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Sample records for monomeric al levels

  1. Metal-free ALS variants of dimeric human Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase have enhanced populations of monomeric species.

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    Anna-Karin E Svensson

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Amino acid replacements at dozens of positions in the dimeric protein human, Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1 can cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS. Although it has long been hypothesized that these mutations might enhance the populations of marginally-stable aggregation-prone species responsible for cellular toxicity, there has been little quantitative evidence to support this notion. Perturbations of the folding free energy landscapes of metal-free versions of five ALS-inducing variants, A4V, L38V, G93A, L106V and S134N SOD1, were determined with a global analysis of kinetic and thermodynamic folding data for dimeric and stable monomeric versions of these variants. Utilizing this global analysis approach, the perturbations on the global stability in response to mutation can be partitioned between the monomer folding and association steps, and the effects of mutation on the populations of the folded and unfolded monomeric states can be determined. The 2- to 10-fold increase in the population of the folded monomeric state for A4V, L38V and L106V and the 80- to 480-fold increase in the population of the unfolded monomeric states for all but S134N would dramatically increase their propensity for aggregation through high-order nucleation reactions. The wild-type-like populations of these states for the metal-binding region S134N variant suggest that even wild-type SOD1 may also be prone to aggregation in the absence of metals.

  2. Sterically crowded monomeric neutral bis(benzamidinato) compounds of aluminium, [PhC(NSiMe(3))(2)](2)AlX (X=Cl, H); X-ray crystal structure of [PhC(NSiMe(3))(2)]2AlH

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duchateau, R; Meetsma, A; Teuben, JH

    1996-01-01

    AlCl3 reacts with [PhC(NSiMe(3))(2)]Li(OEt(2)) to afford the bis(N,N'-bis(trimethylsilyl)benzamidinato)aluminium chloro compound which, on treatment with KBEt(3)H, yields the structurally characterized monomeric hydride derivative, [PhC(NSiMe(3))(2)]2AlH, whose reactivity towards unsaturated

  3. Monomeric adiponectin increases cell viability in porcine aortic endothelial cells cultured in normal and high glucose conditions: Data on kinases activation

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    Elena Grossini

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available We found that monomeric adiponectin was able to increase cell viability in porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAE cultured both in normal and high glucose condition. Moreover, in normal glucose condition monomeric adiponectin increased p38MAPK, Akt, ERK1/2 and eNOS phosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent way. Also in high glucose condition monomeric adiponectin increased eNOS and above kinases phosphorylation with similar patterns but at lower extent. For interpretation of the data presented in this article, please see the research article “Monomeric adiponectin modulates nitric oxide release and calcium movements in porcine aortic endothelial cells in normal/high glucose conditions” (Grossini et al., in press [1].

  4. Monomeric Yeast Frataxin is an Iron-Binding Protein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, J.; Bencze, K.; Jankovic, A.; Crater, A.; Busch, C.; Bradley, P.; Stemmler, A.; Spaller, M.; Stemmler, T.

    2006-01-01

    Friedreich's ataxia, an autosomal cardio- and neurodegenerative disorder that affects 1 in 50 000 humans, is caused by decreased levels of the protein frataxin. Although frataxin is nuclear-encoded, it is targeted to the mitochondrial matrix and necessary for proper regulation of cellular iron homeostasis. Frataxin is required for the cellular production of both heme and iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters. Monomeric frataxin binds with high affinity to ferrochelatase, the enzyme involved in iron insertion into porphyrin during heme production. Monomeric frataxin also binds to Isu, the scaffold protein required for assembly of Fe-S cluster intermediates. These processes (heme and Fe-S cluster assembly) share requirements for iron, suggesting that monomeric frataxin might function as the common iron donor. To provide a molecular basis to better understand frataxin's function, we have characterized the binding properties and metal-site structure of ferrous iron bound to monomeric yeast frataxin. Yeast frataxin is stable as an iron-loaded monomer, and the protein can bind two ferrous iron atoms with micromolar binding affinity. Frataxin amino acids affected by the presence of iron are localized within conserved acidic patches located on the surfaces of both helix-1 and strand-1. Under anaerobic conditions, bound metal is stable in the high-spin ferrous state. The metal-ligand coordination geometry of both metal-binding sites is consistent with a six-coordinate iron-(oxygen/nitrogen) based ligand geometry, surely constructed in part from carboxylate and possibly imidazole side chains coming from residues within these conserved acidic patches on the protein. On the basis of our results, we have developed a model for how we believe yeast frataxin interacts with iron

  5. Quantification of the predominant monomeric catechins in baking chocolate standard reference material by LC/APCI-MS.

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    Nelson, Bryant C; Sharpless, Katherine E

    2003-01-29

    Catechins are polyphenolic plant compounds (flavonoids) that may offer significant health benefits to humans. These benefits stem largely from their anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, and antimutagenic properties. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of flavonoid-containing foods is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Chocolate is a natural cocoa bean-based product that reportedly contains high levels of monomeric, oligomeric, and polymeric catechins. We have applied solid-liquid extraction and liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry to the identification and determination of the predominant monomeric catechins, (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, in a baking chocolate Standard Reference Material (NIST Standard Reference Material 2384). (+)-Catechin and (-)-epicatechin are detected and quantified in chocolate extracts on the basis of selected-ion monitoring of their protonated [M + H](+) molecular ions. Tryptophan methyl ester is used as an internal standard. The developed method has the capacity to accurately quantify as little as 0.1 microg/mL (0.01 mg of catechin/g of chocolate) of either catechin in chocolate extracts, and the method has additionally been used to certify (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin levels in the baking chocolate Standard Reference Material. This is the first reported use of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for the quantitative determination of monomeric catechins in chocolate and the only report certifying monomeric catechin levels in a food-based Standard Reference Material.

