Halogenated Terpenes and a C-15-Acetogenin from the Marine Red Alga Laurencia saitoi

Seven parguerane diterpenes: 15-bromo-2,7,19-triacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-16-ol (1), 15-bromo-2,7,16,19-tetraacetoxyparguer-9(11)-ene (2), 15-bromo-2,19-diacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7,16-diol (3), 15-bromo-2,16,19-triacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7-ol (4), 15bromo-2,16-diacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7-ol (5), 15-bromoparguer-9(11)-en-16-ol (6), 15-bromoparguer-7-en-16-ol (7), two polyether triterpenes: thyrsiferol (8) and thyrsiferyl 23-acetate (9), and one C15-acetogenin, neolaurallene (10), were isolated from a sample of marine red alga Laurencia saitoi collected off the coast of Yantai. Their structures were established by detailed NMR spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data.

cDNA cloning and gene expression pattern following bacterial challenge of peroxinectin in Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis

Peroxinectin, a cell-adhesive hemoperoxidase that binds superoxide dismutase and mediates blood cells adhesion and migration in invertebrate, is believed to play an important role in cellular immune reaction. In this study, we reported a new peroxinectin gene homologue from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis. Based on expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of haemocyte cDNA library, we cloned a 2,611 bps full-length cDNA of peroxinectin gene homologue encoded 801 amino acids. Motif scanning of the predicted polypeptide revealed a peroxidase domain and an integrin binding motif (Lys-Gly-Asp, KGD). Peroxinectin gene expressed constitutively in haemocyte as determined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR, the expression level varied following bacterial challenge. These findings suggested that peroxinectin expression is susceptible to exterior stimulus and maintains at a high expression level during bacterial infection.

Collaborative artistic laboratories. Transfrontier spaces of cultural production

The appearance of the open code paradigm and the demands of social movements have permeated the ways in which today’s cultural institutions are organized. This article analyzes the birth of a new critical and cooperative spatiality and how it is transforming current modes of cultural research and production. It centers on the potential for establishing the new means of cooperation that are being tested in what are defined as collaborative artistic laboratories. These are hybrid spaces of research and creation based on networked and cooperative structures producing a new societal-technical body that forces us to reconsider the traditional organic conditions of the productive scenarios of knowledge and artistic practice.

Activation of protease calpain by oxidized and glycated LDL increases the degradation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase

Oxidation and glycation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) promote vascular injury in diabetes; however, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain poorly defined. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of 'heavily oxidized' glycated LDL (HOG-LDL) on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) function. Exposure of bovine aortic endothelial cells with HOG-LDL reduced eNOS protein levels in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, without altering eNOS mRNA levels. Reduced eNOS protein levels were accompanied by an increase in intracellular Ca(2+), augmented production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induction of Ca(2+)-dependent calpain activity. Neither eNOS reduction nor any of these other effects were observed in cells exposed to native LDL. Reduction of intracellular Ca(2+) levels abolished eNOS reduction by HOG-LDL, as did pharmacological or genetic through calcium channel blockers or calcium chelator BAPTA or inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase (with apocynin) or inhibition of calpain (calpain 1-specific siRNA). Consistent with these results, HOG-LDL impaired acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation of isolated mouse aortas, and pharmacological inhibition of calpain prevented this effect. HOG-LDL may impair endothelial function by inducing calpain-mediated eNOS degradation in a ROS- and Ca(2+)-dependent manner.

Impact of Residual Transmit RF Impairments on Training-Based MIMO Systems

Radio-frequency (RF) impairments, which intimately exist in wireless communication systems, can severely limit the performance of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems. Although we can resort to compensation schemes to mitigate some of these impairments, a certain amount of residual impairments always persists. In this paper, we consider a training-based point-to-point MIMO system with residual transmit RF impairments (RTRI) using spatial multiplexing transmission. Specifically, we derive a new linear channel estimator for the proposed model, and show that RTRI create an estimation error floor in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. Moreover, we derive closed-form expressions for the signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SINR) distributions, along with analytical expressions for the ergodic achievable rates of zero-forcing, maximum ratio combining, and minimum mean-squared error receivers, respectively. In addition, we optimize the ergodic achievable rates with respect to the training sequence length and demonstrate that finite dimensional systems with RTRI generally require more training at high SNRs than those with ideal hardware. Finally, we extend our analysis to large-scale MIMO configurations, and derive deterministic equivalents of the ergodic achievable rates. It is shown that, by deploying large receive antenna arrays, the extra training requirements due to RTRI can be eliminated. In fact, with a sufficiently large number of receive antennas, systems with RTRI may even need less training than systems with ideal hardware.

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric particulate samples by microwaveassisted extraction and liquid chromatography

A methodology based on microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and LC with fluorescence detection (FLD) was investigated for the efficient determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) regarded as priority pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency and dibenzo(a,l)pyrene in atmospheric particulate samples. PAHs were successfully extracted from real outdoor particulate matter (PM) samples with recoveries ranging from 81.4±8.8 to 112.0±1.1%, for all the compounds except for naphthalene (62.3±18.0%) and anthracene (67.3±5.7%), under the optimum MAE conditions (30.0 mL of ACN for 20 min at 110ºC). No clean-up steps were necessary prior to LC analysis. LOQs ranging from 0.0054 ng/m3 for benzo( a)anthracene to 0.089 ng/m3 for naphthalene were reached. The validated MAE methodology was applied to the determination of PAHs from a set of real world PM samples collected in Oporto (north of Portugal). The sum of particulate-bound PAHs in outdoor PM ranged from 2.5 and 28 ng/m3.

Heritability, determinants and reference values of renal length: a family-based population study.

