A non-specific lipid transfer protein from Arabidopsis is a cell wall protein

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), mediate the transfer of phospholipids between membranes in vitro. However, the in vivo function of LTPs is not known. To determine the precise location of a non-specific LTP from Arabidopsis, a cDNA clone was used to produce an Arabidopsis LTP:protein A fusion. Antibodies raised against the fusion were used to localize the Arabidopsis LTP by immunoelectron microscopy. LTP was found to be located in the cell wall, mainly in epidermal cells. This location appears to be inconsistent with the proposed role of the protein in intracellular lipid transfer.     

Magnetic resonance imaging study on the results of surgery for cervical compression myelopathy

The morphologic changes and signal intensity of the spinal cord on preoperative magnetic resonance images were correlated with postoperative outcomes in 74 patients undergoing decompressive cervical surgery for compressive myelopathy. The transverse area of the spinal cord on T1-weighted images at the level of maximum compression was closely correlated with the severity of myelopathy, duration of disease, and recovery rate as determined by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score. In patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament or cervical spondylotic myelopathy, the increased intramedullary T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging signal at the site of maximal cord compression and duration of disease significantly influenced the rate of recovery. A multiple regression equation was then developed with these three variables to predict surgical outcomes.     

Epidemiology of hepatitis C and G in sporadic and familial porphyria cutanea tarda

From 1995 to 1997, we prospectively evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in 124 patients with porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) from Northern France (83 sporadic and 41 familial PCT). Serum samples were analyzed for ferritin, transaminases, HCV antibodies, and HCV RNA. In addition, genotyping of HCV and searches for HCV infection risk factors (blood transfusion, iv drug abuse, and surgical intervention) were performed. Twenty-six of 124 patients (21%; 95% CI: 13.9-28) were positive for serum HCV antibodies. All of them were also positive for HCV RNA. The prevalence of HCV infection was higher in the sporadic PCT group (26.5%, 22 out of 83) than in the familial PCT group (9.7%, 4 out of 41). Risk factors for hepatitis C infection were found to be significantly increased in the HCV-positive group when compared with the HCV-negative PCT group. In all HCV-positive patients with a risk factor, the suspected date of exposure to the virus always preceded the clinical onset of PCT. The HCV genotype pattern in PCT patients was similar to that observed in nonporphyric HCV patients in western European countries. Serum ferritin level was increased in both HCV-positive and HCV-negative porphyric patients. Transaminase levels were significantly higher in HCV-infected PCT patients. Sixty-seven out of 124 patients were retrospectively studied for hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection. Six of these 67 patients (8.9%; 95% CI: 2.1-15.8) were positive for HGV RNA. None of the six HGV-infected patients were positive for HCV RNA. The HGV-infected patients did not differ statistically from those without HGV infection with regard to age, ferritin, transaminase levels, and PCT treatment. These results support the view that sporadic cases of HGV infection may occur frequently. This study of a large cohort of HCV and PCT patients further documents an increasing gradient in HCV prevalence from northern to southern Europe, and shows that HCV infection acts as a triggering factor of PCT. Finally, the HGV prevalence found in the PCT patients was comparable with that found in French blood donors, suggesting that HGV is not a PCT triggering factor.     

Multiterminal light-emitting logic device electricallyreprogrammable between OR and NAND functions

A monolithic multiterminal logic device that functions both optically and electrically as an ORNAND gate, is demonstrated for the first time. The device, based on the real-space transfer of hot electrons into a complementary collector layer, has been implemented in an InGaAs/InAlAs/InGaAs heterostructure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Excellent performance is obtained at room temperature. The collector current and the optical output power both exhibit the OR and the NAND functions of any two of the three input terminals, these functions being interchangeable by the voltage on the third terminal     

Singular value decomposition-based MA order determination ofnon-Gaussian ARMA models

Singular-value-decomposition (SVD)-based moving-average (MA) order determination of non-Gaussian processes using higher-order statistics is addressed. It is shown that the MA order determination of autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) models is equivalent to the rank determination of a certain error matrix, and a SVD approach is proposed. Its simplified form is applied to pure MA models. To improve the robustness of the order selection, a combination of the SVD and the product of diagonal entries (PODE) test is proposed. Some interesting applications of the two SVD approaches are presented, and simulations verify their performance     

