Luminescence evidence for bulk and surface excitons in free xenon clusters

Cathodoluminescence spectra of free xenon clusters produced by condensation of xenon-argon gas mixtures in supersonic jets expanding into vacuum were studied. By varying initial experimental parameters, including xenon concentration, we could obtain clusters with a xenon core (300-3500 atoms) covered by an argon outer shell as well as shell-free xenon clusters (about 1500 atoms). The cluster size and temperature (about 40 K for both cases) were measured electronographically. Luminescence bands evidencing the existence of bulk and surface excitons were detected for shell-free xenon clusters. The emission from bulk excitons in small clusters is supposed to be due to processes of their multiple elastic reflections from the xenon-vacuum interface. A presence of an argon shell causes extinction of the excitonic bands. In addition, some new bands were found which have no analogs for bulk xenon cryosamples.Comment: The final modified version will be published in Phys. Rev. A 76 (2007

Polarization-correlation optical microscopy of anisotropic biological layers

The theoretical background of azimuthally stable method of Jones-matrix mapping of histological sections of biopsy of myocardium tissue on the basis of spatial frequency selection of the mechanisms of linear and circular birefringence is presented. The diagnostic application of a new correlation parameter - complex degree of mutual anisotropy - is analytically substantiated. The method of measuring coordinate distributions of complex degree of mutual anisotropy with further spatial filtration of their high- and low-frequency components is developed. The interconnections of such distributions with parameters of linear and circular birefringence of myocardium tissue histological sections are found. The comparative results of measuring the coordinate distributions of complex degree of mutual anisotropy formed by fibrillar networks of myosin fibrils of myocardium tissue of different necrotic states - dead due to coronary heart disease and acute coronary insufficiency are shown. The values and ranges of change of the statistical (moments of the 1st - 4th order) parameters of complex degree of mutual anisotropy coordinate distributions are studied. The objective criteria of differentiation of cause of death are determined

A new design for a green calcium indicator with a smaller size and a reduced number of calcium-binding sites

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) are mainly represented by two- or one-fluorophore-based sensors. One type of two-fluorophore-based sensor, carrying Opsanus troponin C (TnC) as the Ca2+-binding moiety, has two binding sites for calcium ions, providing a linear response to calcium ions. One-fluorophore-based sensors have four Ca2+-binding sites but are better suited for in vivo experiments. Herein, we describe a novel design for a one-fluorophore-based GECI with two Ca2+-binding sites. The engineered sensor, called NTnC, uses TnC as the Ca2+-binding moiety, inserted in the mNeonGreen fluorescent protein. Monomeric NTnC has higher brightness and pH-stability in vitro compared with the standard GECI GCaMP6s. In addition, NTnC shows an inverted fluorescence response to Ca2+. Using NTnC, we have visualized Ca2+ dynamics during spontaneous activity of neuronal cultures as confirmed by control NTnC and its mutant, in which the affinity to Ca2+ is eliminated. Using whole-cell patch clamp, we have demonstrated that NTnC dynamics in neurons are similar to those of GCaMP6s and allow robust detection of single action potentials. Finally, we have used NTnC to visualize Ca2+ neuronal activity in vivo in the V1 cortical area in awake and freely moving mice using two-photon microscopy or an nVista miniaturized microscope

Assessment of a novel, capsid-modified adenovirus with an improved vascular gene transfer profile

<p>Background: Cardiovascular disorders, including coronary artery bypass graft failure and in-stent restenosis remain significant opportunities for the advancement of novel therapeutics that target neointimal hyperplasia, a characteristic of both pathologies. Gene therapy may provide a successful approach to improve the clinical outcome of these conditions, but would benefit from the development of more efficient vectors for vascular gene delivery. The aim of this study was to assess whether a novel genetically engineered Adenovirus could be utilised to produce enhanced levels of vascular gene expression.</p> <p>Methods: Vascular transduction capacity was assessed in primary human saphenous vein smooth muscle and endothelial cells using vectors expressing the LacZ reporter gene. The therapeutic capacity of the vectors was compared by measuring smooth muscle cell metabolic activity and migration following infection with vectors that over-express the candidate therapeutic gene tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3).</p> <p>Results: Compared to Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5), the novel vector Ad5T*F35++ demonstrated improved binding and transduction of human vascular cells. Ad5T*F35++ mediated expression of TIMP-3 reduced smooth muscle cell metabolic activity and migration in vitro. We also demonstrated that in human serum samples pre-existing neutralising antibodies to Ad5T*F35++ were less prevalent than Ad5 neutralising antibodies.</p> <p>Conclusions: We have developed a novel vector with improved vascular transduction and improved resistance to human serum neutralisation. This may provide a novel vector platform for human vascular gene transfer.</p&gt

