Atmospheric pressure waves in the field of volcanology

Atmospheric pressure waves are a notable phenomenon associated with explosive volcanic eruptions. They can provide us with information about eruption processes that are useful both scientifically and practically. In this paper, we give a brief review of studies that have been carried out on this phenomenon in the field of volcanology. Then, we introduce a prototype tool called ‘MOVE’ (Mobile Observatory for Volcanic Explosions). It is a remote-controlled vehicle carrying various instruments to observe pressure waves and the eruption processes. PACS 91.40.Dr · 91.40.Ft · 93.65.+e · 93.85.+qThis paper was based on work presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Interdisciplinary Shock Wave Research, Sendai, Japan on March 1–3, 2005.     

Targeted Delivery using Immunoliposomes with a Lipid-Modified Antibody-Binding Protein

A recombinant antibody-binding protein originating from streptococcal protein G was modified with lipid in a site-directed manner by genetic engineering. The resulting lipoprotein was incorporated into the surface of liposomes by simple mixing. Immunoliposomes were then prepared by binding anti-IgG antibodies molecules onto the surface of proteoliposome via the lipid-anchored streptococcal protein G. Either small fluorophores or fluorescently labeled proteins were encapsulated into prepared immunoliposomes, and these molecular tracers could be delivered into cells whose surfaces were marked with specific antibodies.     

Selection of DNA aptamers recognizing small cell lung cancer using living cell-SELEX

We applied Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment using Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) cells. A DNA aptamer was identified and evaluated by fluorescent confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Our results showed that the DNA aptamer binds to molecules that exist predominantly on target SCLC cell surfaces compared with other types of SCLC cells.     

Theoretical prediction of maxima in association constants for complex formation between flavin mononucleotide and indoleacetate in the presence of polyelectrolytes

The effects of ionene polymers (6,3-ionene, 6,6-ionene, 6,8-ionene, and 6,12-ionene) with various charge densities upon association constants K for the complexation between flavin mononucleotide and indoleacetate have been studied. Except for 6,12-ionene, K increases with increasing polymer concentration then passes through a maximum, and declines at high polymer concentrations. The value of the maximum K increases in the order 6,8-ionene > 6,3-ionene > 6,6-ionene. In contrast, 6,12-ionene gives only a monotone increasing curve with increasing polymer concentration. These curves are analyzed using the theory of the partition coefficient proposed in the previous paper. The types of the curves that the theory predicts are classified in greater detail than in the previous paper, and examples are given. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

In situ observation of cell-detachment process initiated by femtosecond laser-induced stress wave

When a stress wave generated by focusing a femtosecond laser is loaded on an animal cell adhered on a substrate, the cell is detached from the substrate. There are two possible mechanisms for the cell detachment: (a) The cell is detached from a scaffold coated on a glass plate, and (b) the cell is detached from the glass plate with the scaffold. In this work, we have studied the cell-detachment mechanism by visualizing the scaffold with a fluorescence probe of quantum dots. When the cell was detached from the substrate, fluorescence from the scaffold simultaneously disappeared from the glass plate, although the scaffold was not irradiated by the laser. This indicates that detachment due to the stress wave is attributed to mechanism (a). On the other hand, when the cell was detached from the substrate by a trypsin treatment, the fluorescence from the scaffold remained, suggesting mechanism (b). By comparing both results, it is considered that physiological damage of the cell membrane during the detachment process by femtosecond laser-induced stress wave is less than that due to the trypsin treatment.     

Hybrid Planar Wiggler with a Period of 2 cm for Higher Harmonic FEL Lasing

A hybrid planar wiggler with a period of 20 mm has been studied as the simplest one which gives the strong field including some higher harmonic components by selecting proper sizes of the ferromagnetic and the permanent magnet. Small gap length of the wiggler and small width of permendur satisfy these conditions to a certain degree.Gain analysis of FEL suggests that for high wiggler field of K>1 1.6, higher harmonic gains are improved primarily due to its strong field, and for low wiggler field of K< 1 1.6, they are mainly due to the modification of the wiggler field distribution.     

Membrane potential across reverse osmosis membranes under pressure gradient

Membrane potential measurement has been widely used for the characterization of ionic membranes such as ion-exchange membranes without solvent permeability. However, there have been few studies on membrane potentials across pressure-driven processes such as reverse osmosis (RO) membranes with solvent permeability. In the present study, the membrane potential across RO membranes in NaCl and MgCl2 under the pressure gradient, DeltaP=0-0.3 MPa, was measured. The experimental results were analyzed by the theoretical model based on the Donnan equilibrium and the extended Nernst-Planck flux equation considering the pressure effect. The theoretical values agreed well with the experimental ones. This indicates that membrane potential is useful for characterizing the effective charge density of the active layer of RO membranes under pressure gradient.     

In vivo assessment of the permeability of the blood--brain barrier and blood-retinal barrier to fluorescent indoline derivatives in zebrafish

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Successful delivery of compounds to the brain and retina is a challenge in the development of therapeutic drugs and imaging agents. This challenge arises because internalization of compounds into the brain and retina is restricted by the blood--brain barrier (BBB) and blood-retinal barrier (BRB), respectively. Simple and reliable in vivo assays are necessary to identify compounds that can easily cross the BBB and BRB. METHODS: We developed six fluorescent indoline derivatives (IDs) and examined their ability to cross the BBB and BRB in zebrafish by in vivo fluorescence imaging. These fluorescent IDs were administered to live zebrafish by immersing the zebrafish larvae at 7--8 days post fertilization in medium containing the ID, or by intracardiac injection. We also examined the effect of multidrug resistance proteins (MRPs) on the permeability of the BBB and BRB to the ID using MK571, a selective inhibitor of MRPs. RESULTS: The permeability of these barriers to fluorescent IDs administered by simple immersion was comparable to when administered by intracardiac injection. Thus, this finding supports the validity of drug administration by simple immersion for the assessment of BBB and BRB permeability to fluorescent IDs. Using this zebrafish model, we demonstrated that the length of the methylene chain in these fluorescent IDs significantly affected their ability to cross the BBB and BRB via MRPs. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that in vivo assessment of the permeability of the BBB and BRB to fluorescent IDs could be simply and reliably performed using zebrafish. The structure of fluorescent IDs can be flexibly modified and, thus, the permeability of the BBB and BRB to a large number of IDs can be assessed using this zebrafish-based assay. The large amount of data acquired might be useful for in silico analysis to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying the interactions between chemical structure and the efflux transporters at the BBB and BRB. In turn, understanding these mechanisms may lead to the efficient design of compounds targeting the brain and retina.