Microcalorimeter as a Biologic Activity Monitor for the Study of \u3cem\u3eBrachiaria Brizantha\u3c/em\u3e Seed Germination Process

Calorimetry helps better understanding of biological processes (Calvet & Prat, 1963). Very sensitive thermal sensors and microcalorimeters allow real time investigation and monitoring heat production of seed germination but few experiments have been performed in this area (Sigstad & Prado, 1999). Moreover, experimental procedures correlating germination phenomena and chemical thermodynamics are exceptional (Barboza, 2002). One can detect calorimetrically the heat flow produced during seed germination and compare the results with data recorded using standard germination methodology (ISTA, 1985). Seed germination and the biomass increase respiration and determination of the energy involved aids understanding of the energetic cycle involved. This work analysed the germination of Brachiaria brizantha seeds, including the water uptake phase

Asymptotic properties of quantum Markov chains

The asymptotic dynamics of quantum Markov chains generated by the most general physically relevant quantum operations is investigated. It is shown that it is confined to an attractor space on which the resulting quantum Markov chain is diagonalizable. A construction procedure of a basis of this attractor space and its associated dual basis is presented. It applies whenever a strictly positive quantum state exists which is contracted or left invariant by the generating quantum operation. Moreover, algebraic relations between the attractor space and Kraus operators involved in the definition of a quantum Markov chain are derived. This construction is not only expected to offer significant computational advantages in cases in which the dimension of the Hilbert space is large and the dimension of the attractor space is small but it also sheds new light onto the relation between the asymptotic dynamics of quantum Markov chains and fixed points of their generating quantum operations.Comment: 10 page

From Hierarchies to Levels: New Solutions for Games with Hierarchical Structure

Recently, applications of cooperative game theory to economic allocation problems have gained popularity. In many of these problems, players are organized according to either a hierarchical structure or a levels structure that restrict players ’ possibilities to cooperate. In this paper, we propose three new solutions for games with hierarchical structure and characterize them by properties that relate a player’s payoff to the payoffs of other players located in specific positions in the structure relative to that player. To define each of these solutions, we consider a certain mapping that transforms any hierarchical structure into a levels structure, and then we apply the standard generalization of the Shapley Value to the class of games with levels structure. The transformations that map the set of hierarchical structures to the set of levels structures are also studied from an axiomatic viewpoint by means of properties that relate a player’s position in both types of structure

Memory B cells activate brain-homing, autoreactive CD4(+) T cells in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that is caused by the interplay of genetic, particularly the HLA-DR15 haplotype, and environmental risk factors. How these etiologic factors contribute to generating an autoreactive CD4+ T cell repertoire is not clear. Here, we demonstrate that self-reactivity, defined as “autoproliferation” of peripheral Th1 cells, is elevated in patients carrying the HLA-DR15 haplotype. Autoproliferation is mediated by memory B cells in a HLA-DR-dependent manner. Depletion of B cells in vitro and therapeutically in vivo by anti-CD20 effectively reduces T cell autoproliferation. T cell receptor deep sequencing showed that in vitro autoproliferating T cells are enriched for brain-homing T cells. Using an unbiased epitope discovery approach, we identified RASGRP2 as target autoantigen that is expressed in the brain and B cells. These findings will be instrumental to address important questions regarding pathogenic B-T cell interactions in multiple sclerosis and possibly also to develop novel therapies

Soluble CD44 Interacts with Intermediate Filament Protein Vimentin on Endothelial Cell Surface

CD44 is a cell surface glycoprotein that functions as hyaluronan receptor. Mouse and human serum contain substantial amounts of soluble CD44, generated either by shedding or alternative splicing. During inflammation and in cancer patients serum levels of soluble CD44 are significantly increased. Experimentally, soluble CD44 overexpression blocks cancer cell adhesion to HA. We have previously found that recombinant CD44 hyaluronan binding domain (CD44HABD) and its non-HA-binding mutant inhibited tumor xenograft growth, angiogenesis, and endothelial cell proliferation. These data suggested an additional target other than HA for CD44HABD. By using non-HA-binding CD44HABD Arg41Ala, Arg78Ser, and Tyr79Ser-triple mutant (CD443MUT) we have identified intermediate filament protein vimentin as a novel interaction partner of CD44. We found that vimentin is expressed on the cell surface of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Endogenous CD44 and vimentin coprecipitate from HUVECs, and when overexpressed in vimentin-negative MCF-7 cells. By using deletion mutants, we found that CD44HABD and CD443MUT bind vimentin N-terminal head domain. CD443MUT binds vimentin in solution with a Kd in range of 12–37 nM, and immobilised vimentin with Kd of 74 nM. CD443MUT binds to HUVEC and recombinant vimentin displaces CD443MUT from its binding sites. CD44HABD and CD443MUT were internalized by wild-type endothelial cells, but not by lung endothelial cells isolated from vimentin knock-out mice. Together, these data suggest that vimentin provides a specific binding site for soluble CD44 on endothelial cells

Purinergic signalling links mechanical breath profile and alveolar mechanics with the pro-inflammatory innate immune response causing ventilation-induced lung injury

Severe pulmonary infection or vigorous cyclic deformation of the alveolar epithelial type I (AT I) cells by mechanical ventilation leads to massive extracellular ATP release. High levels of extracellular ATP saturate the ATP hydrolysis enzymes CD39 and CD73 resulting in persistent high ATP levels despite the conversion to adenosine. Above a certain level, extracellular ATP molecules act as danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and activate the pro-inflammatory response of the innate immunity through purinergic receptors on the surface of the immune cells. This results in lung tissue inflammation, capillary leakage, interstitial and alveolar oedema and lung injury reducing the production of surfactant by the damaged AT II cells and deactivating the surfactant function by the concomitant extravasated serum proteins through capillary leakage followed by a substantial increase in alveolar surface tension and alveolar collapse. The resulting inhomogeneous ventilation of the lungs is an important mechanism in the development of ventilation-induced lung injury. The high levels of extracellular ATP and the upregulation of ecto-enzymes and soluble enzymes that hydrolyse ATP to adenosine (CD39 and CD73) increase the extracellular adenosine levels that inhibit the innate and adaptive immune responses rendering the host susceptible to infection by invading microorganisms. Moreover, high levels of extracellular adenosine increase the expression, the production and the activation of pro-fibrotic proteins (such as TGF-β, α-SMA, etc.) followed by the establishment of lung fibrosis

A monolithic glass chip for active single-cell sorting based on mechanical phenotyping

The mechanical properties of biological cells have long been considered as inherent markers of biological function and disease. However, the screening and active sorting of heterogeneous populations based on serial single-cell mechanical measurements has not been demonstrated. Here we present a novel monolithic glass chip for combined fluorescence detection and mechanical phenotyping using an optical stretcher. A new design and manufacturing process, involving the bonding of two asymmetrically etched glass plates, combines exact optical fiber alignment, low laser damage threshold and high imaging quality with the possibility of several microfluidic inlet and outlet channels. We show the utility of such a custombuilt optical stretcher glass chip by measuring and sorting single cells in a heterogeneous population based on their different mechanical properties and verify sorting accuracy by simultaneous fluorescence detection. This offers new possibilities of exact characterization and sorting of small populations based on rheological properties for biological and biomedical applications