The DNA extruded by rat spleen cells in culture

1. Part of the DNA extruded by cultured rat spleen cells occurs in the form of a low density lipid complex. 2. The present work indicates that this complex is also associated with protein but not with RNA and its elementary properties have been studied. 3. For example, it is destroyed by freezing and thawing or by deoxycholate treatment and small quantities of copper salts added to the medium may either inhibit or stimulate its release depending on the conditions.     

Intra-arterial bolus of 125I labeled meglumine diatrizoate. Early extravascular distribution

A mixture of 125I labeled meglumine diatrizoate and 131I labeled human serum albumin was injected into the lower abdominal aorta of 30 anesthetized, laparotomized male rats. Measurements of the activities in cardiac blood and in different tissues of the hindlimbs and tests were perfomed at six time intervals ranging from 5 seconds to 2 minutes after injection, the determine early uptake and distribution volumes of diatrizoate. Concentrations and distribution volumes were initially much greater than values obtained after intravenous injection, but these differences had considerably decreased or disappeared by 2 minutes.     

Objective evaluation of the relative modulation transfer function of densitometers for digitisation of electron micrographs

Digitisation of images recorded on film is a crucial part of data acquisition in electron microscopy, particularly for electron cryo-microscopy of biological specimens where the contrast and signal-to-noise ratio are low. A quantitative method to evaluate and compare the quality of densitometers, as measured by the modulation transfer function (MTF), is described here. The densitometer is modelled as a linear system, the output being the convolution of the input image and a point spread function. The MTF is the magnitude of the Fourier transform of the point spread function. The relative MTF describes the quality of signal transfer with spatial frequency. It is important that fine structural details in the micrograph are digitised with a high value for the MTF which does not vary with direction. A test pattern has been generated by projecting an electron image of a grid pattern onto film. The film is scanned and a computer program measures the intensities of the diffraction orders of the repeating pattern. Three different scanners are compared, one is a point scanner and the other two are line scanners. The test can be used to check if a scanner is set up optimally, and how it compares with another scanner.     

Disambiguating Visual Motion by Form-Motion Interaction—a Computational Model

The neural mechanisms underlying motion segregation and integration still remain unclear to a large extent. Local motion estimates often are ambiguous in the lack of form features, such as corners or junctions. Furthermore, even in the presence of such features, local motion estimates may be wrong if they were generated near occlusions or from transparent objects. Here, a neural model of visual motion processing is presented that involves early stages of the cortical dorsal and ventral pathways. We investigate the computational mechanisms of V1-MT feedforward and feedback processing in the perception of coherent shape motion. In particular, we demonstrate how modulatory MT-V1 feedback helps to stabilize localized feature signals at, e.g. corners, and to disambiguate initial flow estimates that signal ambiguous movement due to the aperture problem for single shapes. In cluttered environments with multiple moving objects partial occlusions may occur which, in turn, generate erroneous motion signals at points of overlapping form. Intrinsic-extrinsic region boundaries are indicated by local T-junctions of possibly any orientation and spatial configuration. Such junctions generate strong localized feature tracking signals that inject erroneous motion directions into the integration process. We describe a simple local mechanism of excitatory form-motion interaction that modifies spurious motion cues at T-junctions. In concert with local competitive-cooperative mechanisms of the motion pathway the motion signals are subsequently segregated into coherent representations of moving shapes. Computer simulations demonstrate the competency of the proposed neural model.     

Multivariable control strategy based on bifurcation analysis of an industrial gas-phase polymerization reactor

In an industrial gas-phase polyethylene reactor, the safe operating range of temperature is rather narrow. Even within this temperature range, temperature excursions must be avoided because they can result in low catalyst productivity and significant changes in product properties. If the manipulated variable for temperature control saturates (i.e., the cooling water valve position is completely open), then the reactor operates without a feedback temperature controller, leading to oscillatory behavior and limit cycles. In this work, it has been demonstrated that the saturation in the manipulated variable and the complex non-linear dynamic behavior are removed when auxiliary manipulated variables, obtained by bifurcation analysis, are used in a multivariable control strategy for the reactor temperature control. Two control structures are proposed and compared considering their impact in the reactor production and polymer melt index. In the first control structure, the designed PID controller for the reactor temperature is considered and a switching strategy with a PI controller for the auxiliary manipulated variables is included. In the second control structure, the designed PID controller for the reactor temperature is also used, however, a MPC controller for the auxiliary manipulated variables is considered. The results suggest that the use of gain-scheduling strategy in the PID temperature controller with a MPC controller for the auxiliary manipulated variables avoids the saturation of the manipulated variable and, hence, the undesired non-linear dynamic behavior, reducing the production loss and improving the product quality.     

