Crystal structure of GCN4-pIQI, a trimeric coiled coil with buried polar residues

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early and accurate diagnosis of brain edema in stroke patients is essential for the selection of appropriate treatment. We examined the correlations between the changes in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), regional water content, and tissue ultrastructure during early focal cerebral ischemia. METHODS: The left middle cerebral arteries of cats were occluded with an intramagnet occlusion/recirculation device. T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and perfusion imaging were performed repeatedly during the initial 3 hours after occlusion. The ADCs obtained from ADC maps were compared with the corresponding tissue water content values determined by gravimetry and electron microscopic water localization. RESULTS: ADC reduction was detected in areas of low perfusion 15 minutes after occlusion and thereafter. The water content increase correlated linearly with the ADC decreases in both the gray and white matter. However, both the water content corresponding to an ADC value and the rate of ADC change of the gray and white matter differed significantly (P<.05) as follows: y = -10105x + 8533 (r=.86) and y = -6174x + 4611 (r=.67), respectively, where x is the water content (grams water per gram tissue) and y is the ADC (x 10(-6) mm2/s). Hydropic astrocytic swelling was seen in both structures, and in the white matter, oligodendroglial and myelinated axonal swelling and periaxonal space enlargement were observed. CONCLUSIONS: When early ischemic edema in experimental focal cerebral ischemia is evaluated with ADC mapping, the different slopes and intercepts of the water content and ADC correlation lines for the gray and white matter, which probably reflect different ultrastructural localization of water, should be taken into account.     

Low-temperature specific heat of YBa2Cu3O7, YBa2Cu3O6, Y2BaCuO5, YBa3Cu2O7, BaCuO2, and CuO

We have measured the low-temperature specific heat (1.3T20 K) and the dc magnetic susceptibility (100T250 K) of eight samples of the high-T _c superconductor Y _x Ba_3–x Cu₃O_7– (x=0.9, 1.0, 1.1) and of two samples of nonsuperconducting YBa₂Cu₃O₆₊. We have also performed specific heat measurements on the possible impurity phases: YBa₃Cu₂O₇, Y₂BaCuO₅, CuO, and BaCuO_2+x . The superconducting samples all have a nonzero, sample-dependent linear term * and an upturn inC/T at very low temperature. We show that this anomalous behavior is at least partly due to the presence of a small amount (1%) of BaCuO_2+x impurity phase in the measured samples. This is evidenced by the correlation between * and the Curie component of the susceptibility, which is proportional to the amount of paramagnetic impurities.     

Strukturaufklärung cyclischer Fettsäuremethylester V: Massenspektrometrie isomerer Phenylundecansäure-methylester

Elucidation of Structure of the Methyl Esters of Cyclic Fatty Acids V: Mass-Spectrometry of Isomeric Methyl Esters of Phenyl Undecanoic Acid Isomeric phenyl undecanoic acids obtained by the Friedel-Crafts reaction of benzene with 10-undecenoic acid were investigated as methyl esters using capillary gas-chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The isomers could be identified as methyl esters of (5-), 6-, 7-, 8-, 9- and 10 phenyl undecanoic acids. The fragmentation due to electron bombardment is discussed.     

On the interrelation of rubber elastic stress-strain curves under different types of strain

With specially shaped samples it is possible to study the stress-strain relation σ(γ) in simple shear up to large shear deformation γ. Measurements of σ(γ) on synthetic polyisoprene, IR 305, differently crosslinked with dicumylperoxide, are reported and compared with those for uniaxial extension on the same materials. Using the simple deformation geometry including shearbands proposed in the meander model (1), both stress-strain relations can be converted into each other. These results favor the applied superstructural model and moreover show that the deformation behavior of rubbers is governed by one material law, σ(γ).     

Integration of refractive micro-optical elements with differential-pair optical-thyristor arrays

We demonstrate a refractive micr-optical system by using ion-exchange microlenses and microprisms, which are combined to generate a superposition of two shifted images. The microlenses, fabricated with field-assisted Ag-Na exchange, achieve diffraction-limited imaging with a single-lens system and with a double-lens system for a field of 800 μm × 800 μm. Furthermore, we demonstrate cascading of two separate differential-pair optical-thyristor arrays by transcribing the information of a source array onto a second destination array.     

The cheating and intention of a partner as determinants of evaluative decisions among juvenile offenders

A 17 year-old male, who was mentally and bodily retarded from the age of 7 years. At the age of 16 years, several neurological signs appeared. Pathologically, there was widespread myelin loss and tissue sponginess in the white matter of the cerebrum and cerebellum, bilaterally and symmetrically. A great many Alzheimer type II glia and Opalski glia were widely distributed in the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia. Despite severe destruction of the white matter, mesenchymal and gliofibre proliferation were not noticed. In the liver, Laennec's cirrhosis and a great many copper granules in the cytoplasm of the parenchymal cells were identified. From the above mentioned findings the present case, being a new type, could be called "Demyelinating type of Wilson's disease".     

Effects of Combining Biofactors on Bioenergetic Parameters,Aβ Levels and Survival in Alzheimer Model Organisms

Increased amyloid beta (Aβ) levels and mitochondrial dysfunction (MD) in the human brain characterize Alzheimer disease (AD). Folic acid, magnesium and vitamin B6 are essential micro-nutrients that may provide neuroprotection. Bioenergetic parameters and amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing products were investigated in vitro in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y-APP695 cells, expressing neuronal APP, and in vivo, in the invertebrate Caenorhabditis elegans (CL2006 & GMC101) expressing muscular APP. Model organisms were incubated with either folic acid and magnesium-orotate (ID63) or folic acid, magnesium-orotate and vitamin B6 (ID64) in different concentrations. ID63 and ID64 reduced Aβ, soluble alpha APP (sAPPα), and lactate levels in SH-SY5Y-APP695 cells. The latter might be explained by enhanced expression of lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA). Micronutrient combinations had no effects on mitochondrial parameters in SH-SY5Y-APP695 cells. ID64 showed a significant life-prolonging effect in C. elegans CL2006. Incubation of GMC101 with ID63 significantly lowered Aβ aggregation. Both combinations significantly reduced paralysis and thus improved the phenotype in GMC101. Thus, the combinations of the tested biofactors are effective in pre-clinical models of AD by interfering with Aβ related pathways and glycolysis.     

Quasilinearized Regression

Estimation in nonlinear regression usually requires a considerable amount of computational work. If it is possible to linearize the original formulas, the linear regression is sometimes applied to transformed linear relations. The method of quasilinearized regression (first order approximation of nonlinear regression), comparable to linear regression, with respect to computational effort, is described in this paper. This method gives substantially better results than linear regression of linearized formula.     

Energy storage and control optimization for an electric vehicle

Two big issues involving electric vehicles are energy supply and power management control. To deal with the energy supply problem, this paper proposes the application of a hybrid energy source system, composed of battery pack and ultracapacitor bank. The power management control between the energy supplies was defined by a fuzzy logic with inference rules optimized through genetic algorithm. The genetic algorithm optimizes lower and upper limits of membership functions aiming to reduce the hybrid energy source system total mass while maximizing the electric vehicle drive range and performance. Through the Pareto frontier, we found the best trade‐off solution.