Single file ion diffusion and the Schmoluchowski equation

The Schmoluchowski equation is introduced into the problem of single file ion diffusion in a channel. The ions mutually interact due to coulomb repulsion and are also subject to a single ion potential due to the channel. The positions of the ions are represented by a continuous co-ordinate. The problem is reduced to the solution of a pair of transfer integral equations. The resistivity of finite and infinite channels is calculated for various dielectric constants and mean ionic separations. The ionic density for finite channels is also calculated. The results clearly demonstrate that strong coulomb interaction leads to a co-operative motion of the ions across channels.     

Fine structure of the spermatozoa of Chiton marginatus (mollusca: Amphineura), with special reference to nucleus maturation

The spermatozoon of Chiton marginatus is a long uniflagellate cell displaying structural features of “modified sperm.” The nucleus presents a conical shape with a long apical cylindrical extension. The chromatin is homogeneously dense. Scattered inside the condensed nucleus, a few nuclear lacunae are visible. The acrosomal complex is lacking. Some mitochondria are located in a laterofrontal structure side by side with the nucleus. The typical midpiece is absent. The cytoplasm forms a thin layer around the nucleus and the mitochondria. The proximal centriole is in a basal nuclear indent. The distal centriole serves to form the axoneme tail with the usual microtubular pattern. During nuclear maturation, the early spermatid nucleus is spherical and contains fine granular chromatin patches. The nuclear envelope shows a deposit of dense material at the base of the nucleus, forming a semicircular invagination occupied by a flocculent mass. In middle spermatid stage, the chromatin gets organized in filaments, coiled as a hank, attached over the inner surface of the basal thickening of the nuclear envelope. The nucleus starts to elongate anteroposteriorly. At the pointed apical portion of the spermatid, a group of microtubules is observed seeming to impose external pressure to the nucleus giving rise to the long apical nuclear point. The mitochondria have a basal position. Late spermatids have an elongated conical nucleus. The chromatin filaments are further condensed, and lacunae appear inside the nucleus. Some mitochondria migrate to a lateral position.     

Numerical-experimental method for the validation of a controlled stiffness femoral prosthesis

The aim of this paper is to describe a new numerical-experimental method to determine the stiffness of a conceptual proximal femoral prototype. The methodology consists of the comparison of the numerical and experimental displacement distributions of the prosthesis loaded as a cantilever beam to validate a design concept: controlled stiffness prosthesis. The manufactured prototype used to test the applicability of the numerical-experimental procedure integrates a stiff metal core bonded to a composite material made of an epoxy resin reinforced with carbon-glass braided pre-forms. The prosthesis with an embedded controlled stiffness concept was obtained by varying the geometry of the core with the composite layer thickness.     

Enzymes of the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae evidenced by starch gel electrophoresis

Synopsis The coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, is often referred to as a living relic. The opportunity to examine its biochemical molecular structure was sought in an effort to define the degree of its genetic variability. The coelacanth is thought to live only in a small area around the Comoro Islands in the Western Indian Ocean. The scenario presented suggests that the coelacanth may have lost genetic variability as a result of genetic drift within a small population. The narrow geographic range of the coelacanth suggests adjustment to a relatively limited environment. The loss of specific alleles through genetic drift can reduce the ability of a fish population to adapt to changes in environmental conditions. The coelacanth needs strong conservation measures to be taken to curtail the capture of specimens and for the protection of its limited natural habitat.     

Ultrastructure of apyrene and eupyrene spermatozoa from the seminal vesicle of Euptoieta hegesia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

The ultrastructure of the seminal vesicle's spermatozoa of the butterfly Euptoieta hegesia was analyzed. The apyrene spermatozoa measure about 300 microm in length and swim freely in a secretion. The anterior end consists in a cap with a cylindrical extension and a globular structure. The flagellum has a 9+9+2 axoneme, two mitochondrial derivatives with paracrystalline matrices and an external coat formed by concentric layers. The eupyrene spermatozoa measure about 550 microm in length and are grouped into bundles. The anterior end consists in an amorphous globule. Posterior to this globule, a coat with a dense material covers the spermatozoon where an acrosome and a nucleus appear. The flagellum has a 9+9+2 axoneme and two mitochondrial derivatives. External to the coat and attached to the dense material, there is a reticular appendage, which has a paracrystalline core and extends to the distal tip of the spermatozoon.     

