2,241 research outputs found
Molecular Brightness Determined from a Generalized Form of Mandel’s Q-Parameter
AbstractMandel’s Q-parameter, which is determined from the first two photon count moments, provides an alternative to PCH analysis for determining the brightness of fluorophores. Here, the definition of the Q-parameter is generalized to include correlations between photon counts that are separated by a time τ. We develop and experimentally verify a theory that takes the effects of dead time, afterpulsing, and the finite sampling time on the generalized parameter Q(τ) into account. Q(0), which corresponds to the original Q-parameter, is severely affected by dead time and afterpulsing. Q(τ) for τ>0, on the other hand, is quite robust with respect to nonideal detector effects. Thus, analysis of Q(τ) provides a robust method for determining the brightness of fluorophores. We extend the theory to a mixture of species, which is characterized by an apparent brightness. The brightness of EGFP in CV-1 cells is measured as a function of protein concentration to demonstrate the feasibility of Q(τ) analysis in cells. In addition, we monitor protein association of the ligand-binding domain of retinoid X receptor in the presence and absence of 9-cis-retinoic acid by Q(τ) analysis
Cathepsin S and protease-activated receptor-2 drive alloimmunity and immune regulation in kidney allograft rejection
Alloantigen presentation is an essential process in acute allorejection. In this context, we speculated on a pathogenic role of cathepsin S (Cat-S), a cysteine protease known to promote antigenic peptide loading into MHC class II and to activate protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 on intrarenal microvascular endothelial and tubular epithelial cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing and immunostaining of human kidney allografts confirmed Cat-S expression in intrarenal mononuclear phagocytes
Impact of estrogen receptor alpha on the tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer patients
Genetic aberrations and changes in the activity of estrogen receptors alpha (ERa[lpha]) play an important role in the endocrine sensitivity. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the ESR1 expression level, its polymorphic variants, and the distribution pattern of ER[alpha] expression with the prognosis and efficacy of tamoxifen treatment in breast cancer patients. Our data suggest that the ESR1 expression level, SNPs in the ESR1 gene and the distribution pattern of ERα expression can be a potential molecular marker of tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer patients
Imaging the Renner-Teller effect using laser-induced electron diffraction
Structural information on electronically excited neutral molecules can be
indirectly retrieved, largely through pump-probe and rotational spectroscopy
measurements with the aid of calculations. Here, we demonstrate the direct
structural retrieval of neutral carbonyl disulfide (CS) in the BB
excited electronic state using laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED). We
unambiguously identify the ultrafast symmetric stretching and bending of the
field-dressed neutral CS molecule with combined picometer and attosecond
resolution using intrapulse pump-probe excitation and measurement. We invoke
the Renner-Teller effect to populate the BB excited state in neutral
CS, leading to bending and stretching of the molecule. Our results
demonstrate the sensitivity of LIED in retrieving the geometric structure of
CS, which is known to appear as a two-center scatterer
Circulating Precursor Levels of Endothelin-1 and Adrenomedullin, Two Endothelium-Derived, Counteracting Substances, in Sepsis
Plasma levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and adrenomedullin (ADM), two opposingly acting peptides, correlate with mortality in endotoxemia, but their measurement is cumbersome. New sandwich assays have been introduced that measure more stable precursor fragments. The objective of this study was to investigate the counterplay of their precursor peptides in septic patients and to compare them with disease severity and other biomarkers. Blood samples of an observational study in 95 consecutive critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were analyzed. CT-proET-1 and MR-proADM concentrations on admission were measured using new sandwich immunoassays. Depending on the clinical severity of the infection, both CT-proET-1 and MR-proADM levels exhibited a gradual increase from Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) to sepsis and septic shock (p < .001). Compared to the group of survivors, the group of non-survivors had higher median values of MR-proADM (5.7 nmol/L [range 0.4 to 21.0] versus 1.9 nmol/L [range 0.3 to 17.1], p < .02) and similar CT-proET-1 levels (56.0pmol/L [range 0.5 to 271.0] versus 54.1pmol/L [range 1.0 to 506.0], p = .86). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis showed a higher prognostic accuracy of the calculated ratio of both counteracting substances as compared to CT-proET-1 (p = 0.001) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = .001) and in the range of MR-proADM (p = .51), procalcitonin (p = 0.22), and the APACHE II score (p = .61). Endothelin-1 and adrenomedullin precursor peptides gradually increase with increasing severities of infection in critically ill patients. The ratio of the two counteracting peptides correlates with mortality and shows aprognostic accuracy to predict adverse outcome comparable to the APACHE II score
