ALBERT

Notes: The O-antigen of most Shigella flexneri serotypes contains an identical tetrasaccharide repeating unit. Apart from serotype Y, the O-antigen is modified by addition of a glucosyl and/or O-acetyl residue to a specific position in the O-unit. In this study the glucosyl transferase gene from a serotype 1a has been cloned and identified. The bacteriophage SfV integrase (int) gene was used to probe a S. flexneri Y53 (serotype 1a) cosmid library and 18 unique clones were identified. Southern hybridisation of these clones indicated two unlinked regions of the chromosome contained the int homologue. When expressed in a live candidate vaccine strain of S. flexneri serotype Y (SFL124), clones with one region produced type I antigen, whereas clones containing the other region produced mainly type Y antigen. One of the cosmid clones positive for type I antigen by agglutination and Western blotting was selected for further study. Genes involved in O-antigen glucosyl modification were mapped on a 5.8 kb fragment and subclones were produced which fully or partially expressed the type I antigen, depending on the extent of the clone. Fully and partially expressing clones may be useful vaccine candidate strains for protection against disease caused by two serotypes of S. flexneri.

Notes: In this paper we report a laboratory investigation of the motion within a rotating cylinder of fluid subject to internal heating and to cooling at the outer cylindrical sidewall. The internal heating is supplied by ohmic dissipation as an electric current passes between the outer sidewall and an axial wire. The experiments focus on the formation of eddy features and the associated zonal jets. To identify how the flow regimes generated in this continuously forced system are modified by the presence of a radial depth gradient, experiments have been performed with both horizontal (f-plane) and oppositely sloping boundaries. Endwall configurations which cause the fluid depth (D) to increase with radius (∂D/∂r〉0) and to decrease with radius (∂D/∂r〈0) have been studied, as the former is applicable to the terrestrial atmosphere and oceans, while the latter may be relevant to deep atmospheres such as those of the giant planets and even planetary interiors. Stable, coherent, regular eddy features are observed over a wide range of rotation rates (Ω) in both horizontal and oppositely sloping endwall experiments. In the f-plane experiments regular modes with azimuthal wavenumbers m=1 and m=2 are observed. The regular wave regime of the ∂D/∂r〉0 endwall experiments consists of modes with azimuthal wavenumbers m=1 to 5. Only the mode m=1 is seen in the regular wave regime of the ∂D/∂r〈0 endwall experiments. The regular eddy structures produced in the ∂D/∂r〉0 (∂D/∂r〈0) endwall experiments are seen to be "vertically trapped" close to the bottom (top) boundary, whilst the amplitude of the f-plane modes is found not to vary substantially with depth. Further effects of the radial depth gradient are the observed reduction in the lateral scale of the eddy features in the ∂D/∂r〉0 endwall experiments, which leads to the formation of between two and three independent trains of eddies within the lateral domain at sufficiently high values of Ω. Within the non-axisymmetric flow regimes of all three endwall configurations the number of zonal jets observed in the lateral domain of the experiment is larger than expected from the form of the background thermal forcing. The radial scale of the multiple zonal jets seen in the oppositely sloping boundary experiments is, however, much larger than a barotropic Rhines scale Lβ, suggesting that Lβ cannot be used to predict the radial wavenumber of the zonal mean flow in this continuously forced system. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Abstract After discussing approaches to the modelling of mitochondrial regulation in muscle, we describe a model that takes account, in a simplified way, of some aspects of the metabolic and physical structure of the energy production/usage system. In this model, high-energy phosphates (ATP and phosphocreatine) and low energy metabolites (ADP and creatine) diffuse between the mitochondrion and the myofibrillar ATPase, and can be exchanged at any point by creatine kinase. Creatine kinase is not assumed to be at equilibrium, so explicit account can be taken of substantial changes in its activity of the sort that can now be achieved by transgenic technology in vivo. The ATPase rate is the input function. Oxidative ATP synthesis is controlled by juxtamitochondrial ADP concentration. To allow for possible functional ‘coupling’ between the components of creatine kinase associated with the mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocase and the myofibrillar ATPase, we define parameters ϕ and ψ that set the fraction of the total flux carried by ATP rather than phosphocreatine out of the mitochondrial unit and into the ATPase unit, respectively. This simplification is justified by a detailed analysis of the interplay between the mitochondrial outer membrane porin proteins, mitochondrial creatine kinase and the adenine nucleotide translocase. As both processes of possible ‘coupling’ are incorporated into the model as quantitative parameters, their effect on the energetics of the whole cell model can be explicitly assessed. The main findings are as follows: (1) At high creatine kinase activity, the hyperbolic relationship of oxidative ATP synthesis rate to spatially averaged ADP concentration at steady state implies also a near-linear relationship to creatine concentration, and a sigmoid relation to free energy of ATP hydrolysis. At high creatine kinase activity, the degree of functional coupling at either the mitochondrial or ATPase end has little effect on these relationships. However, lowering the creatine kinase activity raises the mean steady state ADP and creatine concentrations, and this is exaggerated when ϕ or ψ is near unity (i.e. little coupling). (2) At high creatine kinase activity, the fraction of flow at steady state carried in the middle of the model by ATP is small, unaffected by the degree of functional coupling, but increases with ADP concentration and rate of ATP turnover. Lowering the creatine kinase activity raises this fraction, and this is exaggerated when ϕ or ψ is near unity. (3) Both creatine and ADP concentrations show small gradients decreasing towards the mitochondrion (in the direction of their net flux), while ATP and phosphocreatine concentration show small gradients decreasing towards the myosin ATPase. Unless ϕ = ψ ≈ 0 (i.e. complete coupling), there is a gradient of net creatine kinase flux that results from the need to transform some of the ‘adenine nucleotide flux’ at the ends of the model into ‘creatine flux’ in the middle; the overall net flux is small, but only zero if ϕ = ψ. A reduction in cytosolic creatine kinase activity decreases ADP concentration at the mitochondrial end and increases it at the ATPase end. (4) During work-jump transitions, spatial average responses exhibit exponential kinetics similar to those of models of mitochondrial control that assume equilibrium conditions for creatine kinase. (5) In response to a step increase in ATPase activity, concentration changes start at the ATPase end and propagate towards the mitochondrion, damped in time and space. This simplified model embodies many important features of muscle in vivo, and accommodates a range of current theories as special cases. We end by discussing its relationship to other approaches to mitochondrial regulation in muscle, and some possible extensions of the model.