Клещевой энцефалит: иммунологические показатели возможного перехода острой стадии в хроническое течение болезни

Several autoimmune diseases with chronic clinical course are characterized by detection of DNA autoantibodies in patients’ serum, while there are no such IgGs in healthy donors’ blood or in patients with acute clinical course with no evidence of chronization. Tick-borne encephalitis has not been considered this way. Several strict criteria have been applied to show that the DNase activity is an intrinsic property of IgGs from the sera of TBE patients but not from healthy donors. The relative activity of IgGs has been shown to vary extensively from patient to patient, but most of the preparations (91%) had detectable levels of the DNase activity. Polyclonal DNase IgGs were not active in the presence of EDTA or after a dialysis against EDTA, but could be activated by several externally added metal ions, with the level of activity decreasing in the order Mn2+ + Ca2+ ≥ Mn2+ + Mg2+ ≥ Mn2+ ≥ ≥ Mg2+ + Ca2+ ≥ Ca2+ ≥ Mg2+ > Ca2+, while K+ , Na+ , Ni2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ did not stimulate DNA hydrolysis. Affinity chromatography on DNA-cellulose separated the DNase IgGs into many subfractions with various affinities for DNA and very different levels of the relative activity. Possible reasons for catalytic diversity of polyclonal human Abzs are discussed.Ряд аутоиммунных заболеваний с хроническим течением характеризуются обнаружением в крови больных ДНКаутоантител, в то время как их не содержит кровь здоровых доноров или пациентов с острым течением заболеваний, незначительным нарушением иммунного статуса, без определенной склонности к переходу в хронический процесс. Клещевой энцефалит (КЭ) не рассматривался с этих позиций. Предварительно для данной работы проведен поиск достаточно точных критериев обнаружения ДНК-активности антител иммуноглобулина (Ig) G из сыворотки крови больных КЭ и здоровых доноров. Показано, что относительная активность антител IgG значительно варьирует у пациентов, но большинство образцов (91%) имели определяемый уровень ДНКазной активности. Поликлональные ДНКазные антитела IgG не активировались в присутствии ЭДТА или после диализа с ЭДТА, но могли активироваться некоторыми добавленными ионами металлов с уровнем активности, уменьшающимся в ряду Mn2+ + Ca2+ ≥ Mn2+ + Mg2+ ≥ Mn2+ ≥ Mg2+ + Ca2+ ≥ Co2+ ≥ Mg2+ > Ca2+, в то время как K+ , Na+ , Ni2+, Zn2+ и Cu2+ не стимулировали гидролиз ДНК. Аффинная хроматография на ДНК-целлюлозе разделила ДНКазные антитела IgG на множество субфракций с различным сродством к ДНК и очень разными уровнями относительной активности. Возможные причины каталитического разнообразия поликлональных человеческих аутоантител обсуждаются

The composition of the protosolar disk and the formation conditions for comets

Conditions in the protosolar nebula have left their mark in the composition of cometary volatiles, thought to be some of the most pristine material in the solar system. Cometary compositions represent the end point of processing that began in the parent molecular cloud core and continued through the collapse of that core to form the protosun and the solar nebula, and finally during the evolution of the solar nebula itself as the cometary bodies were accreting. Disentangling the effects of the various epochs on the final composition of a comet is complicated. But comets are not the only source of information about the solar nebula. Protostellar disks around young stars similar to the protosun provide a way of investigating the evolution of disks similar to the solar nebula while they are in the process of evolving to form their own solar systems. In this way we can learn about the physical and chemical conditions under which comets formed, and about the types of dynamical processing that shaped the solar system we see today. This paper summarizes some recent contributions to our understanding of both cometary volatiles and the composition, structure and evolution of protostellar disks.Comment: To appear in Space Science Reviews. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11214-015-0167-