much of its application to metallurgy in the past was oriented towards instrumentation and technique, today there is an increasing trend towards using the techniques for problem-related studies. Some examples of the application of field-ion microscopy in studies of grain boundaries, ordering and clustering, and precipitation will be reviewed.     

Number fluctuation analysis of random locomotion. Statistics of a Smoluchowski process

We analyze a scheme, originally suggested by Smoluchowski, by which a diffusion coefficientD can be estimated by measuring the number of particles occupying a fixed region of a surface at various times. An expression is derived relating the variance of the estimated valueD to several experimental parameters. This expression is evaluated numerically to determine how statistical uncertainty depends on adjustable variables. Particular attention is given to experiments involving locomotion of migrating leukocytes.     

Korn's inequalities for piecewise vector fields

Korn's inequalities for piecewise vector fields are established. They can be applied to classical nonconforming finite element methods, mortar methods and discontinuous Galerkin methods.

     

Slopes of vector bundles on projective curves and applications to tight closure problems

We study different notions of slope of a vector bundle over a smooth projective curve with respect to ampleness and affineness in order to apply this to tight closure problems. This method gives new degree estimates from above and from below for the tight closure of a homogeneous -primary ideal in a two-dimensional normal standard-graded algebra in terms of the minimal and the maximal slope of the sheaf of relations for some ideal generators. If moreover this sheaf of relations is semistable, then both degree estimates coincide and we get a vanishing type theorem.

     

Atomic-level studies of superconducting and nonsuperconducting YBa2Cu3O7−x

Atomic-resolution images from superconducting and nonsuperconducting samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x have been obtained by field ion microscopy. Both phases of the material exhibit a similar layered structure in the field ion images. Transmission electron micrographs of superconducting field ion tips show vividly the twinned structure of the orthorhombic phase. Time-of-flight (atom-probe) mass spectra from the two materials differ primarily in an enhanced molecular oxygen signal from the superconducting samples indicating that oxygen in the O(4) sites (CuO chains) is field desorbed preferentially as molecular oxygen ions.     

Cluster states in the neutron excess nucleus 22Ne

High-spin states of the ²²Ne nucleus in the excitation energy range of 15–30 MeV have been studied. The angular correlation method has been used to determine the spins of excited states. A number of new states with high angular momenta—20.0 MeV (9^?), 20.7 MeV (11^?), 21.6 MeV (9^?), 22.2 MeV (12⁺), and 25.0 MeV (9^?)—have been revealed. They are intensely populated in the reaction ¹⁴C(¹²C, α₁)²²Ne* → α₂ + ¹⁸O and correspond to the rotational bands of various structures.