  6. Monomeric tartrate resistant acid phosphatase induces insulin sensitive obesity.

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    Pernilla Lång

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Obesity is associated with macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue, which may link adipose inflammation to insulin resistance. However, the impact of inflammatory cells in the pathophysiology of obesity remains unclear. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP is an enzyme expressed by subsets of macrophages and osteoclasts that exists either as an enzymatically inactive monomer or as an active, proteolytically processed dimer.Using mice over expressing TRAP, we show that over-expression of monomeric, but not the dimeric form in adipose tissue leads to early onset spontaneous hyperplastic obesity i.e. many small fat cells. In vitro, recombinant monomeric, but not proteolytically processed TRAP induced proliferation and differentiation of mouse and human adipocyte precursor cells. In humans, monomeric TRAP was highly expressed in the adipose tissue of obese individuals. In both the mouse model and in the obese humans the source of TRAP in adipose tissue was macrophages. In addition, the obese TRAP over expressing mice exhibited signs of a low-grade inflammatory reaction in adipose tissue without evidence of abnormal adipocyte lipolysis, lipogenesis or insulin sensitivity.Monomeric TRAP, most likely secreted from adipose tissue macrophages, induces hyperplastic obesity with normal adipocyte lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity.

  7. Substrate-Induced Dimerization of Engineered Monomeric Variants of Triosephosphate Isomerase from Trichomonas vaginalis.

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    Samuel Lara-Gonzalez

    Full Text Available The dimeric nature of triosephosphate isomerases (TIMs is maintained by an extensive surface area interface of more than 1600 Å2. TIMs from Trichomonas vaginalis (TvTIM are held in their dimeric state by two mechanisms: a ball and socket interaction of residue 45 of one subunit that fits into the hydrophobic pocket of the complementary subunit and by swapping of loop 3 between subunits. TvTIMs differ from other TIMs in their unfolding energetics. In TvTIMs the energy necessary to unfold a monomer is greater than the energy necessary to dissociate the dimer. Herein we found that the character of residue I45 controls the dimer-monomer equilibrium in TvTIMs. Unfolding experiments employing monomeric and dimeric mutants led us to conclude that dimeric TvTIMs unfold following a four state model denaturation process whereas monomeric TvTIMs follow a three state model. In contrast to other monomeric TIMs, monomeric variants of TvTIM1 are stable and unexpectedly one of them (I45A is only 29-fold less active than wild-type TvTIM1. The high enzymatic activity of monomeric TvTIMs contrast with the marginal catalytic activity of diverse monomeric TIMs variants. The stability of the monomeric variants of TvTIM1 and the use of cross-linking and analytical ultracentrifugation experiments permit us to understand the differences between the catalytic activities of TvTIMs and other marginally active monomeric TIMs. As TvTIMs do not unfold upon dimer dissociation, herein we found that the high enzymatic activity of monomeric TvTIM variants is explained by the formation of catalytic dimeric competent species assisted by substrate binding.

  8. SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE OF BIS(PHENYLTETRAMETHYLCYCLOPENTADIENYL)TITANIUM(III) HYDRIDE - THE FIRST MONOMERIC BIS(CYCLOPENTADIENYL)TITANIUM(III) HYDRIDE : The First Monomeric Bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(III) Hydride

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Wolf, J.M.; Meetsma, A.; Teuben, J.H

    1995-01-01

    The first structurally characterized monomeric bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(III) hydride, (C(5)PhMe(4))(2)TiH (4), was synthesized by hydrogenolysis of (C(5)PhMe(4))(2)TiMe (5). Hydride 4 was found to be a monomeric bent sandwich by X-ray diffraction methods, and the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl

  9. Monomeric insulins and their experimental and clinical implications.

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    Brange, J; Owens, D R; Kang, S; Vølund, A

