Dufour Gland Contents of Ants of the Cataglyphis bicolor Group

The species of desert-dwelling ants of the Cataglyphis bicolor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) group are difficult to distinguish by morphological features. Analysis of the secretion from the Dufour glands of workers of a number of colonies was undertaken to see if it provided a clear test of species. Linked 6c-ms showed in all samples straight and branched-chain alkanes, linear alkenes, ketones, aldehydes, acetates, and a group of C₂₂ to C₂₈ esters not previously identified in this genus. Contents of the Dufour glands of C. savignyi from Tunisia and Egypt were similar, and comprised straight and branched-chain alkanes, alkenes and small amounts of esters. C. bicolor from Tunisia contained compounds similar to C. savignyi but was distinguished from the latter by larger amounts of the esters. The major compound in the glands of C. viaticus was tridecane, in contrast to the pentadecane of other species. It also contained a branched alkane, 3-methyltridecane as a major component. Branched-chain esters and a wide variety of acetates were also found in this species. C. diehlii had a limited range of compounds, with branched alkanes almost completely absent and high proportions of pentadecene and dodecyl acetate. C. bombycinus, a sympatric species, but recognized as not belonging to the bicolor group by its different mandibular gland substances, was notable in having butanoate esters in its Dufour glands. Despite these differences among species, both the great variability of individuals from a single colony and the among between conspecific colonies make species diagnosis from a few individuals difficult, in contrast with postpharyngeal glands, which, as recently reported, give a clearer indication of species.     

Thioether Analogues of Disulfide‐Bridged Cyclic Peptides Targeting Death Receptor 5: Conformational Analysis,Dimerisation and Consequences for Receptor Activation

Cyclic peptides containing redox‐stable thioether bridges might provide a useful alternative to disulfide‐bridged bioactive peptides. We report the effect of replacing the disulfide bridge with a lanthionine linkage in a 16‐mer cyclic peptide that binds to death receptor 5 (DR5, TRAIL‐R2). Upon covalent oligomerisation, the disulfide‐bridged peptide has previously shown similar behaviour to that of TNF‐related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), by selectively triggering the DR5 cell death pathway. The structural and biological properties of the DR5‐binding peptide and its desulfurised analogue were compared. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) data suggest that these peptides bind DR5 with comparable affinities. The same holds true for dimeric versions of these peptides: the thioether is able to induce DR5‐mediated apoptosis of BJAB lymphoma and tumorigenic BJELR cells, albeit to a slightly lower extent compared to its disulfide homologue. NMR analysis revealed subtle variation in the conformations of the two peptides and suggests that the thioether peptide is slightly less folded than its disulfide homologue. These observations could account for the different capability of the two dimers to cluster DR5 receptors on the cell surface and to trigger apoptosis. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the thioether peptide is a potential candidate for evaluation in animal models.     

Cytostatic activity of 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives generated by the clip-phen strategy

The cytostatic activities of a series of twelve 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) derivatives and of their copper complexes were studied on L1210 murine leukemia cells. Large increases in the biological activity were observed for compounds of the 3-Clip-Phen series, in which two Phen moieties were bridged at their C3 positions by an alkoxy linker, the 3-pentyl-Clip-Phen derivative showing an IC(50) value of 130 nM while Phen shows an IC(50) value of 2500 nM under the same conditions. IC(50) values seemed to be modulated not only by the position, the nature, and the length of the linker of Clip-Phen but also by hydrophobicity. Since copper complexes of Phen are chemical nucleases and nucleic acids are thus a potential target for these compounds, the corresponding copper complexes were also studied. Copper complexation of the 3-Clip-Phen ligands did not increase their biological activities. Attempts to vectorize 3-Clip-Phen derivatives with a DNA binder such as spermine or with a cell-penetration peptide failed to increase their biological activity relative to the original 3-Clip-Phen series.     

Aluminum-Copper-Lithium Alloy 2050 Developed for Medium to Thick Plate

This article discusses Al-Cu-Li 2050 alloy developed, qualified, and produced by Alcan Aerospace as plates. AA2050 alloy offers a low density high corrosion resistant alternative to incumbent medium to thick plate alloys like 7050-T7451, and to thin plate alloys like 2024 or higher damage tolerant versions. The fundamentals behind the choice of the Al-Cu-Li chemistry are highlighted, as well as the property balance generated in a wide range of thickness from 12 to 127 mm (0.5 to 5 in.). Manufacturing behavior of the alloy when machining or friction stir welding is also discussed in detail. Finally, it is shown that the appropriate recycling investments and logistics permit the use of 2050 alloy at an acceptable level of extra cost per kilo saved, when weight benefits are taken into account.     

