The drug release profile from calcium-induced alginate gel beads coated with an alginate hydrolysate

Calcium-induced alginate gel bead (Alg-Ca) coated with an alginate hydrolysate (Alg), e.g. the guluronic acid block (GB) was prepared and the model drug, hydrocortisone release profiles were investigated under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Their molecular weights were one sixth or one tenth that of Alg and the diffraction patterns of the hydrolysates resembled that of Alg. The drug release rate from Alg-Ca coated with GB apparently lowered than that of Alg-Ca (coating-free) in the gastric juice (pH1.2). And the coating did not resist the disintegration of Alg-Ca in the intestinal juice (pH 6.8) and the gel erosion accelerated the drug release. On the other hand, for the coated Alg-Ca containing chitosan, the drug release showed zero-order kinetics without rapid erosion of Alg-Ca. The drug release rate from Alg-Ca was able to be controlled by the coating and modifying the composition of the gel matrix.     

Dynamical origin of enhanced conformational searches of Tsallis statistics sampling

The characteristic sampling dynamics of importance samplings driven by the Tsallis weight [C. Tsallis, J. Stat. Phys. 52, 479 (1988)] has been analyzed in terms of recently developed Langevin stochastic model by considering the effects of the density of states and the potential smoothing of the Tsallis transformation. Our study reveals that the fixed points, which are determined by the crossing points of the statistical temperature and the Tsallis effective temperature, play a critical role in overall dynamics of the Tsallis statistics sampling. The dynamical origin of enhanced conformational searches of the Tsallis weight has been investigated by unveiling the intimate relationship between the sampling dynamics and the stability change of corresponding fixed points. Based on this stochastic analysis, we propose one effective method to realize a broad energy distribution in the Tsallis statistics sampling by determining optimal Tsallis parameters systematically based on preliminary canonical samplings. The effectiveness of our method has been validated in the folding simulation of Met-Enkephalin and liquid-solid transition simulation of Lennard-Jones cluster systems.     

Wireless biosensor system for real-time cholesterol monitoring in fish “Nile tilapia”

The rapidly increasing demand for cultured fish as a food resource requires simple, effective methods for controlling fish health in culture conditions. Plasma total cholesterol levels are significantly related to fish mortality following bacterial challenge, and are thus a good indicator of the general health of fish. We developed a wireless biosensor system to continuously monitor the total cholesterol concentration in fish (Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus). The biosensor was constructed with Pt-Ir wire (φ0.178 mm) as the working electrode and Ag/AgCl paste as the reference electrode. Cholesterol oxidase and cholesterol esterase were immobilized on the working electrode using glutaraldehyde. The sensor output was linear and strongly correlated with the cholesterol level (R = 0.9970) in the range of 2.65-403 mg dl⁻¹. This range covers the range of total cholesterol levels in fish. To avoid blood coagulation and proteins coalescing on the sensor, we implanted the sensor in the fluid under the scleral surface of the eyeball (EISF). The EISF is presumed to reflect the levels of most blood components and does not include the substances contained in blood that inhibit sensor measurement. Total cholesterol concentrations in blood and EISF were strongly correlated (R = 0.8818, n = 72) in the blood total cholesterol range of 74-480 mg dl⁻¹. Therefore, we used EISF as an alternative to blood and performed continuous in vivo-monitoring of the total cholesterol concentration in fish. We also investigated the application of the calibration method and wireless monitoring system. These applications enabled us to securely monitor total cholesterol levels in free-swimming fish in an aquarium for over 40 h. Thus, our newly developed sensor provided a rapid and convenient method for real-time monitoring of total cholesterol concentrations in free-swimming fish.     

Benchmark results in vector atmospheric radiative transfer

In this paper seven vector radiative transfer codes are inter-compared for the case of underlying black surface. They include three techniques based on the discrete ordinate method (DOM), two Monte-Carlo methods, the successive orders scattering method, and a modified doubling-adding technique. It was found that all codes give very similar results. Therefore, we were able to produce benchmark results for the Stokes parameters both for reflected and transmitted light in the cases of molecular, aerosol and cloudy multiply scattering media. It was assumed that the single scattering albedo is equal to one. Benchmark results have been provided by several studies before, including Coulson et al. [22], Garcia and Siewert [7], [8], Wauben and Hovenier [10], and Natraj et al. [11] among others. However, the case of the elongated phase functions such as for a cloud and with a high angular resolution is presented here for the first time. Also in difference with other studies, we make inter-comparisons using several codes for the same input dataset, which enables us to quantify the corresponding errors more accurately.     

Influence of the nature of the conduction band of transition metal oxides on catalytic activity for oxygen reduction

Catalytic activities for oxygen reduction of some transition metal oxides with metallic conductivity such as LaTiO₃, SrFeO₃, SrVO₃, SrRuO₃, V_0.2Ti_1.8O₃ and La_1-xSr_xMnO₃ were investigated, and they as well as the activities of other oxides reported already were compared with the nature of their conduction bands. It was found that the catalytic activity of oxides having a σ^* conduction band was high. The conclusion is drawn that in order for a transition metal oxide to have a high catalytic activity, (1) it must have a σ^* band and (2) the band must contain electrons. This conclusion will be useful to predict the catalytic activity for oxygen reduction of transition metal oxides.     

Prediction of early response to radiotherapy of uterine carcinoma with dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging using pixel analysis of MR perfusion imaging

Purpose

To assess the predictability of the response to radiotherapy of uterine carcinoma, this study retrospectively analyzed dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images (DCE-MRI) taken before radiotherapy.

Materials and Methods

Forty-two patients with uterine carcinoma were studied, of whom 22 had adenocarcinoma and 20 had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In DCE-MRI analysis, two parameters, SIe and R_down, were measured. SIe is a median value for the degree of signal intensity change in all selected pixels in the tumor at 1–2 min after contrast agent injection. R_down is the ratio of the number of down-sloped pixels to that of all selected pixels 3–7 min after injection. The tumor volume reduction rate (TVRR) was measured by MRI-based volumetry in pre- and post-radiotherapy transverse T2-weighted images.

Results

Overall, TVRR was significantly correlated to both SIe (r=0.37, P=.015) and R_down (r=0.73, P<.0001). In the separate patient groups, SIe but not R_down was significantly different between the adenocarcinoma and SCC patients (t=3.64, P<.001). TVRR was not correlated to SIe in any group. TVRR was significantly correlated to R_down in adenocarcinoma patients (r=0.78, P<.001) but not in SCC patients.

Conclusion

SIe may reflect differences in histological characteristics. R_down may be useful for predicting the response to radiotherapy of uterine carcinoma.     

STM/STS study on nondispersive checkerboard superstructure in superconducting Bi2212 and La-Bi2201

We performed STM/STS measurements on superconducting Bi2212 and La-Bi2201 in order to study the nondispersive two-dimensional (2D) electronic superstructure, namely the so-called checkerboard. The nondispersive checkerboard clearly appears within the pairing gap in both systems, although the period is different between Bi2212 (∼4a×4a) and La-Bi2201 (∼5a×5a). We point out that the nondispersive checkerboard originates in hole-pairs and/or quasiparticles around the antinodes of the d-wave gap, and interrelates with the spatially inhomogeneous pairing gap.