Turbulent combustion of hydrogen in large volumes

The effect of fan-induced turbulence on the combustion of hydrogen-air mixtures has been studied in a 2.3-m diameter sphere over a hydrogen concentration range of 4 to 42% (by volume). Two fans were used to produce the turbulence, which was measured at various locations by hot-wire anemometry. For low hydrogen concentrations (≤7%), turbulence increases the rate and extent of combustion; for large turbulence intensities the extent of combustion approaches 100%, and combustion times are reduced by factors of 8 to 10 from those observed under quiescent conditions. At high hydrogen concentrations, the effect of turbulence on combustion time is less pronounced than at low hydrogen concentrations. Inclusion of flame-generated turbulence in the theoretical calculations sets an upper bound for the pressure rise, for the purpose of safety assessment.     

Study of the factors determining the mobility of ions in the polypyrrole films doped with aromatic sulfonate anions

The electrochemical redox behavior of the polypyrrole (PPy) films doped with benzenesulfonate (BS), p-toluenesulfonate (pTS) and naphtalene-1,5-disulfonate (NDS) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, the chemical composition of the films was determined by XDS, the surface morphology was characterized by AFM, and the interactions between pyrrole oligomers and the anions were modeled with quantum chemical methods. It is the first detailed comparative study of the properties of these interesting systems with two complementing interactions (electrostatic and aromatic stacking). It was shown than these relatively similar aromatic sulfonate anions have rather different behavior in PPy films. The results showed that the redoxactivity of polypyrrole films doped with sulfonate ions increases in the sequence pTS < BS < NDS. The comparison of voltammograms measured in the presence of different anions with PPy films synthesized in the same solution show that the PPy/pTS films have the most densely packed and the PPy/NDS films the least densely packed structure of the three. The mobility of ions in these films is mainly determined by the packing of the films, which in turn partly depends on the interactions between the dopant-anion and polymer chains.     

Proliferation of human non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines: role of interleukin-6

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the dysmorphogenetic process leading to esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA + TEF) in the recently developed Adriamycin model of the malformation. METHODS:Time-mated pregnant rats were given either Adriamycin (1.75 mg/kg intraperitoneally) or saline on days 6 to 9 of gestation, and their embryos recovered on days 12, 12.5, and 13 were serially sectioned in the transversal plane and studied microscopically after H&E and PAS staining. The findings were compared with those of age-matched untreated embryos. RESULTS: All untreated and saline embryos were normal, whereas 49% of Adriamycin embryos had foregut malformations. Tracheoesophageal separation was complete on day 12 in control embryos, whereas 9 of 10 Adriamycin-exposed embryos had a common esophagotrachea with low emergence of the bronchi at that stage. This pattern had evolved into that of a regular EA + TEF in all nine malformed embryos by day 13. On day 12.5, esophagotrachea was found in 6 of 13 and EA + TEF in 5 of 13 embryos. Two had less well-defined malformations. CONCLUSIONS: Esophagotrachea equivalent to complete tracheoesophageal cleft is the first step leading to EA + TEF in this model. The full-blown malformation is finally acquired by partial loss of the posterior wall of the foregut, which tapers-off in the mediastinal mesenchyme and respiratory differentiation of the anterior wall down to the level of bronchial bifurcation, where it constitutes the fistula and the distal esophagus.     

Plasmids with E2 epitope tags: tagging modules for N‐ and C‐terminal PCR‐based gene targeting in both budding and fission yeast,and inducible expression vectors for fission yeast

