The recent trend in the application of mathematics to biological sciences is discussed in historical perspective. It is suggested that this new development should be regarded as a natural evolution of applied mathemat...The recent trend in the application of mathematics to biological sciences is discussed in historical perspective. It is suggested that this new development should be regarded as a natural evolution of applied mathematics in the expansion of its scope. The mathematical concepts and methods to be used are not expected to be substantially different from those used in traditional applied mathematics. For illustration, we sketch an application of the kinetic theory of the study of dissipative systems to the study of the structure and function of protein molecules. The traditional concepts and methods of statistical physics can be successfully applied to yield predictions for comparison with empirical data.展开更多
The artificial metamaterial simultaneously possessing negative permittivity and permeability has many fantastic properties, and has attracted a lot of attention in the field of physics and electromagnetism. In this pa...The artificial metamaterial simultaneously possessing negative permittivity and permeability has many fantastic properties, and has attracted a lot of attention in the field of physics and electromagnetism. In this paper, we fabricated this kind metamaterial and performed refraction and beam shifting experiments using triangular-shaped and parallelogram-shaped sample respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that, the metamaterial we fabricated may have negative permittivity and permeability simultaneously in a specific small frequency band.展开更多
The therapeutic promise of small interfering RNAs （siRNAs） for specific gene silencing is dependent on the successful delivery of functional siRNAs to the cytoplasm. Their conjugation to an established delivery plat...The therapeutic promise of small interfering RNAs （siRNAs） for specific gene silencing is dependent on the successful delivery of functional siRNAs to the cytoplasm. Their conjugation to an established delivery platform, such as gold nanoparticles, offers tremendous potential for treating diseases and advancing our understanding of cellular processes. Their success or failure is dependent on both the uptake of the nanoparticles into the cells and subsequent intracellular release of the functional siRNA. In this study, utilizing gold nanoparticle siRNA-mediated delivery against C-MYC, we aimed to determine if we could achieve knockdown in a cancer cell line with low levels of intracellular glutathione, and determine the influence, if any, of polyethylene glycol （PEG） ligand density on knockdown, with a view to determining the optimal nanoparticle design to achieve C-MYC knockdown. We demonstrate that, regardless of the PEG density, knockdown in cells with relatively low glutathione levels can be achieved, as well as the possible effect of steric hindrance of PEG on the availability of the siRNA for cleavage in the intracellular environment. Gold nanoparticle uptake was demonstrated via transmission electron microscopy and mass spectroscopy, while knockdown was determined at the protein and physiological levels （cells in S-phase） by in-cell westerns and BrdU incorporation, respectively.展开更多
In this report, a universal protocol for extract-ing genomic DNA from whole blood, saliva, and bacterial culture by using magnetic nanobeads as solid-phase absor-bents was presented. The enrichment of target cells and...In this report, a universal protocol for extract-ing genomic DNA from whole blood, saliva, and bacterial culture by using magnetic nanobeads as solid-phase absor-bents was presented. The enrichment of target cells and ad-sorption of DNA have been functionally integrated onto the surfaces of the carboxyl-modified magnetic nano-beads, and the DNA segments bound on the surface of the beads can be directly used as PCR templates to amplify a target gene. The PCR products were applied to an oligonucleotide array to perform gene typing. The protocol proves to be simple, rapid, biologically and chemically nonhazardous, and promising for the microfabrication of DNA preparation chip.展开更多
文摘The recent trend in the application of mathematics to biological sciences is discussed in historical perspective. It is suggested that this new development should be regarded as a natural evolution of applied mathematics in the expansion of its scope. The mathematical concepts and methods to be used are not expected to be substantially different from those used in traditional applied mathematics. For illustration, we sketch an application of the kinetic theory of the study of dissipative systems to the study of the structure and function of protein molecules. The traditional concepts and methods of statistical physics can be successfully applied to yield predictions for comparison with empirical data.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.60201001 and 60271010)
文摘The artificial metamaterial simultaneously possessing negative permittivity and permeability has many fantastic properties, and has attracted a lot of attention in the field of physics and electromagnetism. In this paper, we fabricated this kind metamaterial and performed refraction and beam shifting experiments using triangular-shaped and parallelogram-shaped sample respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that, the metamaterial we fabricated may have negative permittivity and permeability simultaneously in a specific small frequency band.
文摘The therapeutic promise of small interfering RNAs （siRNAs） for specific gene silencing is dependent on the successful delivery of functional siRNAs to the cytoplasm. Their conjugation to an established delivery platform, such as gold nanoparticles, offers tremendous potential for treating diseases and advancing our understanding of cellular processes. Their success or failure is dependent on both the uptake of the nanoparticles into the cells and subsequent intracellular release of the functional siRNA. In this study, utilizing gold nanoparticle siRNA-mediated delivery against C-MYC, we aimed to determine if we could achieve knockdown in a cancer cell line with low levels of intracellular glutathione, and determine the influence, if any, of polyethylene glycol （PEG） ligand density on knockdown, with a view to determining the optimal nanoparticle design to achieve C-MYC knockdown. We demonstrate that, regardless of the PEG density, knockdown in cells with relatively low glutathione levels can be achieved, as well as the possible effect of steric hindrance of PEG on the availability of the siRNA for cleavage in the intracellular environment. Gold nanoparticle uptake was demonstrated via transmission electron microscopy and mass spectroscopy, while knockdown was determined at the protein and physiological levels （cells in S-phase） by in-cell westerns and BrdU incorporation, respectively.
文摘In this report, a universal protocol for extract-ing genomic DNA from whole blood, saliva, and bacterial culture by using magnetic nanobeads as solid-phase absor-bents was presented. The enrichment of target cells and ad-sorption of DNA have been functionally integrated onto the surfaces of the carboxyl-modified magnetic nano-beads, and the DNA segments bound on the surface of the beads can be directly used as PCR templates to amplify a target gene. The PCR products were applied to an oligonucleotide array to perform gene typing. The protocol proves to be simple, rapid, biologically and chemically nonhazardous, and promising for the microfabrication of DNA preparation chip.
