Stability of the amorphous state in the system water-glycerol-ethylene glycol.

The behavior of the ternary solutions, water-glycerol-ethylene glycol, on warming after quenching is simple. No hydrate crystallizes, contrary to the system water-glycerol-ethanol; on warming after quenching only the glass transition, the devitrification and fusion peaks appear. The stability of the amorphous state was defined by the critical warming rate above which no crystallization occurs. For a given water content, that stability presents no maximum, but increases from glycerol to ethylene glycol.     

Stability of the amorphous state in the system water—1,2-Propanediol

For the same water contents, the stability of the wholly amorphous state of the aqueous solutions of 1,2-propanediol is much greater than that for all the solutions previously studied by us with glycerol, dimethylsulfoxide, ethanol, and ethylene glycol. To the degree that cyroprotection is related to that stability, 1,2-propanediol should be a better cryoprotectant than all these other compounds. The aqueous solutions of 1,2-propanediol have a simple behavior. No hydrate cyrstallizes on cooling, and for intermediate concentrations, on warming, after fast cooling, only ice crystallizes from the wholly amorphous state—first cubic, then hexagonal. The great stability of the amorphous state is shown by the critical warming rates above which no crystallization occurs, as well as by the difficulty in crystallizing on cooling.     

Maximum in the stability of the amorphous state in the system water--glycerol--ethanol.

When the proportions of glycerol and ethanol vary for a given water concentration, the stability of the amorphous state of the whole solution in the system water-glycerol-ethanol passes through a maximum. This ternary system may then be much more interesting for cryoprotection than the system water-glycerol-DMSO. The phase transitions on rewarming at several rates after rapid or slow cooling, or after annealing, were observed by calorimetry and the various states between the transitions including the amorphous state were observed by X-ray diffraction. However, this system is much more complicated than the system water-glycerol-DMSO, due to the existence of two ethanol hydrates. Since, beyond a certain ethanol concentration, a first melting occurs before the devitrification, the stability of the amorphous state could no longer be defined by the critical warming rate. It was then defined by the amount of crystals formed on cooling, which was surprisingly reproducible in the present experiments for each cooling rate. The maximum in the stability occurs for rather low ethanol concentrations, which is of interest since ethanol is more toxic that glycerol. The concentration corresponding to the maximum depends on the cooling rate. It occurs at about 20% ($\text{w}\text{w}$) ethanol/(glycerol + ethanol) for the 50 and 55% ($\text{w}\text{w}$) water solutions. It is shifted to 40% ($\text{w}\text{w}$) ethanol/(glycerol + ethanol) for the 60% ($\text{w}\text{w}$) water solutions.     

Spectroscopic study of the structure of sucrose in the amorphous state and in aqueous solution

The structure of noncrystalline sucrose in the amorphous, solid state and in aqueous solution was investigated. Differences of structure of amorphous solid samples, the quenched-melt, and freeze-dried sucrose, are revealed by differential thermal analysis (d.t.a.) and from the Fourier-transform infrared (F.t.-i.r.) spectra. Factor analysis of the F.t.-i.r. spectra of aqueous solutions of sucrose shows the existence of at least two forms of the sucrose molecule. Analysis of ¹³C-n.m.r. spectra of amorphous and crystalline sucrose reveals a sensitivity of the fructosyl moiety to the morphology of the sample.     

Effect of molecular structure on the conductivity of amorphous carbohydrate-water-KCl mixtures in the supercooled liquid state

The effect of carbohydrate structure on the conductivity of low water content amorphous carbohydrate-water, and carbohydrate-water-KCl mixtures, has been measured using both direct current and alternating current techniques at temperatures in the supercooled liquid and glassy range, ranging from -40 to 80 degrees C. The structures included homologous mono-, di- and trisaccharides (glucose, maltose and maltotriose), a monosaccharide with no exocyclic hydroxymethyl group (xylose) and a second trisaccharide (raffinose). The KCl-mixtures contained 9.3% w/w water and 0.74% w/w KCl which resulted in calorimetric glass transition temperatures, T(g), in the range -29-19 degrees C. At this concentration conduction due to KCl dominated that due to intrinsic conductors originating from the carbohydrates and water. In the supercooled liquid region, as temperature, T, is reduced to T(g), the activation energy of the molar conductivity of KCl, Lambda(m), increased as described by a Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher-type equation, Lambda(m)=Lambda(m0)exp[B/(T-T(0))], where Lambda(m0), B and T(0) are constants. Comparison of the molar conductivity of KCl in the carbohydrate mixtures at T(g) with that in aqueous solutions showed that conductivity is, to varying extents, uncoupled from viscosity. The uncoupling increased in the order D-xylose相似文献   

