Structural transition of the human lymphocyte plasma membrane: an ESR approach

Summary The electron spin resonance spectroscopy and the spin label technique have been used to study the thermotropic structural transition of the plasma membrane ofin toto human peripheral blood lymphocytes in the temperature range (25÷41)°C. A discontinuity in the plot probe order parametervs. temperature, at a temperature of about 31°C, is observed. This discontinuity is upward shifted to a temperature of 35°C in the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxinB and is no longer observed when using isolated plasma membrane. These results are interpreted as being due to a change in the structural properties of the lipid phase of plasma membrane during the activation of the lymphocyte cells.     

Biomagnetic measurements utilising a superparamagnetic marker: a feasibility study

Summary A preliminary study is here reported on a new potential marker for biomagnetic measurements. The marker consists of superparamagnetic polymer microspheres which were detected in the presence of external steady magnetic fields by means of an r.f.-SQUID magnetometer. The particles were prepared in samples differing in the concentration value and immersed in a homogeneous magnetic field of variable intensity. A simple model was taken into account for the distribution of the microspheres in the samples, so that the theoretical values were compared to the marker field values measured by the biomagnetic sensor. The overall sensitivity of the experimental apparatus and the minimum concentration value of the marker were then estimated.     

Growth properties for solutions of differential equations defined in the disk

Summary We investigate the growth of solutions of a class of differential equations which are defined in the unit disk and for which the coefficients have slow growth in the unit disk as measured by the Nevanlinna characteristic. These results extend earlier work of S. Bank.     

Study of the reciprocal space image of the biaxial nematic phase in the plane of the amphiphilic bilayer

High resolution synchrotron X-ray measurements have been performed on the uniaxial and biaxial phases of the lyotropic mixture potassuim laurate, decanol and water. An elegant magnetic orientational procedure allows us to obtain the cut of the reciprocal space image of the biaxial phase at the plane perpendicular to the amphiphilic bilayer. The analysis of densitometric profiles of the diffracted bands indicate an anisotropic micellar correlation in the plane of the amphiphilic bilayer. It is suggested that an anisotropic distribution of decanol and potassium laurate in this plane could be responsible for this effect.     

Inertia-preserving secant updates

Corrections to the last two equations of Ref. 1 are given.     

Glass transitions in hydrogen-bonded polymer complexes

Mutual precipitates of poly (N, N-dimethyl acrylamide) and poly (4-hydroxystyrene) were collected from dioxane, methanol, or acetone. The glass transition (T_g) temperatures of the precipitates are higher than the weight-average values. Clear films cast from dimethylformamide solutions have lower T_g values. Complexation also occurred between poly (ethyl oxazoline) and poly (4-hydroxystyrene) in dioxane and between poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) and poly (4-hydroxystyrene) in methanol. Again, the glass transition temperatures of the precipitates are higher than the values for the blend films. The ΔC_p values associated with the glass transitions of the complexes are smaller than those of the blends having the same compositions. Negative excess heat capacities of mixing have been observed for several precipitates.     

Quantum HeisenbergS=1/2 spin glass with ferromagnetic coupling and random Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

By means of the generalized static replica symmetric spin glass theory, a quantum HeisenbergS=1/2 spin glass model with the infinite-ranged random Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction and ferromagnetic coupling is investigated. The dependence of entropy, specific heat, susceptibility and the corresponding order parameters on temperature is studied numerically for different ferromagnetic interactions and fixed anisotropy. Two spin glass phases has been found including transverse and mixed spin glass phases. It has been shown that the local susceptibility exhibits double-cusp features for different ferromagnetic coupling (J ₀). Phase transition poins are found in the specific heat-temperature plane at various ferromagnetic coupling values. Additionally, the dependence of the spontaneous moment on temperature is calculated.     

Density Correlations in the Two-Dimensional Coulomb Gas

We consider a two-dimensional Coulomb gas of positive and negative pointlike unit charges interacting via a logarithmic potential. The density (rather than the charge) correlation functions are studied. In the bulk, the form-factor theory of an equivalent sine-Gordon model is used to determine the density correlation length. At the surface of a rectilinear plain wall, the universality of the asymptotic behavior of the density correlations is suggested. A scaling analysis implies a local form of the compressibility sum rule near a hard wall. A symmetry of the Coulomb system with respect to the Möbius conformal transformation, which induces a gravitational source acting on the particle density, is established. Among the consequences, a universal term of the finite-size expansion of the grand potential is derived exactly for a disk geometry of the confining domain.