4,036 research outputs found
Epidermal Growth Factor–PEG Functionalized PAMAM-Pentaethylenehexamine Dendron for Targeted Gene Delivery Produced by Click Chemistry
Aim of this study was the site-specific conjugation of an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-polyethylene glycol (PEG) chain by click chemistry onto a poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendron, as a key step toward defined multifunctional carriers for targeted gene delivery. For this purpose, at first propargyl amine cored PAMAM dendrons with ester ends were synthesized. The chain terminal ester groups were then modified by oligoamines with different secondary amino densities. The oligoamine-modified PAMAM dendrons were well biocompatible, as demonstrated in cytotoxicity assays. Among the different oligoamine-modified dendrons, PAMAM-pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) dendron polyplexes displayed the best gene transfer ability. Conjugation of PAMAM-PEHA dendron with PEG spacer was conducted via click reaction, which was performed before amidation with PEHA. The resultant PEG-PAMAM-PEHA copolymer was then coupled with EGF ligand. pDNA transfections in HuH-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells showed a 10-fold higher efficiency with the polyplexes containing conjugated EGF as compared to the ligand-free ones, demonstrating the concept of ligand targeting. Overall gene transfer efficiencies, however, were moderate, suggesting that additional measures for overcoming subsequent intracellular bottlenecks in delivery have to be taken
Volume Expansion of Swiss-Cheese Universe
In order to investigate the effect of inhomogeneities on the volume expansion
of the universe, we study modified Swiss-Cheese universe model. Since this
model is an exact solution of Einstein equations, we can get an insight into
non-linear dynamics of inhomogeneous universe from it. We find that
inhomogeneities make the volume expansion slower than that of the background
Einstein-de Sitter universe when those can be regarded as small fluctuations in
the background universe. This result is consistent with the previous studies
based on the second order perturbation analysis. On the other hand, if the
inhomogeneities can not be treated as small perturbations, the volume expansion
of the universe depends on the type of fluctuations. Although the volume
expansion rate approaches to the background value asymptotically, the volume
itself can be finally arbitrarily smaller than the background one and can be
larger than that of the background but there is an upper bound on it.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.
First Observation of the Doubly Charmed Baryon Xi_cc^+
We observe a signal for the doubly charmed baryon Xi_cc^+ in the charged
decay mode Xi_cc^+ --> Lambda_c^+ K- pi+ in data from SELEX, the charm
hadro-production experiment at Fermilab. We observe an excess of 15.9 events
over an expected background of 6.1 +/- 0.5 events, a statistical significance
of 6.3sigma. The observed mass of this state is (3519 +/- 1) MeV/c^2. The
Gaussian mass width of this state is 3MeV/c^2, consistent with resolution; its
lifetime is less than 33fsec at 90% confidence.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
Interfacial layering in a three-component polymer system
We study theoretically the temporal evolution and the spatial structure of
the interface between two polymer melts involving three different species (A,
A* and B). The first melt is composed of two different polymer species A and A*
which are fairly indifferent to one another (Flory parameter chi_AA* ~ 0). The
second melt is made of a pure polymer B which is strongly attracted to species
A (chi_AB 0). We then show
that, due to these contradictory tendencies, interesting properties arise
during the evolution of the interface after the melts are put into contact: as
diffusion proceeds, the interface structures into several adjacent
"compartments", or layers, of differing chemical compositions, and in addition,
the central mixing layer grows in a very asymmetric fashion. Such unusual
behaviour might lead to interesting mechanical properties, and demonstrates on
a specific case the potential richness of multi-component polymer interfaces
(as compared to conventional two-component interfaces) for various
applications.Comment: Revised version, to appear in Macromolecule
Observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed decay Xi_c+ -> p K- pi+
We report the first observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed charm baryon decay
Xi_c+ -> p K- pi+. We observe 150 +- 22 events for the signal. The data were
accumulated using the SELEX spectrometer during the 1996-1997 fixed target run
at Fermilab, chiefly from a 600 GeV/c Sigma- beam. The branching fractions of
the decay relative to the Cabibbo-favored Xi_c+ -> Sigma+ K- pi+ and Xi_c+ ->
X- pi+ pi+ are measured to be B(Xi_c+ -> p K- pi+)/B(Xi_c+ -> Sigma+ K- pi+) =
0.22 +- 0.06 +- 0.03 and B(Xi_c+ -> p K- pi+)/B(Xi_c+ -> X- pi+ pi+) = 0.20 +-
0.04 +- 0.02, respectively.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX, 3 figures (postscript), Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
The Case for Dynamic Models of Learners' Ontologies in Physics
In a series of well-known papers, Chi and Slotta (Chi, 1992; Chi & Slotta,
1993; Chi, Slotta & de Leeuw, 1994; Slotta, Chi & Joram, 1995; Chi, 2005;
Slotta & Chi, 2006) have contended that a reason for students' difficulties in
learning physics is that they think about concepts as things rather than as
processes, and that there is a significant barrier between these two
ontological categories. We contest this view, arguing that expert and novice
reasoning often and productively traverses ontological categories. We cite
examples from everyday, classroom, and professional contexts to illustrate
this. We agree with Chi and Slotta that instruction should attend to learners'
ontologies; but we find these ontologies are better understood as dynamic and
context-dependent, rather than as static constraints. To promote one
ontological description in physics instruction, as suggested by Slotta and Chi,
could undermine novices' access to productive cognitive resources they bring to
their studies and inhibit their transition to the dynamic ontological
flexibility required of experts.Comment: The Journal of the Learning Sciences (In Press
First Measurement of pi e -> pi e gamma Pion Virtual Compton Scattering
Pion Virtual Compton Scattering (VCS) via the reaction pi e --> pi e gamma
was observed in the Fermilab E781 SELEX experiment. SELEX used a 600 GeV/c pi-
beam incident on target atomic electrons, detecting the incident pi- and the
final state pi-, electron and gamma. Theoretical predictions based on chiral
perturbation theory are incorporated into a Monte Carlo simulation of the
experiment and are compared to the data. The number of reconstructed events (9)
and their distribution with respect to the kinematic variables (for the
kinematic region studied) are in reasonable accord with the predictions. The
corresponding pi- VCS experimental cross section is sigma=38.8+-13 nb, in
agreement with the theoretical expectation sigma=34.7 nb.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables, 25 references, SELEX home page is
http://fn781a.fnal.gov/, revised July 21, 2002 in response to journal referee
Comment
First observation of a narrow charm-strange meson DsJ(2632) -> Ds eta and D0 K+
We report the first observation of a charm-strange meson DsJ(2632) at a mass
of 2632.6+/-1.6 MeV/c^2 in data from SELEX, the charm hadro-production
experiment E781 at Fermilab. This state is seen in two decay modes, Ds eta and
D0 K+. In the Ds eta decay mode we observe an excess of 49.3 events with a
significance of 7.2sigma at a mass of 2635.9+/-2.9 MeV/c^2. There is a
corresponding peak of 14 events with a significance of 5.3sigma at 2631.5+/-1.9
MeV/c^2 in the decay mode D0 K+. The decay width of this state is <17 MeV/c^2
at 90% confidence level. The relative branching ratio Gamma(D0K+)/Gamma(Dseta)
is 0.16+/-0.06. The mechanism which keeps this state narrow is unclear. Its
decay pattern is also unusual, being dominated by the Ds eta decay mode.Comment: 5 pages, 3 included eps figures. v2 as accepted for publication by
PR
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