Stability of the saccadic oculomotor system

A variety of different types of instability has been found in the saccadic system of humans. Some of the instabilities correspond to clinical conditions, whereas others are inherent in the normal saccadic system. How can these instabilities arise within the mechanism of normal saccadic eye movements? A physiologically-based model of the saccadic system predicts that horizontal saccadic oscillations will occur with excessive mutual inhibition between the left and right burst cells and with underaction of the pause cells. The amplitudes and frequencies of the oscillations had ranges of 0–6° and 6–20 cycles per second, respectively. Application of stability analysis techniques to the model reveals that development of the oscillations can be explained by the Hopf bifurcation mechanism. Future development of this approach will involve classifying pathological instabilities of the saccadic system according to the bifurcation involved in their generation.     

Stability of the carrier state in bacteriophage M13-infected cells.

Bacteriophage M13-infected carrier cells were shown to be unstable to prolonged growth under all conditions. Carrier Hfr cells were transferred in dilute culture (10(3) to 10(4)/ml), where reinfection was impossible and the physiology of the cell was minimally altered. After an initial period of about 10 generations, during which all cells in the culture remained infected, there was exponential decay in the proportion of infected cells in the culture. Uninfected cells that appeared were M13 sensitive. Hfr and F' males were also transferred serially at high cell densities (10(7) to 10(9)/ml), where high levels of phage should permit reinfection. The proportion of phage-producing cells in the cultures remained constant for 7 to 15 generations and then dropped exponentially on further growth. Non-phage-producing cells appearing in the culture were refractory to infection by M13; in some cases cells scored as non-phage producers for 20 generations were observed to produce phage on further growth in liquid culture. F'trp+ males infected with M13 lost trp+ function almost immediately; this was not regained in these experiments. Infected cells grown in dilute culture or on plates remained infected longer, produced more PFU per cell for a longer period, and retained trp+ function in F'trp+ males for over 90 generations. Non-phage-producing cells that appeared were sometimes phage resistant, sometimes phage sensitive. The existence of a phage-related material accumulating at high cell densities and affecting expression of free episomes, episomal expression in Hfr males, and phage synthesis itself is suggested.     

The state of the circulatory system in the elderly

Fifty six persons (15 men and 41 women) aged between 90 and 99 years were examined to assess their health determining longevity. Circulatory system was evaluated with the aid of anamnesis, physical examination, chest X-ray and ECG. Clinical symptoms of the circulatory disease were diagnosed in 55.4% of tested persons, including: ischaemic heart disease in 42.9%, arterial hypertension in 35.7%, and circulatory failure in 23.2%. Normal ECG records were noted in 10.7% of the tested elderly persons. The most frequent electrographic abnormalities included: decrease in ST, LAH and atrio-ventricular block of the I degree. Incidence of ECG abnormalities did not depend upon the clinical state. An advanced age (over 90 years) is achieved also by the persons with marked circulatory disorders.     

The redox state of the NADP system in illuminated chloroplasts

Pyridine nucleotide levels were measured in intact spinach chloroplasts. The NADPH/NADP ratio was close to unity in darkened chloroplasts. On illumination, chloroplast NADP levels decreased rapidly. The decrease was more prominent at low than at high light intensities. In the presence of bicarbonate, NADP subsequently increased to reach a steady-state level. The kinetics of the increase were related in general, but not in detail, to the lag phase of photosynthesis. In the steady state, chloroplast NADP was sometimes, particularly during photosynthesis at high light intensities, less reduced in the light than in the dark. In the dark-light transition, phosphoglycerate reduction is driven by increases in the ratios NADPH/NADP and ATP/ADP. When photosynthesis accelerates after the initial lag phase, the NADPH/NADP ratio decreases and a high ratio of phosphoglycerate to triose phosphate becomes an important factor in driving carbon reduction. Under photosynthetic flux conditions, the redox state of the chloroplast NADP system appeared to be governed largely by the chloroplast ratio of phosphoglycerate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate and by the phosphorylation potential [ATP]/[ADP] [P_i]. The inhibitor of cyclic electron transport, antimycin A, increased reduction of the chloroplast NADP system. Even when reduction was almost complete in the presence of 5 μM antimycin A, photosynthesis was still significant at low light intensities. Electrons appeared to be effectively distributed between the cyclic electron-transport pathway and the noncyclic route to NADP at NADPH/NADP ratios as low as about 1. When bicarbonate was absent, the NADP system remained largely reduced in the light. The energy-transfer inhibitor, Dio-9, and uncouplers and agents which interfered with pH regulation of the Calvin cycle increased reduction of the NADP system while decreasing photosynthesis.     