OBJECTIVES: In this population-based study, reference values were generated for renal length, and the heritability and factors associated with kidney length were assessed. METHODS: Anthropometric parameters and renal ultrasound measurements were assessed in randomly selected nuclear families of European ancestry (Switzerland). The adjusted narrow sense heritability of kidney size parameters was estimated by maximum likelihood assuming multivariate normality after power transformation. Gender-specific reference centiles were generated for renal length according to body height in the subset of non-diabetic non-obese participants with normal renal function. RESULTS: We included 374 men and 419 women (mean ± SD, age 47 ± 18 and 48 ± 17 years, BMI 26.2 ± 4 and 24.5 ± 5 kg/m(2), respectively) from 205 families. Renal length was 11.4 ± 0.8 cm in men and 10.7 ± 0.8 cm in women; there was no difference between right and left renal length. Body height, weight and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were positively associated with renal length, kidney function negatively, age quadratically, whereas gender and hypertension were not. The adjusted heritability estimates of renal length and volume were 47.3 ± 8.5 % and 45.5 ± 8.8 %, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The significant heritability of renal length and volume highlights the familial aggregation of this trait, independently of age and body size. Population-based references for renal length provide a useful guide for clinicians. KEY POINTS: • Renal length and volume are heritable traits, independent of age and size. • Based on a European population, gender-specific reference values/percentiles are provided for renal length. • Renal length correlates positively with body length and weight. • There was no difference between right and left renal lengths in this study. • This negates general teaching that the left kidney is larger and longer.

L'Écho de Paris

1892/04/26 (Numéro 2899).

Recueil de lettres et de pièces originales.

Contient : 1 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « connestable » de France, Louis de Luxembourg, comte de Saint-Pol. « A Ham, le IIIe jour de juing » ; 2 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancelier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Mehung sur Loire, le XIe jour d'aoust » ; 3 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancelier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Saint Laurens des Eaues, le troizme jour d'aoust » ; 4 Lettre du roy « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Au Plessiz du Parc, le derrain jour de janvier » ; 5 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancelier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Au Plessis du Parc, le XVIIe jour d'avril » ; 6 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Au Plesseis du Parc, le Xe jour d'octobre » ; 7 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Armenonville, le derrain jour de juillet » ; 8 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A La Motte d'Egry, le XXIIe jour de juillet » ; 9 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A La Mote d'Esgry, le XXIIe jour de juillet » ; 10 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Vieny, le XXIe jour d'aoust... mil IIII.C.IIII.XX. » ; 11 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Aux Forges, le XVIe jour de mars » ; 12 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Saint Laurens des Eaulx, le VIe jour d'aoust » ; 13 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Angers, le XXIe jour de septembre » ; 14 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI « au chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Clery, le VIIIe jour de septembre » ; 15 Avis envoyé à Louis XI touchant Charles, duc de Guienne ; 16 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Noyon, le XXIIIe jour de may » ; 17 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI à «... maistre Pierre d'Oriole, chancellier de France. A Thouars, le XXIIIIe jour de fevrier... mil IIII.C.IIII.XX. et ung » ; 18 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Ablon, le XIIIIe jour de mars » ; 19 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Aux Forges, le XXIIe jour de janvier » ; 20 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Amboise, le XXIIe jour de septembre » ; 21 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Aux Forges, le sixme jour de mars... l'an mil IIII.C.LXXVIII » ; 22 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A La Neuville en Ham, le XXVIIe jour de mars... M.CCCC.LXXVIII » ; 23 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Au Plessis, le IIIIe jour de mars 1482... » ; 24 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Auzon, le XXVIIIe jour de novembre » ; 25 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Au Pleissiz du Parc, le derrain jour de fevrier » ; 26 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Saint Martin de Caude, le IIe jour de decembre » ; 27 Obligation de « LOYS DE LUXEMBOURG », comte de Saint-Pol. «... XXe jour de juing, l'an mil CCCC. cincquante » ; 28 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A La Mote en Poictou, le XIme jour de decembre » ; 29 « Cedulle » du roi « LOYS » XI à « Jehan Lalemant,... Donné au Plessis de Roye, le XIIIIe jour de mars, l'an mil CCCC. soixante et dix » ; 30 « Les Parties dont il fault faire cedulle à Jehan Lalemant pour icelles bailler à sire Jehan Briçonnet, receveur general des finances, pour emploier ou fait de son office... » ; 31 Minute d'une lettre de LOUIS XI au « roy de Secille. Escript à Angiers, juing » ; 32 Minute d'un placet adressé au roi de Sicile ; 33 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancelier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Touars, le XXVIe jour de decembre... M.CCCC.LXXVIII » ; 34 Lettre de « P. D'ORIOLE, chancelier de France... à maistre J. Bude, conseillier du roy. A Sainct-Mor des Fossez, le XXVIIme jour d'aoust, l'an mil CCCC. soixante et quinze » ; 35 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI à « maistre Pierre d'Oriole,... A Ham, le IIIe jour de juing » ; 36 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancellier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « Au Plessis du Parc, le deuxme jour d'avril » ; 37 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI au « chancelier » de France, Pierre d'Oriolle. « A Meung sur Loire, le deuxme jour de septembre » ; 38 Lettre du roi « LOYS » XI aux « commissaires à Chinon... Au Plessis du Parc-les Tours, le IIIIe jour de setembre » ; 39 « Inventoire » fait par PIERRE D'ORIOLLE « des sacz et lettres du roy estans à Tours » ; 40 « Memoire de ce qu'il fault commander et ordonner aux consulz, manans et habitans des villes et villages par où passera l'Empereur par ce royaulme »