Polarization-sensitive resonance CSRS of deoxy-and oxyhaemoglobin

Polarization-sensitive coherent Stokes Raman scattering (CSRS) measurements of oxy- and deoxyhaemoglobin in aqueous solutions are reported. The excitation wavelengths used were chosen in the region of the Q absorption bands to achieve twofold electronic resonance. The dispersion profiles of all independent susceptibility (3) components and purely anisotropic and anti-symmetric scattering contributions were resolved within the frequency non-degenerate CSRS scheme. Eight bands of oxyhaemoglobin and five bands of deoxyhaemoglobin were observed in the range 1500-1680 cm-1. Simultaneously fitting sets of polarization spectra provided vibrational parameters (positions, bandwidths, amplitudes, phases and CSRS depolarization ratios) for each compound. Major bands were assigned to the non-totally symmetric v10, v11 and v19 modes of the porphyrin macrocycle. The phases calculated exhibited a correlation with the symmetry of the vibrations. On the basis of the spectral fits, the three additional peaks arising in the oxyhaemoglobin spectra could be ascribed to the bands of intermediate deoxyhaemoglobin. The occurrence is due to the partial photolysis of oxyhaemoglobin. Vibrational parameters of these bands were found to be essentially similar to the parameters of the bands observed in the spectra of the stable deoxyhaemoglobin. Despite the asymmetric character predicted, the major bands were all contributed to by a considerable isotropic component. A decrease in the depolarization ratio PR1212 of the anomalously polarized v19 mode from 7.7 in oxyhaemoglobin to 4.3 in deoxyhaemoglobin was observed. Such a decrease in anti-symmetric character of the vibration on release of the ligand supports the occurrence of deformation of the haem ring system

Multiple sclerosis and the microbiota:Progress in understanding the contribution of the gut microbiome to disease

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological autoimmune disorder, has recently been linked to neuro-inflammatory influences from the gut. In this review, we address the idea that evolutionary mismatches could affect the pathogenesis of MS via the gut microbiota. The evolution of symbiosis as well as the recent introduction of evolutionary mismatches is considered, and evidence regarding the impact of diet on the MS-associated microbiota is evaluated. Distinctive microbial community compositions associated with the gut microbiota of MS patients are difficult to identify, and substantial study-to-study variation and even larger variations between individual profiles of MS patients are observed. Furthermore, although some dietary changes impact the progression of MS, MS-associated features of microbiota were found to be not necessarily associated with diet per se. In addition, immune function in MS patients potentially drives changes in microbial composition directly, in at least some individuals. Finally, assessment of evolutionary histories of animals with their gut symbionts suggests that the impact of evolutionary mismatch on the microbiota is less concerning than mismatches affecting helminths and protists. These observations suggest that the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet for patients with MS may not be mediated by the microbiota per se. Furthermore, any alteration of the microbiota found in association with MS may be an effect rather than a cause. This conclusion is consistent with other studies indicating that a loss of complex eukaryotic symbionts, including helminths and protists, is a pivotal evolutionary mismatch that potentiates the increased prevalence of autoimmunity within a population

Brightness and Darkness as Perceptual Dimensions

A common-sense assumption concerning visual perception states that brightness and darkness cannot coexist at a given spatial location. One corollary of this assumption is that achromatic colors, or perceived grey shades, are contained in a one-dimensional (1-D) space varying from bright to dark. The results of many previous psychophysical studies suggest, by contrast, that achromatic colors are represented as points in a color space composed of two or more perceptual dimensions. The nature of these perceptual dimensions, however, presently remains unclear. Here we provide direct evidence that brightness and darkness form the dimensions of a two-dimensional (2-D) achromatic color space. This color space may play a role in the representation of object surfaces viewed against natural backgrounds, which simultaneously induce both brightness and darkness signals. Our 2-D model generalizes to the chromatic dimensions of color perception, indicating that redness and greenness (blueness and yellowness) also form perceptual dimensions. Collectively, these findings suggest that human color space is composed of six dimensions, rather than the conventional three

Polarization-xensitive CARS of excited-state rhodamine 6G: induced ansisotropy effects on depolarization ratios

Resonance polarization-sensitive coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (PS CARS) spectra of the electronic ground state and excited singlet S1 state of rhodamine 6G in ethanol were obtained with the use of the pump-probe technique with nanosecond time resolution. Variation of the polarization orientation of the pump laser beam showed differences in the excited-state spectra due to optically induced anisotropy. The pure electronic susceptibility of ground-state rhodamine 6G was shown to be small in comparison with nonresonant susceptibility of the solvent, and was neglected in further analyses. The pure electronic susceptibility of excited rhodamine 6G was examined by coherent ellipsometry. The complex third-order susceptibility was analyzed by means of a nonlinear least-squares fit program that provides detailed information on the Raman vibration parameters, including depolarization ratios and phases. In the isotropic case the measured depolarization ratios are close to 1/3, whereas in the anisotropic case, ground-state depolarization ratios are 0.5–0.65 and in the excited state 0.17–0.22. Estimated depolarization ratio changes in ground-state and excited-state rhodamine 6G are in agreement with theoretically predicted values in the case of induced anisotropy under the assumption of parallel dipole moments of the CARS process. The effects of possible changed molecular structure or symmetry and changed enhancement of different electronic transitions cannot be determined without making some assumptions about one of these effects. The obtained phase differences reflect different enhancements and vibronic coupling for ground-state and excited-state vibrations. The ground-state and excited-state hyperpolarizabilities, $\gamma{^E}{s_0}$ and $\gamma{^E}{s_1}$, of rhodamine 6G were estimated to be 3.8·10−35 esu and 27.4·10−35 esu, respectively