    1990-09-01

    Due to the inherent pharmacokinetic properties of available insulins, normoglycemia is rarely, if ever, achieved in insulin-dependent diabetic patients without compromising their quality of life. Subcutaneous insulin absorption is influenced by many factors, among which the associated state of insulin (hexameric) in pharmaceutical formulation may be of importance. This review describes the development of a series of human insulin analogues with reduced tendency to self-association that, because of more rapid absorption, are better suited to meal-related therapy. DNA technology has made it possible to prepare insulins that remain dimeric or even monomeric at high concentration by introducing one or a few amino acid substitutions into human insulin. These analogues were characterized and used for elucidating the mechanisms involved in subcutaneous absorption and were investigated in preliminary clinical studies. Their relative receptor binding and in vitro potency (free-fat cell assay), ranging from 0.05 to 600% relative to human insulin, were strongly correlated (r = 0.97). In vivo, most of the analogues exhibited approximately 100% activity, explainable by a dominating receptor-mediated clearance. This was confirmed by clamp studies in which correlation between receptor binding and clearance was observed. Thus, an analogue with reduced binding and clearance gives higher circulating concentrations, counterbalancing the reduced potency at the cellular level. Absorption studies in pigs revealed a strong inverse correlation (r = 0.96) between the rate of subcutaneous absorption and the mean association state of the insulin analogues. These studies also demonstrated that monomeric insulins were absorbed three times faster than human insulin. In healthy subjects, rates of disappearance from subcutis were two to three times faster for dimeric and monomeric analogues than for human insulin. Concomitantly, a more rapid rise in plasma insulin concentration and an earlier

  10. Total allowable concentrations of monomeric inorganic aluminum and hydrated aluminum silicates in drinking water.

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    Willhite, Calvin C; Ball, Gwendolyn L; McLellan, Clifton J

    2012-05-01

    Maximum contaminant levels are used to control potential health hazards posed by chemicals in drinking water, but no primary national or international limits for aluminum (Al) have been adopted. Given the differences in toxicological profiles, the present evaluation derives total allowable concentrations for certain water-soluble inorganic Al compounds (including chloride, hydroxide, oxide, phosphate and sulfate) and for the hydrated Al silicates (including attapulgite, bentonite/montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite) in drinking water. The chemistry, toxicology and clinical experience with Al materials are extensive and depend upon the particular physical and chemical form. In general, the water solubility of the monomeric Al materials depends on pH and their water solubility and gastrointestinal bioavailability are much greater than that of the hydrated Al silicates. Other than Al-containing antacids and buffered aspirin, food is the primary source of Al exposure for most healthy people. Systemic uptake of Al after ingestion of the monomeric salts is somewhat greater from drinking water (0.28%) than from food (0.1%). Once absorbed, Al accumulates in bone, brain, liver and kidney, with bone as the major site for Al deposition in humans. Oral Al hydroxide is used routinely to bind phosphate salts in the gut to control hyperphosphatemia in people with compromised renal function. Signs of chronic Al toxicity in the musculoskeletal system include a vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia (deranged membranous bone formation characterized by accumulation of the osteoid matrix and reduced mineralization, reduced numbers of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, decreased lamellar and osteoid bands with elevated Al concentrations) presenting as bone pain and proximal myopathy. Aluminum-induced bone disease can progress to stress fractures of the ribs, femur, vertebrae, humerus and metatarsals. Serum Al ≥100 µg/L has a 75-88% positive predictive value for Al bone disease. Chronic Al

  11. A monomeric variant of insulin degrading enzyme (IDE loses its regulatory properties.

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    Eun Suk Song

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Insulin degrading enzyme (IDE is a key enzyme in the metabolism of both insulin and amyloid beta peptides. IDE is unique in that it is subject to allosteric activation which is hypothesized to occur through an oligomeric structure.IDE is known to exist as an equilibrium mixture of monomers, dimers, and higher oligomers, with the dimer being the predominant form. Based on the crystal structure of IDE we deleted the putative dimer interface in the C-terminal region, which resulted in a monomeric variant. Monomeric IDE retained enzymatic activity, however instead of the allosteric behavior seen with wild type enzyme it displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetic behavior. With the substrate Abz-GGFLRKHGQ-EDDnp, monomeric IDE retained approximately 25% of the wild type activity. In contrast with the larger peptide substrates beta-endorphin and amyloid beta peptide 1-40, monomeric IDE retained only 1 to 0.25% of wild type activity. Unlike wild type IDE neither bradykinin nor dynorphin B-9 activated the monomeric variant of the enzyme. Similarly, monomeric IDE was not activated by polyphosphates under conditions in which the activity of wild type enzyme was increased more than 50 fold.These findings serve to establish the dimer interface in IDE and demonstrate the requirement for an oligomeric form of the enzyme for its regulatory properties. The data support a mechanism where the binding of activators to oligomeric IDE induces a conformational change that cannot occur in the monomeric variant. Since a conformational change from a closed to a more open structure is likely the rate-determining step in the IDE reaction, the subunit induced conformational change likely shifts the structure of the oligomeric enzyme to a more open conformation.