Different modes of state transitions determine pattern in the Phosphatidylinositide-Actin system

Background

In the interphase nucleus of metazoan cells DNA is organized in supercoiled loops anchored to a nuclear matrix (NM). There is varied evidence indicating that DNA replication occurs in replication factories organized upon the NM and that DNA loops may correspond to the actual replicons in vivo. In normal rat liver the hepatocytes are arrested in G0 but they synchronously re-enter the cell cycle after partial-hepatectomy leading to liver regeneration in vivo. We have previously determined in quiescent rat hepatocytes that a 162 kbp genomic region containing members of the albumin gene family is organized into five structural DNA loops.

Results

In the present work we tracked down the movement relative to the NM of DNA sequences located at different points within such five structural DNA loops during the S phase and after the return to cellular quiescence during liver regeneration. Our results indicate that looped DNA moves sequentially towards the NM during replication and then returns to its original position in newly quiescent cells, once the liver regeneration has been achieved.

Conclusions

Looped DNA moves in a sequential fashion, as if reeled in, towards the NM during DNA replication in vivo thus supporting the notion that the DNA template is pulled progressively towards the replication factories on the NM so as to be replicated. These results provide further evidence that the structural DNA loops correspond to the actual replicons in vivo.     

Stability threshold of a tissue system

Studies of changes in the cells adhesive force during spontaneous and induced cancerogenesis, as well as under the effect of cancerogenesis promotors permits to reveal the cells adhesion forces critical values which separate tissue states stable and unstable to blastomogenesis. These data are analysed proceeding from the concepts on generalized cooperative transitions in the membranes and their role in the control over biological systems. It is taken into account that the membranes and cytoskeleton elements are the most important systems of the tissue mechanical integration, and phase transitions proceeding in them must be reflected in the tissue mechanical properties.     

互惠-寄生耦合系统的稳定性

寄生物与宿主之间协同进化的研究早已在生命科学领域引起广泛关注。现有研究寄生物与其宿主协同进化的模型几乎都是基于寄生物将会导致宿主种群减少的前提建立的。然而,寄生物在很多情况下也会促进宿主种群的增长,比如低密度的寄生物能提高宿主的免疫力从而提高宿主的存活率。基于这一前提假设,在经典的Lotka-Volterra模型和Leslie型捕食者-食饵模型基础上,引入寄生物对宿主的固有促进水平参数K,建立了一类互惠-寄生耦合模型。利用微分方程稳定性理论对模型进行分析,发现系统平衡点的稳定性与固有促进水平K密切相关。分析显示,在不同的固有促进水平K下,寄生物与宿主将会以稳定均衡或周期振荡的形式持续共存。数值模拟实验表明在一定条件下系统会出现Hopf分岔现象,并且随着固有促进水平K的增大,系统还会出现稳定的极限环,即随着固有促进水平K的增大,寄生物与宿主由稳定共存转变为变振幅、变周期的振荡共存。当固有促进水平参数K为零时,我们的模型就转化为经典的Leslie型捕食者-食饵模型。     

Blood serum cholesterol and the state of the immune system

This review deals with information on the relationship of the immunity system and the lipid transport system. The data of literature and the results obtained by the authors indicated that an elevated level of cholesterol in the blood serum is associated with the increased activity of the immunity system. On the one hand, lipids and their metabolites produce an immunomodulating effect and, on the other hand, biologically active molecules, synthesized by immunocompetent cells in the process of their activation and proliferation, regulate lipid metabolism.     

脉冲回波法研究微乳液体系的稳定性

本文主要以正庚炕（C71116）、水乳浊液（以span-80为表面活性剂）为模型体系,研究了脉冲回波法探测微乳体系结构稳定性的可能性,并进行了初步讨论。实验结果表明,超声衰减系数（a）与微乳体系配比、表面活性剂含量及微乳液制备时搅拌转速密切相关。微乳液体系在实验当中均出现了由油和水两相混合的状态到油和水分相的状态。微乳液体系的超声衰减系数在分相前后均保持着相对平稳的变化,但对应于不同条件下制备的溶液,分相时间都有所不同。且一般而言,当微乳液开始两相（水相和油相）分离时,超声衰减系数将发生明显变化。因此预计脉冲回波法有可能发展成为一种简单、可靠、非破环性的微乳体系稳定性检测新方法。