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At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Effect of cosmological neutrinos on discrimination between the two enantiomers of a chiral molecule.

In the framework of an extraterrestrial origin of biological homochirality, universal mechanisms are of particular interest. In this sense we consider the weak parity-violating neutrino-electron interaction through weak charged currents W (+/-) between the relic flux of cosmological neutrinos and the electrons of a chiral molecule. We use the known theoretical result of the split in energy of the two helicity sates of an electron in the cosmic neutrino bath, due to weak charged currents. In the case that electrons of a chiral molecule are submitted to a helicoidal potential due to the nuclear conformation, these electrons have opposite helicities for the two enantiomers of the molecule and consequently the mentioned neutrino-electron interaction would produce a splitting in energy between the two enantiomers. An estimation of this energy for the case of a single electron yields a small value of the order of 10(-26) eV. This value results amplified by the contribution of all the molecular electrons having helicity and other possible mechanisms.

Electrons↗
PubMed1980

Macromolecular conformation in solution. Study of carbonic anhydrase by the positron annihilation technique.

The structural features of carbonic anhydrase (carbonate hydro-lyase; EC 4.2.1.1) in aqueous solution were probed by the positron annihilation technique. The data obtained under varying conditions of temperature, pH, and enzyme concentration were interpreted in terms of the free volume model. The change of enzymic activity with temperature is accompanied by a change in free volume of the protein. Upon thermal denaturation an irreversible change in free volume of the molecule occurred. At low temperatures the protein-water interactions were investigated. These results are discussed in terms of current concepts of structure-function relationships in proteins. This study shows the sensitivity of the positron annihilation method toward the structure of proteins related to their overall conformation and to the nature of bound water.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Assessment of dose equivalent due to neutrinos.

Neutrinos are present in the natural environment and are also produced by particle accelerators. A recent hypothesis has also been proposed that asserts that ionizing radiation due to neutrinos from certain astronomical events may have led to the extinction of some biological species. Thus, it is of interest to be able to estimate the dose equivalent due to these weakly interacting particles. Presented here are methods for estimating the dose equivalent due to neutrinos over a broad domain of energy, examples of such calculations, and an assessment of the postulated role of neutrinos in biological extinctions. It is concluded that the dose equivalent due to neutrinos from natural sources and from present-day accelerators is inconsequential and the postulated role of neutrinos in biological extinctions is highly improbable.

Calcium↗
PubMed2006

Low density lipoprotein aged in plasma forms clusters resembling subendothelial droplets: aggregation via surface sites.

In early phases of atherogenesis, droplets and vesicles accumulate in the subendothelial extracellular space of arterial intima. There is much evidence to suggest that these droplets, ranging between 100 and 400 nm, derive from modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL). In investigations of the formation mechanism of these droplets, LDL fusion was previously induced in vitro by proteolysis, lipolysis, oxidation, and vigorous shaking, but all treatments failed to reproduce the size distribution range of in vivo droplets, mostly resulting, instead, in particles with a diameter intermediate between that of one and two LDL. Our approach was meant to mimic LDL aging in plasma. LDL isolated from plasma that was incubated overnight at 37 degrees C is slightly modified in the secondary structure of its protein component and is primed to form very large aggregates according to a reaction-limited mechanism. This mechanism requires interactions between selected surface sites, whereas massive fusion is ruled out. In the frame of the general theory for colloids, the aggregation of LDL aged in plasma fulfills all the requirements of the reaction-limited mechanism, encompassing 1), exponential growth; 2), fractal structure, with the dimension of elementary constituent still consistent with a single LDL; and 3), extreme polydispersity of aggregates, with shape and dimension very close to that of droplets observed in vivo.

Circular Dichroism↗
PubMed2002

The [Lys(-2)-Arg(-1)-des(17-21)]-endothelin-1 peptide retains the specific Arg(-1)-Asp8 salt bridge but reveals discrepancies between NMR data and molecular dynamics simulations.

