Theil Entropy as a Non-Lineal Analysis for Spectral Inequality of Physiological Oscillations

Theil entropy is a statistical measure used in economics to quantify income inequalities. However, it can be applied to any data distribution including biological signals. In this work, we applied different spectral methods on heart rate variability signals and cellular calcium oscillations previously to Theil entropy analysis. The behavior of Theil entropy and its decomposable property was investigated using exponents in the range of [−1, 2], on the spectrum of synthetic and physiological signals. Our results suggest that the best spectral decomposition method to analyze the spectral inequality of physiological oscillations is the Lomb–Scargle method, followed by Theil entropy analysis. Moreover, our results showed that the exponents that provide more information to describe the spectral inequality in the tested signals were zero, one, and two. It was also observed that the intra-band component is the one that contributes the most to total inequality for the studied oscillations. More in detail, we found that in the state of mental stress, the inequality determined by the Theil entropy analysis of heart rate increases with respect to the resting state. Likewise, the same analytical approach shows that cellular calcium oscillations present on developing interneurons display greater inequality distribution when inhibition of a neurotransmitter system is in place. In conclusion, we propose that Theil entropy is useful for analyzing spectral inequality and to explore its origin in physiological signals.     

Therapeutic Potential of Highly Selective A3 Adenosine Receptor Ligands in the Central and Peripheral Nervous System

Ligands of the G_i protein-coupled adenosine A₃ receptor (A₃R) are receiving increasing interest as attractive therapeutic tools for the treatment of a number of pathological conditions of the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS, respectively). Their safe pharmacological profiles emerging from clinical trials on different pathologies (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and fatty liver diseases) confer a realistic translational potential to these compounds, thus encouraging the investigation of highly selective agonists and antagonists of A₃R. The present review summarizes information on the effect of latest-generation A₃R ligands, not yet available in commerce, obtained by using different in vitro and in vivo models of various PNS- or CNS-related disorders. This review places particular focus on brain ischemia insults and colitis, where the prototypical A₃R agonist, Cl-IB-MECA, and antagonist, MRS1523, have been used in research studies as reference compounds to explore the effects of latest-generation ligands on this receptor. The advantages and weaknesses of these compounds in terms of therapeutic potential are discussed.     

Transmission and small angle scattering of 15 MeV electrons in silicon single crystals

Abstract

A novel technique for the study of structural damage incurred by single crystal silicon targets during ion implantation is described. The method is based upon copper-decoration of the vacancy rich damaged region, followed by radiochemical measurement of the resulting copper distribution. Utilizing neutron activation, sharply peaked radiocopper profiles are obtained, which are believed to represent the depth distributions of large, relatively immobile defects such as vacancy clusters, voids, or crystalline faults. A more efficient decoration of isolated vacancy-type defects is realized when Wu is employed as a radioisotopic tracer in the decoration step, however, the rapid diffusivity of these smaller species leads to less sharply defined radiocopper profiles. Both the neutron activation and radiotracer modifications of the technique yield damage profiles which are significantly shallower than the corresponding implanted impurity profiles.     

Tubular Structures of Calcium Carbonate: Formation,Characterization, and Implications in Natural Mineral Environments

Chemical gardens are self-assembled tubular precipitates formed by a combination of osmosis, buoyancy, and chemical reaction, and thought to be capable of catalyzing prebiotic condensation reactions. In many cases, the tube wall is a bilayer structure with the properties of a diaphragm and/or a membrane. The interest in silica gardens as microreactors for materials science has increased over the past decade because of their ability to create long-lasting electrochemical potential. In this study, we have grown single macroscopic tubes based on calcium carbonate and monitored their time-dependent behavior by in situ measurements of pH, ionic concentrations inside and outside the tubular membranes, and electrochemical potential differences. Furthermore, we have characterized the composition and structure of the tubular membranes by using ex situ X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as scanning electron microscopy. Based on the collected data, we propose a physicochemical mechanism for the formation and ripening of these peculiar CaCO₃ structures and compare the results to those of other chemical garden systems. We find that the wall of the macroscopic calcium carbonate tubes is a bilayer of texturally distinct but compositionally similar calcite showing high crystallinity. The resulting high density of the material prevents macroscopic calcium carbonate gardens from developing significant electrochemical potential differences. In the light of these observations, possible implications in materials science and prebiotic (geo)chemistry are discussed.     

Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?

Although the polymorphism of calcium carbonate is well known, and its polymorphs—calcite, aragonite, and vaterite—have been highly studied in the context of biomineralization, polyamorphism is a much more recently discovered phenomenon, and the existence of more than one amorphous phase of calcium carbonate in biominerals has only very recently been understood. Here we summarize what is known about polyamorphism in calcium carbonate as well as what is understood about the role of amorphous calcium carbonate in biominerals. We show that consideration of the amorphous forms of calcium carbonate within the physical notion of polyamorphism leads to new insights when it comes to the mechanisms by which polymorphic structures can evolve in the first place. This not only has implications for our understanding of biomineralization, but also of the means by which crystallization may be controlled in medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial contexts.     

CaII Binding Regulates and Dominates the Reactivity of a Transition‐Metal‐Ion‐Dependent Diesterase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The diesterase Rv0805 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a dinuclear metallohydrolase that plays an important role in signal transduction by controlling the intracellular levels of cyclic nucleotides. As Rv0805 is essential for mycobacterial growth it is a promising new target for the development of chemotherapeutics to treat tuberculosis. The in vivo metal‐ion composition of Rv0805 is subject to debate. Here, we demonstrate that the active site accommodates two divalent transition metal ions with binding affinities ranging from approximately 50 nm for Mn^II to about 600 nm for Zn^II. In contrast, the enzyme GpdQ from Enterobacter aerogenes, despite having a coordination sphere identical to that of Rv0805, binds only one metal ion in the absence of substrate, thus demonstrating the significance of the outer sphere to modulate metal‐ion binding and enzymatic reactivity. Ca^II also binds tightly to Rv0805 (K_d≈40 nm ), but kinetic, calorimetric, and spectroscopic data indicate that two Ca^II ions bind at a site different from the dinuclear transition‐metal‐ion binding site. Ca^II acts as an activator of the enzymatic activity but is able to promote the hydrolysis of substrates even in the absence of transition‐metal ions, thus providing an effective strategy for the regulation of the enzymatic activity.     

Alkaline Earth–Olefin Complexes with Secondary Interactions

Strontium and calcium (alkaline earth: Ae) olefin complexes stabilised by secondary Ae???F?C and β‐agostic Ae???H?Si interactions are presented. Olefin coordination onto the alkaline earths is plain in the solid state, and it is thermodynamically favoured over the coordination of THF. The existence of the Ae???olefin interactions is corroborated by solution NMR data and DFT computations. The coordination mode of the olefin varies with steric effects and, if enforced, olefin dissociation can be compensated by the other non‐covalent interactions, as supported by DFT computations.     

GTSP重钙工艺减少反应料浆含水量的初步研究

1 引言 我国耕地严重缺磷的面积所占比例高达2/3,而目前施肥的磷/氮比例又远远低于国际平均水平,如此的比例失调将严重影响农业增产.在当前施用的磷肥中,普钙和重钙占了很大的比例.由于重钙是用磷酸而非硫酸酸解磷矿,所以不含硫酸钙杂质,有效五氧化二磷的含量也由16～21%提高到45～52%,肥效比普钙提高两到三倍.为此国家"八五"重点项目引进了Hy dro GTSP工艺2×40万吨/年重钙装置.该装置于1999年3月试车以来难以达到满负荷生产. 作者通过对生产工艺各环节的分析,指出反应料浆含水量偏高是影响装置生产负荷的主要因素.料浆中水分的重要来源之一是二次球磨.     

高碘酸钠氧化法测定肌醇含量

高碘酸钠氧化法测定肌醇含量张楚富，林清华，梁会（武汉大学生命科学学院武汉４３００７２）王泽胜（湖南兰龙科技实业公司长沙４１０００６）关键词植酸钙，肌醇，高碘酸钠氧化法分类号Ｑ５０８肌醇是一种环己六醇，它以植酸盐的形式主要存在于米糠和其他油料作物种子中...