On the Tidally Induced Gravitational Collapse of a Particle Cluster

An important issue in the dynamics of neutron star binaries is whether tidal interaction can cause the individual stars to collapse into black holes during inspiral. To understand this issue better, we study the dynamics of a cluster of collisionless particles orbiting a non-rotating black hole, which is part of a widely separated circular binary. The companion body's electric- and magnetic-type tidal fields distort the black hole and perturb the cluster, eventually causing the cluster to collapse into the hole as the companion spirals in under the influence of gravitational radiation reaction. We find that magnetic-type tidal forces do not significantly influence the evolution of the cluster as a whole. However, individual orbits can be strongly affected by these forces. For example, some orbits are destabilized due to the addition of magnetic-type tidal forces. We find that the most stable orbits are close to the companion's orbital plane and retrograde with respect to the companion's orbit.     

Effect of Jakyakgamcho-Tang Extracts on H2O2-Induced C2C12 Myoblasts

Oxidative stress is a major contributor to muscle aging and loss of muscle tissue. Jakyakgamcho-tang (JGT) has been used in traditional Eastern medicine to treat muscle pain. Here, we compared the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in 30% ethanol and water extracts of JGT and tested the preventive effects against oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide)-induced cell death in murine C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid content in 30% ethanol extracts of JGT were higher than those of water extracts of JGT. Ethanol extracts of JGT (JGT-E) had stronger antioxidant activities of 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging activity (DPPH) than water extracts of JGT (JGT-W). JGT-E contained 19–53% (1.8 to 4.9-fold) more active compounds (i.e., albiflorin, liquiritin, pentagalloylglucose, isoliquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin, liquiritigenin, and glycyrrhizin) than JGT-W. The ethanol extracts of JGT inhibited hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death and intracellular reactive oxygen species generation more effectively than the water extract of JGT in a dose-dependent manner. For the first time, these results suggest that ethanol extract of JGT is relatively more efficacious at protecting against oxidative stress-induced muscle cell death.     

Phloroglucinol Derivatives from Dryopteris crassirhizoma as Potent Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitors

Dryopteris crassirhizoma rhizomes are used as a traditional medicine in Asia. The EtOAc extract of these roots has shown potent xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity. However, the main phloroglucinols in D. crassirhizoma rhizomes have not been analyzed. Thus, we investigated the major constituents responsible for this effect. Bioassay-guided purification isolated four compounds: flavaspidic acid AP (1), flavaspidic acid AB (2), flavaspidic acid PB (3), and flavaspidic acid BB (4). Among these, 1 showed the most potent inhibitory activity with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 6.3 µM, similar to that of allopurinol (IC₅₀ = 5.7 µM) and better than that of oxypurinol (IC₅₀ = 43.1 µM), which are XO inhibitors. A comparative activity screen indicated that the acetyl group at C3 and C3′ is crucial for XO inhibition. For example, 1 showed nearly 4-fold higher efficacy than 4 (IC₅₀ = 20.9 µM). Representative inhibitors (1–4) in the rhizomes of D. crassirhizoma showed reversible and noncompetitive inhibition toward XO. Furthermore, the potent inhibitors were shown to be present in high quantities in the rhizomes by a UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis. Therefore, the rhizomes of D. crassirhizoma could be used to develop nutraceuticals and medicines for the treatment of gout.     

Polymeric optical microscreen for high-resolution surface plasmon resonance microarray imaging

In this study, we demonstrate a simple method to fabricate surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging microarrays using polymer micropatterns. The use of a micrometer-scale polymeric optical screen (microPOS) passivates the region deposited with polymer by completely removing SPR signals or by saturating the SPR signal far beyond the detection range of SPR imaging. Two schemes were suggested to create a surface microPOS by either micropatterning a thick insulating layer before deposition of a metal layer (complete removal of SPR) or after deposition of a metal layer (saturation of SPR signal). The two schemes were successfully applied for the imaging of biological adsorption with a high imaging resolution of approximately 100 microm/pattern and 10 microm separation. The validity of the system was verified with a biotin-streptavidin system as a model for the systematic binding of biomolecules. Further, binding of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) onto the anti-PSA SPR microarray was demonstrated as a useful method for detecting a cancer marker.     