Negative chronotropic and inotropic effects exerted by diadenosine hexaphosphate (AP6A) via A1-adenosine receptors

1. Diadenosine hexaphosphate (AP6A) exerts vasoconstrictive effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether AP6A has any effect on cardiac function. 2. The effects of AP6A (0.1-100 microM) on cardiac contractility and frequency were studied in guinea-pig and human isolated cardiac preparations. Furthermore, the effects of AP6A on the amplitude of the L-type calcium current, on the adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) content and on the phosphorylation of regulatory phosphoproteins, i.e. phospholamban and troponin inhibitor, were investigated in guinea-pig isolated ventricular myocytes. 3. In isolated spontaneously beating right atria of the guinea-pig AP6A exerted a negative chronotropic effect and reduced the rate of contraction maximally by 35% (IC20 = 35 microM). 4. In isolated electrically driven left atria of the guinea-pig AP6A exerted a negative inotropic effect and reduced force of contraction maximally by 23% (IC20 = 70 microM). 5. In isolated electrically driven papillary muscles of the guinea-pig AP6A alone was ineffective, but attenuated isoprenaline-stimulated force of contraction maximally by 23% (IC20 = 60 microM). Furthermore, AP6A attenuated the relaxant effect of isoprenaline. 6. In human isolated electrically driven ventricular preparations AP6A alone was ineffective, but attenuated isoprenaline-stimulated force of contraction by maximally 42% (IC20 = 18 microM). Moreover, AP6A attenuated the relaxant effect of isoprenaline. 7. All these effects of AP6A were abolished by the selective A1-adenosine receptor antagonist 1,3-dipropyl-cyclopentyl-xanthine (DPCPX, 0.3 microM), whereas the M-cholinoceptor antagonist atropine (10 microM) and the P2-purinoceptor antagonist suramin (300 microM) failed to abolish the effects of AP6A. 8. AP6A 100 microM had no effect on the amplitude of the L-type calcium current, but attenuated isoprenaline-stimulated L-type calcium current. The maximum of the current-voltage relationship (I-V curve) was shifted to the left by isoprenaline and additional application of AP6A shifted the I-V curve back to the right to the control value. The phosphorylation state of phospholamban and the troponin inhibitor was unchanged by AP6A alone, but was markedly attenuated by AP6A in the presence of isoprenaline. Cyclic AMP levels remained unchanged by AP6A, even after stimulation with isoprenaline. 9. In summary, AP6A exerts negative chronotropic and inotropic effects in guinea-pig and human cardiac preparations. These effects are mediated via A1-adenosine receptors as all effects were sensitive to the selective A1-adenosine receptor antagonist DPCPX. Furthermore, the effects of AP6A on cyclic AMP levels, protein phosphorylation and the L-type calcium current are in accordance with stimulation of A1-adenosine receptors.     

Molecular Origin of the Charge Carrier Mobility in Small Molecule Organic Semiconductors

Small‐molecule organic semiconductors are used in a wide spectrum of applications, ranging from organic light emitting diodes to organic photovoltaics. However, the low carrier mobility severely limits their potential, e.g., for large area devices. A number of factors determine mobility, such as molecular packing, electronic structure, dipole moment, and polarizability. Presently, quantitative ab initio models to assess the influence of these molecule‐dependent properties are lacking. Here, a multiscale model is presented, which provides an accurate prediction of experimental data over ten orders of magnitude in mobility, and allows for the decomposition of the carrier mobility into molecule‐specific quantities. Molecule‐specific quantitative measures are provided how two single molecule properties, the dependence of the orbital energy on conformation, and the dipole‐induced polarization determine mobility for hole‐transport materials. The availability of first‐principles based models to compute key performance characteristics of organic semiconductors may enable in silico screening of numerous chemical compounds for the development of highly efficient optoelectronic devices.     

Sharp bends with low losses in dielectric optical waveguides

A new method is proposed for making sharp bends with low radiation losses in dielectric optical waveguides. By modifying the transverse refractive-index profile at curved sections both the pure bend and the transition losses can be minimized. The optimum gradient-index profile requires an inhomogeneous medium. But in practice this can be replaced by a layered medium. By using four homogeneous layers the permitted radius of curvature of a slab waveguide can be reduced, e.g., from 6400 to only 100 wavelengths.