Acetaldehyde oxidation inDrosophila null-mutants for alcohol dehydrogenase

Summary Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity is demonstrated in four strains ofD. melanogaster lacking active alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH-null mutants). In the four strains, ALDH activities are similar to those found in a wild strain. It is concluded that ADH-null flies are able to detoxify acetaldehyde. This finding is discussed in relation with the dual function of ADH proposed recently.This work was supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC 6920) to Dr F. Garcin.     

Effect of cortisone or triiodothyronine administration to pregnant rats on lysosomal hydrolases in fetal forebrain and cerebellum

Summary Triiodothyronine injected daily to pregnant rats for the last week of gestation (50 g/100 g b.wt) increased the specific activities of 5 acid glycosidases in the fetal forebrain and cerebellum. Cortisone (50 mg/100 g b.wt) administered in the same period had no effect on cerebellum acid hydrolases, but decreased their activity in the forebrain.Supported by grant No. HD 08536 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.     

Pycnogenol enhances immune and haemopoietic functions in senescence-accelerated mice

Pycnogenol (procyanidin extracted from Pinus maritima) has been shown to be a potent free radical scavenger and an antioxidant phytochemical. The effects of pycnogenol on immune and haemopoietic dysfunction in senescence-accelerated mice (SAM), as a murine model of accelerated ageing, were determined. SAMP8, a strain of senile-prone mice, exhibit learning and memory deficits, immunodeficiency and dysfunction of the haemopoietic system. Oral feeding with pycnogenol for 2 months significantly improved their T- and B-cell function. Pycnogenol also augmented the proliferative capacity of haemopoietic progenitors of bone marrow in SAMP8. These data suggest that pycnogenol may be useful for either retardation or restoration of parameters associated with ageing. Received 3 July 1998; accepted 28 July 1998     

渤海湾盆地早第三纪构造样式与油气藏的关系

渤海湾盆地早第三纪构造样式可归结为５种基本类型和３个演化序列。研究结果表明,构造样式及其演化控制着烃源岩的发育,决定着油气藏的类型和展布,制约着含油气系统的范围。综合考虑含油气系统的各个要素,在渤海湾盆地可划分出６个大的含油气系统,分别位于各个坳陷中,并受坳陷的限制。进一步考虑坳陷内凸起构造单元的分割作用,可划分出１３个小的含油气系统。     

临清坳陷莘县凹陷油气勘探远景评价

对莘县凹陷的构造、沉积、盆地模拟及油气勘探远景等进行了深入研究。结果表明,该凹陷具有浅、中、深３个勘探层次,浅层馆陶组和沙一段以储集次生油及低成熟油气为主;中层沙二段、沙三段以自生自储型油藏为主;深层孔二段以储集高成熟油气、石炭－二迭系以煤成气为主。此地区有着极广阔的勘探远景。     

松辽盆地南部低渗透砂岩储层裂缝特征及其对油田开发的影响

松辽盆地南部的低渗透砂岩储层中普遍存在受断层和沉积微相控制的４组高角度构造裂缝,其中以近东西向裂缝渗透性最好,北西向和北东向两组裂缝对储层中流体的渗流也起着相当重要作用,这３组裂缝是油田开发井网布置时应考虑的主要因素。在泥岩夹层中,除了高角度构造裂缝外,还发育有低角度顺层滑脱裂缝,因此,该区泥岩的吸水能力普遍较强,对注水效果有重要影响,因而在注水时应严格控制注入压力。     

神经网络在CB油田储层预测和储层厚度计算中的应用

根据ＣＢ油田的特点提出了利用神经网络进行储层预测和计算地层厚度的方法。将传统的储层预测方法与人工神经网络相结合，能较好地解决ＣＢ油田的储层预测问题。利用神经网络的非线性映射特点实现了地震特征与地层厚度之间的映射，从而可以准确地求取地层厚度。用该方法设计了２口探井，实际钻井结果表明，这种方法的预测结果准确、可靠。     

Utilizing Statistical Semantic Similarity Techniques for Ontology Mapping——with Applications to AEC Standard Models

The objective of this paper is to introduce three semi-automated approaches for ontology mapping using relatedness analysis techniques. In the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, there exist a number of ontological standards to describe the semantics of building models. Although the standards share similar scopes of interest, the task of comparing and mapping concepts among standards is challenging due to their differences in terminologies and perspectives. Ontology mapping is therefore necessary to achieve information interoperability, which allows two or more information sources to exchange data and to re-use the data for further purposes. The attribute-based approach, corpus-based approach, and name-based approach presented in this paper adopt the statistical relatedness analysis techniques to discover related concepts from heterogeneous ontologies. A pilot study is conducted on IFC and CIS/2 ontologies to evaluate the approaches. Preliminary results show that the attribute-based approach outperforms the other two approaches in terms of precision and F-measure.     

A cytosolic catalase is needed to extend adult lifespan in C. elegans daf-C and clk-1 mutants.

The dauer larva is an alternative larval stage in Caenorhabditis elegans which allows animals to survive through periods of low food availability. Well-fed worms live for about three weeks, but dauer larvae can live for at least two months without affecting post-dauer lifespan. Mutations in daf-2 and age-1, which produce a dauer constitutive (Daf-C) phenotype, and in clk-1, which are believed to slow metabolism, markedly increase adult lifespan. Here we show that a ctl-1 mutation reduces adult lifespan in otherwise wild-type animals and eliminates the daf-c and clk-1-mediated extension of adult lifespan. ctl-1 encodes an unusual cytosolic catalase; a second gene, ctl-2, encodes a peroxisomal catalase. ctl-1 messenger RNA is increased in dauer larvae and adults with the daf-c mutations. We suggest that the ctl-1 catalase is needed during periods of starvation, as in the dauer larva, and that its misexpression in daf-c and clk-1 adults extends lifespan. Cytosolic catalase may have evolved to protect nematodes from oxidative damage produced during prolonged dormancy before reproductive maturity, or it may represent a general mechanism for permitting organisms to cope with the metabolic changes that accompany starvation.     

Sequence analysis of peptides with biological activities using electrospray-Fourier trans form ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The mass spectra of five peptides with biological activities are reported. All mass spectra were recorded using a 4.7-T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer equipped with an external electrospray source. The accurate molecular weights for the five peptides prepared by solid phase synthesis were measured as 1765.9013, 1063.5420, 1092.5254, 820.3804 and 1078.5193, respectively. All the data were obtained with the external calibration. Differences between observed and theoretical monoisotopic molecular weights were in the (0.2—1.0)×10^-6 range. The complete primary sequence for the five polypeptides were determined using the method of in-source electrospray ionization/collision induced dissociation (ESI/CID). All the intact y series ions and b series ions were obtained from various peptides respectively, thus determining the sequences of the five polypeptides. We found that the measured accurate molecular mass of sample 4 was not in agreement with that expected from the planned synthetic peptide. The sequences of sample 4 were determined through analysis. The corresponding accurate masses of b series ions and y series ions were gained, which proved that it was correct to re-determine the sequences.