Determination of erythrocyte pyrimidine 5′-nucleotidase activity by31P nuclear magnetic resonance: Comparison of normal controls and multiple sclerosis patients

Summary A technique to assay erythrocyte pyrimidine 5-nucleotidase activity in situ using³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is presented. The assay is chemically specific, simple and applicable to untreated lysates. A comparison of enzyme levels in normal controls and in multiple sclerosis patients employing the assay yielded no significant differences between both groups. Difficulties encountered in the quantitative analysis of the assay using¹H-NMR spectroscopy are briefly discussed.     

Molt-induced muscle atrophy decreases the zinc content of the pectoralis of the Giant Canada Goose (Branta canadensis maxima)

Summary During molt-induced atrophy of the pectoralis muscle of the Giant Canada Goose (Branta canadensis maxima), the zinc content of the muscle was significantly reduced (p0.0139), though the concentration of zinc per unit weight of muscle appeared higher (p0.0232). Zinc lost from the muscle during molt could be utilized for growth of the new flight feathers.Acknowledgments. Funds for this study were obtained from an operating grant awarded to J. C. G. by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Suitability of urethane anesthesia for physiopharmacological investigations in various systems Part 1: General considerations

Summary The suitability of urethane anesthesia for physiopharmacological investigations is reviewed. Total dose administered and route of administration are recognized as factors having a great influence on both resting parameters and biological responses to drugs. A peculiar characteristic of urethane is represented by its ability to induce a surgical plane of anesthesia without affecting neurotransmission in various subcortical areas and the peripheral nervous system. This makes urethane a suitable general anesthetic for studying neural function in both central and peripheral nervous systems and accounts for the preservation of a number of reflex responses in urethane-anesthetized animals.     

Juvenile hormone titre and regulation in the cockroachDiploptera punctata

Summary Titres of juvenile hormone (JH) have been determined in both hemolymph and whole body extracts of femaleDiploptera punctata during the first gonotrophic cycle using a method employing gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for qualitative and quantitative analysis. JH III is the sole JH found in both adult and last instarD. punctata. Maximum values of 1500 ng/ml (6M) were observed at the middle of the gonotrophic cycle, when basal oocyte growth rate was greatest. Changes in rates of JH release in vitro by corpora allata paralleled closely the changes in JH titre, suggesting that biosynthesis is a major regulator of titre. JH levels per animal were calculated from observed JH titres, and at certain time points in the gonotrophic cycle JH levels obtained from analysis of whole bodies were significantly greater than those predicted from hemolymph titres. These results suggest the existence of a nonhemolymph JH pool inD. punctata. Decay in JH titre after allatectomy of 5 day females has also been studied. Following a rapid initial decline, the rate of decay slowed appreciably 4 h post-operation. Thus, use of a first-order rate constant to estimate half-life of JH significantly underestimated the longevity of the hormone. The apparent persistence of JH following allatectomy may be due to the existence of a nonhemolymph JH pool.     

Perennial N2 supersaturation in an Antarctic lake

The dry valleys of southern Victoria Land in Antarctica contain several closed basins in which perennially ice-covered lakes are found. One of the most unusual features of these lakes is the occurrence of high O2 concentrations in the water column; values ranging from slightly more than saturation to more than four times saturation have been reported. Recently, we considered a bulk O2 budget for Lake Hoare, Antarctica, which led us to suggest that biological processes alone were not sufficient to explain the observed elevated oxygen levels. Consequently, there must be a non-biological source of O2. We suggested that this source results from the exclusion of O2 during the freezing of aerated meltstream water at the bottom of the ice cover, and predicted that this physical mechanism should also enhance the other atmospheric gases. Here we report the results of a study which, for the first time, documents the supersaturation of N2 in a lake. Dissolved N2 levels of 145% and 163% were determined from samples taken just below the ice cover and at a depth of 12 m, respectively. The relatively importance of biological and abiological sources is reflected in the ratio of N2 concentration to O2 concentration. In Lake Hoare this ratio was 1.20 at ice/water interface and 1.05 at 12 m; considerably different from the ratio in equilibrium with air (approximately 1.8). Based on these results, we have determined that about half of the net O2 production in the lake is the result of biological processes.     

