The prospects for using the genetically engineered surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) expressed by recombinant poxvirus strains as the basis for vaccines against hepatitis B

The use of a recombinant poxvirus (RPV) strain, expressing HBsAg in the process of reproduction in different bioreactor systems under stationary and bioreactor conditions of cultivation, made it possible to obtain highly purified HBsAg. The identity and purity of HBsAg was confirmed by the analysis of its amino acid composition, SDS electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, electron microscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography. Good prospects of the use of RPV-expressed gene engineering HBsAg as the basis vaccines against hepatitis B was demonstrated in 10 experimental batches of vaccine. All batches of the preparation had pronounced immunogenicity and were safe and nontoxic in animal experiments. The ID50 of experimental batches did not exceed 211 ng/ml, which, according to the data of comparative experiments, was lower than, or equal to, corresponding values of analogous foreign commercial preparations, based on plasma or yeast HBsAg.     

金刚石薄膜中晶粒尺寸的研究

扫描电子显微研究表明，化学汽相沉积的金刚石薄膜中晶粒大小比较均匀。但随着沉积时间和薄膜厚度的增加，晶粒逐渐变大，且每一层内，存在少量的大金刚石颗粒，讨论了晶粒尺寸变化和大晶粒形成的原因和机制。     

Apoptosis in the failing human heart

BACKGROUND: Loss of myocytes is an important mechanism in the development of cardiac failure of either ischemic or nonischemic origin. However, whether programmed cell death (apoptosis) is implicated in the terminal stages of heart failure is not known. We therefore studied the magnitude of myocyte apoptosis in patients with intractable congestive heart failure. METHODS: Myocardial samples were obtained from the hearts of 36 patients who underwent cardiac transplantation and from the hearts of 3 patients who died soon after myocardial infarction. Samples from 11 normal hearts were used as controls. Apoptosis was evaluated histochemically, biochemically, and by a combination of histochemical analysis and confocal microscopy. The expression of two proto-oncogenes that influence apoptosis, BCL2 and BAX, was also determined. RESULTS: Heart failure was characterized morphologically by a 232-fold increase in myocyte apoptosis and biochemically by DNA laddering (an indicator of apoptosis). The histochemical demonstration of DNA-strand breaks in myocyte nuclei was coupled with the documentation of chromatin condensation and fragmentation by confocal microscopy. All these findings reflect apoptosis of myocytes. The percentage of myocytes labeled with BCL2 (which protects cells against apoptosis) was 1.8 times as high in the hearts of patients with cardiac failure as in the normal hearts, whereas labeling with BAX (which promotes apoptosis) remained constant. The near doubling of the expression of BCL2 in the cardiac tissue of patients with heart failure was confirmed by Western blotting. CONCLUSIONS: Programmed death of myocytes occurs in the decompensated human heart in spite of the enhanced expression of BCL2; this phenomenon may contribute to the progression of cardiac dysfunction.     

管外上升R－113流体的沸腾换热试验

详细介绍了Ｒ－１１３流体管外上升流动的沸腾换热试验，包括试验台架、流量计和温度测量的修正，以及试验数据。拟合的换热关系式为ｑ＝５２８（Ｔｗ─Ｔｓ）１．３３。     

A protective role for testosterone in adjuvant-induced arthritis

We have investigated the role of the gonadal steroids testosterone (T) and progesterone in modulating: (1) the onset and severity of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA), (2) the response of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and (3) the levels of plasma prolactin and anterior pituitary prolactin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in the rat. Male rats were castrated (CSX) and received either no T, low T or high T delivered using silastic implants. In a second study experimental groups comprised CSX/AA, CSX/AA + progesterone or CSX/AA + progesterone + T. The time of onset was sooner and the severity of AA was greater in CSX rats. Inflammation was prevented by T replacement. Endogenous plasma T levels were decreased in AA rats. In control animals with AA there was an increase in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA in the anterior pituitary and of plasma corticosterone, and a decrease in corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA. These changes in the HPA axis of AA and CSX/AA rats were reversed by T replacement. These data suggest that T has an important protective effect on the progress and severity of AA. This was reflected by a reversal of the neuroendocrine changes of the HPA axis. Progesterone treatment alone had no effect on the severity of the disease. Prolactin mRNA in the anterior pituitary was decreased in the CSX and in the CSX/AA group but was not altered by AA. Plasma prolactin was raised in AA but T replacement did not reduce these elevated levels despite the absence of disease. Thus, prolactin provides a poor indicator of inflammation, suggesting that it may not be a potent pro-inflammatory compound in AA.     