The [des(17-21)]-endothelin-1 (CSH-ET) and [Lys(-)(2)-Arg(-)(1)-des(17-21)]-endothelin-1 (KR-CSH-ET) peptides, designed by removing the five-residue hydrophobic tail from the endothelin-1 (ET-1) and [Lys(-)(2)-Arg(-)(1)]-endothelin-1 (KR-ET-1) peptides, respectively, were synthesized. Previous studies on KR-ET-1 showed that, in contrast to ET-1, this engineered compound displays a pH-dependent conformational change related to the formation of a stabilizing salt bridge between the Arg(-)(1) and Asp(8) side chains. CD and NMR spectra indicate that CSH-ET and KR-CSH-ET display conformational behavior similar to those of ET-1 and KR-ET-1, respectively. The short salt bridge-stabilized KR-CSH-ET peptide therefore appears to be an attractive elementary scaffold for drug design. The solution structure of the salt-bridged form of KR-CSH-ET was determined by NMR at pH 4.5 and is very similar to the corresponding form of the parent KR-ET-1 peptide. Molecular dynamics simulations of the salt-bridged form of KR-CSH-ET were performed using both the GB/SA implicit solvation scheme or an explicit solvation and the particle-mesh Ewald method for long-range electrostatic calculation. Unexpectedly, the Arg(-)(1)-Asp(8) salt bridge does not display in the simulation the stability that could be expected from the experimental data. The cooperative involvement of a cation-pi interaction in formation of the salt bridge has been hypothesized. Difficulties in accurately simulating cation-pi interactions might be responsible for the lack of stability in the simulation. At this time, however, no definitive explanation for the observed discrepancy between experiments and simulations is available, and further experimental studies appear to be necessary to fully understand in atomic detail the pH-dependent conformational change observed in the KR-ET-1 series.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2005

Hunting for Dark Matter particles with new detectors.

Although first hints of the existence of Dark Matter were observed by the Swiss astronomer Zwicky already in the 1930s, only in recent years has it become known that the universe, in fact, is dominated by particles whose nature is almost unknown and which have never been directly observed. Meanwhile, as the existence of these particles is postulated not only by astronomy, but also cosmology and theoretical particle physics, there is significant effort to detect them in a laboratory experiment and determine their physical properties. However, as the interaction rate between Dark Matter particles and ordinary matter is extremely low, detectors have to be extremely sensitive. Low temperature detectors have been available for more than a decade and have now reached the highest sensitivity for direct Dark Matter detection. In this article, we give a short overview of observational results that suggest the existence of Dark Matter particles and what physicists have learned so far about their properties. The main focus is on the experimental challenges and effort for their direct detection.

Astronomical Phenomena↗
PubMed2001

Mechanical haemolysis in shock wave lithotripsy (SWL): I. Analysis of cell deformation due to SWL flow-fields.

This work analyses the interaction of red blood cells (RBCs) with shock-induced and bubble-induced flows in shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), and calculates, in vitro, the lytic effects of these two flows. A well known experimentally observed fact about RBC membranes is that the lipid bilayer disrupts when subjected to an areal strain (deltaA/A)c of 3%, and a corresponding, critical, isotropic tension, Tc, of 10 mN m(-1) (1 mN m(-1) = 1 dyne cm(-1)). RBCs suspended in a fluid medium tend to deform in accordance with the deformation of the surrounding fluid medium. The fluid flow-field is lytically effective if the membrane deformation exceeds the above threshold value. From kinematic analysis, motion of an elementary fluid particle can always be decomposed into a uniform translation, an extensional flow (e.g. -->uinfinity(x, y, z) = (k(t)x, -k(t)y, 0)) along three mutually perpendicular axes, and a rigid rotation of these axes. However, only an extensional flow causes deformation of a fluid particle, and consequently deforms the RBC membrane. In SWL, a fluid flow-field, induced by a non-uniform shock wave, as well as radial expansion/implosion of a bubble, has been hypothesized to cause lysis of cells. Both the above flow-fields constitute an unsteady, extensional flow, which exerts inertial as well as viscous forces on the RBC membrane. The transient inertial force (expressed as a tension, or force/length), is given by Tiner approximately rhor(c)3k/tau, where tau is a timescale of the transient flow and r(c) is a characteristic cell size. When the membrane is deformed due to inertial effects, membrane strain is given by deltaA/A approximately ktau. The transient viscous force is given by Tvisc approximately rho(nu/tau)1/2r(c)2k, where rho and nu are the fluid density and kinematic viscosity. For the non-uniform shock, the extensional flow exerts an inertial force, Tiner approximately 64 mN m(-1), for a duration of 3 ns, sufficient to induce pores in the RBC membrane. For a radial flow-field, induced by bubble expansion/implosion, the inertial forces are of a magnitude 100 mN m(-1), which last for a duration of 1 micros, sufficient to cause rupture. Bubble-induced radial flow is predicted to be lytically more effective than shock-induced flow in typical in vitro experimental conditions.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1996

Structural organization of the major autolysin from Streptococcus pneumoniae.

