Reversible protein adsorption and bioadhesion on monolayers terminated with mixtures of oligo(ethylene glycol) and methyl groups

Surface-grafted, environmentally responsive polymers have shown great promise for controlling adsorption and desorption of macromolecules and cells on solid surfaces. In the paper, we demonstrate that certain mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) and methyl-terminated alkanethiolates on gold form surfaces with switchable hydrophobicity and tendency for protein adsorption and cellular attachment. At temperatures above 32 degrees C, SAMs with a surface density of approximately 50% OEG adsorbed significant amounts of pyruvate kinase and lysozyme, whereas below this temperature, these same SAMs were resistant to the adsorption of these proteins. Furthermore, protein layers adsorbed to these SAMs above 32 degrees C were removed upon rinsing with water below this temperature. Similar results were seen for attachment and release of the marine bacterium, Cobetia marina. The change from nonresistance to adsorptive state of the SAMs was concomitant with a change in advancing water contact angle. Vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy suggests that the temperature-induced changes coincide with a disorder-to-partial order transition of the hydrated methylene chains of the OEG moieties within the SAMs. Mixed OEG-methyl SAMs represent both a convenient means of controlling macromolecular and cellular adsorption within the laboratory and a useful tool for relating adsorption properties to molecular structures within the SAMs.     

Protein deformation of lipid hybrid bilayer membranes studied by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

Structural deformations of lipid hybrid bilayer membranes induced by signal peptideless (SPL) proteins have been studied for the first time using the inherently surface specific nonlinear optical technique of sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy. Specifically, deformations of 1,2-distearoylphosphatidylglycerol(DSPG) membranes induced by interaction with FGF-1, a SPL protein which is released asa function of cellular stress through a nonclassical pathway, have been investigated. FGF-1 was found to induce lipid alkyl chain deformations in previously highly ordered DSPG membranes at the extremely low concentration of 1 nM at 60 degrees C. The deformation process was shown to exhibit a degree of reversibility upon removal of the protein by rinsing with buffer solution.     

Evidence for changing of cosmic ray composition between 10(17) and 10(18) eV from multicomponent measurements

The average mass composition of cosmic rays with primary energies between 10(17) and 10(18) eV has been studied using a hybrid detector consisting of the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) prototype and the MIA muon array. Measurements have been made of the change in the depth of shower maximum and the muon density as a function of energy. The results show that the composition is changing from a heavy to lighter mix as the energy increases.     

Nuclear spin relaxation of 8Li adsorbed on surfaces

Nuclear spin relaxation experiments with ⁸Li adsorbed on various surfaces provide new information in surface science which is not obtainable othervise. Both dipolar (Korringa) and quadrupolar relaxation due to diffusion are observed. However, in addition, a fast and presently not understood spin relaxation mechanism is present while dosing during the first 0.5 s the surface with polarized ⁸Li. Most strange in this respect is the fact that those ⁸Li atoms which survive depolarization through this mechanism depolarize afterwards with modest spin lattice relaxation rates. The origin of the fast spin lattice relaxation mechanism is presently unknown. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Polarized recoil nuclei from nuclear reactions induced by polarized lithium ions

The production of vector polarized recoil nuclei was investigated for nuclear reactions initiated by vector polarized⁶Li and⁷Li beams of energies up to 20 MeV. The vector polarization was detected by theβ-asymmetry of the decaying recoil nuclei implanted into various stopper materials. Considerable polarization values were observed for⁸Li produced in the systems⁷Li+⁹Be,⁷Li+⁷Li and⁶Li+⁷Li, and for¹²B in the systems⁷Li+⁷Li and⁶Li+¹¹B. However, no polarization has been observed for heavier nuclei with unknown nuclear moments. The relaxation of the vector polarization of⁸Li implanted into various stopper materials at room temperature was investigated in detail. For a gold stopper it was found to be much larger when compared to earlier results.     

Three-body calculations of elastic Deuteron-helium-4-scattering with faddeev equations

The Faddeev equations are applied to the Deuteron-⁴He system. For the interactions between the particles squarewell potentials are used. In order to solve the Faddeev equations, thet-matrix is approximated by one separable term. The phaseshifts of the elastic Deuteron-⁴He scattering are calculated. It is shown, that the separable approximation by only one term is insufficient for such calculations.