Brownian dynamics of polymeric chain in strong external field

The cooperativity of conformational transitions in strained linear polymer chain was investigated by the method of Brownian dynamics. Deformation of a chain consisting of N=32 and 64 bonds was created by strong external field of dipole type. Correlations are discussed in terms of hazard-plot analysis.     

Photoprotection of Mammalian Acid-Soluble Collagen by Cuttlefish Sepia Melanin In Vitro

Several important clinical conditions can result in close association between the pigment melanin and dermal collagen. Because melanin and its precursors can be chemically reactive in ground and excited states, it is important to know whether the resulting melanin-collagen interaction results in photoprotection or photoaggression. Acidic and neutral air-saturated collagen suspensions (0.033%) were irradiated with0–2.6 times 104 J/m2 UVC or with0–83 times 104 J/m2 solar-simulating UV radiation (SSR). Photochemical destruction of a photolabile collagen fluorophore (δ_em 360 nm) and collagen chain degradation were monitored as functions of irradiation time in the presence and absence of added (0–100μg) sepia eumelanin. Melanin retarded collagen photodamage but did not qualitatively alter the fluorescence fading kinetics. Both H202 and 02 can be produced by UV irradiation of eumelanin. Added H202 and K02 destroyed collagen fluorescence and caused 50% chain degradation at ca10–20-fold molar excess. Previous studies have demonstrated that eumelanins efficiently scavenge 02 . We demonstrated that eumelanin also efficiently scavenges H202 as evidenced by its ability to (a) compete with scopoletin for peroxide uptake and (b) directly take up H202 through a dialysis bag. The latter observation suggests that peroxide scavenging could occur in vivo by melanin sequestered in melanophages. Thus, neither UV-generated 02 nor H202 are likely to be present in concentrations high enough to cause measurable collagen damage. Absorption and/or scattering of excitation radiation away from the target chromophore appears to be the primary photoprotection mechanism, although scavenging of active 02 intermediates may play an important, if subtle role.     

核磁共振代谢组学数据的尺度归一化新方法

在核磁共振代谢组学数据预处理中,尺度归一化主要目的是提高特征代谢物信息的权重,减小噪声及无关代谢物信息的影响,从而降低后续模式识别分析的难度. 本文提出一种新的尺度归一化方法,该方法不强调各变量在尺度上的归一,而是在原始数据的基础上,通过提高那些稳定性高、且在不同类别样本中具有显著差异性的变量的权重,以增强与特征代谢物相关的信息. 文中分别采用模拟数据和真实代谢组学数据对新归一化方法的性能进行评估,并与单位方差法(Unit Variance)、变量稳定性(Variable Stability)和尺度缩放法(Level Scaling)等常用的尺度归一化方法做比较. 研究结果表明：新归一化方法能够提高多变量统计模型的预测能力,较好地保留核磁共振谱的分子信息,有助于特征代谢物的识别,并使后续的数据分析结果具有更好的可解释性.     

Multiparticle simulation of ion motion in the ion trap mass spectrometer: Resonant and direct current pulse excitation

A PC-based program that simulates the behavior of a collection of ions is extended to include the effects of collisions with the buffer gas and enhanced visualization methods. The simulations are based on the quadrupole field associated with the actual ion trap electrode structure. Ionization is simulated in such a way as to distribute ionization events randomly over rf phase angles and yield a realistic collection of stored ions. The effects of buffer gas collisions on ion motion during both mass-selective instability and resonance ejection scans are found to include the expected dampening of spatial excursions as well as limitation of the kinetic energy of trapped ions. In both experiments, ion ejection occurs over a number of secular cycles in the vicinity of the theoretical instability point. Activation via a resonant ac signal or a short dc pulse is shown to result in phase-locking of the ions as well as the expected increase in the size of the excursions in the z direction and in ion kinetic energy. Collisions cause dephasing and loss of kinetic energy. Radial dc activation is compared with activation in the axial direction. Experimental data for dc pulse activation of the n-butylbenzene molecular ion are analyzed in phase space and the onset of surface-induced dissociation is correlated with changes in the experimental m/z 91 to m/z 92 fragment ion ratio. Poincaré sections are shown for resonantly excited ions and their value in demonstrating improvement of the resolution of these experiments over conventional mass-selective instability scans is shown.     

Where is the brain inside the brain?

Biological brains are capable of general learning without supervision. This is learning across multiple domains without interference. Unlike artificial neural networks, in real brains, learned information is not purely encoded in real-valued weights but instead it resides in many neural aspects. Such aspects include, dendritic and axonal morphology, number and location of synapses, synaptic strengths and the internal state of neural components. Natural evolution has come up with extraordinary ‘programs’ for neurons that allow them to build learning systems through group activity. The neuron is the ‘brain within the brain’. We argue that evolving neural developmental programs which when executed continuously build, shape and adjust neural networks is a promising direction for future research. We discuss aspects of neuroscience that are important, and examine a model that incorporates many of these features that has been applied to a number of problems: wumpus world, checkers and maze solving.     

Tubular Structures of Calcium Carbonate: Formation,Characterization, and Implications in Natural Mineral Environments

Chemical gardens are self-assembled tubular precipitates formed by a combination of osmosis, buoyancy, and chemical reaction, and thought to be capable of catalyzing prebiotic condensation reactions. In many cases, the tube wall is a bilayer structure with the properties of a diaphragm and/or a membrane. The interest in silica gardens as microreactors for materials science has increased over the past decade because of their ability to create long-lasting electrochemical potential. In this study, we have grown single macroscopic tubes based on calcium carbonate and monitored their time-dependent behavior by in situ measurements of pH, ionic concentrations inside and outside the tubular membranes, and electrochemical potential differences. Furthermore, we have characterized the composition and structure of the tubular membranes by using ex situ X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as scanning electron microscopy. Based on the collected data, we propose a physicochemical mechanism for the formation and ripening of these peculiar CaCO₃ structures and compare the results to those of other chemical garden systems. We find that the wall of the macroscopic calcium carbonate tubes is a bilayer of texturally distinct but compositionally similar calcite showing high crystallinity. The resulting high density of the material prevents macroscopic calcium carbonate gardens from developing significant electrochemical potential differences. In the light of these observations, possible implications in materials science and prebiotic (geo)chemistry are discussed.     

Transitivity conditions in infinite graphs

We study transitivity properties of graphs with more than one end. We completely classify the distance-transitive such graphs and, for all k≥3, the k-CS-transitive such graphs.