LytA amidase is the best known bacterial autolysin. It breaks down the N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine bonds in the peptidoglycan backbone of Streptococcus pneumoniae and requires the presence of choline residues in the cell-wall teichoic acids for activity. Genetic experiments have supported the hypothesis that its 36-kDa chain has evolved by the fusion of two independent modules: the NH2-terminal module, responsible for the catalytic activity, and the COOH-terminal module, involved in the attachment to the cell wall. The structural organization of LytA amidase and of its isolated COOH-terminal module (C-LytA) and the variations induced by choline binding have been examined by differential scanning calorimetry and analytical ultracentrifugation. Deconvolution of calorimetric curves have revealed a folding of the polypeptide chain in several independent or quasi-independent cooperative domains. Elementary transitions in C-LytA are close but not identical to those assigned to the COOH-terminal module in the complete amidase, particularly in the absence of choline. These results indicate that the NH2-terminal region of the protein is important for attaining the native tertiary fold of the COOH terminus. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies have shown that LytA exhibits a monomer <--> dimer association equilibrium, through the COOH-terminal part of the molecule. Dimerization is regulated by choline interaction and involves the preferential binding of two molecules of choline per dimer. Sedimentation velocity experiments give frictional ratios of 1.1 for C-LytA monomer and 1.4 for C-LytA and LytA dimers; values that deviated from that of globular rigid particles. When considered together, present results give evidence that LytA amidase might be described as an elongated molecule consisting of at least four domains per subunit (two per module) designated here in as N1, N2, C1, and C2. Intersubunit cooperative interactions through the C2 domain in LytA dimer occur under all experimental conditions, while C-LytA requires the saturation of low affinity choline binding sites. The relevance of the structural features deduced here for LytA amidase is examined in connection with its biological function.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗
PubMed1986

Comparison of abrasion model differences in heavy ion fragmentation: optical versus geometric models.

Using an abrasion-ablation collision model, which includes contributions from frictional-spectator interactions and electromagnetic dissociation, analyses of the sensitivities of predicted fragmentation cross sections to the choice of a particular abrasion formalism are made using both geometric and optical potential abrasion models. Most cross section differences obtained using the two abrasion models are less than the present experimental uncertainties, suggesting that either abrasion model is suitable for estimating isotopic and elemental fragment distributions.

Elementary Particles↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of pion-induced radioactivity by autoradiography and positron emission tomography.

An autoradiographic technique incorporating a new imaging system was used to detect pion-induced radioactivity in Plexiglass and the results were compared with aluminium activation and PET imaging. The activity distribution in the region of the pion-stopping peak was similar in all three cases. Another large signal in the entrance region due to in-flight interactions [12C(pi-, pi- n) 11C] was detected by autoradiography and by PET but was not reflected in the aluminium activation measurements. This new technique is capable of defining the stopping region in phantoms with a better resolution than PET scanning and is useful as a complementary technique to other methods of pion dosimetry.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1992

Production of 3H at large momentum in alpha-12C collisions at 2A GeV.

Calculations of the longitudinal and transverse momentum distributions for 3H production at large momentum in alpha-12C collisions near 2 A GeV are compared to experiment. Triton exchange and final-state interactions are shown to represent large corrections to the impulse approximation for proton knockout. A method for calculating interference effects for inelastic fragmentation is discussed. Good agreement with experiment is found using a phenomenological overlap function for 3H-p successful in describing 3H production in pion-induced reactions. Comparisons to momentum distributions obtained through (p, 2p) and (e, ep) reactions on 4He are made.

Alpha Particles↗
PubMed2006

Spontaneous skyrmion ground states in magnetic metals.

Since the 1950s, Heisenberg and others have addressed the problem of how to explain the appearance of countable particles in continuous fields. Stable localized field configurations were searched for an ingredient for a general field theory of elementary particles, but the majority of nonlinear field models were unable to predict them. As an exception, Skyrme succeeded in describing nuclear particles as localized states, so-called 'skyrmions'. Skyrmions are a characteristic of nonlinear continuum models ranging from microscopic to cosmological scales. Skyrmionic states have been found under non-equilibrium conditions, or when stabilized by external fields or the proliferation of topological defects. Examples are Turing patterns in classical liquids, spin textures in quantum Hall magnets, or the blue phases in liquid crystals. However, it has generally been assumed that skyrmions cannot form spontaneous ground states, such as ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic order, in magnetic materials. Here, we show theoretically that this assumption is wrong and that skyrmion textures may form spontaneously in condensed-matter systems with chiral interactions without the assistance of external fields or the proliferation of defects. We show this within a phenomenological continuum model based on a few material-specific parameters that can be determined experimentally. Our model has a condition not considered before: we allow for softened amplitude variations of the magnetization, characteristic of, for instance, metallic magnets. Our model implies that spontaneous skyrmion lattice ground states may exist generally in a large number of materials, notably at surfaces and in thin films, as well as in bulk compounds, where a lack of space inversion symmetry leads to chiral interactions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Space proton transport in one dimension.

