Hydrogen/deuterium exchange kinetics of cytochrome C: An electrospray ionization fast flow experiment

New experiments are described in which the gas phase hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange kinetics is studied for multiply-protonated cytochrome c ions with +10 to +17 charges. The experimental technique involves electrospray ionization (ESI) combined with a fast-flow method. Experimental results are presented including (1) average rate constants for H/D exchange, (2) overall decay kinetics of the reactant ion, and (3) sets of profiles for consecutive deuterium exchanges as a function of the flow rate of ND₃ as the deuterating agent. The maximum number of exchanged hydrogen atoms and the exchange rate are observed to increase with increasing charge. The +13 state demonstrates special reactivity with a reactant ion decay constant of 2.5 × 10⁻⁹ cc/molecule's. Further insight into the H/D exchange mechanism is anticipated upon analysis of the data with a newly developed algorithm for extracting site-specific rate constants from profiles for H/D exchange in gas phase protonated amino acids, their clusters, and peptides. The algorithm minimizes the mutual entropy or the Kullback-Leibler information divergence between the observed concentrations and a chosen model.     

Status and prospects for development of polyester fibre and yarn production technology

Current production schemes for polyester fibres and textile and industrial yarn and the prospects for development of their production technology are examined. Changing to economical direct melt spinning processes and to use highly efficient units for separate and combined spinning-drawing of fibres and yarn spun from melt and granulate, increasing textile fibre spinning and texturing speeds, and introducing continuous process and product quality control systems are the main trends in the evolution of modern plants. Most of the attention is being focused on creating flexible process lines that make it possible to raise the quality, rapidly change the assortment, and manufacture products that satisfy market requirements. __________ Translated from Khimicheskie Volokna, No. 4, pp. 28–39, July–August, 2006.     

Early neuroradiologic evidence of degeneration in Menkes'' disease

In 1955, the area infested by Aedes aegypti in Argentina was estimated as 1,500,000 km2; and in 1963, the species was considered to be eradicated from Argentina. In 1995, the Argentine Ministry of Health reported reinfestation by Ae. aegypti. During 1994-95, the Ministry of Health of Córdoba Province, Zoonosis Department, established a surveillance system for Ae. aegypti in Córdoba Province, Argentina. This report is a summary of results obtained thus far. In total, 74 localities in Córdoba Province were sampled during August 1994-April 1996, resulting in 5 positives (6.7%): Villa María city, Villa Nueva, and Córdoba city in 1995, and Juarez Celman and Jesús María in 1996. In Villa María and Villa Nueva, Ae. aegypti was present until June 1995 (autumn) and reappeared in December 1995. In Córdoba city, Ae. aegypti was eliminated from the only positive house in May 1995, but it reappeared in March 1996. Reappearance of Ae. aegypti in this temperate area in early summer may have been due to the survival of individuals during winter and not to reintroduction during summertime. The last previous active surveillance for Ae. aegypti in Córdoba Province was carried out more than 30 years ago.