Emission current formation in plasma electron emitters

A model of the plasma electron emitter is considered, in which the current redistribution over electrodes of the emitter gas-discharge structure and weak electric field formation in plasma are taken into account as functions of the emission current. The calculated and experimental dependences of the switching parameters, extraction efficiency, and strength of the electric field in plasma on the accelerating voltage and geometrical sizes of the emission channel are presented.     

Auger electron emitters: Insights gained from in vitro experiments

Summary This paper outlines the evolution of the current rationale for research into the biological effects of tissue-incorporated Auger electron emitters. The first section is a brief review of the research conducted by several groups in the last fifteen years. The second section describes the in vitro model used in our studies, dosimetric calculations, experimental techniques and recent findings. The third section focuses on the use of Auger electron emitters as in vitro microprobes for the investigation of the radiosensitivity of distinct subcellular components. Examination of the biological effects of the Auger electron emitter¹²⁵I located in different cellular compartments of a single cell line (V79 hamster lung fibroblast) verifies that DNA is the critical cell structure for radiation damage and that the sensitive sites are of nanometer dimensions. The data from incorporation of several Auger electron emitters at the same location within DNA suggest that there are no saturation effects from the decay of these isotopes (i.e. all the emitted energy is biologically effective) and provide some insight into which of the numerous physical mechanisms accompanying the Auger decay are most important in causing cell damage. Finally the implications of Auger electron emission for radiotherapy and radiation protection in diagnostic nuclear medicine are detailed and further research possibilities are suggested.     

Energy saving electron pathways in proteins

This paper is a contribution to the discussion of whether the general architecture of electron transfer sites in blue copper proteins is mainly a result of the structural preferences of the metal ion or is induced by the protein. Although the site is probably stable only when protected by the protein, there appears to be no strain from the latter on the structure in the vicinity of the copper atom. For an operative redox site it is further required that the geometry of the site is acceptable for both oxidation states, to avoid high reorganization energy. The site must also be connected to the outer world by suitable tunneling pathways. The blue copper sites appear to fulfill these requirements, but it is difficult to assess the role of evolutionary pressure to form electron transfer proteins in general.     

Ribbon electron beam formation by a forevacuum plasma electron source

Results of the numerical analysis and experimental research on ribbon electron beam generation based on hollow cathode discharge at forevacuum gas pressure are presented. Geometry of the accelerating gap has modified. It lets us focus the ribbon electron beam and to transport it on a distance of several tens of centimeters in the absence of an axial magnetic field. The results of numerical simulations are confirmed by the experiment.     

Plasmid DNA breakage by decay of DNA-associated Auger electron emitters: approaches to analysis of experimental data

Plasmid DNA is a popular substrate for the assay of DNA strand breakage by a variety of agents. The use of the plasmid assay relies on the assumption that individual damaging events occur at random, which allows the application of Poisson statistics. This assumption is not valid in the case of damage arising from decay of DNA-associated Auger electron emitters, since a single decay event can generate a few breaks in the same DNA strand, which is indistinguishable from a single break in the assay. The consequent analytical difficulties are overcome by considering relaxation events rather than single-strand breaks, and linearization events rather than double-strand breaks. A further consideration is that apart from damage at the site of DNA-associated decay, which is the principal interest of the analysis, some DNA damage also arises from the radiation field created by all decay events. These two components of damage are referred to as internal and external breakage, respectively, and they can be separated in the analysis since their contribution depends on the experimental conditions. The DNA-binding ligand Hoechst 33258 labeled with 125I was used in our experiments to study breakage in pBR322 plasmid DNA arising from the decay of this Auger electron emitter. The values obtained for the efficiency (per decay) of plasmid relaxation and linearization by the 125I-labeled ligand were 0.090 +/- 0.035 and 0.82 +/- 0.04, respectively. When dimethylsulfoxide was included as a radical scavenger, the efficiency values for relaxation and linearization were 0.15 +/- 0.02 and 0.65 +/- 0.05, respectively.     

Energy extraction efficiency in some chosen insects

Summary The termsenergy extraction efficiency andabsorption/assimilation efficiency are defined. The grasshopperPoecilocerus pictus extracts 15 or 27% energy contained in the food plantCalotropis gigantea, when the test animals were fed from hatching to death at 26 or 36°C. The energy extraction efficiency of some insects (Bombyx andHyalophora: terrestrial herbovores;Pyrrhosoma: aquatic carnivore) is about 7%, though their assimilation efficiency ranges from 42 to 97%. High ash content of food organisms deviates the energy extraction efficiency inPyrrhosoma and the aquatic dipteran herbivoreHedriodiscus.     

