Purification and functional analysis of the DnaK homologue from Prevotella intermedia OMZ 326

Large-volume leukapheresis (LVL), defined as the processing of at least three blood volumes in a single session for peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) collection, was performed in 32 small children weighing < or = 25 kg, aged 10 months to 8 years, with a variety of malignancies. Harvesting of PBPC was started after 4 days of cytokine (G-CSF, 12 micrograms/kg s.c.) alone. Procedures were performed using a continuous flow blood cell separator (COBE Spectra). The automated program of lymphocytapheresis was modified to achieve a collection rate of 0.9 ml/min. The extracorporeal line was primed with a unit of a packed red blood cells before the procedure. Acid citrate dextrose (ACD) was used as anticoagulant with an ACD inlet ratio of 1:14 and an ACD infusion rate of 1.1 ml/min/L of total blood volume. The inlet flow ranged between 6 and 35 ml/min (median 20 ml/min). A total of 37 apheresis procedures were performed (median 1, range 1-3). In 84% of patients, a single apheresis yields the minimum number of PBPC cells required for transplantation. No consistent side effects were observed, and LVL was well tolerated by children. A median of 7.7 x 10(8) kg MNC, 5.4 x 10(6)/kg CD34+, and 6.2 x 10(4)/kg CFU-GM per apheresis were harvested. Patients with neuroblastoma had a significantly lower yield than other patients. To date, 27 patients have been transplanted after myeloablative treatment, and rapid and sustained engraftment was achieved in all cases. The number of CD34+ cells infused was highly correlated with engraftment kinetics. LVL can be safely and easily performed in small children, allowing adequate PBPC collection for transplantation with rapid hematologic recovery.     

On observability of singular systems

Concepts of observability and strong observability for singular systems are introduced and characterized geometrically in terms of the system matrices without using the Weierstrass decomposition. Duality relations between observability and controllability and that between reachability and strong observability are established. A canonical form for the action of the output injection group on the set of observable systems is presented.     

Scaling in the reservoir in Kizildere geothermal field, Turkey

At Kizildere geothermal field, the fluid in the reservoir is hot pressurized water at 200°C containing about 2% CO₂ dissolved in the fluid by weight. During production, as the pressure decreases this gas is released into the vapor phase. When the reservoir fluid loses its dissolved CO₂ the equilibrium of the dissolved solids is destroyed and deposition occurs, either in the reservoir or in the well. Scaling in the well can be cleaned mechanically but it is more or less impossible to clean the reservoir. Thus the gas must be kept dissolved in the water until it reaches the well. At Kizildere the wells are cleaned every six months of production. After cleaning it has been observed that some of the wells regain their original production values and others do not. Well KD-14 was deepened and incrustation noted on the cuttings coming from the reservoir. On closing the wells some of them retain their well-head pressure at a constant value, whereas in others a pressure build-up continues at the well-head. Normally the static WHP are around 5 – 6 kg/cm². However, after closure of the master-valve in wells KD14 and KD15 the WHP continued to increase until all the water column in the well was changed by the gas. This phenomenon occurs because of the presence of free gas in the reservoir.     

Alternative Promoter Use Governs the Expression of IgLON Cell Adhesion Molecules in Histogenetic Fields of the Embryonic Mouse Brain

The members of the IgLON superfamily of cell adhesion molecules facilitate fundamental cellular communication during brain development, maintain functional brain circuitry, and are associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, autism, schizophrenia, and intellectual disabilities. Usage of alternative promoter-specific 1a and 1b mRNA isoforms in Lsamp, Opcml, Ntm, and the single promoter of Negr1 in the mouse and human brain has been previously described. To determine the precise spatiotemporal expression dynamics of Lsamp, Opcml, Ntm isoforms, and Negr1, in the developing brain, we generated isoform-specific RNA probes and carried out in situ hybridization in the developing (embryonic, E10.5, E11.5, 13.5, 17; postnatal, P0) and adult mouse brains. We show that promoter-specific expression of IgLONs is established early during pallial development (at E10.5), where it remains throughout its differentiation through adulthood. In the diencephalon, midbrain, and hindbrain, strong expression patterns are initiated a few days later and begin fading after birth, being only faintly expressed during adulthood. Thus, the expression of specific IgLONs in the developing brain may provide the means for regionally specific functionality as well as for specific regional vulnerabilities. The current study will therefore improve the understanding of how IgLON genes are implicated in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Rheology of ordinary and low-impact environmental concretes

