A Bio-Conjugated Fullerene as a Subcellular-Targeted and Multifaceted Phototheranostic Agent

Fullerenes are candidates for theranostic applications because of their high photodynamic activity and intrinsic multimodal imaging contrast. However, fullerenes suffer from low solubility in aqueous media, poor biocompatibility, cell toxicity, and a tendency to aggregate. C₇₀@lysozyme is introduced herein as a novel bioconjugate that is harmless to a cellular environment, yet is also photoactive and has excellent optical and optoacoustic contrast for tracking cellular uptake and intracellular localization. The formation, water-solubility, photoactivity, and unperturbed structure of C₇₀@lysozyme are confirmed using UV-visible and 2D ¹H, ¹⁵N NMR spectroscopy. The excellent imaging contrast of C₇₀@lysozyme in optoacoustic and third harmonic generation microscopy is exploited to monitor its uptake in HeLa cells and lysosomal trafficking. Last, the photoactivity of C₇₀@lysozyme and its ability to initiate cell death by means of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production upon exposure to low levels of white light irradiation is demonstrated. This study introduces C₇₀@lysozyme and other fullerene-protein conjugates as potential candidates for theranostic applications.     

Construction and qualification of the pre-series MQM superconducting quadrupoles for the LHC insertions

The LHC insertions will be equipped with individually powered MQM superconducting quadrupoles, produced in three versions with magnetic lengths of 2.4 m, 3.4 m, and 4.8 m. The quadrupoles feature a 56 mm aperture coil, designed on the basis of an 8.8 mm wide Rutherford-type NbTi cable for a nominal gradient of 200 T/m at 1.9 K and 5390 A. A total of 96 quadrupoles are in production in Tesla Engineering, UK. In this report we describe the construction of the pre-series MQM quadrupoles and present the results of the qualification tests.     

Potentiation of tumour necrosis factor-mediated cell killing by VP16 on human ovarian cancer cell lines. In vitro results and clinical implications

Synergism between recombinant human tumour necrosis factor (rHuTNF) and DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor VP16 during the killing of cells has been studied in six human ovarian cancer cell lines (A2774, A2780, SW626, IGROV-1, SKOV3, Pa1) and a cervical carcinoma cell line (Me180). Studies were performed using an assay of colony formation inhibition (drug treatment for 1 h) and a growth inhibition assay (continuous exposure for 20 h). Concomitant treatment of cells with VP16+rHuTNF enhanced cell killing in all the cell lines tested--an effect observed in both short- and long-term cytotoxicity assays. This study suggests that the activity of VP16 in ovarian cancer cell lines might be enhanced by rHuTNF in in vitro models.     

Modeling and sensitivity analysis of fire emissions in southern Africa during SAFARI 2000

This paper uses three recently generated southern African satellite burned area products for the month of September 2000 in a sensitivity study of regional biomass burning emissions for a number of trace gases and particulates. Differences in the extent and location of areas burned among products generated from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Systeme Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT-VEGETATION), and Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR-2) data are significant and result in different emissions estimates for woodland and grassland land cover types. Due to the different emission profiles in woodlands and grasslands, favoring relatively more products of incomplete combustion in woodlands compared with products of complete combustion in grasslands in the late dry season, these changes are not proportional to the differences in the burned area amounts. The importance of accurate burned area information not just in terms of the total area but also in terms of its spatial distribution becomes apparent from our modeling results. This paper highlights the urgent need for satellite data producers to provide accuracy assessments associated with satellite-derived products. Preferably, these accuracy data will be spatially explicit, or defined in a way that can be applied in a spatially explicit modeling context, to enable emissions uncertainties to be defined with respect to different landscape units in support of greenhouse gas emissions reporting.     

Analysis of thin walled structures using the boundary element method

In this article the direct boundary element formulations of stretching and bending plate problems are combined together to solve thin walled structures and other similar frames. The final system is obtained by assuming each individual plane structural element as a subregion. After the necessary transforms of these equations they can be combined together taking into account the displacement compatibility and equilibrium conditions.     

De nouveaux stannures ternaires de rhodium et d'elements des terres rares: TR1+xRh2Sn4−x, 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0,5, TR = La - SmNew ternary stannides: TR1+xRh2Sn4−x, 0≦x≦0.5, TR = La - Sm

New ternary stannides are reported: RE_1+xRh₂Sn_4?x, 0 ? x ? 0,5 (RE = La ? Sm). NdRh₂Sn₄ has been characterized by single - crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Its structure is of a new type with space group Pnma and Z = 4: a = 18,535(3), b = 4,463(1), $\text{c}\text{= 7,229(1)}\text{A}\text{?}$, D_x = 9,16 g.cm^?1, μ(AgKα) = 13,6 mm^?1, F(000) = 1300, R = 0,040 for 496 independent reflexions (R_w = 0,047). One of the tin sites can be partly occupied by rare earths atoms. The structure types of NdRh₂Sn₄ and Y₂Rh₃Sn₅ are closely related. LaRh₂Sn₄ does not exhibit superconductivity above 1.4 K.     

Gamma-Ray-Induced Multi-Effect on Properties of Chalcogenide Glasses

Gamma-ray irradiations induced various alterations in sulfur- and selenium-based chalcogenide glasses. The absorbed dose was in the range of 0.01–3.6 MGy. The glasses exhibit prominent sensitivity to γ-ray irradiation, characterized by changes in some of the physical properties of the glasses, e.g., optical transmission, optical band gap, density, and thermal expansion coefficient. The effects on glass structure and microscopic morphology were also studied by Raman spectra and scanning electron microscopic observations.     

Nonenzymatic browning induced by gamma-irradiation in model system Part IV. Three components system consisting of fructose, alanine and phenylalanine

Summary The effect of irradiation on the nonenzymatic browning reaction in the model system consisting of 0,03M-fructose, 0.01M-alanine and 0.01M-phenylalanine in aqueous solution was investigated. The loss of phenylalanine and fructose after irradiation, due to their high reactivity towards radical species of water radiolysis was greater compared with alanine. The heating of preirradiated solution caused only a slight decrease in the concentration of substrates. The characteristic absorption spectra for only irradiated and for irradiated and heated solutions were recorded. The heating produced a chromophore with a broadened absorption maximum about 285 nm. Two unidentified Amadori type compounds which gave positive response to ninhydrin were found by amino-acid analysis.

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Durch -Strahlung induzierte nichtenzymatische Bräunung im Modell-System Teil IV. Dreikomponentenmodellsystem aus Fructose, Alanin und Phenylalanin

Zusammenfassung Es wurde der Einfluß von -Strahlen auf die nichtenzymatische Bräunung im Dreikomponenten-Modellsystem, bestehend aus 0,03m-Fructose, 0,01m-Alanin und 0,01m-Phenylalanin in wäßriger Lösung untersucht. Der Verlust an Phenylalanin und Fructose nach der Bestrahlung war größer als bei Alanin wegen dessen größerer Reaktivität zu den Radikalen der Wasserradiolyse. Beim Erhitzen von bestrahlten Losungen wurde eine Abnahme in der Konzentration von Substraten beobachtet. Es wurden die charakteristischen Absorptionsspektren von lediglich bestrahlten und von bestrahlten und gleichzeitig erhitzten Lösungen aufgenommen. Beim Erhitzen wird ein Chromophor mit breitem Absorptionsmaximum bei ungefähr 285 nm, gebildet. Es wurden zwei nichtidentifizierte Amadoriprodukte mit positiver Ninhydrin-Reaktion bei den Aminosäureanalysen gefunden.

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For part 3 see [8]