An electrodynamics-based model for ion diffusion in microbial polysaccharides

An electrodynamics-based model was formulated for simulation of ion diffusion in microbial polysaccharides. The fixed charges and electrostatic double layers that may associate with microbial polysaccharides and their effects on ion diffusion were explicitly built into the model. The model extends a common multicomponent ion diffusion formulation that is based on irreversible thermodynamics under a zero ionic charge flux condition, which is only applicable to the regions without fixed charges and electrostatic double layers. An efficient numerical procedure was presented to solve the differential equations in the model. The model well described key features of experimental observations of ion diffusion in negatively charged microbial polysaccharides including accelerated diffusive transport of cations, exclusion of anions, and increased rate of cation transport with increasing negative charge density. The simulated diffusive fluxes of cations and anions were consistent with a cation exchange diffusion concept in negatively charged polysaccharides at the interface of plant roots and soils; and the developed model allows to mathematically study such diffusion phenomena. An illustrative example was also provided to simulate dynamic behavior of ionic current during ion diffusion within a charged bacterial cell wall polysaccharide and the effects of the ionic current on the compression or expansion of the bacterial electrostatic double layer at the interface of the cell wall and bulk solution.     

Power-filter technique for modifying depth of correlation in microPIV experiments

A new image filtering method, termed power-filtering, is proposed for use in microscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) to control the depth of correlation, independent of the image acquisition system, particle size, and flow characteristics. An analytical model of the depth of correlation for the filtered images is developed and verified with a series of careful experiments. This model predicts that the depth of correlation can be increased or decreased by a factor of two by applying power-filter values of 0.63 and 2.0, respectively. Experiments show that the analytical model for the power filtering technique is generally accurate to within the measurement uncertainty.     

A phase I, randomized study of combined IL-2 and therapeutic immunisation with antiretroviral therapy

Background  

Fully functional HIV-1-specific CD8 and CD4 effector T-cell responses are vital to the containment of viral activity and disease progression. These responses are lacking in HIV-1-infected patients with progressive disease. We attempted to augment fully functional HIV-1-specific CD8 and CD4 effector T-cell responses in patients with advanced chronic HIV-1 infection.     

Femtosecond vibrational dynamics of self-trapping in a quasi-one-dimensional system

We have directly time resolved the lattice motions associated with the formation of the self-trapped exciton in the quasi-one-dimensional system [Pt(en)(2)] [Pt(en)2Br2];(PF6)(4) ( en = ethylene-diamine, C2H8N2), using femtosecond impulsive excitation techniques. A strongly damped, low-frequency wave packet modulation at approximately 110 cm(-1) accompanies the formation of the self-trapped exciton on a approximately 200 fs time scale following excitation of the intervalence charge-transfer transition. Coherent oscillations at the ground state vibrational frequency and its harmonics are also detected.     

Spectral Asymptotics for Higher-Order Ordinary Differential Equations

This paper gives one-term componentwise asymptotics for theM and spectral matrices of a self-adjoint realisation of aneven-order ordinary differential expression. The underlyinginterval is assumed to have at least one regular endpoint, andthe boundary conditions are supposed to be separated. Furthermore,the weight function and the reciprocal of the highest-ordercoefficient are supposed to be of regular variation at the regularendpoint, in the sense of Bingham, Goldie and Teugels. 1991Mathematics Subject Classification: 34B24, 34E05.     

Mechanical properties of anodized coatings over molten aluminum alloy

A method to measure interfacial mechanical properties at high temperatures and in a controlled atmosphere has been developed to study anodized aluminum surface coatings at temperatures where the interior aluminum alloy is molten. This is the first time that the coating strength has been studied under these conditions. We have investigated the effects of ambient atmosphere, temperature, and surface finish on coating strength for samples of aluminum alloy 7075. Surprisingly, the effective Young's modulus or strength of the coating when tested in air was twice as high as when samples were tested in an inert nitrogen or argon atmosphere. Additionally, the effective Young's modulus of the anodized coating increased with temperature in an air atmosphere but was independent of temperature in an inert atmosphere. The effect of surface finish was also examined. Sandblasting the surface prior to anodization was found to increase the strength of the anodized coating with the greatest enhancement noted for a nitrogen atmosphere. Machining marks were not found to significantly affect the strength.     

TRPM5-expressing microvillous cells in the main olfactory epithelium

Background  

The main olfactory epithelium (MOE) in the nasal cavity detects a variety of air borne molecules that provide information regarding the presence of food, predators and other relevant social and environmental factors. Within the epithelium are ciliated sensory neurons, supporting cells, basal cells and microvillous cells, each of which is distinct in morphology and function. Arguably, the least understood, are the microvillous cells, a population of cells that are small in number and whose function is not known. We previously found that in a mouse strain in which the TRPM5 promoter drives expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), a population of ciliated olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), as well as a population of cells displaying microvilli-like structures is labeled. Here we examined the morphology and immunocytochemical properties of these microvillous-like cells using immunocytochemical methods.