An approximate evaluation procedure is derived for a second-order theory of coupled nucleon transport in one dimension. An analytical solution with a simplified interaction model is used to determine quadrature parameters to minimize truncation error. Effects of the improved method on transport solutions with the BRYNTRN data base are evaluated. Comparisons with Monte Carlo benchmarks are given. Using different shield materials, the computational procedure is used to study the physics of space protons. A transition effect occurs in tissue near the shield interface and is most important in shields of high atomic number.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1989

Nuclear collective flow and charged-pion emission in Ne-nucleus collisions at E/A = 800 MeV.

Triple-differential cross sections of charged pions were measured for collisions of Ne projectiles at E/A = 800 MeV with NaF, Nb, and Pb targets. The reaction plane was estimated event by event from the light-baryon momentum distribution. For heavy targets, preferential emission of charged pions away from the interaction zone towards the projectile side was observed in the transverse direction. Such a preferential emission, which is not predicted by cascade calculations, may be attributed to a stronger pion absorption by the heavier spectator remnant.

Elementary Particles↗
PubMed1979

X-ray absorption, speed, and luminescent efficiency of rare earth and other intensifying screens.

Seven new and two conventional screens were investigated. Measurements were performed at different energies of the photon fraction interacting in the screens, and energy losses due to escape of K-fluorescent radiations were calculated. The speed of the screens was dependent on the energy; this was primarily due to the fact that x-ray absorption is dependent on energy. Rare earth and other new screens absorb a maximum of 1.5 times as much energy and emit twice as much light as comparable calcium tungstate screens. Reabsorbed K-fluorescent radiations might contribute to image unsharpness in the new screens.

Calcium Compounds↗
PubMed1995

Effect of a chiral impulse on the weak interaction induced handedness in a prebiotic medium.

Previously we have carried out simulation of the Weak Neutral Current and symmetry breaking transition bifurcation process addressing some of the issues raised by critics of the approach. We now include the effects of a chiral impulse on the transition and show that under certain cases this could greatly alter the transition time. Examples of a chiral impulse could be a nearby Supernova and an impulse of beta-emitters. We briefly discuss the possibility of these processes in the early solar system.

Biophysical Phenomena↗
PubMed1983

A surface bolus material for high-energy photon and electron therapy.

The authors describe a useful bolus material for therapy with high-energy photons and electrons (greater than 1 MeV). Qualities evaluated included flexibility, transparency, tissue equivalence (re radiation interactions), stability at high doses, durability, lack of toxicity, ease in cleaning, low flammability, and cost. Using a parallel-plate ionization chamber and 60Co, 4-, and 10-MV photons as well as 6- and 18-MeV electrons, maximum deviation from water-equivalent values was approximately 2 mm for 6-MeV electrons. The material comes in large sheets of precise thickness (+/- 0.5 mm) which can be cut and layered to form more complex shapes.

Elastomers↗
PubMed1978

Dose outside the treatment volume for irradiation with negative pions.

Irradiation of humans with negative pions requires a knowledge of the absorbed dose and radiation quality outside the primary pion beam. In conjunction with early clinical trials at LAMPF, experimental data have been obtained with microdosimetric techniques and multiwire proportional counters. Theoretical calculations have been made for the neutron contribution to the dose and are consistent with these data. Measurements were made with in 40 cm x 51 cm x 76 cm water phantom for a negative pion beam of initial momentum of 170 MeV/c, deltap = +/- 3MeV/c. The absorbed dose outside the treatment volume is the result of: (1) neutrons and photons from the pion interactions,(2) treatment room background and (3) peripheral muons, electrons and pions in the primary beam. The first two components are nearly isotropic and are congruent to 0.02% of the peak dose at a distance of 24 cm from the treatment volume; the third component is anisotropic and varies from 0.01 to 0.1% of the peak dose. Collimation of the bean increases the dose outside the treatment volume typically by 50%.

Elementary Particles↗