棉织物的等离子体聚合涂覆及其拒水性研究

使用某种氟碳化合物的AC等离子体沉积方法 ,在棉织物表面涂覆一层很薄的憎水膜。影像接触角测试表明 ,仅仅经过 3 0s的涂覆处理 ,棉织物表面水接触角就可达 164°左右 ,获得超级憎水特性。棉织物的柔软性、保水率、回潮率、颜色变化、手感、透气性等都采用标准方法进行了详细研究 ,并与商用ScotchgardTM防水防污喷雾型保护剂涂覆的织物进行了比较。研究结果表明 ,除了回潮率基本相同外 ,等离子体涂覆织物的这些性能都优于保护剂涂覆织物的性能。同时 ,对加热后处理对涂层织物憎水性的影响进行了研究 ,结果表明 ,高温后处理有助于织物憎水性的提高。原子力显微镜和二次离子质谱研究结果显示 ,加热后处理后沉积膜的表面形态和化学性能都发生了变化 ,这种变化可能导致了织物憎水性能的改变     

Proteasome subunits encoded by the major histocompatibility complex are not essential for antigen presentation.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules bind and deliver peptides derived from endogenously synthesized proteins to the cell surface for survey by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. It is believed that endogenous antigens are generally degraded in the cytosol, the resulting peptides being translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum where they bind to MHC class I molecules. Transporters containing an ATP-binding cassette encoded by the MHC class II region seem to be responsible for this transport. Genes coding for two subunits of the '20S' proteasome (a multicatalytic proteinase) have been found in the vicinity of the two transporter genes in the MHC class II region, indicating that the proteasome could be the unknown proteolytic entity in the cytosol involved in the generation of MHC class I-binding peptides. By introducing rat genes encoding the MHC-linked transporters into a human cell line lacking both transporter and proteasome subunit genes, we show here that the MHC-encoded proteasome subunit are not essential for stable MHC class I surface expression, or for processing and presentation of antigenic peptides from influenza virus and an intracellular protein.     

真菌Penicillium sp.MO3产生的抗菌肽AF2的分离纯化和性质的研究

从真菌Penicillium sp.M03发酵液中提取到一种具有抗菌活性的肽类物质AF2,并对其性质进行初步研究.真菌发酵液经纱布过滤,离心后经10000 D超滤膜超滤,冻干,以纯水溶解经Sephadex LH-20,DEAE Sepharose及Sephadex G-15进行分离纯化得到纯净物质,并对其基本性质进行研究.结果证明：AF2具有典型的肽类物质特征反应,分子量约为1155,含有12种常见氨基酸,对酸碱,胰蛋白酶,β-内酰胺酶稳定,对热有较好的耐受性.     

Broadband observations of the naked-eye gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) release copious amounts of energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and so provide a window into the process of black hole formation from the collapse of massive stars. Previous early optical observations of even the most exceptional GRBs (990123 and 030329) lacked both the temporal resolution to probe the optical flash in detail and the accuracy needed to trace the transition from the prompt emission within the outflow to external shocks caused by interaction with the progenitor environment. Here we report observations of the extraordinarily bright prompt optical and gamma-ray emission of GRB 080319B that provide diagnostics within seconds of its formation, followed by broadband observations of the afterglow decay that continued for weeks. We show that the prompt emission stems from a single physical region, implying an extremely relativistic outflow that propagates within the narrow inner core of a two-component jet.     

Stem-cell-based therapy and lessons from the heart

The potential usefulness of human embryonic stem cells for therapy derives from their ability to form any cell in the body. This potential has been used to justify intensive research despite some ethical concerns. In parallel, scientists have searched for adult stem cells that can be used as an alternative to embryonic cells, and, for the heart at least, these efforts have led to promising results. However, most adult cardiomyocytes are unable to divide and form new cardiomyocytes and would therefore be unable to replace those lost as a result of disease. Basic questions--for example, whether cardiomyocyte replacement or alternatives, such as providing the damaged heart with new blood vessels or growth factors to activate resident stem cells, are the best approach--remain to be fully addressed. Despite this, preclinical studies on cardiomyocyte transplantation in animals and the first clinical trials with adult stem cells have recently been published with mixed results.     

