Canine spinal cord neuron and axon myelin sheath morphometry

This inedited morphometric study has been developed from healthy canine spinal cord neuron cytoplasm and nucleus, and white matter axonal myelin sheath, from cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions. For the morphometric study, the parameters were area, perimeter, maximum and minimum diameters and roundness for neurons and myelin thickness for axon. For each parameter, 300 neurons were analysed. The results revealed that lumbar neurons had the highest mean values for the analysed parameters, indicating the presence of large neurons in this region, with large axons as a result of myelin thickness, which is proportional to axon calibre. We conclude that these morphometric results can contribute for the establishment of normal patterns, for canine spinal cord cervical, thoracic and lumbar segments.

The X-ray crystallographic structure of Escherichia coli branching enzyme

Branching enzyme catalyzes the formation of alpha-1,6 branch points in either glycogen or starch. We report the 2.3-Angstrom crystal structure of glycogen branching enzyme from Escherichia coli. The enzyme consists of three major domains, an NH2-terminal seven-stranded beta-sandwich domain, a COOH-terminal domain, and a central alpha/beta-barrel domain containing the enzyme active site. While the central domain is similar to that of all the other amylase family enzymes, branching enzyme shares the structure of all three domains only with isoamylase. Oligosaccharide binding was modeled or branching enzyme using the enzyme-oligosaccharide complex structures of various alpha-amylases and cyclodextrin glucanotransferase and residues were implicated in oligosaccharide binding. While most of the oligosaccharides modeled well in the branching enzyme structure, an approximate 50degrees rotation between two of the glucose units was required to avoid steric clashes with Trp(298) of branching enzyme. A similar rotation was observed in the mammalian alpha-amylase structure caused by an equivalent tryptophan residue in this structure. It appears that there are two binding modes for oligosaccharides in these structures depending on the identity and location of this aromatic residue.

Structural basis for branching-enzyme activity of glycoside hydrolase family 57: Structure and stability studies of a novel branching enzyme from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus Kodakaraensis KOD1

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Measurement of semileptonic branching fractions of B mesons to narrow D-** states - art. no. 1711803

Using the data accumulated in 2002-2004 with the D0 detector in proton-antiproton collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron collider with a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, the branching fractions of the decays B ->(D) over bar (0)(1)(2420)mu(+)nu(mu)X and B ->(D) over bar (*0)(2)(2460)mu(+)nu(mu)X and their ratio have been measured: B (b) over bar -> B)xB(B -> (D) over bar (0)(1)mu(+)nu(mu)X)xB((D) over bar (0)(1)-> D(*-)pi(+))=[0.087 +/- 0.007(stat)+/- 0.014(syst)]%; B((b) over bar -> B)xB(B ->(D) over bar (*0)(2)mu(+)nu(mu)X)xB((D) over bar (*0)(2)-> D(*-)pi(+))=[0.035 +/- 0.007(stat)+/- 0.008(syst)]% and [B(B ->(D) over bar (*0)(2)mu(+)nu(mu)X)xB((D) over bar (*0)(2)-> D(*-)pi(+))]/[B(B ->(D) over bar (0)(1)mu(+)nu(mu)X)xB((D) over bar (0)(1)-> D(*-)pi(+))]=0.39 +/- 0.09(stat)+/- 0.12(syst), where the charge conjugated states are always implied.

Measurement of the Semileptonic Branching Ratio of Bs(0) to an Orbitally Excited D-s** State: Br(Bs(0) -> Ds1(-)(2536)mu(+)nu X)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Measurement of the production fraction times branching fraction f(b -> Lambda(b)) . B(Lambda(b) -> J/psi Lambda)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurement of the relative branching ratio of B-s(0) -> J/psi f(0)(980) to B-s(0) -> J/psi phi

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Scaling and branching in wet sonogels as a function of the volume fraction of the liquid phase

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Persistence Length, Mass Fractal, and Branching in the Aggregating of Vinyltriethoxysilane-Derived Organic/Silica Hybrids

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The role of chain scission and chain branching in high density polyethylene during thermo-mechanical degradation

