The complex pathology of trinucleotide repeats

The expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences has now been shown to be the underlying cause of at least ten human disorders. Unifying features among these diseases include the unstable behavior of the triplet repeat during germline transmission when the length of the repeat exceeds a critical value. However, the trinucleotide repeat disorders can be divided into two distinct groups. Type I disorders involve the expansion of CAG repeats, which encode an expanded polyglutamine, inserted into the open-reading frame of a gene that is usually quite broadly expressed. Recently, mouse models for type I disorders have been developed and the basis of pathology is under study, both in these models and through biochemical and cell biological approaches. The type II disorders involve repeat expansions in noncoding regions of genes. The mechanisms by which these repeat expansions lead to pathology may be quite diverse.     

PROTEIN-PHYTATE INTERACTIONS IN SOYBEANS. II. MECHANISM OF PROTEIN-PHYTATE BINDING AS AFFECTED BY CALCIUM

Phytate and bovine serum albumin were used in a model system to investigate the mechanism of their binding. Ultrafiltration studies using response surface design showed the association of protein and phytic acid to be highly pH dependent. Under acid conditions, the protein formed an insoluble complex with phytic acid. At pH 3.0, a binding constant of 2.3 times 10⁵ was obtained and it was calculated that there are 78 binding sites of the total 93 basic amino acid residues potentially available. This low pH complex was not disrupted at high temperatures but the presence of calcium ions caused dissolution of the precipitate. Calcium produced different effects at higher pH (> 6). Soluble protein-calcium-phytic acid complexes were formed which were less stable to heat and dissociated above pH 10 at high ionic strength. Since this interaction occurred only in the presence of calcium, a salt linkage is implicated in which divalent cations simultaneously bind to the protein and phytic acid in the form of a soluble complex. It is proposed that either the addition of divalent cations at low pH or sequestering agents at high pH would best effect the removal of phytate from soy products by ultrafiltration.     

Electrochemical and ellipsometric study of the oxide films formed on copper in borax solution: Part I: Effect of oxygen

The formation and reduction of passive layers on copper in weakly alkaline solutions saturated with N2 and O2 were studied. Voltammetric and ellipsometric techniques were employed to examine the structural characteristics of the layers formed in the –0.32 to 0.75 V vs RHE potential region. Optical measurements at open circuit potentials (Eoc) were also made to simulate operational conditions. The passive layer consists of a duplex structure: an outer hydrated copper oxide film and an inner dehydrated film. This inner layer is composed of Cu2O with a surface excess of Cu(ii) ions. The growth rate of the oxide layers at controlled potentials is higher in O2 saturated solution. The corrosion resistance of copper depends on the presence of O2 in the electrolyte, on the stirring rate and on the Eoc value.     

Influence of extrinsic and intrinsic parameters onto the formation of surface relief gratings in polar azo molecular glasses

Polar azo derivatives exhibiting stable glass-forming properties displayed efficient migration properties as thin films when subjected to interferential illumination, and formed time-stable and rewritable surface relief gratings as high as the initial film thickness. Intrinsic (film thickness, structure bulkiness) as well as extrinsic (laser fluence and polarization) parameters dramatically influenced the rate of the relief growth as well as the maximum relief amplitude. The superimposition of +45°/−45°-polarized beams unexpectedly conducted to a diffraction efficiency ten times as high as the combination of two p/p (parallel to the incident plane) polarized beams. The introduction of bulky anthryl Diels-Alder substituents showed net increase in the modulation amplitude due to the creation of large free volume around each azo unit, facilitating the azo migration within the less densely packed material.     

Micro-Analysis of ＂Sulfate Salt Weathering Distress on Concrete＂：Ⅱ.Concrete

运用环境扫描电镜、能谱仪和X射线衍射等微观分析手段研究了稳定环境中,半浸泡混凝土试件在硫酸钠和硫酸镁溶液中的劣化破坏特征,以及混凝土碳化对＂混凝土硫酸盐结晶破坏＂的影响。结果表明：粗骨料界面过渡区生成的大量钙矾石和石膏等晶体是引起混凝土试件劣化的原因;在碳化混凝土内发现了硫酸钠结晶破坏现象。     

氨合成塔选型

介绍了在合成氨改扩建工程中，选择氨合成塔时应着重考虑的工艺参数和结构设计，并在实际工作中得到验证。     

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) and Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA) Workshop 2016: Scientific Opportunities and Logistics for Cancer Clinical Trial Incorporation

Despite the identification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as potential blood-based biomarkers capable of providing prognostic and predictive information in cancer, they have not been incorporated into routine clinical practice. This resistance is due in part to technological limitations hampering CTC and cfDNA analysis, as well as a limited understanding of precisely how to interpret emergent biomarkers across various disease stages and tumor types. In recognition of these challenges, a group of researchers and clinicians focused on blood-based biomarker development met at the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) Spring Meeting in Toronto, Canada on 29 April 2016 for a workshop discussing novel CTC/cfDNA technologies, interpretation of data obtained from CTCs versus cfDNA, challenges regarding disease evolution and heterogeneity, and logistical considerations for incorporation of CTCs/cfDNA into clinical trials, and ultimately into routine clinical use. The objectives of this workshop included discussion of the current barriers to clinical implementation and recent progress made in the field, as well as fueling meaningful collaborations and partnerships between researchers and clinicians. We anticipate that the considerations highlighted at this workshop will lead to advances in both basic and translational research and will ultimately impact patient management strategies and patient outcomes.     

Behavior of Paramagnetic Iron during the Thermal Transformations of Kaolinite

Kaolinites with various degrees of structural order and iron content were heated and subsequently analyzed via electron paramagnetic resonance. Iron was present in two different states in the heated materials, either as dilute structural Fe³⁺ ions or in concentrated Fe³⁺ phases. During metakaolinization, the environment of dilute Fe³⁺ ions changed, following modifications of the Al³⁺ coordination, and the Fe³⁺ concentration increased. With the breakdown of metakaolinite, the diffusion of Fe³⁺ ions induced their exsolution in superparamagnetic iron-rich domains (Fe³⁺ clusters in γ-Al₂O₃ and/or Fe³⁺ oxide nanophases), which produced a decrease in the dilute Fe³⁺ concentration. The subsequent breakdown of γ-Al₂O₃ and the formation of mullite made the dilute Fe³⁺ concentration increase again, because of the incorporation of Fe³⁺ ions in the mullite structure.     

THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFUSION PROCESS INSIDE PROLATE SPHEROIDAL SOLIDS

ABSTRACT

A numerical solution of the diffusion equation to describe solute transport inside ellipsoids, assuming a constant difiusion coefficient and a corrective boundary condition, is presented. The difiusion equation in a prolate spheroidal coordinate system was used for a hidimensional case. The finite volume method was employed to discretize the basic equation, utilizing a uniform grid size. The equation was solved irteratively using the Gauss-Seidel method. The effect of Biot number and the aspect ratio of the body on diffusion rate and concentration during the process is presented. Plots are presented for Biot numbers from 0.05 to infinity and aspect ratios of 1.1, 2.0 and 5.0. To investigate the effect of the aspect ratio, different results changing the aspect ratio for Bi= 1.0 are shown. The results show that the model is consistent and it may be used to solve other cases such as those that include cylinder and sphere geometry, and/ or those with variable diffusion coefficients with small modifications.