Notes: [Auszug] African trypanosomes are protozoan parasites that cause sleeping sickness in man. In addition to the axoneme, their flagellum contains a large structure called the paraflagellar rod (PFR) whose function is unknown. We used an antisense RNA approach to produce a specific molecular ablation of ...

Notes: Abstract The influence of the preparation procedure of tungsten carbide on the mechanism of carburization is discussed. This work is focused on the reduction and the carburization of tungsten trioxide by a mixture of hydrocarbon and H2 to form WC. Temperature-programmed reaction spectra obtained with CH4, C2H6 and C2H4 have been measured. In presence of the CH4-H2 mixture, H2 is the reducing agent and the hydrocarbon is consumed for the carburization whereas C2H6 or C2H4 participates in the reduction of the tungsten oxide. The temperatures of reduction and carburization are lower by about 150 K using C2H6 or C2H4 instead of CH4. Such a decrease of the temperature of reduction of tungsten oxide is needed to avoid the formation of poorly reducible compounds that can occur during the preparation of supported tungsten carbide. Furthermore, the surface area of the resulting carbide is 25 m2/g with C2H6 and C2H4 and 10 m2/g with CH4. During the carburization, the deposit of excess carbon on the WC surface is larger with the C2 hydrocarbons than with CH4, but it protects the carbide and can be removed by hydrogen treatment.

Notes: Abstract Bulk tungsten carbide catalysts are prepared by direct carburization/reduction of tungsten trioxide in methane-hydrogen mixtures. The catalytic properties of such catalysts have been studied by several authors. The porous structure of these catalysts is studied by adsorption of N2, Kr, CF4 and neohexane. Adsorption isotherms and hysteresis loops for the catalysts suggest the presence of a microporous structure made of parallel plates distant approximately by 20 Å. These results are compared to those obtained using such catalysts for hydrogen oxidation and where condensation in the porous structure was observed.

Notes: Abstract (1) The presence and absence of 22 plant species of various growth forms and habitat associations were analysed in 423 habitat fragments totalling 10.4 km2 in a 268 km2 urban and suburban region, in Birmingham, UK. (2) Multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the effects of patch geometry and quality on the species distributions. Measures of geometry were area, shape (S-factor), distance from open countryside and various measures of isolation from other patches. Potential habitat for each species was determined quantitatively, and the distribution of each species was considered within a subset of patches containing potentially suitable habitat types. There was found to be a significant positive correlation between the density of patches available to a species and the proportion of these patches which were occupied. (3) Logistic analyses and incidence functions revealed that, for many of the species, occupancy increased with site age, area, habitat number and similarity of adjacent habitats, while increasing distance to the nearest recorded population of the same species decreased the likelihood that a species would be found in a patch. (4) Patterns of occupancy are consistent with increased extinction from small sites, and colonisation of nearby habitats, coupled with an important role for site history. We conclude that spatial dynamics at the scale of the landscape are of importance to the long-term persistence of many plant species in fragmented landscapes, and must be seriously considered in conservation planning and management. These results have direct implications for the siting and connectivity of urban habitat reserves.

Notes: Abstract We describe a model of mitochondrial regulation in vivo which takes account of spatial diffusion of high-energy (ATP and phosphocreatine) and low-energy metabolites (ADP and creatine), their interconversion by creatine kinase (which is not assumed to be at equilibrium), and possible functional 'coupling' between the components of creatine kinase associated with the mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocase and the myofibrillar ATPase. At high creatine kinase activity, the degree of functional coupling at either the mitochondrial or ATPase end has little effect on relationships between oxidative ATP synthesis rate and spatially-averaged metabolite concentrations. However, lowering the creatine kinase activity raises the mean steady state ADP and creatine concentrations, to a degree which depends on the degree of coupling. At high creatine kinase activity, the fraction of flow carried by ATP is small. Lowering the creatine kinase activity raises this fraction, especially when there is little functional coupling. All metabolites show small spatial gradients, more so at low cytosolic creatine kinase activity, and unless there is near-complete coupling, so does net creatine kinase flux. During workjump transitions, spatial-average responses exhibit near-exponential kinetics as expected, while concentration changes start at the ATPase end and propagate towards the mitochondrion, damped in time and space. (Mol Cell Biochem 174: 29–32, 1997)