  12. Iontophoresis of monomeric insulin analogues in vitro: effects of insulin charge and skin pretreatment.

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    Langkjaer, L; Brange, J; Grodsky, G M; Guy, R H

    1998-01-23

    The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of association state and net charge of human insulin analogues on the rate of iontophoretic transport across hairless mouse skin, and the effect of different skin pretreatments on said transport. No insulin flux was observed with anodal delivery probably because of degradation at the Ag/AgCl anode. The flux during cathodal iontophoresis through intact skin was insignificant for human hexameric insulin, and only low and variable fluxes were observed for monomeric insulins. Using stripped skin on the other hand, the fluxes of monomeric insulins with two extra negative charges were 50-100 times higher than that of hexameric human insulin. Introducing three additional charges led to a further 2-3-fold increase in flux. Wiping the skin gently with absolute alcohol prior to iontophoresis resulted in a 1000-fold increase in transdermal transport of insulin relative to that across untreated skin, i.e. to almost the same level as stripping the skin. The alcohol pretreatment reduced the electrical resistance of the skin, presumably by lipid extraction. In conclusion, monomeric insulin analogues with at least two extra negative charges can be iontophoretically delivered across hairless mouse skin, whereas insignificant flux is observed with human, hexameric insulin. Wiping the skin with absolute alcohol prior to iontophoresis gave substantially improved transdermal transport of monomeric insulins resulting in clinically relevant delivery rates for basal treatment.

  13. Tumour localization and pharmacokinetics of iodine-125 human monoclonal IgM antibody (COU-1) and its monomeric and half-monomeric fragments analysed in nude mice grafted with human tumour

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    Ditzel, H.; Erb, K.; Rasmussen, J.W.; Jensenius, J.C.

    1992-01-01

    Human monoclonal IgM antibodies reactive with cancer-associated antigens may not have the optimal imaging capability due to their large size. Fragmentation of human IgM is less than straight-forward due to the loss of immunoreactivity. From the human monoclonal IgM antibody COU-1 we have prepared monomeric and half-monomeric fragments, which retain the ability to bind to colon cancer cells in vitro. The pharmacokinetics and tumour localization were evaluated in nude mice bearing human colon adenocarcinoma and human melanoma grafts. Faster clearance from the circulation was seen for the smaller half-monomeric fragment with a half-life (rapid phase/slow phase) of 2 h/16 h compared with the intact antibody, 4 h/25 h, and the monomeric fragment, 3 h/27 h. Intact COU-1 as well as the fragments accumulated in the colon tumour graft. Higher amounts of radioactivity were found in the colon tumour as compared to normal organs for intact COU-1 at days 4 and 6, for the monomeric fragment at day 4, and for the half-monomeric fragment at day 2 after injection. This investigation demonstrates the favourable biodistribution of the half monomeric COU-1 fragment. The fast clearance of this fragment resulted in a tumour-to-muscle ratio as high as 22 on day 2 after injection. Also, only this fragment gave a positive tumour-to-blood ratio. Normal IgM and its fragments were used as controls. Radioimmunoscintigraphy demonstrated the colon tumour discriminatory properties of each of the three iodine-labelled antibody preparations. The results compare favourably with previously reported investigations of the localization of human monoclonal antibodies and suggest that fragments of human monoclonal IgM antibodies may be useful tools for the immunodetection of cancer in patients. (orig.)

  14. Multistage modeling of protein dynamics with monomeric Myc oncoprotein as an example.

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    Liu, Jiaojiao; Dai, Jin; He, Jianfeng; Niemi, Antti J; Ilieva, Nevena

    2017-03-01

    We propose to combine a mean-field approach with all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) into a multistage algorithm that can model protein folding and dynamics over very long time periods yet with atomic-level precision. As an example, we investigate an isolated monomeric Myc oncoprotein that has been implicated in carcinomas including those in colon, breast, and lungs. Under physiological conditions a monomeric Myc is presumed to be an example of intrinsically disordered proteins that pose a serious challenge to existing modeling techniques. We argue that a room-temperature monomeric Myc is in a dynamical state, it oscillates between different conformations that we identify. For this we adopt the Cα backbone of Myc in a crystallographic heteromer as an initial ansatz for the monomeric structure. We construct a multisoliton of the pertinent Landau free energy to describe the Cα profile with ultrahigh precision. We use Glauber dynamics to resolve how the multisoliton responds to repeated increases and decreases in ambient temperature. We confirm that the initial structure is unstable in isolation. We reveal a highly degenerate ground-state landscape, an attractive set towards which Glauber dynamics converges in the limit of vanishing ambient temperature. We analyze the thermal stability of this Glauber attractor using room-temperature molecular dynamics. We identify and scrutinize a particularly stable subset in which the two helical segments of the original multisoliton align in parallel next to each other. During the MD time evolution of a representative structure from this subset, we observe intermittent quasiparticle oscillations along the C-terminal α helix, some of which resemble a translating Davydov's Amide-I soliton. We propose that the presence of oscillatory motion is in line with the expected intrinsically disordered character of Myc.

  15. Neurodevelopmental Expression Profile of Dimeric and Monomeric Group 1 mGluRs: Relevance to Schizophrenia Pathogenesis and Treatment.