Deletions in one domain of the Friend virus-encoded membrane glycoprotein overcome host range restrictions for erythroleukemia

Although the Friend virus-encoded membrane glycoprotein (gp55) activates erythropoietin receptors (EpoR) to cause erythroblastosis only in certain inbred strains of mice but not in other species, mutant viruses can overcome aspects of mouse resistance. Thus, mice homozygous for the resistance allele of the Fv-2 gene are unaffected by gp55 but are susceptible to mutant glycoproteins that have partial deletions in their ecotropic domains. These and other results have suggested that proteins coded for by polymorphic Fv-2 alleles might directly or indirectly interact with EpoR and that changes in gp55 can overcome this defense. A new viral mutant with an exceptionally large deletion in its ecotropic domain is now also shown to overcome Fv-2rr resistance. In all cases, the glycoproteins that activate EpoR are processed to cell surfaces as disulfide-bonded dimers. To initiate analysis of nonmurine resistances, we expressed human EpoR and mouse EpoR in the interleukin 3-dependent mouse cell line BaF3 and compared the abilities of Friend virus-encoded glycoproteins to convert these cells to growth factor independence. Human EpoR was activated in these cells by erythropoietin but was resistant to gp55. However, human EpoR was efficiently activated in these cells by the same viral mutants that overcome Fv-2rr resistance in mice. By construction and analysis of human-mouse EpoR chimeras, we obtained evidence that the cytosolic domain of human EpoR contributes to its resistance to gp55 and that this resistance is mediated by accessory cellular factors. Aspects of host resistance in both murine and nonmurine species are targeted specifically against the ecotropic domain of gp55.     

Multilevel barrel shifter for CORDIC design

The coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) algorithm is used in numerous special purpose systems for real-time signal processing applications. It uses barrel shifters to complete shift operations. However, the barrel shifter occupies most of the area of the CORDIC chip. A new structure of multilevel barrel shifters is presented. With this structure the shifter size is reduced by 68%. The novel structure can also slightly reduce the latency time of shift operations     

ATM交换结构的成组输入排队模型

本文提出一种新的ATM交换排队结构——成组输入排队结构(GIQ),其基本思想是将输入端分组,同一组的输入端共享排队缓存。GIQ不仅能提高缓存的利用率和系统的吞吐率(达到96.2％),而且还能大大改善交换结构的抗突发能力。采用计算机仿真模拟的方法,分析了GIQ在均匀连续业务流和突发业务流下的性能,并与其它输入排队结构的性能进行了比较。     

Ligands with affinity to specific sequences of DNA base pairs. X. Synthesis and binding of netropsin analogs, containing a chelating copper ion peptide, with DNA

An analogue of netropsin has been synthesized consisting of two N-propylpyrrolcarboxamide units linked covalently to a copper-chelating tripeptide Gly-Gly-L-His by means of two and three glycine residues. Binding to DNA and synthetic polynucleotides of netropsin analogue containing three glycine residues between Gly-Gly-L-His tripeptide and the N-end of netropsin analogue (His-Nt) has been studied. It is shown that this netropsin analogue chelates a copper ion with 1:1 stoichiometry, similar to a free Gly-Gly-L-His peptide. It is found that this netropsin analogue occupies 3 to 4 base pairs upon binding to poly(dA).poly(dT) and poly[d(AT)].poly[d(AT)] polymers, irrespective of whether it binds in Cu(2+)-ligated or unligated forms. Binding constants and binding site sizes have been calculated for netropsin analogue complexes with DNA, poly(dA).poly(dT) and poly[d(AT)].poly[d(AT)] polymers at the [Cu2+]/[His-Nt] ratio equal to 0 and 1.0. In the three-component system including His-Nt and Cu(2+)-His-Nt, cooperative effects are recognized which can be explained by heterodimer generation on interaction of His-Nt and Cu(2+)-His-Nt at adjacent binding sites.     

Simple approximations of the DC flux influence on the core losspower electronic ferrites and their use in design of magnetic components

The effect of DC flux on the core loss is examined for the practical range of power and frequency. Relevant core loss equations are derived and applied to an optimization algorithm to determine the minimum core loss at a given ratio of s (DC flux density to AC peak flux density). It has been found that the curves of hysteresis loss density versus the ratio of s exhibit a peak at a critical ratio. Below or above this critical ratio, the loss density decreases drastically. On the other hand, the curves of eddy-current loss density versus the ratio of s exhibits a minimum point at a critical ratio. Below or above this critical ratio, the loss density increases gradually