Force-field dependence of the conformational properties of α,ω-dimethoxypolyethylene glycol

A molecular dynamics (MD) study of α,ω-dimethoxypolyethylene glycol has been carried out under various conditions with respect to solvent composition, ionic strength, chain length, force field and temperature. A previous MD study on a 15-mer of polyethyleneglycol (PEG) suggested a helical equilibrium structure that was stabilised by hydrogen bonding and bridging water molecules. Experiments show that PEG is highly soluble in water, and indicate that clustering is not favoured. In the present study using different force fields, the GROMOS force fields 45A3 and 53A6, a variation on the latter 53A6_OE, and a force field by Smith et al. produced different results. For the GROMOS force fields 45A3 and 53A6 no helical structure was found, but formation of more or less compact random coils in aqueous solution due to hydrophobic interactions was observed. For the other two force fields used, α,ω-dimethoxypolyethylene glycol stayed flexible and more or less elongated in aqueous solution, more in agreement with experimental observations and the previous MD study.     

Phase clustering in complex networks of delay-coupled oscillators

We study the clusterization of phase oscillators coupled with delay in complex networks. For the case of diffusive oscillators, we formulate the equations relating the topology of the network and the phases and frequencies of the oscillators (functional response). We solve them exactly in directed networks for the case of perfect synchronization. We also compare the reliability of the solution of the linear system for non-linear couplings. Taking advantage of the form of the solution, we propose a frequency adaptation rule to achieve perfect synchronization. We also propose a mean-field theory for uncorrelated random networks that proves to be pretty accurate to predict phase synchronization in real topologies, as for example, the Caenorhabditis elegans or the autonomous systems connectivity.     

Wide dynamic range detection of bidirectional flow in Doppler optical coherence tomography using a two-dimensional Kasai estimator

We demonstrate extended axial flow velocity detection range in a time-domain Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT) system using a modified Kasai velocity estimator with computations in both the axial and transverse directions. For a DOCT system with an 8 kHz rapid-scanning optical delay line, bidirectional flow experiments showed a maximum detectable speed of >56 cm/s using the axial Kasai estimator without the occurrence of aliasing, while the transverse Kasai estimator preserved the approximately 7 microm/s minimum detectable velocity to slow flow. By using a combination of transverse Kasai and axial Kasai estimators, the velocity detection dynamic range was over 100 dB. Through a fiber-optic endoscopic catheter, in vivoM-mode transesophageal imaging of the pulsatile blood flow in rat aorta was demonstrated, for what is for the first time to our knowledge, with measured peak systolic blood flow velocity of >1 m/s, while maintaining good sensitivity to detect aortic wall motion at <2 mm/s, using this 2D Kasai technique.     

Penetration depth and pinning effects in high-Tc superconductors La-Sr-Cu-O and (Er,Ho)-Ba-Cu-O studies by μSR

We report the results of μSR investigations of the ceramic samples La_2-xSr_xCuO_4-σ (x=0.1, 0.15, 0.25) and ReBa₂Cu₃O_7-σ (Re=Er, Ho, Y_0.5Ho_0.5) in the external magnetic field 0–800 Oe. The measurements were performed by the ZFC and FC methods. The irreversibility effects were studied at several temperatures by measuring the mean value and the width of the magnetic field distribution on the muon in the step by step procedure of increasing and subsequent decreasing of the external field. The temperature dependences of the magnetic penetration depth perpendicular to the basal plane λ_⊥ were obtained. For the lanthanum sample with 0.15 of Sr its value at the zero temperature is λ_⊥ (0)=2400 Å, for Er-Ba-Cu-O λ_⊥ (0)=1600 Å.     

Micromachined array tip for multifocus fiber-based optical coherence tomography

High-resolution optical coherence tomography demands a large detector bandwidth and a high numerical aperture for real-time imaging, which is difficult to achieve over a large imaging depth. To resolve these conflicting requirements we propose a novel multifocus fiber-based optical coherence tomography system with a micromachined array tip. We demonstrate the fabrication of a prototype four-channel tip that maintains a 9-14-microm spot diameter with more than 500 microm of imaging depth. Images of a resolution target and a human tooth were obtained with this tip by use of a four-channel cascaded Michelson fiber-optic interferometer, scanned simultaneously at 8 kHz with geometric power distribution across the four channels.     

Development of a laser photothermoacoustic frequency-swept system for subsurface imaging: theory and experiment

In conventional biomedical photoacoustic imaging systems, a pulsed laser is used to generate time-of-flight acoustic information of the subsurface features. This paper reports the theoretical and experimental development of a new frequency-domain (FD) photo-thermo-acoustic (PTA) principle featuring frequency sweep (chirp) and heterodyne modulation and lock-in detection of a continuous-wave laser source at 1064 nm wavelength. PTA imaging is a promising new technique which is being developed to detect tumor masses in turbid biological tissue. Owing to the linear relationship between the depth of acoustic signal generation and the delay time of signal arrival to the transducer, information specific to a particular depth can be associated with a particular frequency in the chirp signal. Scanning laser modulation with a linear frequency sweep method preserves the depth-to-delay time linearity and recovers FD-PTA signals from a range of depths. Preliminary results performed on rubber samples and solid tissue phantoms indicate that the FD-PTA technique has the potential to be a reliable tool for biomedical depth-profilometric imaging.     

Estimation of free copper ion concentrations in blood serum using T(1) relaxation rates

The water proton relaxation rate constant R(1)=1/T(1) (at 60 MHz) of blood serum is substantially increased by the presence of free Cu2+ ions at concentrations above normal physiological levels. Addition of chelating agents to serum containing paramagnetic Cu2+ nulls this effect. This was demonstrated by looking at the effect of adding a chelating agent-D-penicillamine (D-PEN) to CuSO4 and CuCl2 aqueous solutions as well as to rabbit blood serum. We propose that the measurement of water proton spin-lattice relaxation rate constants before and after chelation may be used as an alternative approach for monitoring the presence of free copper ions in blood serum. This method may be used in the diagnosis of some diseases (leukaemia, liver diseases and particularly Wilson's disease) because, in contrast to conventional methods like spectrophotometry which records the total number of both bound and free ions, the proton relaxation technique is sensitive solely to free paramagnetic ions dissolved in blood serum. The change in R(1) upon chelation was found to be less than 0.06 s(-1) for serum from healthy subjects but greater than 0.06 s(-1) for serum from untreated Wilson's patients.     

Cavity resonant mode in a metal film perforated with two-dimensional triangular lattice hole arrays

The transmission property of metallic films with two-dimensional hole arrays is studied experimentally and numerically. For a triangular lattice subwavelength hole array in a 150 nm thick Ag film, both cavity resonance and planar surface modes are identified as the sources of enhanced optical transmissions. Semi-analytical models are developed for calculating the dispersion relation of the cavity resonant mode. They agree well with the experimental results and full-wave numerical calculations. Strong interaction between the cavity resonant mode and surface modes is also observed.