Kinetic spectra of light-adaptation dark-adaptation and M-intermediate of BR-D96N

BR-D96N is a kind of genetically site-specific mutants of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) with obvious photochromic effect. Compared to the wild type BR, the lifetime of M state of BR-D96N is prolonged to several minutes so that the photochromic kinetics and the intermediates formation can be studied by the conventional spectra analysis. In the experiment, the absorption spectra of the sample at different time after light illumination are measured with spectrophotometer. By fitting and analyzing the variation of the spectra, we suppose that there are three main states in the, photochromic process, i.e., B state (light-adapted state), M state and D state (dark-adapted state). The absorption spectra of the B state, M state and D state are extracted from the experimental data based on this three-state model and the spectra at various time are fitted with the least-square method. So, the variations of population percentages of the M state, B state and D state are obtained and the M state and B state lifetimes are estimated. In another way, from the measurement of the absorption dynamics at 407 and 568 nm, the M state and B state lifetimes are also obtained by two exponential data fitting, which give coincident results with those of the spectra analysis. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation and luminescence properties of Eu2+ in SiO2 xerogels

Al-doped and B, Al co-doped SiO2 xerogels with Eu2+ ions were prepared only by sol-gel reaction in air without reducing heat-treatment or post-doping. The luminescence characteristics and mechanism of europium doping SiO2 xerogels were studied as a function of the concentration of Al, B, the europium concentration and the host composition. The emission spectra of the Al-doped and B, Al codoped samples all show an efficient emission broad band in the blue violet range. The blue emission of the Al-doped sample was centered at 437 nm, whereas the B, Al co-doped xerogel emission maximum shifted to 423 nm and the intensity became weaker. Concentration quenching effect occurred in both the Al-doped and B, Al co-doped samples, which probably is the result of the transfer of the excitation energy from Eu2+ ions to defects. The highest Eu2+ emission intensity was observed for samples with the Si(OC2H5)(4):C2H5OH:H2O molar ratio of 1:2:4. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photochromic kinetic spectra and intermediates of BR-D96N

BR-D96N is a kind of genetically site-specific mutant of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) with obvious photochromic effect. Compared to the wild type BR, the lifetime of M state of BR-D96N is prolonged to several minutes so that the photochromic kinetics and the intermediates formation can be studied by the conventional spectra analysis. In the experiment, the absorption spectra of the sample at different time after light illumination are measured with spectrophotometer. By fitting and analyzing the variation of the spectra, we suppose there-are three main states in the photochromic process, i.e. B state (light-adapted state), M state and D state (dark-adapted state). The absorption spectra of the B state, M state and D state are extracted from the experimental data based on this three-state model and the spectra at various time are fitted With the least square method. So, the variations of population percentages of the M state, B state and D state are obtained and the M state and B state lifetimes are estimated. In another,way, from measuring the absorption dynamics at 407 nm and 568 nm, the M state and B state lifetimes are also obtained by two exponential data fitting, which give coincident results with those of the spectra analysis.

The Influence of Age and Sex on the Cell Counts of Peripheral Blood Leukocyte Subpopulations in Chinese Rhesus Macaques

therapeutic drugs, vaccines and mechanisms of human diseases. Little is known about the normal levels of leukocyte subpopulations of Chinese rhesus macaques. To obtain these data, 100 blood samples from Chinese rhesus macaques were collected. The normal range of major leukocyte subpopulations, such as T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, monocytes, myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), were quantitatively analyzed by flow cytometry through BD trucount tubes. The influence of age and sex on the cell counts of leukocyte subpopulations was analyzed. The counts of CD3+ T cells, CD3+CD4+ T cells, CD3+CD8+ T cells and B cells decreased with age, but those of monocytes, mDCs and pDCs had no significant correlation with age. Significant differences existed in the cell counts of most leukocyte subpopulations between the male and female groups except pDCs. Furthermore the values of the females were higher than those of the males. The study provided basic information about the leukocyte subpopulations of Chinese rhesus macaques, and it may be valuable for immunobiological study of Chinese rhesus macaques. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 2009;6(6):433-440.

Crystallographic and magnetic properties of hydride R3Fe29-xTxHy (R=Y, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb and Dy; T=V and Cr)

The crystallographic and intrinsic magnetic properties of hydride R3Fe29-xTxHy (R=Y, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, and Dy; T=V and Cr) have been investigated. The lattice constants and the unit cell volume of R3Fe29-xTxHy decrease with increasing R atomic number from Nd to Dy, except for Ce, reflecting the lanthanide contraction. Regular anisotropic expansions, mainly along the a- and b-axis rather than along the c-axis, are observed for all the compounds upon hydrogenation. Hydrogenation leads to an increase in Curie temperature. First-order magnetization processes (FOMP) occur in magnetic fields of around 1.5 T and 4.0 T at 4.2 K for Nd3Fe24.5Cr4.5H5.0 and Tb(3)Fc(27.0)Cr(2.0)H(2.8), and around 1.4 T at room temperature for Gd3Fe28.0Cr1.0H4.2 Abnormal crystallographic and magnetic properties of Ce3Fe29-xTxHy suggest that the Ce ion is non-triply ionized.