Dynamics of spin correlations in the spin-1/2 isotropic XY chain in a transverse field
Dynamic xx spin pair correlation functions for the isotropic spin-1/2 XY
chain are calculated numerically for long open chains in the presence of a
transverse magnetic field at finite temperature. As an application we discuss
the temperature dependence of the spin-spin relaxation time in PrCl_3.Comment: 2 pages, latex, 2 figures, abstract of the paper presented at Ampere
Summer School ``Applications of Magnetic Resonance in Novel Materials''
Nafplion, Greece, 3-9 September, 2000, partially published in J. Phys. A:
Math. Gen. 33, 3063 (2000
Ferromagnetism in the large-U Hubbard model
We study the Hubbard model on a hypercubic lattice with regard to the
possibility of itinerant ferromagnetism. The Dynamical Mean Field theory is
used to map the lattice model on an effective local problem, which is treated
with help of the Non Crossing Approximation. By investigating spin dependent
one-particle Green's functions and the magnetic susceptibility, a region with
nonvanishing ferromagnetic polarization is found in the limit . The
-T-phase diagram as well as thermodynamic quantities are discussed. The
dependence of the Curie temperature on the Coulomb interaction and the
competition between ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism are studied in the
large limit of the Hubbard model.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review B,
Rapid Communication
Evaluating Depressive Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Psychometric Comparison of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
Background: The aim of this study was to compare two measures of depression in patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, including patients with delusional and schizoaffective disorder, to conclude implications for their application. Sampling and Methods: A total of 278 patients were assessed using the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was also applied. At admission and discharge, a principal component analysis was performed with each depression scale. The two depression rating scales were furthermore compared using correlation and regression analyses. Results: Three factors were revealed for the CDSS and HAMD-17 factor component analysis. A very similar item loading was found for the CDSS at admission and discharge, whereas results of the loadings of the HAMD-17 items were less stable. The first two factors of the CDSS revealed correlations with positive, negative and general psychopathology. In contrast, multiple significant correlations were found for the HAMD-17 factors and the PANSS sub-scores. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that the HAMD-17 accounted more for the positive and negative symptom domains than the CDSS. Conclusions:The present results suggest that compared to the HAMD-17, the CDSS is a more specific instrument to measure depressive symptoms in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, especially in acutely ill patients. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base
Large tunable valley splitting in edge-free graphene quantum dots on boron nitride
Coherent manipulation of binary degrees of freedom is at the heart of modern
quantum technologies. Graphene offers two binary degrees: the electron spin and
the valley. Efficient spin control has been demonstrated in many solid state
systems, while exploitation of the valley has only recently been started, yet
without control on the single electron level. Here, we show that van-der Waals
stacking of graphene onto hexagonal boron nitride offers a natural platform for
valley control. We use a graphene quantum dot induced by the tip of a scanning
tunneling microscope and demonstrate valley splitting that is tunable from -5
to +10 meV (including valley inversion) by sub-10-nm displacements of the
quantum dot position. This boosts the range of controlled valley splitting by
about one order of magnitude. The tunable inversion of spin and valley states
should enable coherent superposition of these degrees of freedom as a first
step towards graphene-based qubits
Production of a recombinant polyester-cleaving hydrolase from Thermobifida fusca in Escherichia coli
The hydrolase (Thermobifida fusca hydrolase; TfH) from T. fusca was produced in Escherichia coli as fusion protein using the OmpA leader sequence and a His(6) tag. Productivity could be raised more than 100-fold. Both batch and fed-batch cultivations yield comparable cell specific productivities whereas volumetric productivities differ largely. In the fed-batch cultivations final rTfH concentrations of 0.5 g L(−1) could be achieved. In batch cultivations the generated rTfH is translocated to the periplasm wherefrom it is completely released into the extracellular medium. In fed-batch runs most of the produced rTfH remains as soluble protein in the cytoplasm and only a fraction of about 35% is translocated to the periplasm. Migration of periplasmic proteins in the medium is obviously coupled with growth rate and this final transport step possibly plays an important role in product localization and efficacy of the Sec translocation process
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