Lower semicontinuity of quasi-convex integrals in BV

Some boundedness properties for an extension operator are proved and used together with techniques of Maly [24], Meyers [29], Fonseca and Müller [13] and Fonseca and Marcellini [12] to obtain lower semicontinuity results in BV for quasiconvex integrals of super-linear growth. Received January 25, 1997 / Accepted October 3, 1997     

Integration on then th power of a hyperbolic space in terms of invariants under diagonal action of isometries (Lorentz transformations)

The integral of a function over then'th power of hyperbolicd-dimensional spaceH is decomposed into integration along each orbit under diagonal action onH ⁿ of the isometry groupG onH, followed by integration over the orbit space, parametrized in terms of a complete set of invariants. The Jacobian entering in this last integral is expressed explicitly in terms of certain determinants. When viewingH as a half-hyperboloid in _d+1 ,G is induced by the homogeneous Lorentz groupO (1,d) acting on _d+1 .     

Beta-sheet preferences from first principles

The natural amino acids have different preferences of occurring in specific types of secondary protein structure. Simulations are performed on periodic model beta-sheets of 14 different amino acids, at the level of density functional theory, employing the generalized gradient approximation. We find that the statistically observed beta-sheet propensities correlate very well with the calculated binding energies. Analysis of the calculations shows that the beta-sheet propensities are determined by the local flexibility of the individual polypeptide strands.     

Identification of phage antibodies toward the Werner protein by selection on Western blots

A procedure was established for selecting phage antibodies (phage-abs) from phage-displayed antibody repertoires by panning against proteins, separated by sodium dodecyl phosphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and electroblotted onto nitrocellulose membranes (Western blots). This immobilization strategy is applicable for secondary rounds of panning in selections against semipurified proteins, and directs the selection toward antibodies suitable as immunochemical reagents in Western blots. In model experiments, enrichment factors as high as 1.9x10(5) were obtained in a single round of panning. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of this approach by selection of phage-abs recognizing the human Werner protein, which is defective in a premature aging syndrome.     

Some properties of the riesz charge associated with a δ-subharmonic function

The first property is a refinement of earlier results of Ch. de la Vallée Poussin, M. Brelot, and A. F. Grishin. Let w=u–v with u, v superharmonic on a suitable harmonic space (for example an open subset of R ⁿ ), and let [w]=[u]–[v] denote the associated Riesz charge. If w0, and if E denotes the set of those points of at which the lim inf of w in thefine topology is 0, then the restriction of [w] to E is 0. Another property states that, if e denotes a polar subset of such that the fine lim inf of |w| at each point of e is finite, then the restriction of [w] to e is 0.     

Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant Is Active at the Molecular Level Eight Weeks after Implantation in Experimental Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is a visually disabling condition resulting from a thrombus in the major outflow vessel of the eye. The inflammatory response in CRVO is effectively treated with a dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implant. Uncovering the proteome changes following DEX implant intervention in CRVO may identify key proteins that mediate the beneficial effects of DEX. In six Göttingen minipigs, CRVO was induced in both eyes with an argon laser using a well-established experimental model. The right eyes were treated with a DEX intravitreal implant (Ozurdex, Allergan), while the left control eyes received a sham injection. Eight weeks after DEX intervention, retinal samples were collected and analyzed with tandem mass tag-based mass spectrometry. DEX implant intervention resulted in the upregulation of peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerase FKBP5 (FKBP5) and ubiquilin-4. Immunohistochemistry showed expression of FKBP5 in the nuclei in all cellular layers of the retina. Cell adhesion molecule 3, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 16, and trans-1,2-dihydrobenzene-1,2-diol dehydrogenase were downregulated following DEX intervention. The upregulation of the corticosteroid-sensitive protein FKBP5 suggests that the implant remained active at the molecular level after eight weeks of treatment. Future studies may investigate if FKBP5 regulates the efficacy and duration of the DEX implant.