Cloning, tissue expression, and chromosomal localization of the mouse IRS-3 gene

Insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins are key regulators of basic functions such as cellular growth and metabolism. They provide an interface between multiple receptors and a complex network of intracellular signaling molecules. Two members of this family (IRS-1 and IRS-2) have been identified previously. In this investigation, we analyzed a mouse expressed sequence tag clone that proved to be a new member of the IRS family. Sequence analysis of this clone and comparison with the sequences deposited in GenBank demonstrates this protein may be the murine homolog of rat IRS-3, recently purified and cloned from rat adipocytes. Accordingly, we have named our protein mouse IRS-3. The expressed sequence tag clone contains the complete coding sequence of 1485 bp, encoding a protein of 495 amino acids. Sequence alignment with the other members of the IRS family shows that this protein contains pleckstrin homology and phosphotyrosine-binding domains that are highly conserved. In addition, there is conservation of many tyrosine phosphorylation motifs responsible for interactions with downstream signaling molecules containing SH2 domains. The murine IRS-3 messenger RNA (2.4 kilobases in length) is expressed in many tissues, with highest levels in liver and lung. Mouse IRS-3 is highly expressed in the first part of the embryonic life, when IRS-1 messenger RNA is barely detectable. Unlike the genes encoding IRS-1 and IRS-2, the IRS-3 gene contains an intron (344 bp in length) in the region between the pleckstrin homology and the phosphotyrosine-binding domains. Fluorescent in situ hybridization localized the mouse IRS-3 gene on the telomeric region of chromosome 5G2. Cloning of the murine IRS-3 gene will make it possible to apply genetic approaches to elucidate the physiological role of this new member of the IRS family of proteins.     

Molecular cloning of CYP1A from the estuarine fish Fundulus heteroclitus and phylogenetic analysis of CYP1 genes: update with new sequences

Since we published a phylogenetic analysis of the CYP1A subfamily in 1995, several additional full-length sequences have been reported, including three members of an entirely new subfamily, CYP1B. Two avian sequences were recently published, so that CYP1A sequence data are now available from three of the five major vertebrate lineages. The two new branches that have been added to the CYP1 family tree significantly add to our understanding of P450 evolution. The inclusion of the CYP1Bs to the phylogenetic analysis allows us to root inferred trees. Addition of the avian CYP1As indicates that the CYP1A1/CYP1A2 duplication present in the mammalian lineage may have occurred after the divergence of birds and mammals. The number of fish species from which full-length coding regions of CYP1A genes have been sequenced has increased from four (trout, plaice, toadfish, and scup) to nine. These include CYP1A sequences from tomcod, butterflyfish, sea bream, sea bass, and the full-length sequence of CYP1A from the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus that is reported here. Phylogenetic analyses incorporating the new fish CYP1A sequences support our original conclusion that the fish CYP1As are monophyletic and indicate that the genes are evolving at very different rates in different species.     

A time-domain approach to transmission network equivalents viaProny analysis for electromagnetic transients analysis

This paper presents a method of obtaining transmission network equivalents from the network's response to a pulse excitation signal. The proposed method is based on modal decomposition representation for the large-scale interconnected system. In this framework we use Prony analysis to identify the network function of the system and to decompose the large system into a parallel combination of simple first-order systems. As a result the network function of the transmission network can be identified easily, and a Thevenin-type of discrete-time filter model can be generated. It can reproduce the driving-point impedance characteristic of the network. Furthermore, the proposed model can be implemented into the EMTP in a direct manner. The simulation results with the full system representation and the developed equivalent system showed a good agreement     

Effect of the pressure drop rate on cell nucleation in continuous processing of microcellular polymers

