Two highly specialized histone H1 proteins are the major chromosomal proteins of the sperm of the sea anemone Urticina (Tealia) crassicornis

The sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) from a sea anemone (Urticina crassicornis) have been isolated and characterized for the first time. They consist of two sperm-specific members of the histone H1 family with Mr 22,700 and 24,600. They amount to about 60--70% of the total chromosomal sperm proteins. Their amino acid composition and the primary structure of their trypsin-resistant core indicate a strong relation to histone H5 from the nucleated erythrocytes of birds and amphibians as well as to other high sperm-specific H1-like (PL-I) proteins from phylogenetically distant groups. The major presence of histone H1-like protein in the sperm of an organism belonging to such a low phylogenetic group provides experimental support to the hypothesis that SNBPs may all have evolved from a primitive histone precursor.     

Experimental studies of new ductile coupling beams and multi-storey shear walls

The span-depth ratios of coupling beams to interconnect shear walls are generally small, so that brittle shear failure may occur and lead to reduced ductility. In order to improve the ductility of coupling beams for earthquake loading, a new type of ductile coupling beam is proposed in this paper. Along the middle depth of this beam, a slit through the entire thickness (a narrow hole) near each end and two lateral keyways along the remaining middle part of the span are made. The reductions of the stiffness under service load and the ultimate carrying capacity of the beam due to the weakening mentioned above are small and the ductility is greatly increased. Tests of 4-storey walls interconnected by coupling beams in three different constructions (monolithic beams, beams with a through-slit and new-type beams) indicated that shear walls with the new coupling beams possess the best aseismic behaviours under cyclic loading. The proposed new coupling beam has been used in a high-rise building.     

Keratin 17 gene expression during the murine hair cycle

Treatment of rats with phenytoin (DPH), an anti-epileptic drug, results in lower tissue thyroid hormone (TH) levels and interferes with the metabolic pathway of TH. To test the hypothesis that DPH affects the enterohepatic cycle of TH and, thus, the kinetics of TH turnover, we performed a kinetic experiment (three-compartment analysis) and a steady-state, double-isotope equilibrium experiment in rats treated for 3 weeks with DPH (50 mg/kg body weight per day) and in untreated controls. This included measurements of TH and TH metabolite levels, as well as the activities of enzymes involved in the TH metabolic pathway. DPH treatment resulted in a decrease in the production of thyroxine (T4) (by 25%) and tri-iodothyronine (T3) (by 37%), a decrease in the T3 concentration in all three pools, and a redistribution of T4 from the fast to the slow pool. The amount of T4 increased in intestinal contents and feces by 66% and 71% respectively. Expressed as a fraction of daily TH disposal, fecal loss of T4 was enhanced from 10 to 23% and that of T3 from 16 to 21%. An increase in T4 and T3 UDP-glucuronyltransferase activities was observed, suggesting that the increased fecal loss of T4 and T3 is secondary to an increased biliary output of their glucuronides. The reduced secretion of TH and increased fecal clearance during DPH treatment can lead in the long run to depletion of TH stores.     

Development of temperature compensated high elongation resistance strain gauges for use up to 250°C

The paper describes the development and evaluation of temperature compensated high elongation resistance strain gauges for use from room temperature to 250°C. These gauges could be temperature-compensated on steels with coefficient of thermal expansion α = 11 ppm/°C. Thermal output within 250°C was about 1 μm/m/°C and maximum standard deviation of 5 gauges was 34 μm/m. Strain limit was > 4% at room temperature and at 250°C. Gauge factors of different strain ranges at R.T. and at 250°C are tabulated. Some applications are stated.     

Experimental Study on Energy Consumption of Combined Conventional and Dehumidification Drying

Conventional drying, dehumidification drying, and combined conventional-dehumidification drying of wood were experimentally studied in this article. The results showed that the energy consumption in the dehumidification drying is the least but its drying time is the longest. The energy consumption in the combined drying is more than that in the dehumidification drying but less than that in the conventional drying, and the drying time is half of that in the dehumidification drying. The advantages of the combined conventional and dehumidification drying are discussed from the experiments results.     

Recrystallisation of amorphous natural brannerite through annealing: The effect of radiation damage on the chemical durability of brannerite

An amorphous natural brannerite sample was chosen to study the annealing of the radiation damage through thermal recrystallisation, and subsequently to evaluate the effect of radiation damage on its aqueous durability. Microstructural characterisation of the natural brannerite revealed minor alteration along the rim of the crystal and within cracks. The formation of UO₂ particles and soluble Pb–Ca-rich aluminosilicate glass is responsible for the higher U and Pb releases from the recrystallised brannerite. In general, natural brannerite has been shown to be resistant to dissolution over geological time, therefore minor brannerite inclusions in ceramic formulations for immobilisation of actinide-rich radioactive wastes should not have a detrimental effect on the long-term chemical durability of the wasteforms.     

Effect of Post Annealing on the Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of NdFeB/α-Fe/NdFeB Thin Films

A series of nanocomposite thin films, composed of Nd2Fe14B and α-Fe, has been prepared by DC-magnetron sputtering combined ion beam sputtering onto Si (100) substrates. The effects of post annealing on the microstructure and magnetic properties of [NdFeB/α-Fe/NdFeB]-type thin films have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) study showed that annealing of the films for 30min at temperatures 550,600,650,700℃ resulted in the appearance of diffraction peaks, characteristic for Nd2Fe14B tetragonal structure, α-Fe and Nd2O3 phases. The investigation using the Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) with a maximum applied field of 2 T indicated that with the increase of the annealing temperature, the magnetic properties of the multilayer films were improved and reached peak value at 650℃ (Hci=41.72kA·m-1, Mr/Ms=0.4, (BH)max=30.35kJ·m-3), after which the magnetic properties were decreased greatly. Along with the increase of the thickness of α-Fe layer from Tα-Fe16nm, the coercivity Hci, saturation magnetization Ms, and remanence ratio Mr/Ms all declined. As the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) indicated, after being annealed at 650℃ for 30min, the sample was showed fine surface morphology with grain size 60nm≤dα-Fe≤80nm and 100nm≤dNdFeB≤150nm.     

Boundary Constrained Swept Surfaces for Modelling and Animation

Due to their simplicity and intuitiveness, swept surfaces are widely used in many surface modelling applications. In this paper, we present a versatile swept surface technique called the boundary constrained swept surfaces. The most distinct feature is its ability to satisfy boundary constraints, including the shape and tangent conditions at the boundaries of a swept surface. This permits significantly varying surfaces to be both modelled and smoothly assembled, leading to the construction of complex objects. The representation, similar to an ordinary swept surface, is analytical in nature and thus it is light in storage cost and numerically very stable to compute. We also introduce a number of useful shape manipulation tools, such as sculpting forces, to deform a surface both locally and globally. In addition to being a complementary method to the mainstream surface modelling and deformation techniques, we have found it very effective in automatically rebuilding existing complex models. Model reconstruction is arguably one of the most laborious and expensive tasks in modelling complex animated characters. We demonstrate how our technique can be used to automate this process.