双河油田Ⅷ-Ⅸ油组强水淹层细分评价方法研究

针对双河油田Ⅷ-Ⅸ油组高含水期的强水淹层,利用岩心分析资料、测井资料、试油、试采资料,通过开展水淹机理实验研究,建立水淹层动态饱和度指数、胶结指数的模型.综合强水淹层岩性、产水率、孔隙结构及电性等细分标准,对强水淹层定性识别和细分定量解释研究,建立了Ⅷ-Ⅸ油组中厚油层强水淹细分解释标准.形成1套利用测井技术进行强水淹层细分精细评价的完整方法.     

Disrupted temporal control in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease.

Huntington’s disease is characterized by corticostriatal dysfunction and degeneration of the striatum with progressive loss of the medium spiny neurons. These circuits are important for instrumental responding, interval timing, and temporal control over motor output. We investigated the acquisition of timed operant responding in two R6/2 Huntington’s Disease models, differing in CAG repeat length and genetic background (115 and 250 CAG repeats, and a mixed CBAxC57 or pure C57 background) and their corresponding wild type controls using the peak procedure. Both mouse lines exhibited similar response control deficits. In unreinforced peak trials, mice either did not learn to terminate an ongoing response past reinforcement time or required more trials to acquisition compared to the wild type mice. While transgenic and wild type mice did not exhibit differences in temporal accuracy, response curves were flatter in transgenic mice, suggesting decreased temporal control over operant responding. The results are discussed in terms of the neurobiology of interval timing, instrumental responding, and the neuropathology of HD and R6/2 mice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Numerical and experimental analysis of stresses and failure in T-bolt joints

T-bolt joints are widely used in the wind turbine industry. This paper describes the constitution and function of the different components of the joint, showing the different parameters that affect its performance, and presents a parametric analysis, useful for joint design and optimization, relating laminate thickness, bolt and cylinder diameters to pitch distance, and pretension of the bolt with external load. In order to provide information on the influence of the T-bolt geometry on the strength of the laminate in the net tension and bearing zones, tests for two different glass fiber – epoxy laminates, under different pitch/diameter ratios have been performed, forcing either bearing or tension failure modes. Stress and strain concentrations in the laminate have been estimated trough a three-dimensional finite element model that takes into account pretension effects and contact nonlinearities. How experimental results correlate with simple and finite element model analysis is discussed. Stress Point Criteria may be applied for joint tension failure with a characteristic distance of d₀ = 0.9 mm.     

Plasmachemisches Ätzen und Beschichten bei Atmosphärendruck

Atmospheric pressure plasma‐chemical etching and deposition. Application in crystalline silicon photovoltaics. For industrial processing of wafer based crystalline silicon solar cells a variety of different technologies are applied. The combination of these requires a complex wafer handling; increasing not only investment costs, but also the risk of wafer breakage. Application of plasma technologies offers the possibility to manufacture crystalline silicon solar cells without any wet chemical or vacuum processes. At Fraunhofer IWS all etching steps necessary for the production of solar cells and the deposition of silicon nitride as passivation and anti‐reflection coating were demonstrated successfully using atmospheric pressure plasma technologies.     

Finding Induced Paths of Given Parity in Claw-Free Graphs

The Parity Path problem is to decide if a given graph contains both an induced path of odd length and an induced path of even length between two specified vertices. In the related problems Odd Induced Path and Even Induced Path, the goal is to determine whether an induced path of odd, respectively even, length between two specified vertices exists. Although all three problems are NP-complete in general, we show that they can be solved in $\mathcal{O}(n^{5})$ time for the class of claw-free graphs. Two vertices s and t form an even pair in G if every induced path from s to t in G has even length. Our results imply that the problem of deciding if two specified vertices of a claw-free graph form an even pair, as well as the problem of deciding if a given claw-free graph has an even pair, can be solved in $\mathcal{O}(n^{5})$ time and $\mathcal{O}(n^{7})$ time, respectively. We also show that we can decide in $\mathcal{O}(n^{7})$ time whether a claw-free graph has an induced cycle of given parity through a specified vertex. Finally, we show that a shortest induced path of given parity between two specified vertices of a claw-free perfect graph can be found in $\mathcal {O}(n^{7})$ time.