阻尼测量的数据处理和精度分析

本文提出了一种用曲线拟合的方法来处理由自由衰减振动阻尼测量得到的数据,并与对数减缩法作了比较,为了确定二种方法的精度和影响估计值误差的因素,在不同阻尼和噪声条件下进行了计算机模拟计算和给出了估计结果。结果表明,大多数条件下曲线拟合法比对数减缩法精确得多,以及对实际中最常遇见的阻尼值和信噪比,最佳估计的数据最优点数为20。     

《哈姆雷特》引论

属于一切时代的戏剧《啥姆雷特》写于16世纪末,是莎士比亚“四大悲剧”中的第一个。《奥瑟罗》、《麦克白》和《李尔王》那时还没有问世。每一个都是真正的杰作,可是,始终表现为这位剧作家的最惊人的成就的,是《哈姆雷特》。350多年来,在莎士比亚的所有戏剧里,这个剧本一直最受欢迎,最经常演出,最有人研究,也最令人困惑。《哈姆雷特》最早以一种原文有所损害的本子出版于1603年,当时正是文艺复兴的高     

踏上火星(上)

迪克和其他宇航员踏上了火星。他在这里遇见了“特维尔”,一种酷似驼鸟的高等生物。共同的经历和冒险使迪克认识到“特维尔”不仅聪明,而且心地善良。 众所周知,现代航天技术已打碎了所谓“火星人”的神话,可人类不相信自己会那么孤独,依然一脚踏着科学,一脚踏着幻想,在作永恒的寻找。     

在孟加拉国腹泻儿童中很少查出肠结肠炎耶尔辛氏菌

肠结肠炎耶尔辛氏致病菌,已被确认为腹泻和类似阑尾炎综合症的病原。在欧洲和美国虽然巳报导了许多耶尔辛氏菌病例,但在热带腹泻疾病中其作用一直没有正确的估价。在孟加拉国早期的调查中,有一份报告宣称无耶尔辛氏菌;而另一报道显示从死于腹泻的患者分离出一株肠结肠炎耶尔辛氏菌血清O:7,8型菌株。本文的目的是进一步探讨关于热带地区,患腹泻和类似阑尾炎综合症患者耶尔辛氏菌的感染率。 在9个月期间(1984年1—9月),于达卡的国际腹泻疾病研究中心(ICDDR,B),孟加拉医院就诊的病人中采集了1450份大便标本。选择对象为7岁以下体检或病史证明有发热和腹泻的儿童。在这个医院对80例死于腹泻进行尸解的病人中,采集了小肠和结肠的内容物。另在达卡的一个教会医院阑尾切除术中收集的31份阑尾标本也进行了检验。把每一份稀大便或小肠内容物放入蛋白胨水中,将标本的一部分用碱处理后,在选择琼脂培养基或麦凯康氏     

An immunohistochemical study of the clearance of apoptotic cellular fragments

We investigated the distribution and fate of apoptotic bodies during human development and in the adult, using an antibody (M30) that recognizes a neo-epitope formed early in the apoptotic cascade by caspase cleavage of cytokeratin 18. In the fetus, we found extensive accumulation of M30-positive, non-phagocytosed fragments in the red pulp of the spleen, subcutaneous and submucosal vessels, the interstitium of the lung, and the glomerular mesangium of the kidneys. In the liver, M30-immunoreactive fragments were found inside macrophages in the sinusoids. The number of these fragments and the intensity of the immunostaining increased with the gestational age of the fetus. In the adult, M30-positive fragments were barely detectable in normal tissues. However, many pathological situations, including both chronic degenerative processes and metastatic cancer, were associated with accumulation of M30-positive fragments in the red pulp of the spleen. In the liver and kidney, no fragments could be detected. Remarkably, 13 of the 16 patients with metastasized cancer showed pronounced accumulation of M30-positive fragments containing hematoxylin-reactive material in the red pulp of the spleen. In the non-cancerous cases, such DNA-containing fragments were only seen in 9 of 94 cases. The results show that when apoptotic activity is high, as during development in the fetus or during metastasis and other pathological processes in the adult, the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic bodies can be overloaded. These apoptotic fragments then accumulate in the spleen. The visual detection of apoptotic fragments is concluded to reflect increased cell turnover. Received 1 July 2002; accepted 1 July 2002     

