Biliary obstruction due to duodenojejunal intussusception in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

We reported an operative case of bilateral coronary artery fistulae to pulmonary artery associated with a giant saccular aneurysm, the largest of which measured 30 x 30 mm. The patient was a 75 year old female who had anginal pain due to coronary steal phenomenon. A continuous murmur was detected. After establishing total cardiopulmonary bypass, two distal orifices of the fistula connected to the main pulmonary artery were closed with 5-0 polypropylene plegeted sutures. Aneurysmorrhaphy was then performed for giant saccular aneurysm. Postoperative course was uneventful.     

Determination of the liquidus lines and isotherms of the Hg-Zn-Te system by a modified direct observation method

The modified direct observation method is employed for the determination of the liquidus lines in the (Hg_{1_x}Zn_x)_{1_y}Te_y, ternary system. The liquidus temperatures of the ternary samples of various compositions withx from 0.05 to 0.30 andy from 0.5 to 0.9 are measured. The temperature-composition phase diagrams and some liquidus isotherms are established for this system.     

Chemical Interactions in Diboride-Reinforced Oxide-Matrix Composites

Thermochemical analyses of interfacial reactions in titanium, zirconium, and hafnium diboride reinforced oxidematrix composites have been carried out to evaluate the chemical compatibility. The chemical reactivity of these diborides with oxygen and the high volatility of B₂O₃( l ) at reduced oxygen pressures are concerns during processing and operating conditions. The thermochemical stability and the vaporization behavior of B₂O₃( l ) are discussed in terms of partial pressures of dominant gaseous species of the boron-oxygen system at 1700 and 2300 K. The TiB₂/ZrO₂ and TiB₂/HfO₂ systems are thermodynamically stable in a limited oxygen pressure range. The TiB₂/Al₂O₃ system is stable, but the reactions in this system may apparently be accompanied by formation of gaseous products (B₂O₃, AlO, Al₂O, and lower boron oxides) in the presence of elemental oxygen. These thermochemical considerations are very useful in evaluating the effectiveness of oxides as diffusion barrier coatings on diboride reinforcements.     

Bulk growth of Hg0.8Cd0.2Te single crystals by a combined CVT-seeding technique

The growth of high quality Hg_0.8Cd_0.2Te bulk single crystals by CVT, combined with an in-situ seeding technique, is reported here for the first time. For this purpose, a temperature difference of 590° → 540° C with a gradient of 40°-50° C/cm at the solid-vapor interface, and about 0.1 atm of HgI₂ as a transport agent, were employed. The bulk crystals have the expected stoichiometry and compositional homogeneity. Etch pit densities of 10⁴-10⁵ cm⁻² on the (111) face and hitherto unreported etch pits on the (100) face were observed in this work. Possible origins of the sub-grain structure are discussed.     

Linking the proteins--elucidation of proteome-scale networks using mass spectrometry

Proteomes are intricate. Typically, thousands of proteins interact through physical association and post-translational modifications (PTMs) to give rise to the emergent functions of cells. Understanding these functions requires one to study proteomes as "systems" rather than collections of individual protein molecules. The abstraction of the interacting proteome to "protein networks" has recently gained much attention, as networks are effective representations, that lose specific molecular details, but provide the ability to see the proteome as a whole. Mostly two aspects of the proteome have been represented by network models: proteome-wide physical protein-protein-binding interactions organized into Protein Interaction Networks (PINs), and proteome-wide PTM relations organized into Protein Signaling Networks (PSNs). Mass spectrometry (MS) techniques have been shown to be essential to reveal both of these aspects on a proteome-wide scale. Techniques such as affinity purification followed by MS have been used to elucidate protein-protein interactions, and MS-based quantitative phosphoproteomics is critical to understand the structure and dynamics of signaling through the proteome. We here review the current state-of-the-art MS-based analytical pipelines for the purpose to characterize proteome-scale networks.     

Expanding the Diversity of Plant Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloids Employing Human Cytochrome P450 3A4

Human drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) have enormous substrate promiscuity; this makes them promising tools for the expansion of natural product diversity. Here, we used CYP3A4 for the targeted diversification of a plant biosynthetic route leading to monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. In silico, in vitro and in planta studies proved that CYP3A4 was able to convert the indole alkaloid vinorine into vomilenine, the former being one of the central intermediates in the ajmaline pathway in the medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz. However, to a much larger extent, the investigated conversion yielded vinorine (19R,20R)-epoxide, a new metabolite with an epoxide functional group that is rare for indole alkaloids. The described work represents a successful example of combinatorial biosynthesis towards an increase in biodiversity of natural metabolites. Moreover, characterisation of the products of the in vitro and in planta transformation of potential pharmaceuticals with human CYPs might be indicative of the route of their conversion in the human organism.     

Influence of chemical composition on high temperature tensile properties of carbon steels

High temperature tensile test results of speciments from continuously cast steel slabs are investigated during cooling from 1250°C. Experiments in the temperature range from 1025°C down to room temperature are presented for nine heats of steels with carbon contents varying between 0.038 and 0.96 mass%. The influence of secondary precipitates on strength, strain hardening and reduction of area at fracture are discussed in relation to a temperature normalized by A_r3. The embrittlement of the hypereutectic steel by tertiary carbides indicates severe crack sensitivity below A. The minimum toughness just above A_r3 is attributed to increased N and Nb content.     

Plastification Behaviour of Different Native Starches

Based on physical and thermal conservation laws a quantitative variable is introduced, which allows evaluation of the thermomechanical starch plastification much more independent of the transformation procedure. By that method, a comparison of plastification behaviour during extrusion of native potato, maize and wheat starch without any additives is realized for the first time. The complete energetical balance of the extrusion process supplemented by microscopical investigations leads to an essential better understanding of thermomechanical proceedings during extrusion of starch or compounding of other polymers. After optimization of extruder and screw configuration the resulting data for the energy needed for the plastification of starch, i.e. for the transformation of native starch granules into a thermoplastic melt by extrusion, have been measured under constant conditions. On these adequat extrusion conditions the native, laminated starch granules of all three used starches have been destroyed completely during its plastification by extrusion. The specific energy input needed for the plastification of potato starch was about 650 kJ/kg, for maize 380 and for wheat starch 435 kJ/kg. In comparison of these results the energy input for melting of polyethylene high density was about 585 kJ/kg under same conditions.     

On the temperature and voltage dependence of short-term negative bias temperature stress

Initial NBTI degradation is often explained by elastic hole trapping which also considerably distorts long-term measurements. In order to clarify this issue, short-term NBT stress measurements are performed using different temperatures, stress voltages, and oxide thicknesses. The data shows a clear temperature activation and a super-linear voltage dependence, thereby effectively ruling out elastic hole tunneling. Rather, our data supports an explanation based on a thermally activated hole capture mechanism.