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    Lum, Jeremy S; Fernandez, Francesca; Matosin, Natalie; Andrews, Jessica L; Huang, Xu-Feng; Ooi, Lezanne; Newell, Kelly A

    2016-10-10

    Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1/mGluR5) play an integral role in neurodevelopment and are implicated in psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. mGluR1 and mGluR5 are expressed as homodimers, which is important for their functionality and pharmacology. We examined the protein expression of dimeric and monomeric mGluR1α and mGluR5 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus throughout development (juvenile/adolescence/adulthood) and in the perinatal phencyclidine (PCP) model of schizophrenia. Under control conditions, mGluR1α dimer expression increased between juvenile and adolescence (209-328%), while monomeric levels remained consistent. Dimeric mGluR5 was steadily expressed across all time points; monomeric mGluR5 was present in juveniles, dramatically declining at adolescence and adulthood (-97-99%). The mGluR regulators, Homer 1b/c and Norbin, significantly increased with age in the PFC and hippocampus. Perinatal PCP treatment significantly increased juvenile dimeric mGluR5 levels in the PFC and hippocampus (37-50%) but decreased hippocampal mGluR1α (-50-56%). Perinatal PCP treatment also reduced mGluR1α dimer levels in the PFC at adulthood (-31%). These results suggest that Group 1 mGluRs have distinct dimeric and monomeric neurodevelopmental patterns, which may impact their pharmacological profiles at specific ages. Perinatal PCP treatment disrupted the early expression of Group 1 mGluRs which may underlie neurodevelopmental alterations observed in this model.

  16. Fascinating transformations of donor-acceptor complexes of group 13 metal (Al, Ga, In) derivatives with nitriles and isonitriles: from monomeric cyanides to rings and cages.

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    Timoshkin, Alexey Y; Schaefer, Henry F

    2003-08-20

    Formation of the donor-acceptor complexes of group 13 metal derivatives with nitriles and isonitriles X(3)M-D (M = Al,Ga,In; X = H,Cl,CH(3); D = RCN, RNC; R = H,CH(3)) and their subsequent reactions have been theoretically studied at the B3LYP/pVDZ level of theory. Although complexation with MX(3) stabilizes the isocyanide due to the stronger M-C donor-acceptor bond, this stabilization (20 kJ mol(-1) at most) is not sufficient to make the isocyanide form more favorable. Relationships between the dissociation enthalpy DeltaH degrees (298)(diss), charge-transfer q(CT), donor-acceptor bond energy E(DA), and the shift of the vibrational stretching mode of the CN group upon coordination Deltaomega(CN) have been examined. For a given metal center, there is a good correlation between the energy of the donor-acceptor bond and the degree of a charge transfer. Prediction of the DeltaH degrees (298)(diss) on the basis of the shift of CN stretching mode is possible within limited series of cyanide complexes (for the fixed M,R); in contrast, complexes of the isocyanides exhibit very poor Deltaomega(CN) - DeltaH degrees (298)(diss) correlation. Subsequent X ligand transfer and RX elimination reactions yielding monomeric (including donor-acceptor stabilized) and variety of oligomeric cage and ring compounds with [MN]n, [MC]n, [MNC]n cores have been considered and corresponding to thermodynamic characteristics have been obtained for the first time. Monomeric aluminum isocyanides X(2)AlNC are more stable compared to Al-C bonded isomers; for gallium and indium situation is reversed, in qualitative agreement with Pearson's HSAB concept. Substitution of X by CN in MX(3) increases the dissociation enthalpy of the MX(2)CN-NH(3) complex compared to that for MX(3)-NH(3), irrespective of the substituent X. Mechanisms of the initial reaction of the X transfer have been studied for the case X = R = H. The process of hydrogen transfer from the metal to the carbon atom in H(3)M-CNH is

  17. Generation and Characterization of an IgG4 Monomeric Fc Platform.

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    Lu Shan

    Full Text Available The immunoglobulin Fc region is a homodimer consisted of two sets of CH2 and CH3 domains and has been exploited to generate two-arm protein fusions with high expression yields, simplified purification processes and extended serum half-life. However, attempts to generate one-arm fusion proteins with monomeric Fc, with one set of CH2 and CH3 domains, are often plagued with challenges such as weakened binding to FcRn or partial monomer formation. Here, we demonstrate the generation of a stable IgG4 Fc monomer with a unique combination of mutations at the CH3-CH3 interface using rational design combined with in vitro evolution methodologies. In addition to size-exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation, we used multi-angle light scattering (MALS to show that the engineered Fc monomer exhibits excellent monodispersity. Furthermore, crystal structure analysis (PDB ID: 5HVW reveals monomeric properties supported by disrupted interactions at the CH3-CH3 interface. Monomeric Fc fusions with Fab or scFv achieved FcRn binding and serum half-life comparable to wildtype IgG. These results demonstrate that this monomeric IgG4 Fc is a promising therapeutic platform to extend the serum half-life of proteins in a monovalent format.

