Expressional induction of Paralichthys olivaceus cathepsin B gene in response to virus, poly I:C and lipopolysaccharide

Cathepsin B is a lysosomal cysteine protease of the papain-like enzyme family with multiple biological functions. In this study, Paralichthys olivaceus cathepsin B (PoCatB) cDNA was isolated from flounder embryonic cells (FEC) treated with UV-inactivated grass carp hemorrhage virus (GCHV) and subsequently identified as a vitally induced gene. The full length cDNA of PoCatB is 1801 bp encoding 330-amino acids. The deduced protein has high homology to all known cathepsin B proteins, containing an N-terminal signal peptide, cysteine protease active sites, the occluding loop segment and a glycosylation site, all of which are conserved in the cathepsin B family. PoCatB transcription of FEC cells could be induced by turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) rhabdovirus (SMRV), UV-inactivated SMRV, UV-inactivated GCHV, poly I:C or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and SMRV or poly I:C was revealed to be most effective among the five inducers. In normal flounder, PoCatB mRNA was detectable in all examined tissues. Moreover, SMRV infection could result in significant upregulation of PoCatB mRNA, predominantly in spleen, head kidney, posterior kidney, intestine, gill and muscle with 18.2,10.9, 24.7,12, 31.5 and 18 fold increases at 72 h post-infection respectively. These results provided the first evidence for the transcriptional induction of cathepsin B in fish by virus and LPS, indicating existence of a novel function in viral defense. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of n=2, Delta n=0 transition of Be-, B-, C-, N- and O-like sequence in the beam-foil spectrum of titanium

The foil-excited the spectrum of highly stripped titanium ions between 12-40 nm has been studied. Titanium ions of 80 and 120 MeV were provided by the HI-13 tandem accelerator at the China Institute of Atomic Energy. GIM-957 XUV-VUV monochromator was refocused to get highly-resolved spectra. Our experimental results and the published spectral data of laser-produced plasma show agreement in nearly all cases within +/- 0.03 nm. The spectra contained some weak or strong lines previously unclassified. These spectral lines mainly belong to 2s2p(2) for TiXVIII, 2p(3) for TiXVIII, 2s2p(3) for TiXVII, 2p(6)4p for Ti XII and 2p(6)3d for Ti XII transitions.

Structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO films grown on c-plane sapphire and (100)gamma-LiAlO2 by pulse laser deposition

ZnO thin films were grown on single-crystal gamma-LiAlO2 (LAO) and sapphire (0001) substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO films were investigated. The results show that LAO is more suitable for fabricating ZnO films than sapphire substrate and the highest-quality ZnO film was attained on LAO at the substrate temperature of 550 degrees C. However, when the substrate temperature rises to 700 degrees C, lithium would diffuse from the substrate (LAO) into ZnO film which makes ZnO film on LAO becomes polycrystalline without preferred orientation, the stress in ZnO film increases dominantly and the resistivity of the film decreases exponentially. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of interposing nanocrystalline Si(B) P plus layer on the photovoltaic properties of a-Si: H tandem solar cells

Tandem amorphous silicon solar cells have attracted extensive interest because of better performance than single junction counterpart. As n/p junctions play an important role in the current transportation of tandem solar cells, it is important to design and fabricate good n/p junctions.The properties of the n/p junction of amorphous silicon (a-Si) were studied. We investigate the effect of interposing a nanocrystalline p(+) layer between n (top cell) and p (bottom cell) layers of a tandem solar cell. The crystalline volume fraction, the band gap, the conductivity and the grain size of the nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) p(+) layer could be modulated by changing the deposition parameters.Current transport in a-Si based n/p ("tunnel") junctions was investigated by current-voltage measurements. The voltage dependence on the resistance (V/J) of the tandem cells was examined to see if n/p junction was ohmic contact. To study the affection of different doping concentration to the properties of the nc-Si p(+) layers which varied the properties of the tunnel junctions, three nc-Si p(+) film samples were grown, measured and analyzed.

The properties of halo structure for B-17

The total reaction cross section (1724 +/- 93 mb) of B-17 at the energy of 43.7 A MeV on C target has been measured by using the transmission method at the Radioactive Ion Beam Line in Lanzhou (RIBLL). Assuming B-17 consists of a core B-15 plus two halo neutrons, the total cross section of B-17 on C target was calculated with the zero-range Glauber model, where double Gaussian density distributions and Gaussian plus HO density distributions were used. It can fit the experimental data very well. The characteristic of halo structure for B-17 was found with a large diffusion of the neutrons density distribution.

Fabrication, thermal stability and mechanical properties of novel (W0.5Al0.5)C-0.8-Co composite prepared by mechanical alloying and hot-pressing sintering

A novel cemented carbides (W0.5Al0.5)C-0.8-Co with different cobalt contents were prepared by mechanical alloying and hot-pressing technique. Hot-pressing technique as a common technique was performed to fabricate the bulk bodies of the hard alloys. The novel cemented carbides have superior mechanical properties compared to WC-Co. The density, operating cost of the novel material were much lower than WC-Co. There is almost no eta-phase in the (W0.5Al0.5)C-0.8-Co cemented carbides system although the carbon deficient get the value of 20%, and successfully got the nanostructured rounded (W0.5Al0.5)C-0.8 particles.