DNA breakage by decay of Auger electron emitters: experiments with 123I-iodoHoechst 33258 and plasmid DNA

The Auger electron-emitting isotope 123I is of interest in the context of potential exploitation of Auger electron emitters in radioimmunotherapy. The efficiency of induction of cytotoxic lesions by decay of DNA-associated 125I, the prototype Auger electron emitter, is well established, but its long half-life (60 days) is a limitation. However, the advantage of the much shorter half-life of 123I (13.2 h) might be outweighed by its "weaker" Auger electron cascade with an average of 8-11 Auger electrons, compared to about 15-21 electrons for 125I. Accordingly, the efficiency of DNA breakage for DNA-associated 123I was investigated by incubation of 123I-iodoHoechst 33258 with plasmid DNA. The efficiency of double-strand break induction by decay of 123I was 0.62 compared to 0.82 per decay of 125I in the same experimental system. In the presence of dimethylsulfoxide, the values were 0.54 and 0.65 for decay of 123I and 125I, respectively. The results also showed that at a very low ligand/plasmid molar ratio (<1), the majority of cleavage seemed to occur at a particular site on the plasmid molecule, indicating preferential binding of the 123I-ligand to a unique site or a cluster of neighboring sites.     

Energy efficiency of intraperiplasmic growth of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.

The Y-ATP (energy efficiency) of intraperiplasmic growth of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus was determined from the distribution of radioactivity of the substrate organism ([U-14C]Escherichia coli) btween CO2 and bdellovibrio cells at the end of growth. A "best" Y-ATP value of 18.5 was obtained from single growth cycle experiments and an average value of 25.9 from multicycle experiments. Both values are much higher than the usual value of 10.5 for bacteria growing in rich media. The bases for the unusual energy efficiency for growth of B. bacteriovorus are discussed.     

Energy cost and efficiency of sculling a Venetian gondola

Oxygen uptake was measured on four male subjects during sculling gondolas at constant speeds from approximately 1 to approximately 3 m.s-1. The number of scullers on board in the different trials was one, two or four. Tractional water resistance (drag, D, N) was also measured in the same range of speeds. Energy cost of locomotion per unit of distance (C, J.m-1), as calculated from the ratio of O2 uptake above resting to, increased with v according to a power function (C = 155.2.v1.67; r = 0.88). Also D could be described as a power function of the speed: D = 12.3.v2.21; r = 0.94). The overall efficiency of motion, as obtained from the ratio of D to C, increased with speed from 9.2% at 1.41 m.s-1 to 14.5% at 3.08 m.s-1. It is concluded that, in spite of this relatively low efficiency of motion, the gondola is a very economic means. Indeed, at low speeds (approximately 1 m.s-1), the absolute amount of energy for propelling a gondola is the same as that for waking on the level at the same speed for a subject of 70 kg body mass.     

Energy efficiency of information transmission by electrically coupled neurons

The generation of spikes by neurons is energetically a costly process. This paper studies the consumption of energy and the information entropy in the signalling activity of a model neuron both when it is supposed isolated and when it is coupled to another neuron by an electrical synapse. The neuron has been modelled by a four-dimensional Hindmarsh–Rose type kinetic model for which an energy function has been deduced. For the isolated neuron values of energy consumption and information entropy at different signalling regimes have been computed. For two neurons coupled by a gap junction we have analyzed the roles of the membrane and synapse in the contribution of the energy that is required for their organized signalling. Computational results are provided for cases of identical and nonidentical neurons coupled by unidirectional and bidirectional gap junctions. One relevant result is that there are values of the coupling strength at which the organized signalling of two neurons induced by the gap junction takes place at relatively low values of energy consumption and the ratio of mutual information to energy consumption is relatively high. Therefore, communicating at these coupling values could be energetically the most efficient option.     

微生物胞外电子传递效率的合成生物学强化

电活性微生物(产电微生物和亲电微生物)通过与外界环境进行双向电子和能量传递来实现多种微生物电催化过程(包括微生物燃料电池、微生物电解电池、微生物电催化等),从而实现在环境、能源领域的广泛应用,并为开发有效且可持续性生产新能源或大宗精细化学品的工艺提供了新机会。但是,电活性微生物的胞外电子传递效率比较低,这已经成为限制微生物电催化系统在工业应用中的主要瓶颈。以下综述了近年来利用合成生物学改造电活性微生物的相关研究成果,阐明了合成生物学如何用于打破电活性微生物胞外电子传递途径低效率的瓶颈,从而实现电活性微生物与环境的高效电子传递和能量交换,推动电活性微生物电催化系统的实用化进程。     

Scanning electron microscopy of plasma etched implant specimens

Following surface etching of previously processed plastic embedded specimens containing hard and soft tissues and implanted biomaterials with oxygen plasma, the fine structure of the tissues can be examined by scanning electron microscopy. One micrometer plastic orientation sections (with the implant removed in processing) and 110 microns histological sections (with the implant in situ) were examined. Direct comparison can be made between the scanning and histological observations. An examination in situ of oral tissues next to the biomaterial was also made, care being taken to minimize damage to the specimen. The fine structure of intracellular organelles was examined in detail. The method allows consecutive gathering of histological and ultrastructural data from the same plastic embedded specimen.