A Simple Automatic Apparatus for the Concentration of Macromolecular Solutions

An apparatus for the concentration of macromolecular solutions is described in detail. It features automatic volume control and is inexpensive and simple to fabricate. The basis for the device is negative pressure dialysis.     

A Simple Method for Making a Vibrating Probe System

A simple and easy method for making the vibrating probe systemfirst developed by Jaffe and Nuccitelli [(1974) J. Cell Biol.63: 614] is described. The best performance of the probe insea water was 30.7 µA cm^-2 per one µV output, 0.4µA cm^-2 peak-to-peak output-noise and negligible output-driftat 30-µm vibrating amplitude and 3-s amplifier time constant.Sample applications were made for both freshwater and marinealgae. (Received March 22, 1984; Accepted May 28, 1984)     

植物叶片的消荧光现象

实验观察表明,非生物体有消荧光现象,生物体也有消荧光现象.它是激光与物体表面非线性相互作用的结果.植物叶片的消荧光现象是一个多光子过程,并且荧光消失过程伴随二次谐波产生.荧光消失过程中,荧光能量部分地转换为二次谐波信号,经粗略计算,转换效率大约为2.2％.     

A Coarse Grained Model for a Lipid Membrane with Physiological Composition and Leaflet Asymmetry

The resemblance of lipid membrane models to physiological membranes determines how well molecular dynamics (MD) simulations imitate the dynamic behavior of cell membranes and membrane proteins. Physiological lipid membranes are composed of multiple types of phospholipids, and the leaflet compositions are generally asymmetric. Here we describe an approach for self-assembly of a Coarse-Grained (CG) membrane model with physiological composition and leaflet asymmetry using the MARTINI force field. An initial set-up of two boxes with different types of lipids according to the leaflet asymmetry of mammalian cell membranes stacked with 0.5 nm overlap, reliably resulted in the self-assembly of bilayer membranes with leaflet asymmetry resembling that of physiological mammalian cell membranes. Self-assembly in the presence of a fragment of the plasma membrane protein syntaxin 1A led to spontaneous specific positioning of phosphatidylionositol(4,5)bisphosphate at a positively charged stretch of syntaxin consistent with experimental data. An analogous approach choosing an initial set-up with two concentric shells filled with different lipid types results in successful assembly of a spherical vesicle with asymmetric leaflet composition. Self-assembly of the vesicle in the presence of the synaptic vesicle protein synaptobrevin 2 revealed the correct position of the synaptobrevin transmembrane domain. This is the first CG MD method to form a membrane with physiological lipid composition as well as leaflet asymmetry by self-assembly and will enable unbiased studies of the incorporation and dynamics of membrane proteins in more realistic CG membrane models.     

A Simple Self-Maintaining Metabolic System: Robustness,Autocatalysis, Bistability

A living organism must not only organize itself from within; it must also maintain its organization in the face of changes in its environment and degradation of its components. We show here that a simple (M,R)-system consisting of three interlocking catalytic cycles, with every catalyst produced by the system itself, can both establish a non-trivial steady state and maintain this despite continuous loss of the catalysts by irreversible degradation. As long as at least one catalyst is present at a sufficient concentration in the initial state, the others can be produced and maintained. The system shows bistability, because if the amount of catalyst in the initial state is insufficient to reach the non-trivial steady state the system collapses to a trivial steady state in which all fluxes are zero. It is also robust, because if one catalyst is catastrophically lost when the system is in steady state it can recreate the same state. There are three elementary flux modes, but none of them is an enzyme-maintaining mode, the entire network being necessary to maintain the two catalysts.     

A Simple and Versatile Nebulizer

The nebulizer presented in this paper is of simple and rugged construction, permits easy control of cell concentrations, prevents sedimentation of the microorganisms, and permits the cleaning of the suspension needles even during the runs and under aseptic conditions. Fluid consumptions from 10 to 25 ml per hr were obtained with rates of primary air varying from 10 to 25 liters per min. The average diameter of the droplets varied from 1.5 to 2.7 μ.     

Reduced Leaflet Stress in the Stentless Quadrileaflet Mitral Valve: A Finite Element Model

Background

Failure of bioprosthetics is usually caused by calcification of the leaflets as a consequence of high tensile stresses. The stentless valve resembles native mitral valve anatomy, has a flexible leaflet attachment and a suspension at the papillary muscles, and preserves annuloventricular continuity. In this study, the effects of the stentless valve design on leaflet stress were investigated with a finite element model.

Methods

Finite element models of the stentless quadrileaflet mitral valve were created in the close and open configurations. The geometry of the stented trileaflet mitral valve was also analyzed for comparative purposes. Under the designated pressures, the regional stresses were evaluated, and the distributions of stresses were assessed.

Results

Regardless of whether the valve is in the open or close configuration, the maximum first principal stress was significantly lower in the stentless valve than in the stented valve. For the stentless valves, limited stress concentration was discretely distributed in the papillary flaps under both close and open conditions. In contrast, in the stented valve, increased stress concentration was evident at the central belly under the open condition and at the commissural attachment under close condition. In either configuration, the maximum second principal stress was markedly lower in the stentless valve than in the stented valve.

Conclusions

The stentless valve was associated with a significant reduction in leaflet stress and a more homogeneous stress distribution compared to the stented valve. These findings are consistent with recent reports of the clinical effectiveness of the stentless quadrileaflet mitral valve.     

利用酵母同源重组系统快速构建Potyvirus病毒侵染性克隆方法

前一个时期,虽然分子生物学技术有了相当大的进步,但在构建基因全长较大的RNA病毒时,例如马铃薯Y病毒属全长侵染性cDNA克隆或者是RNA体外转录物时,会遇到很大的困难,其cDNA转入大肠杆菌(E.coli)感受态细胞时,可能会产生对宿主菌有毒性的物质,从而导致非特异性重组。这些问题可以利用插入内含子等方法来解决,但这些方法大多耗时费力且成功率低。以番木瓜环斑病毒(Papaya ringspot virus,PRSV)为例,介绍了在不插入内含子的情况下利用酵母同源重组系统在两周之内构建完成其侵染性克隆的方法。