Insight into the chemical reaction of CH2OH with NO: Formation of N-hydroxy formamide as an isocyanic acid precursor

This study has explored the potential energy surface on the chemical reaction of CH₂OH with NO by using ab initio calculation. We have found the new reaction pathway producing N-hydroxy formamide, which can further decompose to generate isocyanic acid as a reducing agent of hydrocarbons selective catalytic reduction.     

Envelope glycoprotein gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 alters ion transport in astrocytes: implications for AIDS dementia complex

Infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is often complicated by a variety of neurological abnormalities. The most common clinical syndrome, termed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia complex, presents as a subcortical dementia with cognitive, motor, and behavioral disturbances and is unique to HIV-1 infection. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is poorly understood but is believed to involve interactions among virally infected macrophages/microglia, astrocytes, and neurons. In this study, we show that exposure of primary rat and human astrocytes to heat-activated HIV-1 virions, or to eukaryotically expressed HIV-1 and HIV-2 envelope glycoproteins (gp120) stimulates amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ antiport, potassium conductance, and glutamate efflux. These effects are blocked specifically by amiloride, an inhibitor of Na+/H+ antiport and by the selective removal of gp120 with immobilized monoclonal antibody. As a result of modulation of astrocytic function by gp120, the ensuing neuronal depolarization and glutamate exposure could activate both voltage-gated and N-methyl-D-aspartate-regulated Ca2+ channels, leading to increases in intraneuronal Ca2+ and neuronal death. These findings implicate the astrocyte directly in the pathogenesis of AIDS dementia complex.     

Effective dielectric constant of a medium with spherical inclusions

The Maxwell-Garnett theory is frequently used to predict the effective, or the average, dielectric constant of a mixture composed of spherical inclusions embedded in a host medium. This effective medium theory assumes that the volume fraction occupied by the spherical inclusions is small and that the size of the inclusions is small compared to the wavelength. Experiments using controlled samples have shown that the Maxwell-Garnett theory is applicable up to an inclusion volume fracton of 0.2. At higher volume fractions, the effective dielectric constant appears to be dependent on the inclusion sizes