Symmetric building blocks and combinatorial functional group transformation as versatile strategies in combinatorial chemistry

A combination of symmetric building blocks and combinatorial functional group transformation for synthesis of pyrimidines was investigated. The purpose of the study was to maximize the return on invested synthetic efforts of reaction development for libraries. A representative set of symmetric diacids was coupled onto deprotected TentaGel Rink Amide resin. The amino function served as a model of a chemical process providing a functional group for additional synthetic steps, while the symmetric building blocks served as a model to connect synthesis protocols and to switch to a different synthesis paradigm consecutively. The reaction sequence was continued in a noncombinatorial step by coupling a bifunctional reagent (3-aminoacetophenone) to the remaining carboxy function of the symmetric diacid. The ketone served as a model of a reagent prepared for combinatorial functional group transformation. The arylmethylketone was reacted with a set of aryl- and heteroarylaldehydes to give alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones. Subsequently, guanidine, alkyl-, and arylcarboxamidines were introduced in combinatorial synthesis of substituted pyrimidines by reaction with the alpha, beta-unsaturated ketone functionality. The combination of symmetric building blocks and combinatorial functional group transformation created a versatile reaction sequence ideally suited for production of libraries from libraries with added diversity.     

Constraints for joint angle control of the human arm

The targeting movements of a human arm were examined when restricted to a horizontal plane. The three joints at shoulder, elbow, and wrist are allowed to move. Thus, the system is redundant and needs constraints. A model calculation using a simple form of constraint is found to describe the experimental results: a cost function is applied to each joint. The constraint consists in minimizing the sum of the costs of all three joints. The cost functions might be interpreted as to describing the energy cost necessary to move the joint and/or represent a mechanism which avoids singularities.     

Fine structure of spermatozoa in the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758) (Perciformes, Sparidae)

Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the fine structure of the sperm of the sparid fish Sparus aurata L. The mature spermatozoon of gilthead sea bream belongs, like that of the other sparid fish, to a "type I" as defined by Mattei (1970). It has a spherical head which lacks an acrosome, a short, irregularly-shaped midpiece and a long cylindrical tail. The nucleus reveals a deep invagination (nuclear fossa) in which the centriolar complex is located. The two centrioles are approximately perpendicular to each other and show a conventional "9+0" pattern. The proximal centriole is associated with a cross-striated cylindrical body lying inside a peculiar satellite nuclear notch which appears as a narrow invagination of the nuclear fossa. The distal centriole is attached to the nuclear envelope by means of a lateral plate and radial fibres made of an electron-dense material. The short midpiece houses one mitochondrion. The flagellum is inserted perpendicularly into the base of the nucleus and contains the conventional 9+2 axoneme.     

An autonomous fueled machine that replicates catalytic nucleic acid templates for the amplified optical analysis of DNA

Here we describe a protocol for the amplified detection of a target DNA using a DNA/FokI-based replicating cutting machine. The protocol is based on the design of a sensing hairpin oligonucleotide that is opened upon hybridization with the analyte DNA. The endonuclease FokI binds to the double-stranded complex and cleaves it to a "cutter" unit. The "cutter" unit reacts with a fuel oligonucleotide to generate and amplify the signal. The fuel molecule is an oligonucleotide in a hairpin configuration with a fluorophore/quencher pair attached to the 5' and 3' ends. Formation of the duplex between the cutter and the fuel leads to the scission of the duplex by FokI, leading to a second, replicated "cutter", a fluorescent waste product, and to the regeneration of the original "cutter" unit. The autonomous replication of the "cutter" unit, as a result of the primary recognition of the analyte DNA, leads to the amplified fluorescent detection of the analyte DNA with a sensitivity limit of 1 x 10(-14) M. The operation of the machine and the sensing process are monitored by the fluorescence generated by the waste product. Here we apply the protocol, which takes about 2 h to complete, to analyze a Tay-Sachs genetic disorder mutant DNA.     

Tryptophan pyrrolase in haem regulation. The mechanism of the opposite effects of tryptophan on rat liver 5-aminolaevulinate synthase activity and the haem saturation of tryptophan pyrrolase.

The self-assembly of myosin monomer into thick filament occurs via a two-step mechanism. At first a pair of myosin monomers reacts to form a parallel dimer; the dimer in turn adds to the filament ends at a rate that is independent of filament length. The rate of the dissociation reaction on the other hand is length-dependent. The 'off' rate constant has been shown to increase exponentially by a factor of 500 as the filament grows from the bare-zone out to its full length. The length of the filament is thus kinetically controlled; myosin is added to the filament at a fixed rate, whereas the dissociation rate increases to a point where equilibrium is established and the filament ceases to grow. The structural implications implicit in the mechanism are discussed.     

Computational simulation of internal bone remodelling around dental implants: a sensitivity analysis

This study aimed to predict the distribution of bone trabeculae, as a density change per unit time, around a dental implant based on applying a selected mathematical remodelling model. The apparent bone density change as a function of the mechanical stimulus was the base of the applied remodelling model that describes disuse and overload bone resorption. The simulation was tested in a finite element model of a screw-shaped dental implant in an idealised bone segment. The sensitivity of the simulation to different mechanical parameters was investigated; these included element edge length, boundary conditions, as well as direction and magnitude of the implant loads. The alteration in the mechanical parameters had a significant influence on density distribution and model stability, in particular at the cortical bone region. The remodelling model could succeed to achieve trabeculae-like structure around osseointegrated dental implants. The validation of this model to a real clinical case is required.     

