Extensive archaeobotanical data estimate carrying capacity, duration, and land use of the Late Bronze Age settlement site Březnice (Czech Republic).

The reconstruction of the settlement´s hinterland and acquisition of plant resources is one of the crucial questions in the field of environmental archaeology. Our study is focused on the reconstruction of the settlement's structure and character of the environment from which the site drew resources. These research questions were addressed by the interpretation of plant macroremains, charcoals, and the results of the spatial model.

The Late Bronze Age settlement site of Březnice: Magnetometer survey data.

The archaeological site of Březnice (Czechia) represents one of the large settlements of the Late Bronze Age (Ha A2/B1, 14C: 1124-976 BC) in Bohemia. The site became known mainly for a high number of so-called 'trenches', oblong pit features (breadth around 1 m, length 4-7 m), remarkable not only for their specific shape but also for their contents (unusual amounts of pottery, daub, loom weights and other finds, often with traces of a strong fire). In 2018-20, a research project focusing on the study of the site was realized.

["It would also be cowardly to leave the field here to the enemies of Psychoanalysis." The correspondence between Richard and Edith Sterba and Anna Freud 1946–1962].

This artic­le describes the fate of the Viennese psychoanalysts Richard and Edith Sterba after their emigration to the United States. The author examines the correspondence between the Sterbas and Anna Freud which is to be found amongst the Anna Freud papers in the Lib­rary of Congress in Washington. The letters illustrate Richard Sterbas ardent admiration for both Sigmund and Anna Freud.

["The aim is familiarity with the infant". Work and research in the Jackson Nursery (Vienna 1937/38)].

The "Jackson Nursery", existing from February 1937 until March 1938, was directed by Anna Freud and financed by Edith Jackson and Dorothy Burlingham. It took care of infants from the poorest strata of Vienna and also gave material support to their families. On the other hand, it was a training institution for psychoanalysts, offering the opportunity of observing children during their first two years, e.

Blood glucose self-monitoring with a long-term subconjunctival glucose sensor.

Background: To evaluate the feasibility of an implantable subconjunctival glucose monitoring system (SGMS) for long-term glucose monitoring, we investigated the in vivo performance of the system.

Method: The SGMS consists of an implantable ocular mini implant (OMI) and a handheld fluorescence photometer. A clinical study was performed on 47 diabetes patients split into two cohorts.

First clinical evaluation of a new percutaneous optical fiber glucose sensor for continuous glucose monitoring in diabetes.

Background: This article describes a new fiber-coupled, percutaneous fluorescent continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system that has shown 14 days of functionality in a human clinical trial.

Method: The new optical CGM system (FiberSense) consists of a transdermal polymer optical fiber containing a biochemical glucose sensor and a small fluorescence photometer optically coupled to the fiber. The glucose-sensitive optical fiber was implanted in abdominal and upper-arm subcutaneous tissue of six diabetes patients and remained there for up to 14 days.

Specific volume and compressibility of bilayer lipid membranes with incorporated Na,K-ATPase.

Ultrasound velocimetry and densitometry methods were used to study the interactions of the Na,K-ATPase with the lipid bilayer in large unilamellar liposomes composed of dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPC). The ultrasound velocity increased and the specific volume of the phospholipids decreased with increasing concentrations of protein. These experiments allowed us to determine the reduced specific apparent compressibility of the lipid bilayer, which decreased by approx.

Energetics and kinetics of photosynthetic water oxidation studied by photothermal beam deflection (PBD) experiments.

Determination of thermodynamic parameters of water oxidation at the photosystem II (PSII) manganese complex is a major challenge. Photothermal beam deflection (PBD) spectroscopy determines enthalpy changes (ΔH) and apparent volume changes which are coupled with electron transfer in the S-state cycle (Krivanek R, Dau H, Haumann M (2008) Biophys J 94: 1890–1903). Recent PBD results on formation of the Q⁻(A)/Y(•+)(Z) radical pair suggest a value of ΔH similar to the free energy change, ΔG, of -540±40 meV previously determined by the analysis of recombination fluorescence, but presently the uncertainty range of ΔH values determined by PBD is still high (±250 meV).

Effect of cholesterol and ergosterol on the compressibility and volume fluctuations of phospholipid-sterol bilayers in the critical point region: a molecular acoustic and calorimetric study.

Although sterol-phospholipid interactions have been of interest for many years now, a complete thermodynamic profile of these systems is still missing. To contribute to a better understanding of the thermodynamic functions of these systems, we determined isothermal compressibility coefficient data for dipalmitoylphosphocholine (DPPC) and DPPC-containing cholesterol and ergosterol vesicles by means of molecular acoustics (ultrasound velocimetry and densimetry) and differential scanning and pressure perturbation calorimetric techniques. A particular focus was on the influence of the differential structural properties of the two sterols on the thermodynamic properties of lipid bilayers, and on the nature of the critical point region of phospholipid-sterol systems by determining thermodynamic fluctuation parameters.

Enthalpy changes during photosynthetic water oxidation tracked by time-resolved calorimetry using a photothermal beam deflection technique.

The energetics of the individual reaction steps in the catalytic cycle of photosynthetic water oxidation at the Mn(4)Ca complex of photosystem II (PSII) are of prime interest. We studied the electron transfer reactions in oxygen-evolving PSII membrane particles from spinach by a photothermal beam deflection technique, allowing for time-resolved calorimetry in the micro- to millisecond domain. For an ideal quantum yield of 100%, the enthalpy change, DeltaH, coupled to the formation of the radical pair Y(Z)(.

