Table 2 Analytical data of the samples by the "Dipole CHIM" at the Yingezhuang gold deposit

CHIM method involves extracting metal ions of electromobile forms in either anodes or cathodes, facilitated by a man-made electric field. This paper presents two newly developed CHIM alternatives that are electrified by a low voltage dipole. The firstly improved technique enables cationic ions to be extracted in a single cathode, whereas the secondly improved technique allows both anionic and cationic species to be extracted simultaneously in an anode and in a cathode. Compared with the traditional CHIM methods, the innovative techniques developed in this paper are characterized by simple instrumentation, low cost and easy operation in field, and in particular enables simultaneous extraction of anionic and cationic species of elements, from which more information can be derived with higher extraction efficiency. Field tests at several well-known mine areas in China confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of the new techniques in exploring for deeply buried ore bodies.

(Table 2) Chemical composition of basalts from the DSDP Leg 74 Walvis Ridge transect

Five sites were drilled along a transect of the Walvis Ridge. The basement rocks range in age from 69 to 71 m.y., and the deeper sites are slightly younger, in agreement with the sea-floor-spreading magnetic lineations. Geophysical and petrological evidence indicates that the Walvis Ridge was formed at a mid-ocean ridge at anomalously shallow elevations. The basement complex, associated with the relatively smooth acoustic basement in the area, consists of pillowed basalt and massive flows alternating with nannofossil chalk and limestone that contain a significant volcanogenic component. Basalts are quartz tholeiites at the ridge crest and olivine tholeiites downslope. The sediment sections are dominated by carbonate oozes and chalks with volcanogenic material common in the lower parts of the sediment columns. The volcanogenic sediments probably were derived from sources on the Walvis Ridge. Paleodepth estimates based on the benthic fauna are consistent with a normal crustal-cooling rate of subsidence of the Walvis Ridge. The shoalest site in the transect sank below sea level in the late Paleocene, and benthic fauna suggest a rapid sea-level lowering in the mid-Oligocene. Average accumulation rates during the Cenozoic indicate three peaks in the rate of supply of carbonate to the sea floor, that is, early Pliocene, late middle Miocene, and late Paleocene to early Eocene. Carbonate accumulation rates for the rest of the Cenozoic averaged 1 g/cm**2/kyr. Dissolution had a marked effect on sediment accumulation in the deeper sites, particularly during the late Miocene, Oligocene, and middle to late Eocene. Changes in the rates of accumulation as a function of depth demonstrate that the upper part of the water column had a greater degree of undersaturation with respect to carbonate during times of high productivity. Even when the calcium carbonate compensation depth (CCD) was below 4400 m, a significant amount of carbonate was dissolved at the shallower sites. The flora and fauna of the Walvis Ridge are temperate in nature. Warmer-water faunas are found in the uppermost Maastrichtian and lower Eocene sediments, with cooler-water faunas present in the lower Paleocene, Oligocene, and middle Miocene. The boreal elements of the lower Pliocene are replaced by more temperate forms in the middle Pliocene. The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary was recovered in four sites drilled, with the sediments containing well-preserved nannofossils but poorly preserved foraminifera.

Computational Study of the Fe(CN)(2)CO Cofactor and Its Binding to HypC Protein.

In the intricate maturation process of [NiFe]-hydrogenases, the Fe(CN)2CO cofactor is first assembled in a HypCD complex with iron coordinated by cysteines from both proteins and CO is added after ligation of cyanides. The small accessory protein HypC is known to play a role in delivering the cofactor needed for assembling the hydrogenase active site. However, the chemical nature of the Fe(CN)2CO moiety and the stability of the cofactor–HypC complex are open questions. In this work, we address geometries, properties, and the nature of bonding of all chemical species involved in formation and binding of the cofactor by means of quantum calculations. We also study the influence of environmental effects and binding to cysteines on vibrational frequencies of stretching modes of CO and CN used to detect the presence of Fe(CN)2CO. Carbon monoxide is found to be much more sensitive to sulfur binding and the polarity of the medium than cyanides. The stability of the HypC–cofactor complex is analyzed by means of molecular dynamics simulation of cofactor-free and cofactor-bound forms of HypC. The results show that HypC is stable enough to carry the cofactor, but since its binding cysteine is located at the N-terminal unstructured tail, it presents large motions in solution, which suggests the need for a guiding interaction to achieve delivery of the cofactor.