Boron diffusion in Ge+ premorphized and BF2+ implanted Si(001)

The annealing behavior of Si implanted with Ge and then BF2 has been characterized by double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXRD) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The results show that annealing at 600 degrees C for 60 minutes can only remove a little damage induced by implantation and nearly no redistribution of Ge and B atoms has occurred during the annealing. The initial crystallinity of Si is fully recovered after annealing at 950 degrees C for 60 minutes and accompanied by Ge diffusion. Very shallow boron junction depth has been formed. When annealing temperature rises to 1050 degrees C, B diffusion enhances, which leads to a deep diffusion and good distribution of B atoms into the Si substrate. The X-ray diffraction (004) rocking curves from the samples annealed at 1050 degrees C for 60 minutes display two SiGe peaks, which may be related to the B concentration profiles.

Double ionization of helium in collision with 20-500-keV/amu Cq+ and Oq+ (q=1-3) ions

Target ionization and projectile charge changing were investigated for 20-500 keV/u Cq+, Oq++He (q=1-3) collisions. Double- to single-ionization ratios R-21 of helium associated with no projectile charge change (direct ionization), single-electron capture, and single-electron loss were measured. The cross-section ratio R-21 depends strongly on the collision velocity v, the projectile charge state q, and the outgoing reaction channel. Meanwhile, a model extended from our previous work [J. X. Shao, X. M. Chen, and B. W. Ding, Phys. Rev. A 75, 012701 (2007)] is presented to interpret the above-mentioned dependences. Good agreement is found between the model and the experimental data.

B-(*())(B)over-bar(()*()) intermediate states contribution to Gamma(4S, 5S) -> eta(b) + gamma radiative decay

In this work, we investigate the rescattering effects in the radiative decay Gamma(5S) -> eta(b) + gamma , which were suggested to be crucially important for understanding the anomalous largeness of the branching ratios B(Gamma(5S) -> Gamma(1S) + pi pi) and B(Gamma(5S) -> Gamma(1S) + eta). Our calculations show that the rescattering effects may enhance Gamma(Gamma(10860) -> eta(b) +gamma) by four orders, but the tetraquark structure does not. Recently the BABAR and CLEO collaborations have measured the mass of eta(b) and the branching ratios B(Gamma(2S) -> eta(b) +gamma), B(Gamma(3S) -> eta(b) +gamma). We hope that very soon, Gamma(10860) -> eta(b) + gamma) will be measured and it would be an ideal opportunity for testing whether the rescattering or the tetraquark structure is responsible for the anomaly of B(Gamma(5S) -> Gamma(nS) pi(+) pi(-))(n = 1, 2, 3)), i. e., the future measurements on the radiative decays of Gamma(5S) might be a touchstone of the two mechanisms.

Bump-Surface Multicompartment Micelles from a Linear ABC Triblock Copolymer: A Combination Study by Experiment and Computer Simulation

Novel bump-surface multicompartment micelles formed by a linear amphiphilic ABC triblock copolymer via self-assembly in selective solvent were successfully observed both in simulation and experiment. The results revealed that the block A forms the most inner core, and the blocks B and C form the inner and outer layers, respectively, and the bumps were formed by block A and more likely to be born on curving surfaces. Moreover, the micelle shape could be controlled by changing the solvent selectivity of the blocks A and B. Spherical, cylindrical, and discoidal micelles with bumpy surfaces were obtained both in experiment and simulation.

Chiral Salan Aluminium Ethyl Complexes and Their Application in Lactide Polymerization

Synthetic routes to aluminium ethyl complexes supported by chiral tetradentate phenoxyamine (salan-type) ligands [Al(OC6H2(R-6-R-4)CH2)(2){CH3N(C6H10)NCH3}-C2H5] 7: R = H ; 5, 8: R = Cl; 6, 9: R = CH3) are reported. Enantiornerically pure salan ligands 1-3 with (R,R) configurations at their cyclohexane rings afforded the complexes 4, 5, and 6 as mixtures of two diastereoisomers (a and b). Each diastereoisomer a was, as determined by X-ray analysis, monomeric with a five-coordinated aluminium central core in the solid state, adopting a cis-(O,O) and cis-(Me,Me) ligand geometry. From the results of variable-temperature (VT) H-1 NMR in the temperature range of 220-335 K, H-1-H-1 NOESY at 220 K, and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY), it is concluded that each diastereoisomer b is also monomeric with a five-coordinated aluminium central core.