  18. Direct labelling of monomeric antibody fragments Fab' with 99mTc

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    Li Jun; Wang Shizhen; Yang Ziyi

    1994-01-01

    Direct labelling method and conditions of monomeric antibody Fab' with 99m Tc were investigated. Polyclonal antibody IgG was digested with ficin to produce dimeric fragments F(ab') 2 , which was subsequently reduced to monomeric fragments Fab' with 2-mercaptoethylamine. Finally, Fab' was incubated with sodium gluconate (Sn(II)) kit solution and 99m TcO 4 - eluted at room temperature to form 99m Tc-Fab'. The labelling efficiency was 85%-95%. The stability of labelled products was satisfactory and the elimination rate was faster than 99m Tc-IgG

  19. Extracellular Monomeric and Aggregated Tau Efficiently Enter Human Neurons through Overlapping but Distinct Pathways

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    Lewis D. Evans

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Summary: In Alzheimer’s disease, neurofibrillary tangle pathology appears to spread along neuronal connections, proposed to be mediated by the release and uptake of abnormal, disease-specific forms of microtubule-binding protein tau MAPT. It is currently unclear whether transfer of tau between neurons is a toxic gain-of-function process in dementia or reflects a constitutive biological process. We report two entry mechanisms for monomeric tau to human neurons: a rapid dynamin-dependent phase typical of endocytosis and a second, slower actin-dependent phase of macropinocytosis. Aggregated tau entry is independent of actin polymerization and largely dynamin dependent, consistent with endocytosis and distinct from macropinocytosis, the major route for aggregated tau entry reported for non-neuronal cells. Anti-tau antibodies abrogate monomeric tau entry into neurons, but less efficiently in the case of aggregated tau, where internalized tau carries antibody with it into neurons. These data suggest that tau entry to human neurons is a physiological process and not a disease-specific phenomenon. : In contrast with predictions that transfer of the microtubule-associated protein tau between neurons is a toxic gain-of-function process in dementia, Evans et al. show that healthy human neurons efficiently take up both normal and aggregated tau, by distinct but overlapping uptake mechanisms. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Tau, MAPT, iPSC, endocytosis, human neurons, intracellular transport

  20. Two mechanisms for dissipation of excess light in monomeric and trimeric light-harvesting complexes

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    Dall' Osto, Luca [Univ. di Verona, Verona (Italy). Dipartimento di Biotecnologie; Cazzaniga, Stefano [Univ. di Verona, Verona (Italy). Dipartimento di Biotecnologie; Bressan, Mauro [Univ. di Verona, Verona (Italy). Dipartimento di Biotecnologie; Paleček, David [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Chemical Physics; Židek, Karel [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Chemical Physics; Niyogi, Krishna K. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Howard Hughes Medical Inst., Dept. of Plant and Microbial Biology; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division; Fleming, Graham R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry, Graduate Group in Applied Science and Technology; Zigmantas, Donatas [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Chemical Physics; Bassi, Roberto [Univ. di Verona, Verona (Italy). Dipartimento di Biotecnologie; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Firenze (Italy). Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante (IPP)

    2017-04-10

    Oxygenic photoautotrophs require mechanisms for rapidly matching the level of chlorophyll excited states from light harvesting with the rate of electron transport from water to carbon dioxide. These photoprotective reactions prevent formation of reactive excited states and photoinhibition. The fastest response to excess illumination is the so-called non-photochemical quenching which, in higher plants, requires the luminal pH sensor PsbS and other yet unidentified components of the photosystem II antenna. Both trimeric light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) and monomeric LHC proteins have been indicated as site(s) of the heat-dissipative reactions. Different mechanisms have been proposed: Energy transfer to a lutein quencher in trimers, formation of a zeaxanthin radical cation in monomers. Here, we report on the construction of a mutant lacking all monomeric LHC proteins but retaining LHCII trimers. Its non-photochemical quenching induction rate was substantially slower with respect to the wild type. A carotenoid radical cation signal was detected in the wild type, although it was lost in the mutant. Here, we conclude that non-photochemical quenching is catalysed by two independent mechanisms, with the fastest activated response catalysed within monomeric LHC proteins depending on both zeaxanthin and lutein and on the formation of a radical cation. Trimeric LHCII was responsible for the slowly activated quenching component whereas inclusion in supercomplexes was not required. Finally, this latter activity does not depend on lutein nor on charge transfer events, whereas zeaxanthin was essential.

  1. MONOMERIC ß-AMYLOID INTERACTS WITH TYPE-1 INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTORS TO PROVIDE ENERGY SUPPLY TO NEURONS

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    Maria Laura eGiuffrida

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available ß-amyloid (Aß1-42 is produced by proteolytic cleavage of the transmembrane type-1 protein, amyloid precursor protein. Under pathological conditions, Aß1-42 self-aggregates into oligomers, which cause synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss, and are considered the culprit of Alzheimer’s disease (AD. However, Aß1-42 is mainly monomeric at physiological concentrations, and the precise role of monomeric Aß1-42 in neuronal function is largely unknown. We report that the monomer of Aß1-42 activates type-1 insulin-like growth factor receptors and enhances glucose uptake in neurons and peripheral cells by promoting the translocation of the Glut3 glucose transporter from the cytosol to the plasma membrane. In neurons, activity-dependent glucose uptake was blunted after blocking endogenous Aß production, and re-established in the presence of cerebrospinal fluid Aß. APP-null neurons failed to enhance depolarization-stimulated glucose uptake unless exogenous monomeric Aß1-42 was added. These data suggest that Aß1-42 monomers were critical for maintaining neuronal glucose homeostasis. Accordingly, exogenous Aß1-42 monomers were able to rescue the low levels of glucose consumption observed in brain slices from AD mutant mice.