Expression of NDRG2 is related to tumor progression and survival of gastric cancer patients through Fas-mediated cell death

Although N-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) has been known to be a tumor suppressor gene, the function of this gene has not been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the expression and function of NDRG2 in human gastric cancer. Among seven gastric cancer and two non-cancer cell lines, only two gastric cancer cell lines, SNU-16 and SNU-620, expressed NDRG2, which was detected in the cytoplasm. Interestingly, NDRG2 was highly expressed in normal gastric tissues, but gastric cancer patients were divided into NDRG2-positive and -negative groups. The survival rate of NDRG2-negative patients was lower than that of NDRG2-positive patients. We confirmed that the loss of NDRG2 expression was a significant and independent prognostic indicator in gastric carcinomas by multivariate analysis. To investigate the role of NDRG2 in gastric cancer cells, we generated a NDRG2-silenced gastric cancer cell line, which stably expresses NDRG2 siRNA. NDRG2-silenced SNU-620 cells exhibited slightly increased proliferation and cisplatin resistance. In addition, inhibition of NDRG2 decreased Fas expression and Fas-mediated cell death. Taken together, these data suggest that inactivation of NDRG2 may elicit resistance against anticancer drug and Fas-mediated cell death. Furthermore, case studies of gastric cancer patients indicate that NDRG2 expression may be involved in tumor progression and overall survival of the patients.     

Temperature-induced phase transition of poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-acrylamide)

Copolymers of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and acrylamide (AAm) were prepared to demonstrate a temperature-induced phase transition. Poly DMAEMA has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) around 50°C in water. With copolymerization of DMAEMA with AAm, the LCST shifts to the lower temperature was observed, probably due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between amide and N,N-dimethylamino groups. FT-IR studies clearly show the formation of hydrogen bonds which protect N,N-dimethylamino groups from exposure to water and result in a hydrophobic contribution to the LCST. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys, 35: 595–598, 1997     

Establishing the selective phospholipid membrane coordination,permeation and lysis properties for a series of ‘druggable’ supramolecular self-associating antimicrobial amphiphiles

The rise of antimicrobial resistance remains one of the greatest global health threats facing humanity. Furthermore, the development of novel antibiotics has all but ground to a halt due to a collision of intersectional pressures. Herein we determine the antimicrobial efficacy for 14 structurally related supramolecular self-associating amphiphiles against clinically relevant Gram-positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli. We establish the ability of these agents to selectively target phospholipid membranes of differing compositions, through a combination of computational host:guest complex formation simulations, synthetic vesicle lysis, adhesion and membrane fluidity experiments, alongside our novel ¹H NMR CPMG nanodisc coordination assays, to verify a potential mode of action for this class of compounds and enable the production of evermore effective next-generation antimicrobial agents. Finally, we select a 7-compound subset, showing two lead compounds to exhibit ‘druggable’ profiles through completion of a variety of in vivo and in vitro DMPK studies.

A combination of computational and synthetic phospholipid vesicle/nanodisc assays are used to investigate the mode of action for a class of antimicrobial agents, while a range of DMPK studies establish agent druggability.     

米氏散射激光雷达近场距离校正函数曲线拟合法修正

报道了一种修正米氏散射激光雷达近场回波信号的新方法,首先对近场区实测回波信号距离校正函数进行二次曲线拟合,获得拟合曲线与实测曲线的差分信号;然后对远场距离校正函数作直线拟合,在大气近似均匀假定下,获得近场回波信号距离校正函数直线斜率;最后将近场差分信号叠加在该直线上,获得修正后的近场回波信号距离校正函数曲线。用此方法对米氏散射激光雷达近场回波信号的实际计算证明,该方法可获得与实际更为接近的反演结果。     

On the use of principal component analysis to speed up radiative transfer calculations

Radiative transfer is computationally expensive. However, it is essential to many applications, in particular remote sensing retrievals. Principal component analysis of the optical depth and single scattering albedo profiles has been proposed as a possible method to help ease the computational burden. Here we show how the technique could be applied to a practical problem of CO₂ retrievals from high spectral resolution measurements of reflected sunlight in three near infrared bands. We obtain a speed improvement of more than 50 fold (compared to monochromatic computations), while reproducing the radiances to better than 0.1% accuracy.     

Equivalent moduli of continuity, Bloch’s theorem for pluriharmonic mappings in \mathbb{B}{\kern-8pt}\mathbb{B}^{\boldsymbol n}

In this paper, we first establish a Schwarz?CPick type theorem for pluriharmonic mappings and then we apply it to discuss the equivalent norms on Lipschitz-type spaces. Finally, we obtain several Landau??s and Bloch??s type theorems for pluriharmonic mappings.