Thermoluminescence properties of the S2-state in chloride-depleted water oxidizing complexes after reconstituting treatments with various monovalent anions

Under conditions that assured rebinding of the extrinsic 17 and 23 kDa polypeptides, Cl^--depleted Photosystem II membranes isolated from spinach chloroplasts were subjected to reconstituting treatments in media containing NaF, NaCl, NaBr, NaI or NaNO₃, or they were kept in a medium without any added salt other than the buffer. After removing most of the unbound reconstituting anions by washing, the O₂-evolution activities and thermoluminescence properties of the membranes were compared. While the temperature of maximal thermoluminescence emission was lowest for membranes treated with Cl^-, no uniform correlation was evident between the temperature profile of the thermoluminescence emission and the apparent activating effectiveness of the anions in the membranes' water oxidizing machinery. However, the differences between the thermoluminescence features did conform to a trend according to which the emission temperatures were upshifted as the size of the activating anion increased, and its hydration energy decreased, i.e. Cl^-<Br^-<NO₃ ^-<I^-. The inactive F^- anions were not well retained by the membranes. To explain the experimental data it is suggested that the structural environment of the charge accumulating Mn-center is influenced by the ionic conditions encountered by the Photosystem II membranes after Cl^- removal, further enforced by the binding of compatible anions, and then stabilized by the 17 and 23 kDa extrinsic polypeptides. If, as some concepts imply, the anion binding sites are located at or near the functional Mn, only very exceptional characteristics of the water-oxidizing mechanism may account for the observation that the potentially electron-donating I^- anion can serve as activator and that it stabilizes rather than destabilizes the S₂-state.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - Hepes 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazine-ethane sulfonic acid - Mes 2-(N-morpholino)ethane sulfonic acid - Pheo the pheophytin a of the Photosystem II reaction center - PS photosystem     

Size dependent metal concentrations in two marine gastropod species

The effect of size on the accumulation of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Fe and Zn in the muscle and viscera of the gastropodsMonodonta turbinata andCerithium vulgatum was investigated. The concentration of the essential metals Cr, Mn and Ni and the non-essential metal Cd decreased with increasing size in both of the species and tissues. The concentration of the essential metals Cu, Fe and Zn, showed a less constant relation with size.     

Lattice population dynamics for plants with dispersing seeds and Vegetative propagation

The population dynamics of plants in a lattice structured habitat are studied theoretically. Plants are assumed to propagate both by producing seeds that scatter over the population and by vegetative reproduction by extending runners, rhizomes, or roots, to neighboring vacant sites. In addtion, the seed production rate may be dependent on the local density in the neighborhood, indicating beneficial or harmful crowding effects. Two sets of population dynamical equation(s) are derived: one based onmean-field approximation and the other based onpair approximation (tracing both global and local densities simultaneously). We examine the accuracy of these approximate dynamics by comparing them with direct computer simulation of the stochastic lattice model. Pair approximation is much more accurate than mean-field approximation. Mean-field approximation overestimates the parameter range for persistence if crowding effects on seed production are harmful or weakly beneficial, but underestimates it if crowding effects are highly beneficial. Dynamics may show bistability (both population persistence and extinction) if the effect of crowding is strongly beneficial. If there is a linear trade-off between seed production and vegetative reproduction, the equilibrium abundance of the population may be maximised by a mixture of seed production and vegetative reproduction, rather than by pure seed production or by pure vegetative reproduction. This result is correctly predicted by pair approximation but not by mean-field approximation.     

Isolation of silencer-containing sequences causing a tissue-specific position effect on alcohol dehydrogenase expression in Drosophila melanogaster

A transient expression assay has been used to investigate the cause of a tissuespecific position effect on Adh expression from a transgene insertion in Drosophila. A 15.4-kb genomic clone containing the 3.2-kb Adh insert along with flanking regions of genomic DNA is expressed in this assay in a tissue-specific pattern resembling the abnormal expression pattern of the position effect. The 3.2-kb Adh insert is expressed normally without the flanking sequences. A silencer element is located upstream of the Adh gene within a 2-kb fragment that acts in both orientations and at a distance of at least 6.5 kb from the larval Adh promoter to suppress ADH expression in a nontissue specific fashion. The DNA sequence of the 2-kb fragment indicates that it is a noncoding region. A 17-bp sequence is repeated within this region and may be associated with the silencer activity, since subclones from the 2-kb fragment, each containing one of the repeated regions, both retain full silencer activity. This silencer fails to suppress expression from an α₁-tubulin promoter-LacZ fusion construct or an hsp70 promoter-Ach fusion construct. In addition to the silencer, another element is located downstream of the Adh gene that produces a higher level of anterior than posterior midgut expression. These results suggest that the 5′ silencer and the 3′ element act together to create the tissue specific pcsition effect characteristic of the GC-1 line. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Inhibition of Acrosomal Enzymes by Gossypol Is Related to Its Antifertility Action

