Differential expression of mammalian TRP homologues across tissues and cell lines

Mammalian homologues of the Drosophila trp gene have been invoked as the structural basis for the currents associated with capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE) in many cell types. Trp homologues are members of a large protein family that may associate as channel subunits providing an explanation for the functional diversity of store-operated channels observed in these cells. However, there is little information as to which of these genes are co-expressed at the cellular level. We have examined the tissue specific expression of five mammalian trp genes and determined which are co-expressed in five different cell lines. The results show tissue- and cell-specific co-expression of multiple trp forms. This implies that the subunit composition of a particular CCE channel may vary depending on the cell type.     

Reply to comments on “Error rate performance of theprojection code”

The authors reply to the comments by Koppelaar and Tolhuizen (see ibid. vol.46, no.9, p.573, 1998). They state that the optimum choice of the slopes used to perform the encoding process in a projection code always results in maximizing the minimum Hamming distance so that d=2 ^r     

Recent advances in raisingT c and establishing the gap-symmetry of high-T c cuprate superconductors

The most recent attempts in raising T_c of cuprate superconductors were successful by synthesizing new Hg-based cuprate materials. We discuss some properties of materials from this series with varying numbers of Cu-O planes per unit cell, including the considerable rise of the critical temperature under the influence of external pressure.In the second part of this contribution, various attempts to directly determine the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter of high-T_c cuprates are mentioned and set into perspective. The experimental approaches are all based on probing the phase of the order parameter in suitably connected closed superconducting loops. The evidence for unconventional order-parameter symmetry in these materials is growing.     

Broadband CDMA for personal communications systems

Multipath propagation in a broadband CDMA environment is described. A propagation model for broadband spread-spectrum signals is presented. Experimental results relating to the sharing of the band by fixed service microwave users and mobile personal communications network (PCN) users are discussed. Field tests indicate that PCN systems can provide high-quality communications when sharing the spectrum with fixed-service microwave systems in suburban and urban areas     

Preparation of Silicon Carbide/Aluminum Nitride Ceramics Using Organometallic Precursors

Solid solutions of 2H -SiC/AlN can be prepared at temperatures less than 1600°C by rapid pyrolysis ("hot drop") of mixtures of [(Me₃Si)_0.80((CH₂=CH)MeSi)_1.0(MeHSi)_0.35] _n (VPS) or [MeHSiCH₂] _n (MPCS) with [R₂AlNH₂]₃, where R=Et, i -Bu or simply by slow pyrolysis of the precursor mixture in the case of [Et₂AlNH₂]₃. In contrast, slow pyrolysis of mixtures of VPS or MPCS with [ i -Bu₂AlNH₂]₃ yields a composite of 2 H -AlN and 3 C -SiC at 1600°C, which transforms into a single 2 H -SiC/AlN solid solution on heating to 2000°C. The influences of the nature of the precursor and processing conditions on the structure, composition, and purity of the SiC/AlN materials are discussed.     

Impacts of new technologies on media usage and social behaviour in domestic environments

Technological infrastructure at home is changing continuously and is becoming increasingly interconnected. Media devices, including the TV set, provide access to the Internet and offer manifold opportunities to consume media on demand. Additionally, personal devices, such as smartphones, also enable flexible consumption and sharing of media. Questions about how these technologies change the user's media usage and how these changes affect the social structure of a household, however, remain largely unanswered. In order to gain insight into the adoption of new technologies into daily routines, we explored these changes in respect of people's media usage in a qualitative long-term Living Lab study. We will present findings regarding personal routines, flexible integration of new devices into existing practices, influences on households as social systems and related issues in device access and collective use. We will highlight potentials and conflicts regarding device shifts and roles; restrictions in device access; social influences in the living room; and individual changes in media consumption.     

Consolidation Behavior of Flocculated Alumina Suspensions

The consolidation behavior of flocculated alumina suspensions has been analyzed as a function of the interparticle energy. Consolidation was performed by a centrifugal force field or by gravity, and both the time-dependent and equilibrium density profiles were measured by a gamma-ray absorption technique. The interparicle energy at contact was controlled by adsorbing fatty acids of varying molecular weight at the alumina/decalin interface. We found that strongly attractive interactions result in a particle network which resists consolidation and shows compressible behavior over a large stress range. The most weakly flocculated suspension showed an essentially incompressible, homogeneous density profile after consolidation at different centrifugal speeds. We also found a significant variation in the maximum volume fraction, φ_m, obtained, with φ_m∼ 0.54 for the most strongly flocculated suspension to φ_m∼ 0.63 for the most weakly flocculated suspension. The compresive yield stresses show a behavior which can be fitted to a modified power law. In this paper, we discuss possible correlations between the fitting parameters and physical properties of the flocculated suspensions.