Studies on the roles of different components in Cyanex 302 for rare earth ions extraction and separation

In this paper, the extractabilities of Cyanex 302 and purified Cyanex 302 (hereafter HBTMPTP or HA) in heptane have been compared by extracting the scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, and gadolinium from hydrochloric acid solutions. The roles of the different components in Cyanex 302 on lanthanum extraction have been analyzed. The result demonstrates that the Cyanex 302 has a higher extractability than HBTMPTP, which perhaps originates from the interaction among the components in Cyanex 302. Especially for R3PO, obviously synergistic effect can be observed in the lower pH range and extraction mechanism of lanthanum using the mixture of HBTMPTP and TOPO has been deduced to be:where (HA)(2) and B denote the dimeric form of HBTMPTP and TOPO, respectively. At the same time, the separation abilities of Cyanex 302 and HBTMPTP on the rare earth elements have been compared. Also, the effect of temperature on the extraction with Cyaenx 302, HBTMPTP and the mixture of HBTMPTP and TOPO has also been discussed with thermodynamic functions Delta H, Delta S, and Delta G calculated.

Infrared and MAS NMR spectroscopic studies of Al18B4O33

The IR spectrum and B-11 and Al-27 MAS NMR spectra of Al18B4O33 are presented and discussed in relation to the possible existence of boron atoms substituting for aluminum atoms. The IR spectrum shows that the strong vibrations of the BO3 groups are present in the 1 500 similar to1 200 cm(-1) region, and very weak bands of BO4 units art present in the region from 1 000 to 1 100 cm(-1). B-11 MAS NMR spectrum indicates that the strong signal for BOB units appears in the region from delta +5 to delta +20, and the very weak signal for BO4 units is at about delta -1, while Al-27 MAS NMR spectrum shows five peaks at about delta +62, +42.1, +14, -4.7 and -6.4, originating from AlO4, AlO4, AlO5, AlO6 and AlO6, respectively, These results reveal that there are minor BO4 units in Al18B4O33, indicating that a small amount of B atoms substitute for Al atoms in the 4-fold coordination.

Synthesis of lanthanide-alkylaluminium bimetallic complexes and studies on their catalytic activities for polymerization of some polar monomers

Three new lanthanide (Ln)-alkylaluminium (Al) bimetallic complexes with the formula [(mu-CF3CO2)(2)Ln(mu-CF3CHO2)AIR(2) . 2THF](2) (Ln = Nd, Y, R=i-C4H9 (i-Bu); Ln=Eu, R=C2H5(Et); THF=tetrahydrofuran) were synthesized by the reaction of Ln(CF,CO,), (Ln=Nd, Y) with HAI (i-Bu)(2) and of Eu(CF3CO2)(3) with AlEt(3), respectively. Their crystal structures were determined by X-ray diffraction at 233 K. [(mu-CF3CO2)(2)Nd (mu-CF3CHO2)Al(i-Bu)(2) . 2THF](2) (Nd-Al) and [(mu-CF3CO2)(2)Y(mu-CF3CHO2)Al(i-Bu)(2) . 2THF](2) (Y-Al) are isomorphous and crystallize in space group bar> with a=12.441(3) Angstrom [12.347(5) Angstrom for Y-Al], b=12.832(3) Angstrom [12.832(4) Angstrom], c=11.334(3) Angstrom [11.292(8) Angstrom], alpha=104.93 (2)degrees [104.45(4)degrees], beta=98.47(2)degrees [98.81(4)degrees], gamma=64.60(2)degrees [64.30(3)degrees], R=0.519 [0.113], R(w)=0.0532 [0.110], Z=1 and [(mu-CF3CO2)(2)Eu(CF3CHO2)AlEt(2) . 2THF](2)(Eu-Al) in space group P2(1)/n with a=11.913(6) Angstrom, b=14.051(9) Angstrom, c=17.920(9) Angstrom, alpha=101.88(11)degrees, beta=gamma=90 degrees, R=0.0509, R(w)=0.0471 and Z=2. The six CF3CO2- (including CF3CHO2-) of each complex, among which pairs are equivalent, coordinated to Ln and Al in three patterns: (A) the two oxygen atoms in one of the three CF3CO2- type coordinated to two different Ln; (B) the two oxygen atoms in the second of CF3CO2- type coordinated to Ln and Al, respectively; (C) one of the two oxygen atoms in the third CF3CO2- type bidentately coordinated to two Ln and another oxygen coordinated to Al and one of the two Ln, respectively. Unlike types A and B, in type C the carboxyl carbon with a hydrogen atom bonded to it was found to appear as an sp(3)-hybridized configuration rather than an sp(2)-one. 1D and 2D NMR results further confirmed the existence of such a disproportionated CF3CHO2- ligand. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and epichlorohydrin (ECH) could be polymerized by Y-Al or Eu-Al as a single-component catalyst and highly syndiotactic poly(MMA) was obtained. THF could also be polymerized by Y-Al in the presence of a small amount of ECH.