The mechanical and thermo-oxidative degradation of high density polyethylene (HDPE) was measured in a twin-screw extruder using various processing conditions. Two types of HDPE, Phillips and Ziegler-Natta, having different levels of terminal vinyl unsaturation were analysed. Mild screw profiles, having mainly conveying elements, have short mean residence times then profiles with kneading discs and left hand elements. Carbonyl and traps-vinylene group concentrations increased, whereas vinyl group concentration decreased with number of extrusions. Higher temperature profiles intensified these effects. The thermo-mechanical degradation mechanism begins with chain scission in the longer chains due to their higher probability of entanglements. These macroradicals then react with the vinyl terminal unsaturations of other chains producing chain branching. Shorter chains are more mobile, not suffering scission but instead are used for grafting the macroradicals, increasing the molecular weight. Increase in the levels of extrusion temperature, shear and vinyl end groups content facilitates the thermo-mechanical degradation reducing the amount of both, longer chains via chain scission and shorter chains via chain branching, narrowing the polydispersity. Phillips HDPE produces a higher level of chain branching than does the Ziegler-Natta type. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Philips and Ziegler-Natta high-density polyethylene degradation during processing in an internal mixer using the chain scission and branching distribution function analysis

The oxidative and thermo-mechanical degradation of HDPE was studied during processing in an internal mixer under two conditions: totally and partially filled chambers, which provides lower and higher concentrations of oxygen, respectively. Two types of HDPEs, Phillips and Ziegler-Natta, having different levels of terminal vinyl unsaturations were analyzed. Materials were processed at 160, 200, and 240 degrees C. Standard rheograrns using a partially filled chamber showed that the torque is much more unstable in comparison to a totally filled chamber which provides an environment depleted of oxygen. Carbonyl and transvinylene group concentrations increased, whereas vinyl group concentration decreased with temperature and oxygen availability. Average number of chain scission and branching (n(s)) was calculated from MWD curves and its plotting versus functional groups' concentration showed that chain scission or branching takes place depending upon oxygen content and vinyl groups' consumption. Chain scission and branching distribution function (CSBDF) values showed that longer chains undergo chain scission easier than shorter ones due to their higher probability of entanglements. This yields macroradicals that react with the vinyl terminal unsaturations of other chains producing chain branching. Shorter chains are more mobile, not suffering scission but instead are used for grafting the macroradicals, increasing the molecular weight. Increase in the oxygen concentration, temperature, and vinyl end groups' content facilitates the thermo-mechanical degradation reducing the amount of both, longer chains via chain scission and shorter chains via chain branching, narrowing the polydispersity. Phillips HDPE produces a higher level of chain branching than the Ziegler-Natta's type at the same processing condition. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural characterization of a new dextran with a low degree of branching produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides FT045B dextransucrase

This paper offers the physical and chemical characterization of a new dextran produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides FT045B. The chemical structure was determined by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. The dextran was hydrolyzed by endodextranase; the products were analyzed using thin layer chromatography and compared with those of commercial B-512F dextran. The number-average molecular weight and degree of polymerization of the FT045B dextran were determined by the measurement of the reducing value using the copper bicinchoninate method and the measurement of total carbohydrate using the phenol-sulfuric acid method. The data revealed that the structure of the dextran synthesized by FT045B dextran sucrase is composed of d-glucose residues, containing 97.9% α-(1,6) linkages in the main chains and 2.1% α-(1,3) branch linkages compared with the commercial B-512F dextran, which has 95% α-(1,6) linkages in the main chains and 5% α-(1,3) branch linkages. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the Bs0→μ+μ- branching fraction and search for B0→μ+μ- with the CMS experiment

Results are presented from a search for the rare decays Bs0→μ+μ- and B0→μ+μ - in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV, with data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of 5 and 20 fb-1, respectively, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. An unbinned maximum-likelihood fit to the dimuon invariant mass distribution gives a branching fraction B(Bs0→μ+μ-)=(3.0-0.9+1.0) ×10-9, where the uncertainty includes both statistical and systematic contributions. An excess of Bs0→μ+μ- events with respect to background is observed with a significance of 4.3 standard deviations. For the decay B0→μ+μ- an upper limit of B(B0→μ+μ-)<1.1×10 -9 at the 95% confidence level is determined. Both results are in agreement with the expectations from the standard model. © 2013 CERN. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the.

Angular analysis and branching fraction measurement of the decay B-0 -> K*(0)mu(+)mu(-)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Searching for doubly charged Higgs bosons at the LHC in a 3-3-1 model

Using a peculiar version of the SU(3)(L) circle times U(1)(N) electroweak model, we investigate the production of doubly charged Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider. Our results include branching ratio calculations for the doubly charged Higgs and for one of the neutral scalar bosons of the model. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.