This study deals with the rheological properties of concrete mixtures incorporating various types of mineral additions as a partial replacement of cement in order to produce a low-impact environmental concrete. The control mixture contained only Portland cement as the binder, while the remaining mixtures incorporated binary cementitious blends of slag, limestone filler, and fly ash with different rates of replacement. After mixing, the plastic viscosity and yield stress of the concretes were evaluated at different slump values using a rheometer apparatus. The results showed that the type of mineral additions and the rate of substitution affect the rheological parameters of low-impact environmental concrete. Indeed, increasing the degree of substitution leads to an increase in the plastic viscosity of the concrete made with different types of additions used in this study.     

Repair of congenital pulmonary incompetence by bicuspidization of the pulmonary valve

We report the successful repair of pulmonary incompetence in an adult due to the congenital absence of the posterior leaflet of the pulmonary valve. The repair consisted of bicuspidization of the pulmonary valve, which achieved competence and eliminated the symptoms and echocardiographic manifestations of right ventricular overload while preserving the native valve.     

Correlation Between the Pitting Potential Evolution and $$\varvec\sigma$$ Phase Precipitation Kinetics in the 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

The aim of this work is to correlate the pitting potential (E_pit) evolution with the kinetics of σ phase precipitation in the 2205 duplex stainless steel aged at 850 °C after solution treatment at 1150 °C. The potentiodynamic polarization curves indicate a reduction of the pitting corrosion resistance with the aging time, which is revealed by a decrease in the E_pit values from 0.65 to 0.40 V_SCE. Thus, E_pit values are used to determine the kinetics parameters of the σ phase precipitation. The experimental transformed fraction agrees well with the one calculated by using the modified Kolmogorov–Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation with an impingement parameter c?=?0.6.     

Human TRMT112-Methyltransferase Network Consists of Seven Partners Interacting with a Common Co-Factor

Methylation is an essential epigenetic modification mainly catalysed by S-Adenosyl methionine-dependent methyltransferases (MTases). Several MTases require a cofactor for their metabolic stability and enzymatic activity. TRMT112 is a small evolutionary conserved protein that acts as a co-factor and activator for different MTases involved in rRNA, tRNA and protein methylation. Using a SILAC screen, we pulled down seven methyltransferases—N6AMT1, WBSCR22, METTL5, ALKBH8, THUMPD2, THUMPD3 and TRMT11—as interaction partners of TRMT112. We showed that TRMT112 stabilises all seven MTases in cells. TRMT112 and MTases exhibit a strong mutual feedback loop when expressed together in cells. TRMT112 interacts with its partners in a similar way; however, single amino acid mutations on the surface of TRMT112 reveal several differences as well. In summary, mammalian TRMT112 can be considered as a central “hub” protein that regulates the activity of at least seven methyltransferases.     

Ethnic differences in housing in post-Soviet Tartu,Estonia

Social and ethnic stratification has changed significantly in the former Soviet space since 1991. This research analyses the evolution of inherited ethnic differences in housing during two post-Soviet decades in Tartu, Estonia. The results suggest that ethnic inequalities in dwelling type as well as in housing size per person decreased between 1989 and 2008. More minorities now occupy single-family houses than at the end of the Soviet period. Access to modern facilities within dwelling units, however, is still higher among the minority population. We conclude that inherited ethnic differences in housing conditions were pronounced and, despite evidence of decreasing housing inequalities, subsequent changes have been too modest to overcome inherited patterns of housing segmentation from the Soviet period.