Crystal structure of glucoamylase from Aspergillus awamori var. X100 to 2.2-A resolution.

The crystal structure of a catalytically active fragment of glucoamylase-I from Aspergillus awamori var. X100 has been determined to a resolution of 2.2 A. Twelve of its 13 alpha-helices are arranged into an "alpha/alpha-barrel." An inner core of six mutually parallel alpha-helices are connected to each other through a peripheral set of six alpha-helices. The peripheral helices are parallel to each other, but approximately antiparallel to the inner core of alpha-helices. The putative active site lies in the packing void of the inner set of helices. The last 30 residues of the enzyme comprise a separate domain containing 10 sites of O-glycosylation. Each instance of O-glycosylation involves a serine or threonine side chain linked to the alpha-anomer of a single mannosyl residue. The O-glycosylated domain is in an extended conformation, wrapping around the "waist" of the alpha/alpha-barrel. Two additional sites of N-glycosylation contribute well ordered glycosyl chains that lie in proximity to the belt of O-glycosylation. The model developed for glucoamylase is a rare and valuable structural example of a glycoprotein and an exo-acting amylolytic enzyme.     

Integrating neuromorphic action-oriented perceptual inputs to generate a navigation behaviour for a robot

We use neural networks with pointer map architectures to provide simple attentional processing in a robotic task. A pointer map comprises a map of neurons that encode a stimulus. Besides global feedback inhibition, the map receives feedback excitation via a small group of pointer neurons that encode the location of a salient stimulus on the map as a vectorial representation. The pointer neurons are able to apply selective processing to a particular region of the network. The robot uses these properties to manoeuver in relation to an attended object. We implemented a controller composed of two pointer maps, and a motor map. The first pointer map reports the direction of a salient obstacle in a one-dimensional map of distance derived from infrared sensors. The second pointer map reports the direction to potential obstacles in a two-dimensional edge-enhanced image derived from a forward looking CCD-camera. These outputs are applied to a motor map, where they bias the motor control signals issued to the robots wheels, according to navigational intentions.     

Determination of the three-dimensional structure of iberiotoxin in solution by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The solution structure of chemically synthesized iberiotoxin, a scorpion toxin that blocks Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels, has been determined using 2D 1H NMR spectroscopy. Analysis of the NOEs, coupling constants, and HN-DN exchange rates indicates the structure consists of an antiparallel beta-sheet from residues 25 to 36, with a type 1 turn at residues 30-31, and a helix from residues 13 to 21. The carboxyl-terminal residues form a short, and distorted, third strand of the sheet. The NMR data are consistent with disulfide bonds from residues 7 to 28, 13 to 33, and 17 to 35. The disulfide bridging presents the same profile as in other scorpion toxins, where a Cys-X-Cys sequence in a strand of sheet forms two disulfide bonds to a Cys-X-X-X-Cys sequence in a helix. Three-dimensional structures were generated using the torsion angle space program PEGASUS. The best ten structures had an average rmsd over all pairwise comparisons of 1.49 A. The average rmsd to a calculated average structure is 1.0 A. The resulting structures appear very similar to those of charybdotoxin, a related scorpion toxin.     

Nucleotide sequences of the sfuA, sfuB, and sfuC genes of Serratia marcescens suggest a periplasmic-binding-protein-dependent iron transport mechanism.

The cloned sfu region of the Serratia marcescens chromosome confers the ability to grow on iron-limited media to an Escherichia coli K-12 strain that is unable to synthesize a siderophore. This DNA fragment was sequenced and found to contain three genes termed sfuA, sfuB, and sfuC, arranged and transcribed in that order. The sfuA gene encoded a periplasmic polypeptide with calculated molecular weights of 36,154 for the precursor and 33,490 for the mature protein. The sfuB gene product was a very hydrophobic protein with a molecular weight of 56,589. The sfuC gene was found to encode a rather polar but membrane-bound protein with a molecular weight of 36,671 which exhibited strong homology to consensus sequences of nucleotide-binding proteins. The number, structural characteristics, and locations of the SfuABC proteins were typical of a periplasmic-binding-protein-dependent transport mechanism. How Fe3+ is solubilized and taken up across the outer membrane remains an enigma.     

