Multicanonical Monte Carlo simulations on intramolecular micelle formation in copolymers

The formation of intramolecular micelles in copolymers with periodic sequence, where hydrophobic units (stickers) are periodically placed along the chain, is studied by using multicanonical Monte Carlo computer simulations for an off-lattice bead-rod model in three dimensions. With decreasing the temperature, a transition from random-coil conformations to micelles occurs and flower-type micelles are formed via the transition. The number of stickers forming a micelle core is limited by the excluded-volume effect of loop chains around micelle cores. By this effect, two intramolecular micelles are formed for long polymer chains with 60 bonds via the coil-to-micelle transition. By further decreasing the temperature, we find that another transition, i.e., a micelle-to-micelle transition, takes place. At this transition point, the two intramolecular micelles merge into one micelle. Furthermore, we extend the multicanonical MC method to study elastic properties of single polymer chains with strong attractive interactions under external force fields, and study how the intramolecular micellization affects the elastic property of single polymer chains.     

Ergodic Properties of the Quantum Geodesic Flow on Tori

We study ergodic averages for a class of pseudodifferential operators on the flatN-dimensional torus with respect to the Schrödinger evolution. The later can be consider a quantization of the geodesic flow on . We prove that, up to semi-classically negligible corrections, such ergodic averages are translationally invariant operators.Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) 58J50, 58J40, 81S10.     

Smoothness of Time Functions and the Metric Splitting of Globally Hyperbolic Spacetimes

The folk questions in Lorentzian Geometry which concerns the smoothness of time functions and slicings by Cauchy hypersurfaces, are solved by giving simple proofs of: (a) any globally hyperbolic spacetime (M, g) admits a smooth time function whose levels are spacelike Cauchy hyperfurfaces and, thus, also a smooth global splitting if a spacetime M admits a (continuous) time function t then it admits a smooth (time) function with timelike gradient on all M.The second-named author has been partially supported by a MCyT-FEDER Grant, MTM2004-04934-C04-01.To Professor P.E. Ehrlich, wishing him a continued recovery and good health     

On the Well-Posedness Problem and the Scattering Problem for the Dullin-Gottwald-Holm Equation

In this paper, we study the well-posedness of the Cauchy problem and the scattering problem for a new nonlinear dispersive shallow water wave equation (the so-called DGH equation) which was derived by Dullin, Gottwald and Holm. The issue of passing to the limit as the dispersive parameter tends to zero for the solution of the DGH equation is investigated, and the convergence of solutions to the DGH equation as ²0 is studied, and the scattering data of the scattering problem for the equation can be explicitly expressed; the new exact peaked solitary wave solutions are obtained in the DGH equation. After giving the condition of existing peakon in the DGH equation, it turns out to be nonlinearly stable for the peakon in the DGH equation.     

Echelle dif fraction grating based high-resolution spectrometer-on-chip on SiON waveguide platform

An echelle diffraction grating based high-resolution spectrometer-on-chip on silicon oxynitride (SiON) waveguide platform operated at a wavelength range of 850 nm is demonstrated. The chip comprises 120 output waveguides with 0.25-nm wavelength channel spacing and has a size of only 11 × 6 (mm). The experimental results show that the insertion loss is-14 dB, the measured adjacent channel crosstalk is less than -25 dB, the 3 dB channel bandwidth is < 0.1 nm, and the channel non-uniformity is 3 dB for 56 channels with a wavelength ranging from 838 to 852 nm.     

Interaction between trelagliptin and pepsin through spectroscopy methods and molecular dynamics simulation

The interaction between trelagliptin and pepsin was probed through spectroscopy methods and molecular dynamics simulation. Results of fluorescence lifetime and fluorescence spectroscopy analysis showed that trelagliptin can spontaneously interact with pepsin through a static quenching. This interaction was mainly driven by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals, as evident from thermodynamic parameters and molecular dynamics simulation. The microenvironment of tyrosine residues and the secondary structure of pepsin were slightly influenced by trelagliptin based on synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectra. In addition, the activity of pepsin was hardly affected by the insertion of trelagliptin. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to further analyze the pepsin–trelagliptin complex. This study provides useful information for binding mechanisms of trelagliptin on pepsin.     

Neuronal expression of muskelin in the rodent central nervous system

Background  

The kelch repeat protein muskelin mediates cytoskeletal responses to the extracellular matrix protein thrombospondin 1, (TSP1), that is known to promote synaptogenesis in the central nervous system (CNS). Muskelin displays intracellular localization and affects cytoskeletal organization in adherent cells. Muskelin is expressed in adult brain and has been reported to bind the Cdk5 activator p39, which also facilitates the formation of functional synapses. Since little is known about muskelin in neuronal tissues, we here analysed the tissue distribution of muskelin in rodent brain and analysed its subcellular localization using cultured neurons from multiple life stages.     

Regulation of nestin expression by thrombin and cell density in cultures of bone mesenchymal stem cells and radial glial cells

Background  

Bone marrow stromal cells and radial glia are two stem cell types with neural phenotypic plasticity. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into osteocytes, chondrocytes and adipocytes, but can also differentiate into non-mesenchymal cell, i.e. neural cells in appropriate in vivo and in vitro experimental conditions. Likewise, radial glial cells are the progenitors of many neurons in the developing cortex, but can also generate astrocytes. Both cell types express nestin, an intermediate filament protein which is the hallmark of neural precursors.     

Functional MRI of working memory and selective attention in vibrotactile frequency discrimination

Background  

Focal lesions of the frontal, parietal and temporal lobe may interfere with tactile working memory and attention. To characterise the neural correlates of intact vibrotactile working memory and attention, functional MRI was conducted in 12 healthy young adults. Participants performed a forced-choice vibrotactile frequency discrimination task, comparing a cue stimulus of fixed frequency to their right thumb with a probe stimulus of identical or higher frequency. To investigate working memory, the time interval between the 2 stimuli was pseudo-randomized (either 2 or 8 s). To investigate selective attention, a distractor stimulus was occasionally presented contralaterally, simultaneous to the probe.