用爆炸波起爆癸烷云雾的两种模式

用垂直激波管研究了400μm癸烷液滴与空气混合物的爆炸波起爆。每种混合物有两个极限起爆能值,即高值Ecu,和低值Ecl。当起爆能的值高于Ecu时,观察到100%发生爆轰;而当其低于Ecl时,就不会发生爆轰。有趣的是,当起爆能水平在Ecu和Ecl之间时观察到对应于不同的起爆能水平有不同的起爆行为。如实验结果所表明的,爆轰的激发不仅是由于直接起爆,而且也由于“爆燃”到爆轰的转变。     

Binding of 11-cis retinaldehyde to the partially purified cellular retinaldehyde binding protein from bovine retinal pigment epithelium

Summary 11-cis retinaldehyde binding analysis was performed on a bovine retinal pigment epithelium preparation of cellular retinaldehyde binding protein (CRALBP), whose purity degree was estimated as 75%. Equilibrium binding studies were carried out measuring the replacement of tritium-labeled with unlabeled 11-cis retinaldehyde at 25°C. Analysis of the experimental data both by a direct curve-fitting procedure utilizing a non linear least square regression analysis and by a conventional Scatchard plot revealed a single non-interacting binding site with an apparent equilibrium constant of 0.9×10^–7 M.A binding stoichiometry of approximately 1 mol of 11-cis retinaldehyde/mol of binding protein can be calculated from the experimental data. Competition studies carried out in the presence of unlabeled trans and cis isomers of Vitamin A derivatives confirm the high degree of specificity of the 11-cis retinaldehyde binding.     

盾构隧道围岩与衬砌协同作用纵向位移计算法

盾构机掘进过程中,千斤顶顶进力的不均匀引起的纵向位移是管片间初始错台的主要原因之一;基于Timoshenko梁理论的隧道纵向位移计算方法,未能考虑隧道开挖后围岩卸载破坏的变形特征及围岩与衬砌结构的协同作用效应,预测误差较大。建立了考虑围岩卸载扩容效应的等效地基抗力系数计算方法,提出了能考虑螺栓个数的等效抗剪刚度计算公式,建立一种基于Timoshenko梁理论的改进管片拼装式隧道纵向位移理论计算方法。实际工程案例分析表明：考虑围岩开挖卸载过程中围岩的非线性体积相关塑性变形（即扩容效应）更合理;考虑壁后注浆液固化过程的时效性,采用改进的滑移边界条件计算的纵向位移最大值是传统的固定端边界的计算值的2.3倍,边界条件对计算结果影响较大,本文计算方法更符合实际情况,也更安全。     

基于梯度加权类激活热力图的卷积神经网络故障诊断模型鲁棒性分析

深度学习近年来在故障诊断领域受到广泛应用,但基于深度学习的故障诊断模型缺乏工程上的物理解释性,难以保证其故障诊断结果的稳定性。以轴承为例,建立了以小波时频图像为故障诊断依据的卷积神经网络模型(convolutional neural network, CNN),提出了一种基于梯度加权类激活热力图(gradient-weighted class activation map, Grad-CAM)的网络模型鲁棒性分析方法,并利用美国凯斯西储大学(Case Western Reserve University, CWRU)轴承数据集进行验证。首先,将故障直径轴承数据以不同方式混合并训练大、小多个模型。其次,利用Grad-CAM方法,建立时频区域与故障模式之间的联系。最后,利用其他工况下的轴承故障数据,以及含噪数据进行测试,并根据结果结合模型最注重的时频区域进行分析。结果表明,基于深度学习的轴承故障诊断模型在参数较少时更加注重低频区域,并能使其具有更好的鲁棒性。