瑞典隆德理工学院校园公园

隆德理工学院（Lund Institute of Technology,LTH）拥有一个朝向东侧的巨大缓坡绿地景观。该学校的建筑师是兰卡斯特·安塞姆（Klas Anselm）。他在这块坡地上设计了十几座简单的红砖建筑,如今它们各自孤立地散布在斜坡上。该学校的建筑师是兰卡斯特·安塞姆（Klas Anselm）。他在这块坡地上设计了十几座简单的红砖建筑,如今它们各自孤立地散布在斜坡上。校方曾坚信学校会迅速发展,预计这些单一的建筑将会扩张生长,并在彼此之间建立比原来更密切的联系。事实上,学校确实在不断发展壮大,但没有达到建筑个体之间进行有意义的交流的程度。发展后的结果是一个空有其表但又异常贫瘠、缺乏生气的校园。可提供丰富社交生活的建筑密度的缺乏显而易见。该项目旨在寻找针对这些不足的补救途径。     

A model for the dynamics of human weight cycling

The resolution to lose weight by cognitive restraint of nutritional intake often leads to repeated bouts of weight loss and regain, a phenomenon known as weight cycling or “yo-yo dieting”. A simple mathematical model for weight cycling is presented. The model is based on a feedback of psychological nature by which a subject decides to reduce dietary intake once a threshold weight is exceeded. The analysis of the model indicates that sustained oscillations in body weight occur in a parameter range bounded by critical values. Only outside this range can body weight reach a stable steady state. The model provides a theoretical framework that captures key facets of weight cycling and suggests ways to control the phenomenon. The view that weight cycling represents self-sustained oscillations has indeed specific implications. In dynamical terms, to bring weight cycling to an end, parameter values should change in such a way as to induce the transition of body weight from sustained oscillations around an unstable steady state to a stable steady state. Maintaining weight under a critical value should prevent weight cycling and allow body weight to stabilize below the oscillatory range.     

Purification and properties of an endo-1,4-beta-glucanase translated from a Clostridium josui gene in Escherichia coli.

An endoglucanase encoded by a gene of Clostridium josui was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The homogeneous enzyme, with a molecular weight of 39,000, revealed maximum endoglucanase activity at pH 7.2 to 7.5 and a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees C. The enzyme was stable at a temperature lower than 45 degrees C (the growth temperature of the bacterium) in the range of pH 4.5 to 9.0. The amino acid sequence of the enzyme at the N terminus was Val-Glu-Glu-Asp-Ser-Ser-His-Leu-Ile-Thr-Asn-Gln-Ala-Lys-Lys----. The enzyme hydrolyzed cellotetraose to cellobiose and then transferred cellobiose to the residual cellotetraose. The resulting cellohexaose was cleaved to cellotriose.     

Substrate specificity of nuclease TT1 from Thermus thermophilus HB8

The substrate and the action mechanism of a nuclease named nuclease TT1, from the culture broth of an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus HB8, were investigated. The enzyme is nonspecific for the sugar moiety and cleaves both single- and double-stranded DNAs, rRNA, tRNA and oligonucleotides irrespective of chain length to produce 5'-mononucleotides exonucleolitically. The action mechanism is processive and the enzyme shows no porality of degradation. The minimal unit as a substrate is a 5'-dinucleotide. The rate of hydrolysis is independent of a terminal phosphate group. The substrate lacking a 5'-phosphoryl group is degraded to leave the 5'-terminus and the penultimate nucleotide (NpN) as a core. The substrate possessing a 3'-phosphoryl group is degraded to leave the mononucleoside 5',3'-diphosphates (pNp). However, NpN and pNp are gradually degraded by a large dose of the enzyme to produce a 5'-mononucleotide. The enzyme is free from nonspecific phosphatase and phosphodiesterase activities. Application of this enzyme to determine the sequence of oligonucleotides is shown.     

Cloning and sequencing of the genes encoding cyclic tetrasaccharide-synthesizing enzymes from Bacillus globisporus C11

The genes for isomaltosyltransferase (CtsY) and 6-glucosyltransferase (CtsZ), involved in synthesis of a cyclic tetrasaccharide from alpha-glucan, have been cloned from the genome of Bacillus globisporus C11. The amino-acid sequence deduced from the ctsY gene is composed of 1093 residues having a signal sequence of 29 residues in its N-terminus. The ctsZ gene encodes a protein consisting of 1284 residues with a signal sequence of 35 residues. Both of the gene products show similarities to alpha-glucosidases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 31 and conserve two aspartic acids corresponding to the putative catalytic residues of these enzymes. The two genes are linked together, forming ctsYZ. The DNA sequence of 16,515 bp analyzed in this study contains four open reading frames (ORFs) upstream of ctsYZ and one ORF downstream. The first six ORFs, including ctsYZ, form a gene cluster, ctsUVWXYZ. The amino-acid sequences deduced from ctsUV are similar in to a sequence permease and a sugar-binding protein for the sugar transport system from Thermococcus sp. B1001. The third ctsW encodes a protein similar to CtsY, suggested to be another isomaltosyltransferase preferring panose to high-molecular-mass substrates.