Inhibition of DNA polymerase λ by glucosyl compounds from soybean (Glycine max L.) and their associated inflammatory activity

During the screening of selective DNA polymerase (pol) inhibitors, we isolated two glucosyl compounds, a cerebroside (glucosyl ceramide, AS-1-4, compound 1) and a steroidal glycoside (eleutheroside A, compound 2) from soybean (Glycine max L.). Compounds 1 and 2 selectively inhibited the activity of eukaryotic pol λ in vitro, with IC₅₀ values of 12.2 and 9.1 μM, respectively. These compounds did not influence the activities of other eukaryotic pols including those from the A-family (pol γ), B-family (pols α, δ and ε), and Y-family (pols η, ι and κ), and also showed no effect on the activity of pol β which is of the same family (X) as pol λ. The tendency for in vitro pol λ inhibition by these compounds showed a positive correlation with the in vivo suppression of TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate)-induced inflammation in mouse ear. These results suggest that these glucosyl compounds from soybean may be useful for their anti-inflammatory properties.     

掺锡As2S8非饱和光阻断效应实验与机理研究

为了研究微量Sn掺As2S8非晶态薄膜波导非饱和光阻断效应的内在机理,采用双棱镜耦合技术,对波导样品进行了实验研究,在实验观测数据,分析了薄膜材料内部的化学键结构,结合电子能带理论和轨道杂化理论,建立了非饱和光阻断效应的动力学模型,并对实验数据进行数值拟合,得到了描述非饱和光阻断效应性质的参数。数值分析与实验结果吻合,说明本文模型能解释实验现象,揭示实验本质。     

Selective Data Deactivation Mechanism in Sustainable Area-based Cache for Mobile Social Networks

This paper presents a proposal of a more resilient mechanism of an area-based sustainable cache system under a temporary decrease of the number of terminals. This mechanism suppresses interruptions of data relay and disappearances of cache data in the cache continually. The core technology enables each terminal to retain the received data in cache areas as ??deactivated data?? instead of deleting the data, even after a terminal leaves the area. Deactivated data are not relayed outside the target designated cache area. The data are reactivated and redistributed to others as relay data once the terminal revisits there. Consequently, the data are shared across time. Furthermore, particularly addressing the limitation of terminal storage, we proposed an adaptive scheme to select which data should be retained as deactivation data. This new mechanism leverages the proposed method under the storage limitation. As presented at the end of this paper, the simulation evaluations underscore the effectiveness of the proposed mechanism, and the adaptive selective scheme of deactivated data.     

Effect of surface properties of silica nanoparticles on their cytotoxicity and cellular distribution in murine macrophages

In this study, complexes composed of poly-l-tyrosine (pLT) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were produced and the dispersibility of the pLT/SWCNT complexes in water by measuring the ζ potential of the complexes and the turbidity of the solution were investigated. It is found that the absolute value of the ζ potential of the pLT/SWCNT complexes is as high as that of SWCNTs modified with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and that the complexes remain stably dispersed in the water at least for two weeks. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and visualization of the surface structures of pLT/SWCNT complexes using an atomic force microscope (AFM) were also carried out.     

Mycotoxicological quality evaluation of corn samples used by processing industries in the Northern region of Paraná State,Brazil

Based on fungal and fumonisin contamination of 870 freshly harvested samples, the quality of corn used by processing industries in the Northern region of Paraná State, Brazil (2003 and 2004 crop-year) was evaluated. Sampling was carried out for each crop at two points in the production chain, i.e. at reception by the processors and at the pre-drying step. Corn samples were more frequently contaminated with Fusarium sp. (100%) and Penicillium sp. (84.1–95.3%) than Aspergillus sp. (5.6–19.8%). Fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) was detected in all samples from the two points in both crop-years. FB₁ levels ranged 0.02–11.83 µg g^?1 in the reception and 0.02–10.98 µg g^?1 in the pre-drying samples of the 2003 crop. Samples from the 2004 crop showed FB₁ levels ranging 0.03–12.04 µg g^?1 in the reception and 0.06–7.74 µg g^?1 in the pre-drying samples. FB₂ levels ranged 0.02–5.25 µg g^?1 in the reception and 0.01–7.89 µg g^?1 in the pre-drying samples (2003 crop-year). In samples from the 2004 crop, FB₂ levels ranged 0.02–6.12 µg g^?1 in the reception and 0.05–3.47 µg g^?1 in the pre-drying samples. Low fumonisin levels were detected in most corn samples used by processors in the Northern region of Paraná State, showing a decreasing trend in fumonisin contamination over the years.     

Differences between Human and Mouse IgM Fc Receptor (FcµR)

Both non-immune “natural” and antigen-induced “immune” IgM are important for protection against pathogens and for regulation of immune responses to self-antigens. Since the bona fide IgM Fc receptor (FcµR) was identified in humans by a functional cloning strategy in 2009, the roles of FcµR in these IgM effector functions have begun to be explored. In this short essay, we describe the differences between human and mouse FcµRs in terms of their identification processes, cellular distributions and ligand binding activities with emphasis on our recent findings from the mutational analysis of human FcµR. We have identified at least three sites of human FcµR, i.e., Asn66 in the CDR2, Lys79 to Arg83 in the DE loop and Asn109 in the CDR3, responsible for its constitutive IgM-ligand binding. Results of computational structural modeling analysis are consistent with these mutational data and a model of the ligand binding, Ig-like domain of human FcµR is proposed. Serendipitously, substitution of Glu41 and Met42 in the CDR1 of human FcµR with mouse equivalents Gln and Leu, either single or more prominently in combination, enhances both the receptor expression and IgM binding. These findings would help in the future development of preventive and therapeutic interventions targeting FcµR.     

Grain size and texture changes of magnesium alloy AZ31 during multi-directional forging

Grain size and texture changes of magnesium alloy AZ31 were studied in multidirectional forging(MDF) under decreasing temperature conditions.MDF was carried out up to large cumulative strains of 4.8 with changing the loading direction during decrease in temperature from pass to pass.MDF can accelerate the uniform development of fine-grained structures and increase the plastic workability at low temperatures.As a result,the MDFed alloy shows excellent higher strength as well as moderate ductility at room ...     

Strong,Ductile Magnesium-Zinc Nanocomposites

Incorporated SiC nanoparticles are demonstrated to influence the solidification of magnesium-zinc alloys resulting in strong, ductile, and castable materials. By ultrasonically dispersing a small amount (less than 2 vol pct) of SiC nanoparticles, both the strength and ductility exhibit marked enhancement in the final casting. This unusual ductility enhancement is the result of the nanoparticles altering the selection of intermetallic phases. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the MgZn₂ phase was discovered among SiC nanoparticle clusters in hypoeutectic compositions. Differential thermal analysis showed that the MgZn₂ formation resulted in elimination of other intermetallics in the Mg-4Zn nanocomposite and reduced their formation in Mg-6Zn and Mg-8Zn nanocomposites.