A single‐step PCR‐based epitope tagging enables fast and efficient gene targeting with various epitope tags. This report presents a series of plasmids for the E2 epitope tagging of proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. E2Tags are 10‐amino acids (epitope E2a: SSTSSDFRDR)‐ and 12 amino acids (epitope E2b: GVSSTSSDFRDR)‐long peptides derived from the E2 protein of bovine papillomavirus type 1. The modules for C‐terminal tagging with E2a and E2b epitopes were constructed by the modification of the pYM‐series plasmid. The N‐terminal E2a and E2b tagging modules were based on pOM‐series plasmid. The pOM‐series plasmids were selected for this study because of their use of the Cre–loxP recombination system. The latter enables a marker cassette to be removed after integration into the loci of interest and, thereafter, the tagged protein is expressed under its endogenous promoter. Specifically for fission yeast, high copy pREP plasmids containing the E2a epitope tag as an N‐terminal or C‐terminal tag were constructed. The properties of E2a and E2b epitopes and the sensitivity of two anti‐E2 monoclonal antibodies (5E11 and 3F12) were tested using several S. cerevisiae and Sz. pombe E2‐tagged strains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiple pathways lead to activation of the survival mechanism in quiescent BALB/c-3T3 cells

We investigated the effects of human anti-sporozoite antibodies on the sporogonic development of Plasmodium falciparum in Anopheles stephensi. Equal volumes of washed human erythrocytes and human sera from 1) volunteers with protective immunity induced by immunization with irradiated P. falciparum sporozoites, 2) the same volunteers before immunization, or 3) Kenyans exposed to natural sporozoite transmission, were fed to cohorts of P. falciparum-infected A. stephensi on either day 5, 8, or 11 after infection. A fourth group of infected mosquitoes from the same cohort were not refed. In two experiments, the effects of anti-sporozoite antibodies were evaluated by determining the infection rates and parasite densities for oocysts and salivary gland sporozoites. There was no evidence that anti-sporozoite antibodies had any effect on the development or intensity of P. falciparum infection in A. stephensi. However, accelerated oocyst maturation was associated with mosquitoes taking a second blood meal, independent of serum source. Salivary gland sporozoites from mosquitoes that fed on immune human sera contained bound human IgG, which was detectable by indirect immunofluorescence assay. The infectivity and transmission potential of human IgG-coated sporozoites is unknown.     

pH-induced conformational changes of membrane-bound influenza hemagglutinin and its effect on target lipid bilayers

Influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) has served as a paradigm for both pH-dependent and -independent viral membrane fusion. Although large conformational changes were observed by X-ray crystallography when soluble fragments of HA were subjected to fusion-pH conditions, it is not clear whether the same changes occur in membrane-bound HA, what the spatial relationship is between the conformationally changed HA and the target and viral membranes, and in what way HA perturbs the target membrane at low pH. We have taken a spectroscopic approach using an array of recently developed FTIR techniques to address these questions. Difference attenuated total reflection FTIR spectroscopy was employed to reveal reversible and irreversible components of the pH-induced conformational change of the membrane-bound bromelain fragment of HA, BHA. Additional proteolytic fragments of BHA were produced which permitted a tentative assignment of the observed changes to the HA1 and HA2 subunits, respectively. The membrane-bound HA1 subunit undergoes a reversible conformational change, which most likely involves the loss of a small proportion of beta-sheet at low pH. BHA was found to undergo a partially reversible tilting motion relative to the target membrane upon exposure to pH 5, indicating a previously undescribed hinge near the anchoring point to the target membrane. Time-resolved amide H/D exchange experiments revealed a more dynamic (tertiary) structure of membrane-bound BHA and its HA2, but not its HA1, subunit. Finally BHA and, to a lesser degree, HA1 perturbed the lipid bilayer of the target membrane at the interface, as assessed by spectral changes of the lipid ester carbonyl groups. These results are discussed in the context of a complementary study of HA that was bound to viral membranes through its transmembrane peptide (Gray C, Tamm LK, 1997, Protein Sci 6:1993-2006). A distinctive role for the HA1 subunit in the conformational change of HA becomes apparent from these combined studies.     

Biochemical activity of intestinal microflora in adult coeliac disease

In order to answer up to now open questions regarding the role of the microflora in the pathophysiology of adult coeliac disease the excretion of bacterial metabolites in urine has been followed. Unusual high outputs of p-cresol and/or phenol were found in almost all patient, whereas an increased excretion of indican could be observed in a few persons, only. The response to short-term antibacterial therapy was variable.