Diminished class II-associated Ii peptide binding to the juvenile dermatomyositis HLA-DQ alpha 1*0501/DQ beta 1*0301 molecule

HLA class II molecules bind and present peptide Ags to T cells, binding specific sets of peptides due to polymorphism in the peptide binding groove. Class II proteins associate with the invariant chain (Ii chain) and its derived class II-associated Ii peptide (CLIP). Ii chain association is important for normal trafficking of class II proteins to the peptide loading vesicles and for blocking premature access of peptides to HLA class II molecules during maturation. We have previously shown that juvenile dermatomyositis is associated with the HLA-DQA1*0501 allele. There is limited information available about the interaction of any DQ molecule with the Ii chain and little information about binding of individual peptides to HLA-DQalpha1*0501/DQbeta1*0301. We sequenced peptides eluted from the juvenile dermatomyositis-associated class II allele HLA-DQalpha1*0501/DQbeta1*0301. Surprisingly, we found no Ii chain or CLIP. Further examination of peptide binding to the HLA-DQalpha1*0501/DQbeta1*0301 molecule demonstrated poor CLIP binding. However, newly synthesized HLA-DQalpha1*0501/DQbeta1*0301 molecules do associate with intact Ii chain. Molecular modeling suggests that CLIP binds differently to HLA-DQalpha1*0501/DQbeta1*0301 than to DR molecules. The lack of CLIP association suggests that HLA-DQalpha1*0501/DQbeta1*0301 has access to peptides earlier in the processing pathway and so might encounter novel peptides that induce autoimmunity.     

Organic acids in hydrothermal solutions: standard molal thermodynamic properties of carboxylic acids and estimates of dissociation constants at high temperatures and pressures

Experimental standard partial molal volumes, heat capacities, and entropies as well as apparent standard partial molal enthalpies and Gibbs free energies of mono- and dicarboxylic acids and their anions at low temperatures and pressures are used to generate correlations for predicting the same properties at high temperatures and pressures for 59 carboxylic and 18 hydroxyacid species with the revised Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers (HKF) equation of state. Predicted equilibrium dissociation constants are compared with experimental values from the literature and tabulated as functions of pressure and temperature for 25 carboxylic acids and nine hydroxyacids. Close agreement between independent predictions and experimental data supports the generality of the computational techniques and the accuracy of predicted data. These results allow incorporation of a wide variety of organic acids into quantitative interpretations of geochemical processes.     

Optimizing TiO2-based phosphopeptide enrichment for automated multidimensional liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

An automated online multidimensional liquid chromatography system coupled to ESI-based tandem mass spectrometry was used to assess the effectiveness of TiO2 in the enrichment of phosphopeptides from tryptic digests of protein mixtures. By monitoring the enrichment of phosphopeptides, an optimized set of loading, wash, and elution conditions were realized for TiO2. A comparison of TiO2 with other resins used for phosphopeptide enrichment, Fe(III)-IMAC and ZrO2, was also carried out using tryptic digests of both simple and moderately complex protein mixtures; where TiO2 was shown to be superior in performance.     

高温、高应变率下Ti6321合金的力学行为及本构模型

为了研究Ti6321合金在高温、高应变率下的力学行为,采用分离式霍普金森压杆装置对Ti6321合金进行室温(25℃)和高温(200、400、600℃)动态压缩试验,对其在高温和高应变率下的力学性能、应变率敏感性和温度敏感性进行了研究。采用聚类全局优化算法构建了双态组织Ti6321合金在103s-1下的Johnson-Cook本构模型。结果表明,双态组织Ti6321合金在室温和高温下均存在应变率硬化效应,但试验温度对流变应力的影响比应变率的影响更大。随着压缩试验温度升高,流变应力显著降低,温度敏感因子升高。Johnson-Cook模型拟合的曲线与实验曲线吻合良好,可以用于Ti6321合金高应变率下的力学仿真计算。     

一种有限元模型坐标动力缩聚技术

本文从修改后的系统特征方程出发,导出了反映系统主、副自由度上变形关系的动力缩聚矩阵的控制方程,并给出了求解该方程的迭代解法。与已有的动力缩聚迭代法相比,该方法的收敛速度最高。本文还提出了一种迭代收敛准则,该准则可大大减少计算效率很低的Rayleigh-Ritz操作的使用,从而使得该方法的迭代效率较高。     

Increased dynamic stiffness of trabeculae carneae from senescent rats

Dynamic stiffness was measured in both adult and senescent Wistar rats using sinusoidal length perturbations from 17 to 40 Hz, superimposed on isometric contractions at low and below Lmax. The slope of the stiffness-tension relationship was found to be increased in senescent muscles of both sexes and at two different temperatures. The age dependence of the slope was independent of resting muscle length. The slope also exhibited frequency dependence and hysteresis that indicates the presence of viscoelasticity during activation. No age dependence was seen in peak active tension, peak dT/dt, or resting stiffness. The findings of this study, taken together with other studies that have shown a decreased shortening ability in the senescent muscle, explain in part the maintenance of active tension development in the face of decreased shortening ability associated with the senescent muscle.