Short alanine-based peptides may form 3(10)-helices and not alpha-helices in aqueous solution.

Short alanine peptides, containing 16 or 17 residues, appear to form alpha-helices in aqueous solution. But the main spectroscopic analyses used on helical peptides (circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance) cannot distinguish between an alpha-helix (in which the ith residue is hydrogen-bonded to residue i + 4; ref. 9) and the next most common peptide helix, the 3(10)-helix10 (i-->i + 3 hydrogen-bonding). To address this problem we have designed single and doubly spin-labelled analogues of alanine-based peptides in which the nitroxide spin label forms an unbranched side chain extending from the sulphur atom of a cysteine residue. Here we report the circular dichroism, Fourier-transform infrared and electron-spin resonance spectra of these peptides under helix-forming conditions. The infrared absorbance gives an amide I' band with a frequency that is substantially different from that observed for alpha-helices. The electron-spin resonance spectra of doubly labelled helices show that the ranking of distances between side chains, around a single turn (residues 4-8), is inconsistent with an alpha-helical structure. Our experiments suggest that the more likely peptide geometry is a 3(10)-helix.     

A calcium sensor in the sodium channel modulates cardiac excitability.

Sodium channels are principal molecular determinants responsible for myocardial conduction and maintenance of the cardiac rhythm. Calcium ions (Ca2+) have a fundamental role in the coupling of cardiac myocyte excitation and contraction, yet mechanisms whereby intracellular Ca2+ may directly modulate Na channel function have yet to be identified. Here we show that calmodulin (CaM), a ubiquitous Ca2+-sensing protein, binds to the carboxy-terminal 'IQ' domain of the human cardiac Na channel (hH1) in a Ca2+-dependent manner. This binding interaction significantly enhances slow inactivation-a channel-gating process linked to life-threatening idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias. Mutations targeted to the IQ domain disrupted CaM binding and eliminated Ca2+/CaM-dependent slow inactivation, whereas the gating effects of Ca2+/CaM were restored by intracellular application of a peptide modelled after the IQ domain. A naturally occurring mutation (A1924T) in the IQ domain altered hH1 function in a manner characteristic of the Brugada arrhythmia syndrome, but at the same time inhibited slow inactivation induced by Ca2+/CaM, yielding a clinically benign (arrhythmia free) phenotype.     

Abnormal pattern detected in fragile-X patients by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

The fragile-X syndrome is the most frequent inherited form of mental retardation, with an incidence of 1 in 1,500 males. It is characterized by the presence of a fragile site at Xq27.3 induced in vitro by folate deprivation or by inhibitors of deoxynucleotide synthesis. Its mode of inheritance is unusual for an X-linked trait, with incomplete penetrance in both males and females. Some phenotypically normal males transmit the mutation to all their daughters who rarely express any symptoms, but penetrance is high in sons and daughters of these carrier women. Genetic and physical mapping of the Xq27-q28 region has confirmed that the disease locus is located at or very near the fragile site. Hypotheses proposed to account for the abnormalities in the inheritance of the disease include sequence rearrangements by meiotic recombination or a mutation that affects reactivation of an inactive X chromosome during differentiation of female germ cells. To detect such rearrangements, or methylation changes that may reflect a locally inactive X chromosome, we used pulsed-field gel analysis of DNA from fragile-X patients with probes close to the fragile-X locus. The probe Do33 (DXS465) detected abnormal patterns in fragile-X patients, but not in normal controls or in non-expressing male transmitters.     

An Ig-A-like substance in the chicken's pineal

Summary Immunohistochemistry revealed an Ig-A-like substance on the luminal surface of the pineal follicles and in the parafollicular layer. This substance was observed around 1 week of age and disappeared by 8 weeks at the time when the transformation of the follicular pattern leads to an adult-type pineal tissue.     

Simulation and Experimental Analysis of Super High-Speed Grinding of Ductile Material

This study aims to reduce the work-affected layer of the machined surface by carrying out the grinding at the speed over static pr o pagation speed of plastic wave of ductile materials and also aims to clarify suc h super high-speed machining mechanism.This paper reports on the result obtain ed through the molecular dynamics simulations and experiments on the super-spee d grinding below and beyond static propagation speed of aluminum.From the simul ation results,it is verified that the plastic deformation ...     

Nonsynchronous Trading Model and Return Analysis

Nonsynchronous trading is one of the hot issues in financial high-frequency data processing. This paper extends the nonsynchronous trading model studied in [1] and [2] for the financial security, and considers the moment functions of the observable return series for the extended model. At last. the estimators of parameters are obtained.     

基于WINDOWS32Api GDI函数的工程图形开发

在介绍WINDOWS32Api GDI功能基础上，描述了一种工程图形的设计方法，作图的原理，图形数据的储存，论述了管理多个图形对象的方法。该方法已成功地应用于基坑工程图形的绘制。     

河流生态系统合理生态用水比例的确定

通过构建生态需水和生态用水比例模型，遵循生态需水比例和生态用水比例的相关关系，以生态需水比例为标准，确定生态用水比例，然后综合考虑社会经济用水的实际情况，确定适合当地水资源配置和社会经济发展水平的合理生态用水比例。以海河河流生态系统为例，视其河道内生态系统恢复到20世纪70年代初的水平为生态修复目标，计算河流系统生态需水，得到其生态需水的阈值区间为[16％～66％]。然后计算了1999—2002年海河实际生态用水比例，表明生态用水一直没有得到满足。最后通过与海河社会经济发展的协调，确定海河河流生态系统的合理生态用水比例应维持在(16％～46％)的阈值区间内。     

信息技术与学科教学的整合需要研究型教师

信息技术与学科的有效整合需要教师具备整合的基本能力，并成为研究型教师。指出教师要不断更新信息技术知识和技能，利用现代教学设施，依据教学实践开展研究，从而探索出有效的整合模式。     

Effect of 15(R)-15-methyl-prostaglandin E2 on iron absorption in the rat

Summary The administration of 15(R)-15-methyl prostaglandin E₂ (15(R)-15-M-PGE₂) in vivo significantly diminished the uptake of⁵⁹Fe into blood, spleen, liver, femur and dried intestine of rats, whereas acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) increased the counts significantly. This effect of ASA was counteracted by 15(R)-15-M-PGE₂. It is suggested that prostaglandins (PGs) might play an important role in inhibiting iron absorption at the intestinal level.This work was supported by grant No.6638 from CONICET (Argentina). The technical assistance of Mrs María E. Castro and Norma Rizzo is gratefully acknowleged.