Composition and functional role of the mucus layers in the intestine

In discussions on intestinal protection, the protective capacity of mucus has not been very much considered. The progress in the last years in understanding the molecular nature of mucins, the main building blocks of mucus, has, however, changed this. The intestinal enterocytes have their apical surfaces covered by transmembrane mucins and the whole intestinal surface is further covered by mucus, built around the gel-forming mucin MUC2. The mucus of the small intestine has only one layer, whereas the large intestine has a two-layered mucus where the inner, attached layer has a protective function for the intestine, as it is impermeable to the luminal bacteria.     

Biosynthesis of the bufadienolide marinobufagin in toadsBufo paracnemis from cholesterol-20-14C

Zusammenfassung Der biogenetische Ursprung des Marinobufagins in KrötenBufo paracnemis wurde durch Injektion von Cholesterol-20-¹⁴C nachgewiesen. Durch Abbau wurde festgestellt, dass die Gesamtaktivität des Produktes im C-20 des Marinobufagins enthalten ist.     

Energetics and the evolution of human brain size

The human brain stands out among mammals by being unusually large. The expensive-tissue hypothesis explains its evolution by proposing a trade-off between the size of the brain and that of the digestive tract, which is smaller than expected for a primate of our body size. Although this hypothesis is widely accepted, empirical support so far has been equivocal. Here we test it in a sample of 100 mammalian species, including 23 primates, by analysing brain size and organ mass data. We found that, controlling for fat-free body mass, brain size is not negatively correlated with the mass of the digestive tract or any other expensive organ, thus refuting the expensive-tissue hypothesis. Nonetheless, consistent with the existence of energy trade-offs with brain size, we find that the size of brains and adipose depots are negatively correlated in mammals, indicating that encephalization and fat storage are compensatory strategies to buffer against starvation. However, these two strategies can be combined if fat storage does not unduly hamper locomotor efficiency. We propose that human encephalization was made possible by a combination of stabilization of energy inputs and a redirection of energy from locomotion, growth and reproduction.     

碳纤维表面处理及其复合材料界面优化的研究Ⅳ．等离子处理对于碳纤维表面官能团的影响

利用二苯基苦基肼分析法发现，等离子处理后碳纤维表面上将产生２～６个／ｎｍ￣２游离基．它们会在３０ｈ内转化成其它基团，再复转为酚羟基后慢慢消失．等离子处理的作用－方面可导致游离基或介稳基团的产生，另一方面又不断消除它们．提高处理功率或延长处理时间在一定程度上有利于基团的形成，但超过一定限度后反会适得其反．利用等离子处理产生的游离基可使碳纤维在参与乙烯基单体聚合时，产生接枝聚合分子链．