Identification and characterization of the murine homologue of CD22, a B lymphocyte-restricted adhesion molecule

The human B lymphocyte-specific Ag, CD22, is a cell adhesion molecule expressed on the surface during a narrow window of B cell development, coincident with surface IgD. A ligand for CD22 has recently been identified on human T cells as the low molecular mass isoform of the leukocyte common Ag, CD45RO. CD22 has been reported to function in the regulation of both T and B cell activation in vitro. In this study, we report the isolation and expression of a molecular cDNA clone encoding the murine homologue of CD22, mCD22. Within their predicted protein sequences, murine and human sequences overall have 62% identity, which includes 18 of 20 extracellular cysteines and six of six cytoplasmic tyrosines. BHK cells transfected with mCD22 cDNA specifically adhere to resting and activated T lymphocytes and in addition bound activated, but not resting, B cells. Five Th clones were analyzed for their ability to adhere to mCD22; two Th0 clones and one Th1 clone bound CD22+ BHK transfectants, but not all T cell clones bound CD22+ cells: another Th1 clone and a Th2 clone did not. mCD22+ BHK transfectants were also specifically bound by the B cell-specific mAb, NIM-R6, demonstrating that this mAb is specific for murine CD22. Human cell lines expressing the counter-receptors for human CD22 were also examined for adhesion to the murine CD22 homologue; the epitope responsible for B cell adhesion to CD22 is conserved, whereas the T cell epitope binding to CD22 is not. The cDNA and mAb to murine CD22 will be useful for defining the in vivo function of CD22.     

Atmospheric Chemistry of 2-Ethyl Acrolein

The atmospheric oxidation of the unsaturated aldehyde 2-ethyl acrolein, CH₂=C(C₂H₅)CHO, has been studied in laboratory experiments involving the reaction of ozone with 2-ethyl acrolein in the dark (with cyclohexane added to scavenge the hydroxyl radical), and the sunlight irradiation of 2-ethyl acrolein with NO in air. The major carbonyl products of the 2-ethyl acrolein reaction with ozone are formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and the dicarbonyl ethylglyoxal, CH₃CH₂COCHO. Sunlight irradiation of 2-ethyl acrolein and NO led to the formation of three carbonyls (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and ethylglyoxal) and three peroxyacyl nitrates, (RC(O)OONO₂), including PAN (R = CH₃), PPN (R = C₂H₅), and the unsaturated compound EPAN (R = CH₂=C(C₂H₅)). Mechanisms are outlined for the reactions of ozone and of the hydroxyl radical with 2-ethyl acrolein. These mechanisms are consistent with the observed carbonyl and peroxyacyl nitrate products. Thermal decomposition, a major atmospheric removal process for peroxyacyl nitrates, has been studied for EPAN. The decomposition rate of EPAN relative to that of PAN is 0.59–0.73 at 292–294 K and 1 atm of air. Atmospheric implications of these results are discussed.     

Feedstock aids microPIM parts production: Tiny cogs test the imagination of powder professionals as small parts demand ever-finer materials…

With commercially available PIM feedstock reportedly unable to fulfill the requirements for the microPIM components under investigation, researchers at the Institute for Materials Research III (IMR) in Karlsruhe, Germany, have developed new binder systems for feedstock based on both nanoceramic and ultrafine metallic powders. In the case of ceramics (zirconia) the powders can be as fine as 300 nm, and for metals in the 3μm-5μm particle size range. The powders are used to develop PIM gearwheels (Figure 1) and other components for a demonstrator micro annular gear pump design (Figure 2); however, the technology is also said to be applicable to micro gears used in watches.     

On the "adiabatic approximation" for design of control laws for linear, time-varying systems

Control laws are often designed for linear time-varying processes by solving the algebraic Riccati equation for the optimum control law at each instant of time. Such designs may be called "adiabatic approximations." Although they are not optimum, they can result in closed loop systems which perform well. The stability of systems designed using the adiabatic approximation can be assessed by the "second method of Lyapunov." Stability is assured if a readily computed test matrixF, which depends on the rate of change of the parameters of the system, is negative-definite.     

Fatigue crack initiation and propagation of binder-treated powder metallurgy steels

Many of the targeted applications for powder-metallurgy materials, particularly in the automotive industry, undergo cyclic loading. It is, therefore, essential to examine the fatigue mechanisms in these materials. The mechanisms of fatigue-crack initiation and propagation in ferrous powder-metallurgy components have been investigated. The fatigue mechanisms are controlled primarily by the inherent porosity present in these materials. Since most, if not all, fatigue cracks initiate and propagate at the specimen surface, surface replication was used to determine the role of surface porosity in relation to fatigue behavior. Surface replication provides detailed information on both initiation sites and on the propagation path of fatigue cracks. The effect of microstructural features such as pore size and pore shape, as well as the heterogeneous microstructure on crack deflection, was examined and is discussed. Fracture surfaces were examined to elucidate a mechanistic understanding of fatigue processes in these materials.