WKB近似下的Fourier衍射成象方法

对于介质目标微波衍射成象，本文引入了ＷＫＢ近似来模拟目标内部总场。基于这种近似，我们导出了Ｆｏｕｒｉｅｒ衍射公式，并采用了广义滤波逆传播方法由目标空间谱实现目标特性的重建。计算机模拟结果表明采用ＷＫＢ近似重建目标特性较Ｂｏｒｎ近似有明显改善。     

Efficient third-harmonic generation of a picosecond laser pulsewith time delay

A new configuration based on the polarization-mismatching scheme with time delay for efficient frequency tripling conversion is proposed in this paper. The calculated results showed that the requirement for the efficient frequency tripling conversion of a 1-ps laser pulse is not only the optimization of peak intensity of the second-harmonic pulse, but also the optimization of the pulse duration ratio and temporal difference between the o-polarization second-harmonic pulse and the e-polarization first-harmonic pulse due to group-velocity mismatch among the interacting pulses. With the proposed scheme the group velocity mismatch can be compensated. Overall energy conversion efficiency increases from 55% to 75% under the optimized conditions at the intensity of 6 GW/cm². The temporal shape of the third-harmonic pulse with 1 ps pulse duration has no subpulses. The optimization of the efficient frequency tripling conversion for intensities of over 75 GW/cm² is also described. The results showed that the maximum tripling energy conversion efficiency is close to 80% with the optimized doubler and tripler     

Properties of cast austenitic materials for light water reactors

Primary piping elbows of ligh water reactors are made of cast austeno-ferritic materials (grade CF8 or CF8M) which are susceptible to embrittlement by thermal ageing in service. Ageing kinetics depends on chromium content and on the temperature. The effect of ageing on mechanical properties is determined by the decreasing of Charpy-U energy. It is shown that the rupture of such aged material comes from a combination of cleavage of the ferrite and shearing or ductile tearing of austenite ligaments. The fracture toughness is determined by J-R curves, which exhibit a large scatter related to the solidification macrostructure of the steel. It is shown that J-R curves are independent of the geometry of the specimens.     

Geochemical characteristics of the Yufuin outflow plume, Beppu hydrothermal system, Japan

Thermal water at Yufuin (Kyushu Island, Japan) is tapped through about 820 shallow wells and used mainly for hot-spring bathing purposes. Chemical and isotopic data for fluids from wells and fumaroles in Yufuin and Beppu indicate that the thermal activity at Yufuin represents a dilute, westward-flowing hydrothermal outflow plume from the Beppu hydrothermal system. Two other (eastward-flowing) outflow plumes have long been recognized at Beppu, but the Yufuin outflow plume is first recognized here. The Yufuin outflow plume is apparently a mixture of two end-member fluids: (1) deep high-temperature (250–300°C) fluid from the Beppu system having high chloride concentration (1400–1600 mg/L) and a δ¹⁸O value near −6.0%, and (2) meteoric water having low chloride concentration (≤7 mg/L) and a δ¹⁸O value near −9.2%.A permeable conduit for the vertical and lateral transport of deep fluid from the Beppu system is provided by the Yufuin Fault zone, which extends westward from the southern flank of Mt. Tsurumi volcano to the town of Yufuin. Stable isotope ratios and chloride concentrations for shallow groundwaters near the eastern end of the fault, at an elevation near 700 m, are consistent with those required for the low-chloride meteoric end-member of the Yufuin thermal waters. Recharge of this meteoric water, as well as mixing with the Beppu deep fluid, may occur along the Yufuin Fault. Enthalpy-chloride relations indicate additional conductive heating of the Yufuin waters, in the amount of 350–500 kJ/kg beyond that which can be accounted for by mixing between Beppu deep fluid and meteoric water. This could be a result of conductive heating with convection to a depth of 1–2 km. Estimates of the magnitude of the heat source for the Beppu hydrothermal system should take into account the heat being discharged at Yufuin.