Imaging of oxygen and hypoxia in cell and tissue samples

Molecular oxygen (O₂) is a key player in cell mitochondrial function, redox balance and oxidative stress, normal tissue function and many common disease states. Various chemical, physical and biological methods have been proposed for measurement, real-time monitoring and imaging of O₂ concentration, state of decreased O₂ (hypoxia) and related parameters in cells and tissue. Here, we review the established and emerging optical microscopy techniques allowing to visualize O₂ levels in cells and tissue samples, mostly under in vitro and ex vivo, but also under in vivo settings. Particular examples include fluorescent hypoxia stains, fluorescent protein reporter systems, phosphorescent probes and nanosensors of different types. These techniques allow high-resolution mapping of O₂ gradients in live or post-mortem tissue, in 2D or 3D, qualitatively or quantitatively. They enable control and monitoring of oxygenation conditions and their correlation with other biomarkers of cell and tissue function. Comparison of these techniques and corresponding imaging setups, their analytical capabilities and typical applications are given.     

n维空间中质点之间距离分布及其特征

提出了随机分配的质点之间距离分布的概念,给出了最近距离分布公式,得到了最近距离和k次距离分布的众数,矩及质点空间密度D的充分统计量和极大似然估计.     

Bafilomycin A1 activates respiration of neuronal cells via uncoupling associated with flickering depolarization of mitochondria

Bafilomycin A1 (Baf) induces an elevation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ and acidification in neuronal cells via inhibition of the V-ATPase. Also, Baf uncouples mitochondria in differentiated PC12 (_dPC12), _dSH-SY5Y cells and cerebellar granule neurons, and markedly elevates their respiration. This respiratory response in _dPC12 is accompanied by morphological changes in the mitochondria and decreases the mitochondrial pH, Ca²⁺ and ΔΨm. The response to Baf is regulated by cytosolic Ca²⁺ fluxes from the endoplasmic reticulum. Inhibition of permeability transition pore opening increases the depolarizing effect of Baf on the ΔΨm. Baf induces stochastic flickering of the ΔΨm with a period of 20 ± 10 s. Under conditions of suppressed ATP production by glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation impaired by Baf does not provide cells with sufficient ATP levels. Cells treated with Baf become more susceptible to excitation with KCl. Such mitochondrial uncoupling may play a role in a number of (patho)physiological conditions induced by Baf.     

CaMnO_3和LaMnO_3的电子结构研究

密度泛函理论(DFT)方法通常难以处理强关联体系,而DFT+U方法的计算结果强烈地依赖于U的取值.利用一种混合了部分DFT交换关联势和非局域Hartree-Fock精确交换势的杂化泛函HSE方法,研究了钙钛矿锰氧化物的两个典型反铁磁绝缘体CaMnO3和LaMnO3的电子结构,分析了二者的能隙特征与Mn离子价态和磁有序态的关联.根据ZSA方案CaMnO3可划分为电荷转移型绝缘体.LaMnO3的能隙表现出各向异性特征,其中沿c轴方向及ab面内的自旋多数通道中能隙的Mott-Hubbard特征更为显著,而自旋少数通道显示出完全的电荷转移型特征.     

Optical probes and techniques for O<Subscript>2</Subscript> measurement in live cells and tissue

In recent years, significant progress has been achieved in the sensing and imaging of molecular oxygen (O(2)) in biological samples containing live cells and tissue. We review recent developments in the measurement of O(2) in such samples by optical means, particularly using the phosphorescence quenching technique. The main types of soluble O(2) sensors are assessed, including small molecule, supramolecular and particle-based structures used as extracellular or intracellular probes in conjunction with different detection modalities and measurement formats. For the different O(2) sensing systems, particular attention is paid to their merits and limitations, analytical performance, general convenience and applicability in specific biological applications. The latter include measurement of O(2) consumption rate, sample oxygenation, sensing of intracellular O(2), metabolic assessment of cells, and O(2) imaging of tissue, vasculature and individual cells. Altogether, this gives the potential user a comprehensive guide for the proper selection of the appropriate optical probe(s) and detection platform to suit their particular biological applications and measurement requirements.     

