DDr. Otto Gebauer

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Isoelektrische Fokussierung und zweidimensionale Auftrennung einer wasserl?slichen Proteinfraktion von Hart- und Weichweizen aus Teigwarenprodukten

Zusammenfassung Die isoelektrische Fokussierung einer wasserlöslichen Proteinfraktion von Hart- und Weichweizen aus Teigwarenprodukten wird mit der bisher üblichen disk-elektrophoretischen Trennmethode verglichen. Die Elektrofokussierung liefert im Gegensatz zur Disk-Elektrophorese auch bei Anwesenheit von Ei-Proteinen sowie nach vorgängiger Hitzedenaturierung der Proteine zuverlässige und genaue Resultate. Im weiteren wird zur besseren Auftrennung und Charakterisierung der wasserlöslichen Proteinfraktion eine zweidimensionale Trennmethode (isoelektrische Fokussierung und anschließende Elektrophorese) beschrieben.

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Isoelectric focusing and two-dimensional separation of watersoluble protein fraction of hard and soft wheat from macaroni

Summary The isoelectric focusing of water-soluble protein fraction of hard and soft wheat from macaroni are compared with the disc electrophoresic separation methods. Electrofocusing produced more trustworthy and exacter results in the presence of egg proteins as well for heat-denaturated proteins. Further is described a better separation and characterisation of a water-soluble protein fraction using a two-dimensional system involving isoelectric focusing in the first dimension followed by electrophoresis in the second.

     

Supercomputing: What have we learned from the TOP500 Project?

Since 1993 we compile and publish twice a year a list of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. In this article we analyze some major trends in High-Performance Computing (HPC) based on the quantitative data gathered over the years in this TOP500 project (see www.top500.org for a complete access to all data). We start with an overview of the project, including the motivation and rationale behind it. We present the results of the TOP500 project as of November 2003 focusing on the changes over time with respect to the performance levels, the overall dynamics in this market, the manufacturers active in this market-segment, the architectures, and technologies used for these systems, and the major centers using such systems.     

Dietary Apigenin Exerts Immune-Regulatory Activity in Vivo by Reducing NF-κB Activity,Halting Leukocyte Infiltration and Restoring Normal Metabolic Function

The increasing prevalence of inflammatory diseases and the adverse effects associated with the long-term use of current anti-inflammatory therapies prompt the identification of alternative approaches to reestablish immune balance. Apigenin, an abundant dietary flavonoid, is emerging as a potential regulator of inflammation. Here, we show that apigenin has immune-regulatory activity in vivo. Apigenin conferred survival to mice treated with a lethal dose of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) restoring normal cardiac function and heart mitochondrial Complex I activity. Despite the adverse effects associated with high levels of splenocyte apoptosis in septic models, apigenin had no effect on reducing cell death. However, we found that apigenin decreased LPS-induced apoptosis in lungs, infiltration of inflammatory cells and chemotactic factors’ accumulation, re-establishing normal lung architecture. Using NF-κB luciferase transgenic mice, we found that apigenin effectively modulated NF-κB activity in the lungs, suggesting the ability of dietary compounds to exert immune-regulatory activity in an organ-specific manner. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the underlying immune-regulatory mechanisms of dietary nutraceuticals in vivo.     

Identification of the Thermodynamically Stable Fe‐Containing Phase in Aged Cement Pastes

Current developments in cement chemistry increasingly rely on predictive thermodynamic modeling of the phase composition in cementitious composites with the aim of linking the performance of the material with the phase composition of the material. This approach requires identification of the cement phases that form in hydrating cementitious materials using standard techniques, such as X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal analysis (DTA, TGA), but also state‐of‐the‐art synchrotron‐based techniques, in particular for those cases in which the signals of solid solutions overlap in XRD and TGA measurements. In this study, two ordinary Portland cements, with different chemical compositions and subject to different hydration times (~10, ~50 yr), were investigated aiming at identifying the most stable Fe‐containing cement phase in the cement pastes. The Fe‐containing cement phases and their solid solutions with the Al analogues in the complex cement matrix were analyzed with X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, indicating the formation of a mixed Fe–Al siliceous hydrogarnet as the major Fe‐containing phase. The presence of this phase after long hydration periods and upon selective dissolution of the pastes further indicates that, independent of the chemical compositions of cements, formation of the mixed Fe–Al siliceous hydrogarnet is thermodynamically favored in aged pastes, which is supported by published thermodynamic calculations.