Study of the interaction of an alpha-helical transmembrane peptide with phosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes by means of densimetry and ultrasound velocimetry.

We applied precise densimetry and ultrasound velocimetry methods to study the interaction of a synthetic alpha-helical transmembrane peptide, acetyl-K(2)-L(24)-K(2)-amide (L(24)), with model bilayer lipid membranes. The large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) utilized were composed of a homologous series of n-saturated diacylphosphatidylcholines (PCs). PCs whose hydrocarbon chains contained from 13 to 16 carbon atoms, thus producing phospholipid bilayers of different thicknesses and gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition temperatures.

Spare quinones in the QB cavity of crystallized photosystem II from Thermosynechococcus elongatus.

The recent crystallographic structure at 3.0 A resolution of PSII from Thermosynechococcus elongatus has revealed a cavity in the protein which connects the membrane phase to the binding pocket of the secondary plastoquinone Q(B). The cavity may serve as a quinone diffusion pathway.

Studies of the minimum hydrophobicity of alpha-helical peptides required to maintain a stable transmembrane association with phospholipid bilayer membranes.

The effects of the hydrophobicity and the distribution of hydrophobic residues on the surfaces of some designed alpha-helical transmembrane peptides (acetyl-K2-L(m)-A(n)-K2-amide, where m + n = 24) on their solution behavior and interactions with phospholipids were examined. We find that although these peptides exhibit strong alpha-helix forming propensities in water, membrane-mimetic media, and lipid model membranes, the stability of the helices decreases as the Leu content decreases. Also, their binding to reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography columns is largely determined by their hydrophobicity and generally decreases with decreases in the Leu/Ala ratio.

Intermediates in assembly by photoactivation after thermally accelerated disassembly of the manganese complex of photosynthetic water oxidation.

The Mn4Ca complex bound to photosystem II (PSII) is the active site of photosynthetic water oxidation. Its assembly involves binding and light-driven oxidation of manganese, a process denoted as photoactivation. The disassembly of the Mn complex is a thermally activated process involving distinct intermediates.

Bromide does not bind to the Mn4Ca complex in its S1 state in Cl(-)-depleted and Br(-)-reconstituted oxygen-evolving photosystem II: evidence from X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Br K-edge.

Chloride is an important cofactor in photosynthetic water oxidation. It can be replaced by bromide with retention of the oxygen-evolving activity of photosystem II (PSII). Binding of bromide to the Mn(4)Ca complex of PSII in its dark-stable S(1) state was studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Br K-edge in Cl(-)-depleted and Br(-)-substituted PSII membrane particles from spinach.

Affinity interactions on a liposome surface detected by ultrasound velocimetry.

In this work, we performed targeted immobilization of immunoglobulins by means of bacterial S-layer proteins from Bacillus coagulans E38-66/V1 recrystallized on liposomes, which were exploited as immobilization matrix for antibody (Ab)-human IgG. The study of interaction of rabbit or swine anti-human IgG as antigens (Ag) was performed by means of measuring changes of ultrasound velocity. We showed that at a temperature of 25 degrees C, the increment of ultrasound velocity [u] linearly decreased following an increase of concentration of Ag.

Interaction of the antimicrobial peptide gramicidin S with dimyristoyl--phosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes: a densitometry and sound velocimetry study.

We determined changes in the volume and adiabatic compressibility of large multi- and unilamellar vesicles composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine containing various concentrations of the antimicrobial peptide gramicidin S (GS) by applying densitometry and sound velocimetry. Gramicidin S incorporation was found to progressively decrease the phase transition temperature of DMPC vesicles as well as to decrease the degree of cooperativity of the main phase transition and to increase the volume compressibility of the vesicles. GS probably enhanced thermal fluctuations at the region of main phase transition and provide more freedom of rotational movement for the phospholipid hydrocarbon chains.

Amperometric detection of DNA hybridization on a gold surface depends on the orientation of oligonucleotide chains.

We tested the possibility of amperometric detection of DNA hybridization on a gold surface influenced by the immobilization of oligonucleotide giving different orientations of single stranded DNA relative to the gold surface. The DNA sensor was fabricated by chemisorption of 18-mer oligonucleotide modified by a phosphorothioate group either at its 3' or both 3' and 5' terminal. After immobilization of oligonucleotide to the gold support, the sensor was immersed in 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) solution.

Binding of avidin modified antibody to biotinylated metal supported membranes and liposomes changes the physical properties of lipid bilayer.

Various methods have been applied to study the physical properties of metal supported bilayer lipid membranes (s-BLM) and large unilamellar liposomes containing biotinylated phospholipids during the binding of IgG modified by avidin. Electrostriction method applied to s-BLM showed that addition of avidin-IgG (A-IgG) complex in a small concentration (0.2 mumol/l) resulted in an approximately twofold decrease of membrane capacitance, C, increase of elasticity modulus in direction perpendicular to the membrane plane, E perpendicular, by 5-20%, increase in intrinsic membrane potential, delta phi m, by approximately 30 mV, and an approximately 5-15% increase of the coefficient of dynamic viscosity, eta.

Cholesterol-induced variations in the volume and enthalpy fluctuations of lipid bilayers.

The sound velocity and density of suspensions of large unilamellar liposomes from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine with admixed cholesterol have been measured as a function of temperature around the chain melting temperature of the phospholipid. The cholesterol-to-phospholipid molar ratio xc has been varied over a wide range (0 View Article and Find Full Text PDF