ＩｎｈｉｂｉｔｉｏｎｏｆＡｃｒｏｓｏｍａｌＥｎｚｙｍｅｓｂｙＧｏｓｓｙｐｏｌＩｓＲｅｌａｔｅｄｔｏＩｔｓＡｎｔｉｆｅｒｔｉｌｉｔｙＡｃｔｉｏｎＹＵＡＮＹｕ－ｙｉｎｇ;（袁玉英）ＺＨＡＮＧＹａｎ－ｌｉｎ;（张燕林）ＳＨＩＱｉ－ｘｉａｎ（石其贤）（Ｚｈｅ...     

杨树苗期合理密度与合理密度线研究

 本文以加杨(Populus Canadensis),I—214(Populus euramericana(Dode)Guinier CV—214),中保14等杨树密度试验(1988—1991)为依据,分析了初植密度、竞争对生长的抑制作用,阐述了合理密度、合理密度范围、缓冲作用、上限合理密度线的形成过程。指出在双对数图上,上限合理密度线遵从Logistic分布(1nw=K/1+e(0.732·lnN-2.429),呈左侧伸展的S型曲线。该曲线可划分为近似于lnw一lnN直线的上中下三部分,其中间部分直线式的斜率为-1.5左右,称作合理密度直线式。对密度与生长的动态作了分析、概述与讨论。     

HBIG,无环鸟苷,干扰素联合对慢性乙型肝炎抗病毒效应观察

本文报道血清ＨＢＶ复制标志阳性的慢乙肝５４例,随机分为治疗组及对照组各２７例进行ＨＢＩＧ、无环鸟苷、干扰素联合近、远期抗病毒效应观察。治疗组为无环鸟苷第一周按２５～２０ｍｇ／ｋｇ／ｄ计后改１７～１５ｍｇ／ｋｇ／ｄ×５３天,共６０天;人白细胞干扰素１×１０６Ｕ肌注每周３次×４周,后改１．０×１０６Ｕ肌注每周２次×６周,共１０周;ＨＢＩＧ４００Ｕ肌注隔日１次,共１０周,对照组仅给予一般“保肝”药物。其中治疗组１８例,对照组１９例进行治后半年到２年追踪观察,结果近、远期ＨＢｃＡｇ、ＤＮＡＰ、ＨＢＶ－ＤＮＡ阴转率治疗组均高于对照组,其中治疗组近、远期ＨＢｃＡｇ,ＨＢＶ－ＤＮＡ阴转率均达４０％以上,明显高于对照组（Ｐ＜０．０５～０．０１）,治疗组近、远期各有４例及２例ＨＢｓＡｇ阴转,而对照组则无一例阴转,从近、远期综合抗病毒效应观察,治疗组全阴率分别为３３．３％、４４．４％,而对照组分别为３．７９％及０％,Ｐ＜０．０１,治疗组无明显毒副反应。对比单用无环鸟苷,全阴率３１．８％;无环鸟苷加干扰素两药联合全阴率３７．５％,均有所提高,达到４４．４％,值得进一步研究。     

四种动物病毒的细胞培养及血凝检测的比较研究

四种动物病毒的细胞培养及血凝检测的比较研究李天宪,赵林,罗怡珊,冯锋（中国科学院武汉病毒研究所,武汉４３００７１）关键词细小病毒,细胞培养,细胞病变,血凝试验云豹肠炎病毒（ＬＰＶ）、水貂肠炎病毒（ＭＥＶ）、犬肠炎病毒（ＣＰＶ）和猫泛白细胞减少症病毒（...     

Wind chill factor applied to Patagonian climatology

The wind cooling effect determines wind chill equivalent-temperatures, which may be rather different to actual temperature. In a windy region such as Patagonia, this difference may reach a magnitude and persistence to become an important bioclimatic element. This paper quantifies the wind cooling effect in Patagonia by the presentation of equivalent isotherms as an adaptation of the usual isotherm maps to the regional bioclimatic environment. It is concluded that due to seasonal variations in wind speed, the annual equivalent temperature range is smaller than the actual temperature range, thus increasing oceanic features, from a thermal viewpoint, of the Patagonian climate.«Les vents que chassent, à travers une échancrure de la Cordillère des Andes, les hautes pressions du Pacifique, s'étranglent et s'accelèrent dans un étroit couloir de cent kilomètres de front, en direction de l'Atlantique, et raclent tout sur leur passage».Antoine de Saint-Exupéry «Un sens à la vie» (1956)