  2. Anthocyanins and Their Variation in Red Wines I. Monomeric Anthocyanins and Their Color Expression

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    Chang-Qing Duan; Malcolm J. Reeves; Qiu-Hong Pan; Lin Mu; Na-Na Liang; Fei He; Jun Wang

    2012-01-01

    Originating in the grapes, monomeric anthocyanins in young red wines contribute the majority of color and the supposed beneficial health effects related to their consumption, and as such they are recognized as one of the most important groups of phenolic metabolites in red wines. In recent years, our increasing knowledge of the chemical complexity of the monomeric anthocyanins, their stability, together with the phenomena such as self-association and copigmentation that can stabilize and enha...

  3. Anthocyanins and Their Variation in Red Wines I. Monomeric Anthocyanins and Their Color Expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang-Qing Duan

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Originating in the grapes, monomeric anthocyanins in young red wines contribute the majority of color and the supposed beneficial health effects related to their consumption, and as such they are recognized as one of the most important groups of phenolic metabolites in red wines. In recent years, our increasing knowledge of the chemical complexity of the monomeric anthocyanins, their stability, together with the phenomena such as self-association and copigmentation that can stabilize and enhance their color has helped to explain their color representation in red wine making and aging. A series of new enological practices were developed to improve the anthocyanin extraction, as well as their color expression and maintenance. This paper summarizes the most recent advances in the studies of the monomeric anthocyanins in red wines, emphasizing their origin, occurrence, color enhancing effects, their degradation and the effect of various enological practices on them.

  4. Peracetic Acid Depolymerization of Biorefinery Lignin for Production of Selective Monomeric Phenolic Compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Ruoshui [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Guo, Mond [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Lin, Kuan-ting [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Hebert, Vincent R. [Food and Environmental Laboratory, Washington State, University-TriCities, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Zhang, Jinwen [Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164 USA; Wolcott, Michael P. [Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164 USA; Quintero, Melissa [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Ramasamy, Karthikeyan K. [Chemical and Biological Process Development Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99354 USA; Chen, Xiaowen [National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Lab, 1617 Cole Blvd Golden CO 80127 USA; Zhang, Xiao [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA

    2016-07-04

    Lignin is the largest source of renewable material with an aromatic skeleton. However, due to the recalcitrant and heterogeneous nature of the lignin polymer, it has been a challenge to effectively depolymerize lignin and produce high-value chemicals with high selectivity. In this study, a highly efficient lignin-to-monomeric phenolic compounds (MPC) conversion method based on peracetic acid (PAA) treatment was reported. PAA treatment of two biorefinery lignin samples, diluted acid pretreated corn stover lignin (DACSL) and steam exploded spruce lignin (SESPL), led to complete solubilization and production of selective hydroxylated monomeric phenolic compounds (MPC-H) and monomeric phenolic acid compounds (MPC-A) including 4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The maximized MPC yields obtained were 18 and 22 % based on the initial weight of the lignin in SESPL and DACSL, respectively. However, we found that the addition of niobium pentoxide catalyst to PAA treatment of lignin can significantly improve the MPC yields up to 47 %. The key reaction steps and main mechanisms involved in this new lignin-to-MPC valorization pathway were investigated and elucidated.

  5. Peracetic Acid Depolymerization of Biorefinery Lignin for Production of Selective Monomeric Phenolic Compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Ruoshui [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Guo, Mond [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Lin, Kuan-ting [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Hebert, Vincent R. [Food and Environmental Laboratory, Washington State, University-TriCities, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Zhang, Jinwen [Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164 USA; Wolcott, Michael P. [Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164 USA; Quintero, Melissa [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA; Ramasamy, Karthikeyan K. [Chemical and Biological Process Development Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99354 USA; Chen, Xiaowen [National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Lab, 1617 Cole Blvd Golden CO 80127 USA; Zhang, Xiao [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Bioproducts, Science & Engineering Laboratory, Washington State University, 2710 Crimson Way Richland WA 99354 USA

    2016-07-04

    Lignin is the largest source of renewable material with an aromatic skeleton. However, due to the recalcitrant and heterogeneous nature of the lignin polymer as well as its complex side chain structures, it has been a challenge to effectively depolymerize lignin and produce high value chemicals with high selectivity. In this study, a highly efficient lignin-to-monomeric phenolic compounds (MPC) conversion method based on peracetic acid (PAA) treatment was reported. PAA treatment of two biorefinery lignin samples, diluted acid pretreated corn stover lignin (DACSL) and steam exploded spruce lignin (SESPL), led to complete solubilization and production of selective hydroxylated monomeric phenolic compounds (MPC-H) and monomeric phenolic acid compounds (MPC-A) inclduing 4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The maximized MPCs yields obtained were 18% and 22% based on the initial weight of the lignin in SESPL and DACSL respectively. However, we found that the addition of niobium pentoxide catalyst to PAA treatment of lignin can significantly improve the MPC yields up to 47%. The key reaction steps and main mechanisms involved in this new lignin-to-MPC valorization pathway were investigated and elucidated.

