A quasi-crystal model of collagen microstructure based on SHG microscopy

<正>Second harmonic generation(SHG) results from molecules which are polarized by an external electric field often provided by an intense laser beam.The polarizability depends on firstly the intrinsic structural properties of the substance and hence the second-order nonlinear susceptibility,and secondly the intensity and polarization direction of the incident light.The polarization characteristics of the beam are therefore of interest.In this letter,we discuss some considerations in SHG microscopy of collagen when the incoming beam is circularly polarized,and present some supporting results as well as a numerical analysis.We propose a quasi-crystal model of collagen microstructure in an effort to further our understanding on this protein.     

Symbolic Computation for Rankin-Cohen Differential Algebras: A Case Study

Don Zagier defined a “Rankin-Cohen algebra”, motivated by the study of differential operators that send modular forms to modular forms. We devised an algorithm that computes the result of the differentiation given by the modular forms that correspond to higher-order Wronskians over Klein’s quartic curve, which are modular forms of arbitrarily high degree canonically attached to the curve; this tool is potentially useful for finding commutative rings of differential operators.     

Thermosensitive dendrimer formulation for drug delivery at physiologically relevant temperatures

A simple and versatile dendrimer based platform to deliver therapeutic agents at temperatures within the physiological range, is reported. Lipoic acid conjugated at the periphery of the thermosensitive dendrimer formulations undergoes slow and sustained release at 37-42 °C, and rescues the cells from oxidative stress and a pro-inflammatory endotoxic agent.     

Sequence‐Defined Heteromultivalent Precision Glycomacromolecules Bearing Sulfonated/Sulfated Nonglycosidic Moieties Preferentially Bind Galectin‐3 and Delay Wound Healing of a Galectin‐3 Positive Tumor Cell Line in an In Vitro Wound Scratch Assay

Within this work, a new class of sequence‐defined heteromultivalent glycomacromolecules bearing lactose residues and nonglycosidic motifs for probing glycoconjugate recognition in carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of galectin‐3 is presented. Galectins, a family of β‐galactoside‐binding proteins, are known to play crucial roles in different signaling pathways involved in tumor biology. Thus, research has focused on the design and synthesis of galectin‐targeting ligands for use as diagnostic markers or potential therapeutics. Heteromultivalent precision glycomacromolecules have the potential to serve as ligands for galectins. In this work, multivalency and the introduction of nonglycosidic motifs bearing either neutral, amine, or sulfonated/sulfated groups are used to better understand binding in the galectin‐3 CRD. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays and surface plasmon resonance studies are performed, revealing a positive impact of the sulfonated/sulfated nonglycosidic motifs on galectin‐3 binding but not on galectin‐1 binding. Selected compounds are then tested with galectin‐3 positive MCF 7 breast cancer cells using an in vitro would scratch assay. Preliminary results demonstrate a differential biological effect on MCF 7 cells with high galectin‐3 expression in comparison to an HEK 293 control with low galectin‐3 expression, indicating the potential for sulfonated/sulfated heteromultivalent glycomacromolecules to serve as preferential ligands for galectin‐3 targeting.     

Numerical solution of the acoustic wave equation using Raviart–Thomas elements

In this paper we discuss the numerical approximation of the displacement form of the acoustic wave equation using mixed finite elements. The mixed formulation allows for approximation of both displacement and pressure at each time step, without the need for post-processing. Lowest-order and next-to-lowest-order Raviart–Thomas elements are used for the spatial discretization, and centered finite differences are used to advance in time. Use of these Raviart–Thomas elements results in a diagonal mass matrix for resolution of pressure, and a mass matrix for the displacement variable that is sparse with a simple structure. Convergence results for a model problem are provided, as are numerical results for a two-dimensional problem with a point source.     

Comparability of copper complexation capacity determination by absorption by chelating resin column and cathodic stripping voltammetry

A simple method has been developed for the determination of copper complexation capacity. It is based on absorption of non-complexed species on a chelating resin column. The limit of detection is for complexation equivalent to 3 μg Cu l⁻¹ and the relative standard deviation of results is 10%. The method has been shown to be of comparable performance with voltammetric techniques in respect of the ligands detected. The approach offers the possibility of use in the field and of application to the determination of the speciation of other divalent trace metals.