A quantitative model describing the selective solubilization of membrane domains

The classical three-stage model of membrane solubilization, including mixed membranes, membrane-micelle coexistence, and mixed micelles, is not applicable to demixed, domain-forming membranes and must, therefore, fail to describe the phenomenon of detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs). In lack of a quantitative model, it has often been assumed that ordered, detergent-depleted domains are inert, whereas fluid domains are solubilized. We establish a quantitative model based on equilibrium thermodynamics that is analogous to the three-stage model but comprises three components (two lipids and one detergent) in four phases (liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered membranes, micelles, and detergent in aqueous solution). For a given set of total concentrations and input parameters (initial abundance of ordered domains, solubilization boundaries of the pure lipids, etc.), it serves to calculate the phase boundaries and partial concentrations of all components in all phases. The results imply that the abundance and composition of ordered domains may vary substantially upon addition of detergent, both before and during solubilization of the fluid phase. It seems that gel-phase or order-preferring lipids are thermodynamically "resistant" regardless of the presence of a second, fluid phase. However, thermodynamic or kinetic resistance is not sufficient for obtaining DRMs because the resistant particles may be too small to be isolated. Cholesterol may be crucial for rendering the fragments large enough and, furthermore, enhance the formation of ordered domains by nonideal interactions with the detergent.     

Thermal and Structural Behavior of Milk Fat

The thermal and structural properties of unstable varieties of triacylglycerols (TGs) crystallizing in milk fat globules of cream are examined in the range -8- +50 degrees C using a new instrument allowing simultaneously time-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction at both wide and small angles as a function of temperature (XRDT) and high sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Small angle X-ray diffraction shows that the unstable alpha form first formed by cream quenching to -8 degrees C corresponds in fact to two different lamellar phases corresponding to 2L (47 ?) and 3L (70.4 ?) arrangements of TGs. The bilayered structure is very unstable since it disappears during the course of a 20-min isothermal conditioning at -8 degrees C. On fast heating, the crystalline evolution of cream TGs demonstrates the monotropic character of their polymorphism. The structural and thermal behaviors of cream which are compared to that of its anhydrous milk fat isolated from the cream (C. Lopez et al., J. Dairy Sci., submitted) show that the crystallization occurring in emulsion droplets is similar to bulk. However, the comparison of XRD peak widths indicates that the TG crystallization is more disordered in emulsion. This disorder is attributed to the constraints due to the interface curvature in emulsion droplets. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Far-infrared reflectivity of sintered YBa2Cu3O7 in the normal and superconducting state

We report on a study of the far-infrared reflection for a sintered YBa₂Cu₃O₇ sample that contained a large portion of preferentially oriented crystallites with thea–b plane parallel to the surface and that showed extraordinary high far-infrared reflectivity. From experimental reflection data we determined, by Kramers-Kronig analysis, the dynamical conductivity and extracted the contributions due to free charge carriers and phonons, respectively. We find evidence for an anomalous behavior of the dynamical conductivity at temperatures aboveT _c ; the dynamical conductivity increases strongly for temperatures approachingT _c and is strongly frequency dependent. By use of the Mattis-Bardeen theory we obtain an estimate for the superconducting energy gap of 2/kT _c 4.6 (forTT _c ). We find that the lowest frequency infrared-active phonon mode is less damped in the superconducting state than in the normal state.     

Lattice relaxation around positive muon in copper

A model to study the local structure and geometry of condensed matter was applied to the lattice dilatation of Cu if a ⁺ is implanted interstitially. The model system consists of a finite cluster of atoms embedded in the spherically symmetric part of the potential of the rest of the material.The calculations were calibrated with crystalline Cu using a cluster of 6 atoms and 0, 6 or a practical infinite number of layers around this central cluster. It is found that 6 layers are enough to deseribe the boundary conditions that the material imposes to the selected central cluster.Afterwards it was applied to a cluster of a central ⁺ and 6 octahedrally disposed Cu. The equilibrium geometries, electronic configurations, electronic densities of states are presented and compared with SR.     

μ+ Knight shift in Be

A first principles calculation of the Knight shift of a ⁺ in beryllium was carried out using a cellular multiple scattering technique (Keller 1972, 1977). The main conclusion is that the ⁺ induces the segregation of one state (of each spin) from the conduction band to lower energies, a molecular orbital of the ⁺ and its nearest neighbours. This state is occupied (with two antiparallel spin electrons) but it has less than 35% of ⁺ character. The screening is then completed with the conduction electrons properly. The observed Knight shift is then the sum of a diamagnetic shielding and a typical enhanced spin susceptibility term of opposite sign and smaller value.     

Posets with Cover Graph of Pathwidth two have Bounded Dimension

Joret, Micek, Milans, Trotter, Walczak, and Wang recently asked if there exists a constant d such that if P is a poset with cover graph of P of pathwidth at most 2, then dim(P)=d. We answer this question in the affirmative by showing that d=17 is sufficient. We also show that if P is a poset containing the standard example S ₅ as a subposet, then the cover graph of P has treewidth at least 3.     

On Convex Geometric Graphs with no $$$$ Pairwise Disjoint Edges

A well-known result of Kupitz from 1982 asserts that the maximal number of edges in a convex geometric graph (CGG) on n vertices that does not contain \(k+1\) pairwise disjoint edges is kn (provided \(n>2k\)). For \(k=1\) and \(k=n/2-1\), the extremal examples are completely characterized. For all other values of k, the structure of the extremal examples is far from known: their total number is unknown, and only a few classes of examples were presented, that are almost symmetric, consisting roughly of the kn “longest possible” edges of CK(n), the complete CGG of order n. In order to understand further the structure of the extremal examples, we present a class of extremal examples that lie at the other end of the spectrum. Namely, we break the symmetry by requiring that, in addition, the graph admit an independent set that consists of q consecutive vertices on the boundary of the convex hull. We show that such graphs exist as long as \(q \le n-2k\) and that this value of q is optimal. We generalize our discussion to the following question: what is the maximal possible number f(n, k, q) of edges in a CGG on n vertices that does not contain \(k+1\) pairwise disjoint edges, and, in addition, admits an independent set that consists of q consecutive vertices on the boundary of the convex hull? We provide a complete answer to this question, determining f(n, k, q) for all relevant values of n, k and q.     

Monitoring the Reversibility of GPCR Signaling by Combining Photochromic Ligands with Label-free Impedance Analysis

G protein-coupled cell surface receptors (GPCR) trigger complex intracellular signaling cascades upon agonist binding. Classic pharmacological assays provide information about binding affinities, activation or blockade at different stages of the signaling cascade, but real time dynamics and reversibility of these processes remain often disguised. We show that combining photochromic NPY receptor ligands, which can be toggled in their receptor activation ability by irradiation with light of different wavelengths, with whole cell label-free impedance assays allows observing the cell response to receptor activation and its reversibility over time. The concept demonstrated on NPY receptors may be well applicable to many other GPCRs providing a deeper insight into the time course of intracellular signaling processes.