Ecdysone 20-hydroxylase from the midgut of the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta L.)

Summary An ecdysone 20-hydroxylase enzyme system that converts -ecdysone to 20-hydroxyecdysone was prepared from the midgut of the tobacco hornworm prepupa. This partially purified enzyme is NADPH dependent and is localized in the mitochondrial fraction of the midgut tissue.     

Effect of air ionization on blood serotonin in vitro

Summary The effect of negative and positive air ionisation on siliconized blood serotonin was studied in vitro. The experiments showed that within 10 min positive ionisation increased serotonin levels in total blood (+40%), plasma (+90%), erythrocytes (+50%) and thrombocytes (+200%). On the other hand, negative ionization (10 min) lowered the serotonin content of total blood (–30%), plasma (–42.5%), erythrocytes (–41.7%) and thrombocytes (–72.3%), thus confirming the Krueger Effect in vitro.This research was generously supported by a grant from the Joint Research Fund of the Hebrew University and Hadassah, and Dr. and Mrs.Leonard Appleby of Palmbeach, Florida.Acknowledgment: Our thanks are due to Mr.B. Shalita, Mrs.Zippora Adar and Mrs.Olga Fradkin for devoted technical assistance.     

Forecasting in the presence of level shifts

This article addresses the problem of forecasting time series that are subject to level shifts. Processes with level shifts possess a nonlinear dependence structure. Using the stochastic permanent breaks (STOPBREAK) model, I model this nonlinearity in a direct and flexible way that avoids imposing a discrete regime structure. I apply this model to the rate of price inflation in the United States, which I show is subject to level shifts. These shifts significantly affect the accuracy of out‐of‐sample forecasts, causing models that assume covariance stationarity to be substantially biased. Models that do not assume covariance stationarity, such as the random walk, are unbiased but lack precision in periods without shifts. I show that the STOPBREAK model outperforms several alternative models in an out‐of‐sample inflation forecasting experiment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

嗜热乳酸杆菌T-1发酵特性的研究

对产L-乳酸的一株细菌T-1进行了营养缺陷型的初步鉴定，并对其发酵特性进行了研究?初步鉴定出蛋白胨中的某些物质是它的生长因子。培养基中加入蛋白胨后，在同样时间下比不加蛋白胨时菌体量明显增长；蛋白胨含量为15g／L时，发酵L-乳酸产量达到85．0g／L，比不加蛋白胨时的产量提高了48％；转化率为81．0％，比不加蛋白胨时的转化率提高了25％，从其发酵特性试验得出了T-1的最适发酵条件。发酵液中L乳酸的纯度为99．396。     

^210Pbex depth distribution in soil and calibration models for assessment of soil erosion rates from ^210Pbex measurements

Throughout the past decade, the potential for using nuclear weapon-produced 137Cs ( half-life 30.2 a) fallout to quantify soil erosion rates on both cultivated and uncul- tivated lands for medium-term timescales (≈ 40 a) has been successfully demonstrated in a wide range of envi- ronments in different regions of the world[1—6]. Because in difficulties of distinguishing Chernobyl-derived compo- nent from total 137Cs input in many parts of Europe, and in measuring low activity samples of…     

Structural and Chemical Diversity of TI-Based Cuprate Superconductors

The first TI一based euprate supereonduetor,TI一Ba-Cu一(),was diseovered by 2.2.Sheng and A.M.Hermann仁1〕. TI beeomes supereondueting at 2.38 K.NumerousTI eompounds and alloys are supereondueting.TIMo6Ses has the highest transition temperature of1 2.2 K among all non一euprate Tl eontaining alloyand eompound supereonduetors.Before thediseovery of the euprate supereonduetors,some TIeontaining oxide supereonduetors were found,among whieh TI。.3W()3 has the highest transitiontemPerature,2.14 K. Sinee the diseovery of TI euPratesuPereonduetors,two distinet families have beenidentified.Soon after the diseovery of TI一Ba一Cu-(),supereonduetivity was eonfirmed in TI一Ba一Ca-Cu一()samples.The ehemieal eompositions anderystal struetures of those eompounds were workedout as T12BaZCu()6,T12BaZCaCuZ()。,andT12BaZCaZCu3OI。[2〕.This 15 the first family of TIeuPrate supereonduetors,whieh features two TIatoms in eaeh ehemieal formula.     

高速弧齿锥齿轮动频计算

建立了旋转轮盘动力学模型，提出了基于刚度矩阵的离心刚度矩阵修正了模式下的动频求解有限元法，实现了弧齿锥齿传频的数值求解，数值计算与实测值基本一致且由算例得出结论，旋转效应对低阶模态，节径型振型影响较大，本算法对旋转轮盘类的动频计算具有通用性。     

Antioxidant survey to assess antagonism to redox stress using a prokaryotic and an eukaryotic system

Using a prokaryote (Escherichia coli) and a metazoa-resembling eukaryote (Ochromonas danica), we surveyed antioxidants which might overcome redox stress imposed by menadione sodium bisulphite (MD) and buthionine sulphoximine (BSO). BSO oxidant stress was evident only inO. danica; MD oxidant stress was evident in both organisms. Glutathione, its precursors, e.g. cysteine, homocysteine, and 2-oxo-4-thiazolidine carboxylic acid, and red blood cells, emerged as prime antioxidants for relieving BSO and MD oxidant stress. BSO and MD oxidant activity and antioxidant-annulling effect inO. danica were judged comparable to those found in animal cells whereas the resultsE. coli were not entirely equivalent. TheO. danica system emerged as a practical, rapid, and useful system for pinpointing oxidant stressors and antioxidants, and shows promise for studies with mammalian systems.     

(−)-Epigallocatechin gallate,a polyphenolic tea antioxidant,inhibits peroxynitritemediated formation of 8-oxodeoxyguanosine and 3-nitrotyrosine

Reaction with peroxynitrite at pH 7.4 and 37°C was found to increase the 8-oxodeoxyguanosine levels in calf thymus DNA 35-38-fold. This oxidation of deoxyguanosine, as well as the peroxynitrite-mediated nitration of tyrosine to 3-nitrotyrosine, was significantly inhibited by ascorbic acid, glutathione and (–)-epigallocatechin gallate, a polyphenolic antioxidant present in tea. For 50% inhibition of the oxidation of deoxyguanosine to 8-oxodeoxyguanosine, 1.1, 7.6 of 0.25 mM ascorbate, glutathione or (–)-epigallocatechin gallate, respectively, was required. For 50% inhibition of tyrosine nitration, the respective concentrations were 1.4, 4.6 or 0.11 mM. Thus, (–)-epigallocatechin gallate is a significantly better inhibitor of both reactions than either ascorbate or glutathione. Reaction of (–)-epigallocatechin gallate with peroxynitrite alone resulted in the formation of a number of products. Ultraviolet spectra of two of these suggest that the tea polyphenol and/or its oxidation products are nitrated by peroxynitrite.