MOLECULAR CHARACTERISTICS AND CRYSTALLINE-STRUCTURE OF ETHYLENE-DIMETHYLAMINOETHYL-METHACRYLATE COPOLYMERS

The relationship between molecular and crystalline structural characteristics of the ethylene -dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate copolymers (EDAM) was investigated and related to melt flow index MI and average gross content of DAM comonomer, in comparison with low density polyethylene (LDPE) produced by the common high-pressure radical polymerization process. Although the average molecular weight and its distribution are influenced predominantly by the polymerization conditions, DAM-content seems not to depend significantly on molecular weight according to the GPC-FT/IR measurement. Comonomer sequence distributions were determined quantitatively with the C-13-NMR spectra entirely assigned by DEPT and H-1-C-13 COSY techniques. The result suggests the alternating copolymerization tendency and surprisingly coincides with the simulation out-puts based on the assumption of continuous complete mixing reactor model, using Mayo-Lewis equation and the same Q-e values as previously reported on different types of copolymers such as EVA and St.DAM (VA;vinylacetate, St;styrene). It was confirmed by WAXD and SAXS analyses that the crystallinity X(c) and the thickness of lamellar crystal l(c) decreased with increasing DAM-content, whereas the a-lattice and b-lattice dimensions enlarged. X(c) and l(c) can definitely be correlated to the heats of fusion and crystallization measured by DSC. The average size of spherulites measured with light scattering photometry tends to be enlarged with decreasing molecular weight (increasing MI) and DAM-content.

Characterization and mapping of expressed sequence tags isolated from a subtracted cDNA library of Litopenaeus vannamei injected with white spot syndrome virus

A large number of polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or microsatellites are needed to develop a genetic map for shrimp. However, developing an SSR map is very time-consuming, expensive, and most SSRs are not specifically linked to gene loci of immediate interest. We report here on our strategy to develop polymorphic markers using expressed sequence tags (ESTs) by designing primers flanking single or multiple SSRs with three or more repeats. A subtracted cDNA library was prepared using RNA from specific pathogen-free (SPF) Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles (similar to 1 g) collected before (0) and after (48 h) inoculation with the China isolate of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). A total of 224 clones were sequenced, 194 of which were useful for homology comparisons against annotated genes in NCBI nonredundant (nr) and protein databases, providing 179 sequences encoded by nuclear DNA, 4 mitochondrial DNA, and 11 were similar to portions of WSSV genome. The nuclear sequences clustered in 43 groups, 11 of which were homologous to various ESTs of unknown function, 4 had no homology to any sequence, and 28 showed similarities to known genes of invertebrates and vertebrates, representatives of cellular metabolic processes such as calcium ion balance, cytoskeleton mRNAs, and protein synthesis. A few sequences were homologous to immune system-related (allergens) genes and two were similar to motifs of the sex-lethal gene of Drosophila. A large number of EST sequences were similar to domains of the EF-hand superfamily (Ca2+ binding motif and FRQ protein domain of myosin light chains). Single or multiple SSRs with three or more repeats were found in approximately 61 % of the 179 nuclear sequences. Primer sets were designed from 28 sequences representing 19 known or putative genes and tested for polymorphism (EST-SSR marker) in a small test panel containing 16 individuals. Ten (53%) of the 19 putative or unknown function genes were polymorphic, 4 monomorphic, and 3 either failed to satisfactorily amplify genomic DNA or the allele amplification conditions need to be further optimized. Five polymorphic ESTs were genotyped with the entire reference mapping family, two of them (actin, accession #CX535973 and shrimp allergen arginine kinase, accession #CX535999) did not amplify with all offspring of the IRMF panel suggesting presence of null alleles, and three of them amplified in most of the IRM F offspring and were used for linkage analysis. EF-hand motif of myosin light chain (accession #CX535935) was placed in ShrimpMap's linkage group 7, whereas ribosomal protein S5 (accession #CX535957) and troponin I (accession #CX535976) remained unassigned. Results indicate that (a) a large number of ESTs isolated from this cDNA library are similar to cytoskeleton mRNAs and may reflect a normal pathway of the cellular response after im infection with WSSV, and (b) primers flanking single or multiple SSRs with three or more repeats from shrimp ESTs could be an efficient approach to develop polymorphic markers useful for linkage mapping. Work is underway to map additional SSR-containing ESTs from this and other cDNA libraries as a plausible strategy to increase marker density in ShrimpMap.