Selective assembly and alignment of actin filaments with desired polarity on solid substrates

We report a new strategy to selectively assemble and align filamentous actin (F-actin) onto desired locations on a solid substrate with a specific structural polarity. In this strategy, biotinylated gelsolin caps the structural minus end of F-actin so that the F-actin binds onto a streptavidin pattern with a specific structural polarity. We also demonstrate that an electric field can be utilized to align bound F-actin along a desired direction. This can be one of the major technical breakthroughs toward the assembly of nanomechanical systems based on myosin biomotors.     

Explicit description for the automorphism group of the Fornæss domain

Motivated by the Kohn-Nirenberg domain, J.E. Fornæss considered the germ of a domain near the origin in C² such that

     

Observation of new critical point in InxAl1−xAs alloy using spectroscopic ellipsometry

Using a spectroscopic ellipsometry, pseudodielectric functions 〈?〉 of In_xAl_1−xAs ternary alloy films (x = 0.43, 0.62, 0.75, and 1.00) from 0.74 to 6.48 eV were determined. Fast in-situ chemical etching to effectively remove surface overlayers using charge-coupled device detector and to avoid the reoxidation of the surface of films prior to the ellipsometric spectrum measurement was performed. At the high energy region, an additional critical point structure which is interpreted as the E′₁ transition from the band structure calculation of the linear augmented Slater-type orbital method was reported.     

High-repetition-rate, 491 MHz, femtosecond fiber laser with low timing jitter

We demonstrate a soliton fiber laser based on an anomalously dispersive erbium-doped fiber butt-coupled to a saturable absorber mirror for passive mode locking. The laser generates 180 fs pulses at a repetition rate of 491 MHz and exhibits a timing jitter as low as 20 fs over the frequency range 1 kHz-10 MHz.     

Synthesis of l-lyxo-phytosphingosine and its 1-phosphonate analogue using a threitol acetal synthon

The first synthesis of an isosteric phosphonate analogue of the aminotriol lipid phytosphingosine (3), together with an improved synthesis of (2S,3S,4S)-phytosphingosine (2), are described. A key intermediate is 3-pentylidene acetal 9, which was prepared in two steps from dimethyl 2,3-O-benzylidene-d-tartrate (7).     

Development of the SRAO 1024-Channel Digital Auto-Correlator

We developed a 1024-channel digital auto-correlation spectrometer for the Seoul Radio Astronomy Observatory (hereafter the SRAO-1KACS). The SRAO-1KACS has two main modules: the IF-to-baseband converter (IFBC) module and the 1024-channel auto-correlator (1KACR) module. The input frequency range of the IFBC module is from 1.5 to 1.55 GHz with a dynamic range of –4 +3 dBm. The 1KACR module performs calculations of auto-correlation coefficients by the accumulation and modulo-2-counting method in 3-level configuration. The system is controlled by a Linux-based personal computer. The SRAO-1KACS provides 3 different observational modes: 50, 25, and 12.5 MHz bandwidth modes. The channel losses are 20%, 12%, and 8% for each bandwidth mode, respectively. Various tests were executed including lab tests and astronomical tests. Lab tests were performed for a 1.5625MHz sinusoidal wave input and for a white noise source. We also executed astronomical tests in 12CO J=1–0 emission line at 115.2712 GHz, which showed that SRAO-1KACS can be used at astronomical observatories.     

Surface Adjustment of the SRAO 6-M Antenna Based on Near-Field Radio Holography at 86 GHz

In an attempt to measure and correct the surface profile of the SRAO 6- antenna, we carried out a with-phase holographic experiment at 86 GHz with a transmitter in the near field. Unlike other previous experiments, for cost-effectiveness, we utilized harmonic mixers for frequency conversion together with a microwave synthesizer for local oscillators, while still maintaining the S/N ratio above the required value of 30 dB. We measured the complex beam patterns over ±30 _FWHM both in azimuth and elevation and Fourier-transformed them to obtain the surface profile at 10-cm spatial resolution. It is found that the surface accuracy of the antenna is improved from 100 m to better than 30 m. The edge taper is also estimated to be 11.2 dB in good agreement with the design value, 12 dB. To verify the improvement, we observed the Venus and found that the aperture and beam efficiencies are 72% and 76%, respectively, and are roughly independent of frequency over the whole 3-mm band.     

Radiofrequency Irradiation Modulates TRPV1-Related Burning Sensation in Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin inflammatory condition that is accompanied by not only redness and flushing but also unseen symptoms, such as burning, stinging, and itching. TRPV1 expression in UVB-exposed skin can lead to a painful burning sensation. Upregulated TRPV1 expression helps release neuropeptides, including calcitonin gene-related peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, and vasoactive intestinal peptide, which can activate macrophage and inflammatory molecules. In this study, we found that radiofrequency (RF) irradiation reduced TRPV1 activation and neuropeptide expression in a UVB-exposed in vivo model and UVB- or heat-treated in an in vitro model. RF irradiation attenuated neuropeptide-induced macrophage activation and inflammatory molecule expression. Interestingly, the burning sensation in the skin of UVB-exposed mice and patients with rosacea was significantly decreased by RF irradiation. These results can provide experimental and molecular evidence on the effective use of RF irradiation for the burning sensation in patients with rosacea.     

Global $$C^{1,\al pha }$$ regularity and e xistence of multi ple solutions for singular p( x)-La placian equations

In this paper we study the following singular p(x)-Laplacian problem

$$\begin{aligned} \left\{ \begin{array}{l@{\quad }l} - \text{ div } \left( |\nabla u|^{p(x)-2} \nabla u\right) =\frac{ \lambda }{u^{\beta (x)}}+u^{q(x)}, &{} \text{ in }\quad \Omega , \\ u>0, &{} \text{ in }\quad \Omega , \\ u=0, &{} \text{ on }\quad \partial \Omega , \end{array}\right. \end{aligned}$$

where \(\Omega \) is a bounded domain in \(\mathbb {R}^N\), \(N\ge 2\), with smooth boundary \(\partial \Omega \), \(\beta \in C^1(\bar{\Omega })\) with \( 0< \beta (x) <1\), \(p\in C^1(\bar{\Omega })\), \(q \in C(\bar{\Omega })\) with \(p(x)>1\), \(p(x)< q(x) +1 <p^*(x)\) for \(x \in \bar{\Omega }\), where \( p^*(x)= \frac{Np(x)}{N-p(x)} \) for \(p(x) <N\) and \( p^*(x)= \infty \) for \( p(x) \ge N\). We establish \(C^{1,\alpha }\) regularity of weak solutions of the problem and strong comparison principle. Based on these two results, we prove the existence of multiple (at least two) positive solutions for a certain range of \(\lambda \).