Arc-parallel flow in the mantle wedge beneath Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Resolving flow geometry in the mantle wedge is central to understanding the thermal and chemical structure of subduction zones, subducting plate dehydration, and melting that leads to arc volcanism, which can threaten large populations and alter climate through gas and particle emission. Here we show that isotope geochemistry and seismic velocity anisotropy provide strong evidence for trench-parallel flow in the mantle wedge beneath Costa Rica and Nicaragua. This finding contradicts classical models, which predict trench-normal flow owing to the overlying wedge mantle being dragged downwards by the subducting plate. The isotopic signature of central Costa Rican volcanic rocks is not consistent with its derivation from the mantle wedge or eroded fore-arc complexes but instead from seamounts of the Galapagos hotspot track on the subducting Cocos plate. This isotopic signature decreases continuously from central Costa Rica to northwestern Nicaragua. As the age of the isotopic signature beneath Costa Rica can be constrained and its transport distance is known, minimum northwestward flow rates can be estimated (63-190 mm yr(-1)) and are comparable to the magnitude of subducting Cocos plate motion (approximately 85 mm yr(-1)). Trench-parallel flow needs to be taken into account in models evaluating thermal and chemical structure and melt generation in subduction zones.     

The genome of the model beetle and pest Tribolium castaneum

Tribolium castaneum is a member of the most species-rich eukaryotic order, a powerful model organism for the study of generalized insect development, and an important pest of stored agricultural products. We describe its genome sequence here. This omnivorous beetle has evolved the ability to interact with a diverse chemical environment, as shown by large expansions in odorant and gustatory receptors, as well as P450 and other detoxification enzymes. Development in Tribolium is more representative of other insects than is Drosophila, a fact reflected in gene content and function. For example, Tribolium has retained more ancestral genes involved in cell-cell communication than Drosophila, some being expressed in the growth zone crucial for axial elongation in short-germ development. Systemic RNA interference in T. castaneum functions differently from that in Caenorhabditis elegans, but nevertheless offers similar power for the elucidation of gene function and identification of targets for selective insect control.     

Ancient, highly heterogeneous mantle beneath Gakkel ridge, Arctic Ocean

The Earth's mantle beneath ocean ridges is widely thought to be depleted by previous melt extraction, but well homogenized by convective stirring. This inference of homogeneity has been complicated by the occurrence of portions enriched in incompatible elements. Here we show that some refractory abyssal peridotites from the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel ridge (Arctic Ocean) have very depleted 187Os/188Os ratios with model ages up to 2 billion years, implying the long-term preservation of refractory domains in the asthenospheric mantle rather than their erasure by mantle convection. The refractory domains would not be sampled by mid-ocean-ridge basalts because they contribute little to the genesis of magmas. We thus suggest that the upwelling mantle beneath mid-ocean ridges is highly heterogeneous, which makes it difficult to constrain its composition by mid-ocean-ridge basalts alone. Furthermore, the existence of ancient domains in oceanic mantle suggests that using osmium model ages to constrain the evolution of continental lithosphere should be approached with caution.     

The animal musks and a comment of their biogenesis

Summary The macrocyclic compounds occurring in animal glandular secretions are reviewed. Early hypotheses for their biogenesis from fatty acids via and -oxidations are found to be inadequate. Radio-active acetate was incorporated into macrocyclic ketones of muskrat (Ondatra sp.) preputial glandular secretion, but radiolabelled stearate, oleate, anda, -octadecandioic acid were not incorporated.Acknowledgment. We wish to thank Dr.W.J. Doude van Troostwijk, Research Institute for Nature Management, Arnhem, for his assistance in obtaining muskrats, and Mr J. Vellekoop, Leiden, for the Shakespeare quotations.     

Improving Dynamic Programming Strategies for Partitioning

Improvements to the dynamic programming (DP) strategy for partitioning (nonhierarchical classification) as discussed in Hubert, Arabie, and Meulman (2001) are proposed. First, it is shown how the number of evaluations in the DP process can be decreased without affecting generality. Both a completely nonredundant and a quasi-nonredundant method are proposed. Second, an efficient implementation of both approaches is discussed. This implementation is shown to have a dramatic increase in speed over the original program. The flexibility of the approach is illustrated by analyzing three data sets.