和谐就是力量--兼评培根的"知识就是力量"

和谐--无论是结构状态的分布有序还是功能状态的进化有道,都蕴涵着无与伦比的力量与神奇.自我和谐是个人身心微观和谐发展的调适力,人我和谐是社会中观和谐发展的协和力,物我和谐是人与自然宏观和谐发展的自然力,以至在某种意义上我们不得不说,和谐是发展之源,和谐就是力量;反之,自我失衡是身心微观灾变之端,人我失衡是社会中观模糊或畸形运作之始,物我失衡是一场没有胜利的逆变,以至在某种意义上我们不得不说,失衡是畸变之兆,失衡就是耗散."知识就是力量"是一个工具理性张扬的命题,而"和谐就是力量"则是"知识就是力量"的合理升华,是东方智慧的集大成.通过物理学与伦理学的二维证明我们发现,"和谐就是力量"不仅是一个长期被忽视的物理学定律,而且是一个重要的和谐伦理命题.     

Iron-silica interaction at extreme conditions and the electrically conducting layer at the base of Earth's mantle

The boundary between the Earth's metallic core and its silicate mantle is characterized by strong lateral heterogeneity and sharp changes in density, seismic wave velocities, electrical conductivity and chemical composition. To investigate the composition and properties of the lowermost mantle, an understanding of the chemical reactions that take place between liquid iron and the complex Mg-Fe-Si-Al-oxides of the Earth's lower mantle is first required. Here we present a study of the interaction between iron and silica (SiO2) in electrically and laser-heated diamond anvil cells. In a multianvil apparatus at pressures up to 140 GPa and temperatures over 3,800 K we simulate conditions down to the core-mantle boundary. At high temperature and pressures below 40 GPa, iron and silica react to form iron oxide and an iron-silicon alloy, with up to 5 wt% silicon. At pressures of 85-140 GPa, however, iron and SiO2 do not react and iron-silicon alloys dissociate into almost pure iron and a CsCl-structured (B2) FeSi compound. Our experiments suggest that a metallic silicon-rich B2 phase, produced at the core-mantle boundary (owing to reactions between iron and silicate), could accumulate at the boundary between the mantle and core and explain the anomalously high electrical conductivity of this region.     

Chemical characterization of element 112

The heaviest elements to have been chemically characterized are seaborgium (element 106), bohrium (element 107) and hassium (element 108). All three behave according to their respective positions in groups 6, 7 and 8 of the periodic table, which arranges elements according to their outermost electrons and hence their chemical properties. However, the chemical characterization results are not trivial: relativistic effects on the electronic structure of the heaviest elements can strongly influence chemical properties. The next heavy element targeted for chemical characterization is element 112; its closed-shell electronic structure with a filled outer s orbital suggests that it may be particularly susceptible to strong deviations from the chemical property trends expected within group 12. Indeed, first experiments concluded that element 112 does not behave like its lighter homologue mercury. However, the production and identification methods used cast doubt on the validity of this result. Here we report a more reliable chemical characterization of element 112, involving the production of two atoms of (283)112 through the alpha decay of the short-lived (287)114 (which itself forms in the nuclear fusion reaction of 48Ca with 242Pu) and the adsorption of the two atoms on a gold surface. By directly comparing the adsorption characteristics of (283)112 to that of mercury and the noble gas radon, we find that element 112 is very volatile and, unlike radon, reveals a metallic interaction with the gold surface. These adsorption characteristics establish element 112 as a typical element of group 12, and its successful production unambiguously establishes the approach to the island of stability of superheavy elements through 48Ca-induced nuclear fusion reactions with actinides.     

按Logistic增长且具有连续预防接种和潜伏期密度依赖的SEIRS流行病模型

本文在种群按Logisti增长情况下研究了预防接种和潜伏期密度依赖对SEIRS流行病模型的影响,得到了无病平衡点和地方病平衡点的存在性以及稳定性条件.     

基于热压块的不锈钢粉尘还原实验

为了从不锈钢粉尘中回收利用Fe,Cr和Ni等,对不锈钢粉尘热压块制备及其自还原过程进行了研究.在热压温度为200℃,热压压力为35 MPa条件下,抗压强度达到900 N/个以上.高温条件下,煤热解产生的挥发分可参与不锈钢粉尘还原反应,当还原温度为1 400,1 450℃时,挥发分还原作用率达到0.4.据XRD分析和热力学计算,自还原过程中含铬物质的物相转变顺序为Fe Cr2O4,Cr2O3,Cr7C3,[Cr]Fe-Cr-Ni-C.当还原温度为1 450℃,烟煤中固定碳与粉尘中可去除氧的物质量的比(xc/xo)为0.72时,不锈钢粉尘热压块不能完全还原;当xc/xo大于0.8,还原20 min时,不锈钢粉尘热压块能完全还原.