Microllular plastics are cellular polymers characterized by cell densities greater than 10⁹ cells/cm³ and cells smaller than 10 μm. One of the critical steps in the continuous production of microcellular plastics is the promotion of high cell nucleation rates in a flowing polymer matrix. These high nucleation rates can be achieved by first forming a polymer/gas solution followed by rapidly decreasing the solubility of gas in the polymer. Since, in the processing range of interest, the gas solubility in the polymer decreases as the pressure decreases, a rapid pressure drop element, consisting of a nozzle, has been employed as a continuous microcellular nucleation device. In this paper, the effects of the pressure drop rate on the nucleation of cells and the cell density are discussed. The experimental results indicate that both the magnitude and the cell density are discussed. The experimental results indicate that both the magnitude and the rate of pressure drop play a strong role in microcellular processing. The pressure phenomenon affects the thermodynamic instability induced in the polymer/gas solution and the competition between cell nucleation and growth.     

双乙醛草酰二肼直接快速光度法测定食品中痕量铜

研究了双乙醛草酸二肼与铜的显色反应，建立了分光光度法直接测定铜的新方法。试验结果表明，在pH8．0－10．0范围内，Cu2 与双乙醛草酸二肼形成稳定的紫红色配合物。该配合物在540nm处有一最大吸收峰，其表明摩尔吸光系数为2．4×104，铜量在0－12mg／50ml范围内符合比尔定律。共存离子干扰，误差仅 2.00％。用于食品中痕量钢测定．结果准确、可靠。     

Self-aligned offset gated poly-Si TFTs with a floating sub-gate

We have fabricated a self-aligned offset-gated poly-Si thin film transistor (TFT) by employing a novel photoresist reflow process. The gate structure of the new device is consisted of two unique patterns: A main-gate and a sub-gate. The new fabrication method extends the gate-oxide over the offset region. With the assistance of the sub-gate and reflowed photoresist a self-aligned offset region is successfully obtained due to the offset oxide acting as an implantation mask. The poly-Si TFT with symmetrical offsets is easily fabricated and the new method does not require any additional offset mask step. Compared with the misaligned offset gated poly-Si TFTs, excellent symmetric electrical characteristics are obtained     

The effect of verbal elaborations on memory in young and older adults

The Stein paradigm was used to examine the circumstances under which verbal elaborations enhance memory in young and older adults. Subjects studied target adjectives that were embedded in one of three sentence contexts that varied in elaboration of the subject-adjective relationship: (1) nonelaborated base sentences; (2) base sentences with semantically consistent, but arbitrary verbal, elaborations; and (3) base sentences with explanatory verbal elaborations that clarified the significance of the subject-adjective relationship. The presence of the elaborations was varied at encoding and retrieval, and cued recall of the target adjectives was tested with incidental and intentional learning procedures. In Experiments 1A and 1B, explanatory elaborations at encoding and retrieval yielded the largest memorial facilitation for both young and older adults, and the benefit was comparable for the incidental and intentional learning measures. In Experiment 2, age-related differences in recall were minimal with explanatory elaborations at encoding and retrieval, but larger age differences occurred in the nonelaborated comparison conditions. In Experiment 3, explanatory elaborations present at encoding but not at retrieval enhanced recall when the original Stein stimuli were used, but not with the present stimuli. The implications of these results with regard to the mnemonic efficacy of verbal elaborations for young and older adults are discussed.     

Modified atmosphere packaging of a mixed prepared vegetable salad dish

The aim of this study was to design a modified atmosphere package for a mixed vegetable salad consisting of 75 g of cut carrot, 55 g of cut cucumber, 20 g of sliced garlic and 50 g of whole green pepper. Respiration data of all the components were combined with film permeability data to predict package atmospheres and design optimal packages for experimental testing for improved shelf-life of the produce. The optimal package avoided minimum O₂ and maximum CO₂ tolerance limits, and chilling injury temperatures for any component. A pouch form package made of 27 mm low density polyethylene developed a modified atmosphere of 2.0–2.1% O₂ and 5.5–5.7% CO₂, which was beneficial for all components and provided better quality retention than other test packages.