Identification and characterisation of two allelic forms of human alcohol dehydrogenase 2

The human alcohol dehydrogenase system is comprised of multiple forms that catalyse the oxidation/reduction of a large variety of alcohols and aldehydes. A transition that results in an Ile308Val substitution was identified in the human ADH2 gene by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis. Screening a Swedish population revealed that Val308 was the most frequent allele (73%), and site-directed mutagenesis was used to obtain both allelozymes, which were expressed in Escherichia coli for characterisation. Thermostability was assayed by activity measurements and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The results showed that the 308Val substitution decreases protein stability, as compared to the Ile308 variant, an effect also demonstrated during prolonged storage. Ethanol, octanol, 12-hydroxydodecanoic acid and all-trans retinol were used as model substrates and, generally, slightly higher Km values were observed with Val at position 308. Finally, homology modelling, from mouse ADH2, further supported the decreased stability of the Val308 variant and located position 308 in the subunit interface of the molecule and in the vicinity of the active-site pocket entrance. In conclusion, the Ile308Val substitution represents a novel functional polymorphism within the human alcohol dehydrogenase gene cluster that may affect the metabolism of ethanol and other substrates.     

Protein kinases mediate nitric oxide-induced apoptosis in the insect cell line IPLB-LdFB

The involvement of protein kinases (PKA, PKC and PKB) in nitric oxide (NO)-induced apoptosis with sodium nitroprusside plus N-acetyl-L-cysteine in the IPLB-LdFB cell line from the insect Lymantria dispar was investigated. The presence of protein kinase-like molecules was demonstrated by western blot analysis. The role of the kinases in programmed cell death was analysed in cytofluorimetric experiments by incubating the insect cells with H-89 (a specific inhibitor of PKA), calphostin C (an inhibitor of PKC) or wortmannin (an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase). The results show that PKA is correlated with the induction and PKC and PKB with the prevention of NO-induced insect cell death. Moreover, NO-induced apoptosis involves the release of cytochrome c. Received 15 March 2002; accepted 25 March 2002     

RAGE is a multiligand receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily: implications for homeostasis and chronic disease

Receptor for AGE (RAGE) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that engages distinct classes of ligands. The biology of RAGE is driven by the settings in which these ligands accumulate, such as diabetes, inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders and tumors. In this review, we discuss the context of each of these classes of ligands, including advance glycation end-products, amyloid beta peptide and the family of beta sheet fibrils, S100/calgranulins and amphoterin. Implications for the role of these ligands interacting with RAGE in homeostasis and disease will be considered.     

Morphine 6 glucuronide stimulates nitric oxide release in mussel neural tissues: evidence for a morphine 6 glucuronide opiate receptor subtype

We have previously demonstrated that Mytilus edulis pedal ganglia contain opiate alkaloids, i.e., morphine and morphine 6 glucuronide (M6G), as well as mu opiate receptor subtype fragments exhibiting high sequence similarity to those found in mammals. Now we demonstrate that M6G stimulates pedal ganglia constitutive nitric oxide (NO) synthase (cNOS)-derived NO release at identical concentrations and to similar peak levels as morphine. However, the classic opiate antagonist, naloxone, only blocked the ability of morphine to stimulate cNOS-derived NO release and not that of M6G. CTOP, a mu-specific antagonist, blocked the ability of M6G to induce cNOS-derived NO release as well as that of morphine, suggesting that a novel mu opiate receptor was present and selective toward M6G. In examining a receptor displacement analysis, both opiate alkaloids displaced [³H]-dihydromorphine binding to the mu opiate receptor subtype. However, morphine exhibited a twofold higher affinity, again suggesting that a novel mu opiate receptor may be present. Received 1 November 2001; received after revision 1 February 2002; accepted 1 February 2002