Effect of crystallization on the lamellar orientation in thin films of symmetric poly(styrene)-b-poly(L-lactide) diblock copolymer

The effect of crystallization on the lamellar orientation of poly( styrene)-b-poly(L-lactide) (PS-PLLA) semicrystalline diblock copolymer in thin films has been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the melt state, microphase separation leads to a symmetric wetting structure with PLLA blocks located at both polymer/substrate and polymer/air interfaces. The lamellar period is equal to the long period L in bulk determined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Symmetric wetting structure formed in the melt state provides a model structure to study the crystallization of PLLA monolayer tethered on glassy (T-c < T-g,T-PS) or rubber (T-c > T-g,T-PS) PS substrate. In both cases, it is found that the crystallization of PLLA results in a "sandwich" structure with amorphous PS layer located at both folding surfaces. For T-c <= T-g,T- PS, the crystallization induces a transition of the lamellar orientation from parallel to perpendicular to substrate in between and front of the crystals. In addition, the depletion of materials around the crystals leads to the formation of holes of 1/2 L, leaving the adsorbed monolayer exposure at the bottom of the holes.

Synthesis of poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-b-poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamic acid) block copolymer using amino organic calcium catalyst

A biodegradable two block copolymer, poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-b- poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamic acid) (PCL-PBLG) was synthesized successfully by ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydride of gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate (BLG-NCA) with aminophenyl-terminated PCL as a macroinitiator. The aminophenethoxyl-terminated PCL was prepared via hydrogenation of a 4-nitrophenethoxyl-teminated PCL, which was novelly obtained from the polymerization of c-caprolactone (CL) initiated by amino calcium 4-nitrobenzoxide. The structures of the block copolymer and its precursors from the initial step of PCL were confirmed and investigated by H-1 NMR, FT-IR, GPC, and FT-ICRMS analyses and DSC measurements.

Dimerization of hydroxylated species of m-aminophenol by cytochrome c with hydrogen peroxide

The cytochrome c and hydrogen peroxide-dependent oxidation of m-aminophenol was investigated by electrochemistry and spectrophotometry. The results indicated that the hydroxylated species of m-aminophenol have at least two conjugated substituted groups on the ring system (most possibly, its oxidized form 2-hydroxy-4-iminoquinone), and that the degradation of cytochrome c by hydrogen peroxide can also be prevented in the presence of m-aminophenol. The hydroxyl radical scavengers, mannitol and sodium benzoate, almost completely eliminate the hydroxylation of m-aminophenol. But oxo-heme species scavenger, uric acid, does not inhibit the hydroxylation. Combining the results of mass spectrum, nuclear magnetic resonance and element analysis with that of spectrophotometry, electrochemistry and chemical scavengers, it is suggested that cytochrome c may act as a peroxidase, which facilitates the hydroxylation and subsequent dimerization of m-aminophenol. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Polymerization of ethylene by zirconocene-B(C6F5)(3) catalysts with aluminum compounds

Ethylene polymerization by zirconocene-B(C6F5)(3) catalysts with various aluminum compounds has been investigated. It is found that the catalytic activity depended on zirconocenes used, and especially on the type of aluminum compounds. For Et(H(4)Ind)(2)ZrCl2 (H(4)Ind : tetrahydroindenyl), the activity decreases in the following order: Me3Al > i-Bu3Al > Et3Al much greater than Et2AlCl. While for Cp2ZrCl2(Cp : cyclopentadienyl), it varies as follows: i-Bu3Al > Me3Al much greater than Et3Al. Furthermore, the activity is significantly affected by the addition mode of the catalytic components, which may imply that the formation of active centers is associated with an existing concentration of catalytic components. Results of thermal behavior of polyethylene (PE) studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) show that crystallinity of the polymer prepared with Et3Al is higher than that with Me3Al or i-Bu3Al. It is also found that the number-average molecular weight ((M) over bar) of the polymers prepared with Me3Al or i-Bu3Al is much higher than that with Et3Al. H-1-NMR studies substantiate that i-Bu3Al is a more efficient alkylation agent of Cp2ZrCl2 in comparison with Me3Al. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

COMPATIBILIZING EFFECT OF POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)-B-POLYSTYRENE-B-POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) IN PHENOLPHTHALEIN POLY(ETHER ETHER KETONE) POLY(2,6-DIMETHYL-1,4-PHENYLENE OXIDE) BLENDS

The morphology and mechanical behaviour of phenolphthalein poly(ether ether ketone) (PEK-C)/poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) blends has been investigated. A poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PS-PEO) triblock copolymer was used as compatibilizer. It was found that PEO-PS-PEO has a compatibilizing effect on the PEK-C/PPO blends. The addition of PEO-PS-PEO to the blends greatly improves phase dispersion and interfacial interfacial adhesion and also enhances the ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus at compositions ranging from 30 to 70% PEK-C. However, all the values of the ultimate tensile strength within the whole composition range are lower than those expected by simple additivity, probably owing to the poor mechanical properties of PEO-PS-PEO copolymer.

Addition reactions of nitrones on the reconstructed C(100)-2 x 1 surfaces

In this paper, the reactions of nitrone, N-methyl nitrone, N-phenyl nitrone and their hydroxylamine tautomers (vinyl-hydroxylamine, N-methyl-vinyl-hydroxylamine and N-phenyl-vinyl-hydroxylamine) on the reconstructed C(100)-2 x 1 surface have been investigated using hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP), Moller-Plesset second-order perturbation (MP2) and multi-configuration complete-active-space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) methods. The calculations showed that all the nitrones can react with the surface "dimer" via facile 1.3-dipolar cycloaddition with small activation barriers (less than 12.0 kJ/mol at B3LYP/6-31g(d) level). The [2+2] cycloaddition of hydroxylamine tautomers on the C(100) surface follows a diradical mechanism. Hydroxylamine tautomers first form diradical intermediates with the reconstructed C(I 00)-2 x I surface by overcoming a large activation barrier of 50-60 kJ/mol (B3LYP), then generate [2+2] cycloaddition products via diradical transition states with negligible activation barriers. The surface reactions result in hydroxyl or amino-terminated diamond surfaces, which offers new opportunity for further modifications. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.