The major allergens of birch pollen and cow milk, Bet v 1 and Bos d 5, are structurally related to human licocalin 2, enabling them to manipulate T-helper cells depending on their load with siderophore-bound iron

We conclude that Bet v 1 and Bos d 5 not only structurally mimic human LCN2, but also functionally by their ability to bind iron via siderophores. The apo-forms promote Th2 cells, whereas the holo-forms appear to be immunosuppressive. These results provide for the first time a functional understanding on the principle of allergenicity of major allergens from entirely independent sources, like birch and milk.

A “REVOLTA” DE JEÚ E A ESTELA DE DÃ: Um Estudo Em 2 Reis 10,28-36

A pesquisa tem por objetivo trabalhar o evento da Revolta de Jeú, em conjunto com a Estela de Dã, tendo como ponto de partida para tal, a exegese da perícope de 2 Reis 10-28,36. A história Deuteronomista apresenta o ato da Revolta de Jeú como sendo um feito demasiadamente importante, na restauração do culto a Javé em Israel, a partir de um contexto onde o culto a outras divindades, em Israel Norte, estava em pleno curso. No entanto, a partir da análise conjunta da Estela de Dã, que tem como provável autor o rei Hazael de Damasco, somos desafiados a ler esta história pelas entrelinhas não contempladas pelo texto, que apontam para uma participação ativa de Hazael, nos desfechos referentes a Revolta de Jeú, como sendo o responsável direto que proporcionou a subida de Jeú ao trono em Israel, clarificando desta forma este importante período na história Bíblica. Para tal análise, observar-se-á três distintos tópicos, ligados diretamente ao tema proposto: (1) A Revolta de Jeú e a Redação Deuteronomista, a partir do estudo exegético da perícope de 2 Reis 10,28-36, onde estão descritas informações pontuais sobre período em que Jeú reinou em Israel; (2) Jeú e a Estela de Dã, a partir da apresentação e análise do conteúdo da Estela de Dã, tratando diretamente dos desdobramentos da guerra em Ramote de Gileade, de onde se dá o ponto de partida à Revolta de Jeú; e por fim (3) O Império da Síria, onde a partir da continuidade da análise do conteúdo da Estela de Dã, demonstraremos a significância deste reino, além de apontamentos diretamente ligados ao reinado de Hazael, personagem mui relevante no evento da Revolta de Jeú.

Deletion of the loop region of Bcl-2 completely blocks paclitaxel-induced apoptosis

At high concentrations, the tubule poison paclitaxel is able to kill cancer cells that express Bcl-2; it inhibits the antiapoptotic activity of Bcl-2 by inducing its phosphorylation. To localize the site on Bcl-2 regulated by phosphorylation, mutant forms of Bcl-2 were constructed. Mutant forms of Bcl-2 with an alteration in serine at amino acid 70 (S70A) or with deletion of a 60-aa loop region between the α1 and α2 helices (Δloop Bcl-2, which also deletes amino acid 70) were unable to be phosphorylated by paclitaxel treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells into which the genes for the mutant proteins were transfected. The Δloop mutant completely inhibited paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. In cells expressing the S70A mutant, paclitaxel induced about one-third the level of apoptosis seen with wild-type Bcl-2. To evaluate the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in Bcl-2 phosphorylation, the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 was examined. Paclitaxel-induced apoptosis was associated with phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and activation of ERK and JNK MAPKs. If JNK activation was blocked by transfections with either a stress-activated protein kinase kinase dominant-negative (K→R) gene (which prevents the activation of a kinase upstream of JNK) or MAPK phosphatase-1 gene (which dephosphorylates and inactivates JNK), Bcl-2 phosphorylation did not occur, and the cells were not killed by paclitaxel. By contrast, neither an ERK inhibitor (PD098059) nor p38 inhibitors (SB203580 and SB202190) had an effect on Bcl-2 phosphorylation. Thus, our data show that the antiapoptotic effects of Bcl-2 can be overcome by phosphorylation of Ser-70; forms of Bcl-2 lacking the loop region are much more effective at preventing apoptosis than wild-type Bcl-2 because they cannot be phosphorylated. JNK, but not ERK or p38 MAPK, appear to be involved in the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 induced by paclitaxel.