916 research outputs found
Plasmon-resonant gold nanorods as low backscattering albedo contrast agents for optical coherence tomography
Plasmon-resonant gold nanorods are demonstrated as low back-scattering albedo contrast agents for optical coherence tomography (OCT). We define the backscattering albedo, a′, as the ratio of the backscattering to extinction coefficient. Contrast agents which modify a' within the host tissue phantoms are detected with greater sensitivity by the differential OCT measurement of both a′ and extinction. Optimum sensitivity is achieved by maximizing the difference between contrast agents and tissue, |a′ca - a′tiss|. Low backscattering albedo gold nanorods (14 × 44 nm; λmax = 780 nm) within a high backscattering albedo tissue phantom with an uncertainty in concentration of 20% (randomized 2±0.4% intralipid) were readily detected at 82 ppm (by weight) in a regime where extinction alone could not discriminate nanorods. The estimated threshold of detection was 30 ppm
Imaging gold nanorods in excised human breast carcinoma by spectroscopic optical coherence tomography
Plasmon-resonant gold nanorods (GNRs) can serve as imaging agents for spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (SOCT). The aspect ratio of the GNRs is adjusted for maximum absorption in the far red to create a partial spectral overlap with the short-wavelength edge of the near-infrared SOCT imaging band. The spectroscopic absorption profile of the GNRs is incorporated into a depth-resolved algorithm for mapping the relative GNR density within OCT images. This technique enables us to image GNR distributions in excised human breast carcinomas, demonstrating their potential as OCT contrast agents in heterogeneous, highly scattering tissues
Differential expression of ADAMTS -1, -4, -5 and TIMP -3 in rat spinal cord at different stages of acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model of inflammatory demyelination, a pathological event common to multiple sclerosis (MS). During CNS inflammation there are alterations in the extracellular matrix (ECM). A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) -1, -4 and -5 are proteases present in the CNS, which are able to cleave the aggregating chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans, aggrecan, phosphacan, neurocan and brevican. It is therefore important to investigate changes in their expression in different stages of EAE induction. We have investigated expression of ADAMTS-1, -4, -5 and Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) -3, by real-time RT-PCR. We have also examined protein expression of ADAMTS-1, -4 and -5 by western blotting and immunocytochemistry in spinal cord from animals at different stages of disease progression. Our study demonstrated a decrease in ADAMTS-4 mRNA and protein expression. TIMP-3 was decreased at the mRNA level although protein levels were increased in diseased animals compared to controls. Our study identifies changes in ADAMTS expression during the course of CNS inflammation which may contribute to ECM degradation and disease progression.</p
Functional improvement and maturation of rat and human engineered heart tissue by chronic electrical stimulation
Spontaneously beating engineered heart tissue (EHT) represents an advanced in vitro model for drug testing and disease modeling, but cardiomyocytes in EHTs are less mature and generate lower forces than in the adult heart. We devised a novel pacing system integrated in a setup for videooptical recording of EHT contractile function over time and investigated whether sustained electrical field stimulation improved EHT properties. EHTs were generated from neonatal rat heart cells (rEHT, n=96) or human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (hEHT, n=19). Pacing with biphasic pulses was initiated on day 4 of culture. REHT continuously paced for 16-18 days at 0.5Hz developed 2.2× higher forces than nonstimulated rEHT. This was reflected by higher cardiomyocyte density in the center of EHTs, increased connexin-43 abundance as investigated by two-photon microscopy and remarkably improved sarcomere ultrastructure including regular M-bands. Further signs of tissue maturation include a rightward shift (to more physiological values) of the Ca(2+)-response curve, increased force response to isoprenaline and decreased spontaneous beating activity. Human EHTs stimulated at 2Hz in the first week and 1.5Hz thereafter developed 1.5× higher forces than nonstimulated hEHT on day 14, an ameliorated muscular network of longitudinally oriented cardiomyocytes and a higher cytoplasm-to-nucleus ratio. Taken together, continuous pacing improved structural and functional properties of rEHTs and hEHTs to an unprecedented level. Electrical stimulation appears to be an important step toward the generation of fully mature EHT
Ground-state properties of tubelike flexible polymers
In this work we investigate structural properties of native states of a
simple model for short flexible homopolymers, where the steric influence of
monomeric side chains is effectively introduced by a thickness constraint. This
geometric constraint is implemented through the concept of the global radius of
curvature and affects the conformational topology of ground-state structures. A
systematic analysis allows for a thickness-dependent classification of the
dominant ground-state topologies. It turns out that helical structures,
strands, rings, and coils are natural, intrinsic geometries of such tubelike
objects
Spin-phonon coupled modes in the incommensurate phases of doped CuGeO
The doping effect of the folded phonon mode at 98 cm was investigated
on the Si-doped CuGeO by magneto-optical measurements in far-infrared (FIR)
region under high magnetic field. The folded phonon mode at 98 cm
appears not only in the dimerized (D) phase but also in the
dimerized-anitiferromagnetic (DAF) phase on the doped CuGeO. The splitting
was observed in the incommensurate (IC) phase and the antiferromagnetically
ordered incommensurate (IAF) phase above . The split-off branches exhibit
different field dependence from that of the pure CuGeO in the vicinity of
, and the discrepancy in the IAF phase is larger than that in the IC
phase. It is caused by the interaction between the solitons and the impurities.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, resubmitted to Phys. Rev.
The Persistence Length of a Strongly Charged, Rod-like, Polyelectrolyte in the Presence of Salt
The persistence length of a single, intrinsically rigid polyelectrolyte
chain, above the Manning condensation threshold is investigated theoretically
in presence of added salt. Using a loop expansion method, the partition
function is consistently calculated, taking into account corrections to
mean-field theory. Within a mean-field approximation, the well-known results of
Odijk, Skolnick and Fixman are reproduced. Beyond mean-field, it is found that
density correlations between counterions and thermal fluctuations reduce the
stiffness of the chain, indicating an effective attraction between monomers for
highly charged chains and multivalent counterions. This attraction results in a
possible mechanical instability (collapse), alluding to the phenomenon of DNA
condensation. In addition, we find that more counterions condense on slightly
bent conformations of the chain than predicted by the Manning model for the
case of an infinite cylinder. Finally, our results are compared with previous
models and experiments.Comment: 13 pages, 2 ps figure
Evolution and Flare Activity of Delta-Sunspots in Cycle 23
The emergence and magnetic evolution of solar active regions (ARs) of
beta-gamma-delta type, which are known to be highly flare-productive, were
studied with the SOHO/MDI data in Cycle 23. We selected 31 ARs that can be
observed from their birth phase, as unbiased samples for our study. From the
analysis of the magnetic topology (twist and writhe), we obtained the following
results. i) Emerging beta-gamma-delta ARs can be classified into three
topological types as "quasi-beta", "writhed" and "top-to-top". ii) Among them,
the "writhed" and "top-to-top" types tend to show high flare activity. iii) As
the signs of twist and writhe agree with each other in most cases of the
"writhed" type (12 cases out of 13), we propose a magnetic model in which the
emerging flux regions in a beta-gamma-delta AR are not separated but united as
a single structure below the solar surface. iv) Almost all the "writhed"-type
ARs have downward knotted structures in the mid portion of the magnetic flux
tube. This, we believe, is the essential property of beta-gamma-delta ARs. v)
The flare activity of beta-gamma-delta ARs is highly correlated not only with
the sunspot area but also with the magnetic complexity. vi) We suggest that
there is a possible scaling-law between the flare index and the maximum umbral
area
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