Evolution of the polarization of the optical afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB030329

The association of a supernova with GRB030329 strongly supports the 'collapsar' model of gamma-ray bursts, where a relativistic jet forms after the progenitor star collapses. Such jets cannot be spatially resolved because gamma-ray bursts lie at cosmological distances; their existence is instead inferred from 'breaks' in the light curves of the afterglows, and from the theoretical desire to reduce the estimated total energy of the burst by proposing that most of it comes out in narrow beams. Temporal evolution of the polarization of the afterglows may provide independent evidence for the jet structure of the relativistic outflow. Small-level polarization ( approximately 1-3 per cent) has been reported for a few bursts, but its temporal evolution has yet to be established. Here we report polarimetric observations of the afterglow of GRB030329. We establish the polarization light curve, detect sustained polarization at the per cent level, and find significant variability. The data imply that the afterglow magnetic field has a small coherence length and is mostly random, probably generated by turbulence, in contrast with the picture arising from the high polarization detected in the prompt gamma-rays from GRB021206 (ref. 18).     

CARD15 mutations in Blau syndrome

Lack of a maternal contribution to the genome at the imprinted domain on proximal chromosome 15 causes Angelman syndrome (AS) associated with neurobehavioral anomalies that include severe mental retardation, ataxia and epilepsy. Although AS patients have infrequent mutations in the gene encoding an E6-AP ubiquitin ligase required for long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP), most cases are attributed to de novo maternal deletions of 15q11-q13. We report here that a novel maternally expressed gene, ATP10C, maps within the most common interval of deletion and that ATP10C expression is virtually absent from AS patients with imprinting mutations, as well as from patients with maternal deletions of 15q11-q13.     

Crystalline ion beams

By freezing out the motion between particles in a high-energy storage ring, it should be possible to create threads of ions, offering research opportunities beyond the realm of standard accelerator physics. The usual heating due to intra-beam collisions should completely vanish, giving rise to a state of unprecedented brilliance. Despite a continuous improvement of beam cooling techniques, such as electron cooling and laser cooling, the ultimate goal of beam crystallization has not yet been reached in high-energy storage rings. Electron-cooled dilute beams of highly charged ions show liquid-like order with unique applications. An experiment using laser cooling suggested a reduction of intra-beam heating, although the results were ambiguous. Here we demonstrate the crystallization of laser-cooled Mg+ beams circulating in the radiofrequency quadrupole storage ring PALLAS at a velocity of 2,800 m s-1, which corresponds to a beam energy of 1 eV. A sudden collapse of the transverse beam size and the low longitudinal velocity spread clearly indicate the phase transition. The continuous ring-shaped crystalline beam shows exceptional stability, surviving for more than 3,000 revolutions without cooling.     

Interaction of sulfonylurea with the pancreatic B-cell

Conclusions Sulfonylureas have a variety of effects on pancreatic B-cells. In the present review an attempt has been made to identify those that appear fundamental from a mechanistic point of view and in that sense common to all hypoglycemic drugs tested. On several points the available able experimental information is limited. With this reservation in mind, the following general hypothesis is presented for the insulin-releasing action of this class of drugs. Hypoglycemic sulfonylureas and related [(acylamino)alkyl]benzoic acids bind to the B-cell plasma membrane, a step in which hydrophobic anchoring is essential. Dissociated acidic COOH or SO₂NHCO groups in the drugs are thus presented to an ion-gating protein in the plasma membrane, possibly in the vicinity of a pair of sulfur atoms. The reduced state of these sulfurs is promoted, preventing the formation of a disulfide bridge. K⁺ permeability is thereby decreased, favoring depolarization of the B-cell and Ca²⁺ influx through voltage-dependent channels. Finally, Ca²⁺ triggers the physiological apparatus for discharge of the insulin secretory granules. The effect of this insulinreleasing signal chain is amplified by cyclic AMP which increases in the B-cell as a consequence of depolarization and Ca²⁺ influx. This hypothesis does not attribute an ionophoretic role to the sulfonylureas per sebecause various experiments with cells and artificial membrane systems render such an idea apparently less tenable.     

Isolation and some properties of the heparin-neutralizing factor (PF4) released from human blood platelets

Zusammenfassung Der in Form eines hochmolekularen Komplexes von den Plättchen freigesetzte, heparinneutralisierende Faktor (PF 4) konnte reversibel in ein Träger-Material und ein aktives Protein (Molekulargewicht ca. 30000) aufgespalten werden.

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This work was supported by the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung.     

Drosophila enzyme-genetics: A table

Summary A method for the vacuum distillation of microgram amounts of substances is described.     

Effect of cerium on drug metabolizing activity in rat liver

Zusammenfassung Es wird gezeigt, dass i.v. injiziertes Cerium (2 mg/kg) eine hemmende Wirkung auf den Stoffwechsel von Arzneien in der Rattenleber hat.