The isolation of sucrose from tung kernels

Summary A non-reducing disaccharide has been isolated from the kernels of tung (Aleurites fordi Hemsl.) and identified as sucrose.     

A conservation principle and its effect on the formulation of Na-Ca exchanger current in cardiac cells

In the rat the exact role of vagal fibers and the interaction between the extrinsic and intrinsic neural system in distention-induced gastrin release are still a matter of debate. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to examine the contribution of afferent and efferent vagal fibers as well as intrinsic neurons on gastrin response to gastric distention. In anesthetized rats graded gastric distention by 5, 10 and 15 ml saline for 20 min caused a significant volume-dependent increase of plasma gastrin levels by 12+/-6 pg/ml (5 ml saline, n = 8, P =0.05), 26+/-7 pg/ml (10 ml saline, n = 10, P < 0.05) and 37+/-7 pg/ml (15 ml saline, n = 8, P < 0.01 ), respectively. To examine the role of the extrinsic vagal innervation, gastrin response to distention was studied in anesthetized rats after bilateral truncal vagotomy (n = 9) or selective afferent vagotomy following pretreatment with capsaicin (n = 6). Stimulation of gastrin release by 10 ml distention in sham-operated control rats was reversed to an inhibition after truncal vagotomy (26+/-7 vs. -11+/-4 pg/ml; P<0.05) and capsaicin-treatment (37+/-18 vs. -34+/-11 pg/ml; P<0.05). A contribution of cholinergic mechanisms to this vagovagal-mediated stimulation of distention-induced gastrin release was excluded, since atropine (100 microg/kg/h; n = 8) further augmented distention-stimulated gastrin release. Since bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)-neurons contribute to vagally stimulated gastrin secretion, we have examined gastrin response to distention in the presence of the specific bombesin-receptor antagonist D-Phe6-BN(6-13)OMe (400 microg/kg/h: n = 10). This bombesin-antagonist completely reduced distention-stimulated gastrin release in vivo. In contrast, distention of the isolated, extrinsically denervated stomach significantly decreased gastrin release by 13+/-5 pg/min (5 ml saline, n = 8, P < 0.05), 28+/-8 pg/min (10 ml saline, n = 11, P < 0.05) and 35+/-10 pg/min (15 ml saline, n = 8, P < 0.01), respectively, without changing the activity of bombesin/GRP-neurons. Distention-induced decrease of gastrin release was attenuated to 50 percent by atropine (10(-7) M: n = 10) or tetrodotoxin (TTX) (10(-6) M; n = 10), respectively. These data demonstrate, that in anesthetized rats distention-stimulated gastrin secretion depends on the activation of a vagovagal reflex and intrinsic bombesin/GRP-neurons. In contrast distention of the isolated rat stomach inhibits gastrin release in part via intrinsic cholinergic pathways and other as yet unknown mechanisms.     

Charge-based capacitance measurements (CBCM) on MOS devices

A new simple method of measuring capacitance-voltage characteristics of MOS devices is presented. Proceeding from the charge-based capacitance measurement technique suggested recently, a compact test structure with high resolution has been developed, which only requires measurement of do quantities. The method was tested on a 0.6-μm CMOS process with small and large area capacitors and compared to well-known high-frequency capacitance-voltage results. Beside using a reference structure, a second means of extracting parasitic effects is demonstrated for small structures. The test structure allows measurements in a wide frequency range with high accuracy and low noise contribution at small capacitance levels     

Melt filtration of recycled PVC

The separation of PVC from contaminants is one of the most important steps in recycling PVC. Earlier works have shown that one can separate PVC from other polymers by using the X-ray fluorescence technique. However, in many cases, even after careful separation, there is a remaining impurity level of about 0.1% due to the limitations of the separation processes. In many applications, impurities, particularly nonmeltables, cause defects in the PVC matrix and must be removed for best performance and appearance. Melt filtration appears to be the best technique to remove the nonmeltable impurities.     

Über den Einfluß der Grenzflächenspannung auf die Haftfestigkeit

The values of adhesion between four diffrent adhesive,and (i) steel substrates whose surface energy had been altered by adsorption, and (ii) several polymer having different surface energies, had been measured. The results show that the adhesion has a maximum value when the surface energy of the hardened adhesive is equals to that of the substrate, i.e. when the interfacial energy adhesive/substrate is a minimum. The adhesion of the adhesives to the polymer was much smaller than to the steel sprcimens and the dependence of the adhesion onm the interfacial energy was sharper in the case of the polymers. The decrease of the adhesion with increasing interfacial energy was fiund to be greater if the liquid adhesive wets the substrate badly than the steel speciman.     

A White Plaque,Associated with Genomic Deletion,Derived from M13KE-Based Peptide Library Is Enriched in a Target-Unrelated Manner during Phage Display Biopanning Due to Propagation Advantage

The nonspecific enrichment of target-unrelated peptides during biopanning remains a major drawback for phage display technology. The commercial Ph.D.^TM-7 phage display library is used extensively for peptide discovery. This library is based on the M13KE vector, which carries the lacZα sequence, leading to the formation of blue plaques on IPTG-X-gal agar plates. In the current study, we report the isolation of a fast-propagating white clone (displaying WSLGYTG peptide) identified through screening against a recombinant protein. Sanger sequencing demonstrated that white plaques are not contamination from environmental M13-like phages, but derive from the library itself. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the white color of the plaques results from a large 827-nucleotide genomic deletion. The phenotypic characterization of propagation capacity through plaque count- and NGS-based competitive propagation assay supported the higher propagation rate of Ph-WSLGYTG clone compared with the library. According to our data, white plaques are likely to arise endogenously in Ph.D. libraries due to mutations in the M13KE genome and should not always be viewed as exogenous contamination. Our findings also led to the conclusion that the deletion observed here might be an ancestral mutation already present in the naïve library, which causes target-unrelated nonspecific enrichment of white clone during biopanning due to propagation advantage.     

A syndrome of molybdenosis, copper deficiency, and type 2 diabetes in the moose population of south-west Sweden

Since the mid-1980s, a 'mysterious' disease has been afflicting the moose (Alces alces L.) population of south-western Sweden. Molybdenosis combined with secondary copper deficiency syndrome has been suggested as the cause of the clinical signs and of necropsy findings, supported by trace element analysis. Copper deficiency has long been associated with disturbed carbohydrate metabolism and also with oxidative stress. When testing the oxidative stress hypothesis, we found increased concentrations of the glycoxidation products pentosidine and carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), both in plasma proteins and in renal tissue, when compared with control values. The concentration of glycated lysine (furosine), a marker of hyperglycaemia, was also increased. These data, together with elevated insulin levels in affected moose, strongly suggest that they are suffering from an environmentally-induced, non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.