  6. Monomeric adiponectin modulates nitric oxide release and calcium movements in porcine aortic endothelial cells in normal/high glucose conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grossini, Elena; Farruggio, Serena; Qoqaiche, Fatima; Raina, Giulia; Camillo, Lara; Sigaudo, Lorenzo; Mary, David; Surico, Nicola; Surico, Daniela

    2016-09-15

    Perivascular adipose tissue can be involved in the process of cardiovascular pathology through the release of adipokines, namely adiponectins. Monomeric adiponectin has been shown to increase coronary blood flow in anesthetized pigs through increased nitric oxide (NO) release and the involvement of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1). The present study was therefore planned to examine the effects of monomeric adiponectin on NO release and Ca(2+) transients in porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAEs) in normal/high glucose conditions and the related mechanisms. PAEs were treated with monomeric adiponectin alone or in the presence of intracellular kinases blocker, AdipoR1 and Ca(2+)-ATPase pump inhibitors. The role of Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger was examined in experiments performed in zero Na(+) medium. NO release and intracellular Ca(2+) were measured through specific probes. In PAE cultured in normal glucose conditions, monomeric adiponectin elevated NO production and [Ca(2+)]c. Similar effects were observed in high glucose conditions, although the response was lower and not transient. The Ca(2+) mobilized by monomeric adiponectin originated from an intracellular pool thapsigargin- and ATP-sensitive and from the extracellular space. Moreover, the effects of monomeric adiponectin were prevented by kinase blockers and AdipoR1 inhibitor. Finally, in normal glucose condition, a role for Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger and Ca(2+)-ATPase pump in restoring Ca(2+) was found. Our results add new information about the control of endothelial function elicited by monomeric adiponectin, which would be achieved by modulation of NO release and Ca(2+) transients. A signalling related to Akt, ERK1/2 and p38MAPK downstream AdipoR1 would be involved. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Distinct subcellular trafficking resulting from monomeric vs multimeric targeting to endothelial ICAM-1: implications for drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghaffarian, Rasa; Muro, Silvia

    2014-12-01

    Ligand-targeted, receptor-mediated endocytosis is commonly exploited for intracellular drug delivery. However, cells-surface receptors may follow distinct endocytic fates when bound by monomeric vs multimeric ligands. Our purpose was to study this paradigm using ICAM-1, an endothelial receptor involved in inflammation, to better understand its regulation and potential for drug delivery. Our procedure involved fluorescence microscopy of human endothelial cells to determine the endocytic behavior of unbound ICAM-1 vs ICAM-1 bound by model ligands: monomeric (anti-ICAM) vs multimeric (anti-ICAM biotin-streptavidin conjugates or anti-ICAM coated onto 100 nm nanocarriers). Our findings suggest that both monomeric and multimeric ligands undergo a similar endocytic pathway sensitive to amiloride (∼50% inhibition), but not inhibitors of clathrin-pits or caveoli. After 30 min, ∼60-70% of both ligands colocalized with Rab11a-compartments. By 3-5 h, ∼65-80% of multimeric anti-ICAM colocalized with perinuclear lysosomes with ∼60-80% degradation, while 70% of monomeric anti-ICAM remained associated with Rab11a at the cell periphery and recycled to and from the cell-surface with minimal (drug delivery.

  8. Hda monomerization by ADP binding promotes replicase clamp-mediated DnaA-ATP hydrolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su'etsugu, Masayuki; Nakamura, Kenta; Keyamura, Kenji; Kudo, Yuka; Katayama, Tsutomu

    2008-12-26

    ATP-DnaA is the initiator of chromosomal replication in Escherichia coli, and the activity of DnaA is regulated by the regulatory inactivation of the DnaA (RIDA) system. In this system, the Hda protein promotes DnaA-ATP hydrolysis to produce inactive ADP-DnaA in a mechanism that is mediated by the DNA-loaded form of the replicase sliding clamp. In this study, we first revealed that hda translation uses an unusual initiation codon, CUG, located downstream of the annotated initiation codon. The CUG initiation codon could be used for restricting the Hda level, as this initiation codon has a low translation efficiency, and the cellular Hda level is only approximately 100 molecules per cell. Hda translated using the correct reading frame was purified and found to have a high RIDA activity in vitro. Moreover, we found that Hda has a high affinity for ADP but not for other nucleotides, including ATP. ADP-Hda was active in the RIDA system in vitro and stable in a monomeric state, whereas apo-Hda formed inactive homomultimers. Both ADP-Hda and apo-Hda could form complexes with the DNA-loaded clamp; however, only ADP-Hda-DNA-clamp complexes were highly functional in the following interaction with DnaA. Formation of ADP-Hda was also observed in vivo, and mutant analysis suggested that ADP binding is crucial for cellular Hda activity. Thus, we propose that ADP is a crucial Hda ligand that promotes the activated conformation of the protein. ADP-dependent monomerization might enable the arginine finger of the Hda AAA+ domain to be accessible to ATP bound to the DnaA AAA+ domain.

  9. Peracetic Acid Depolymerization of Biorefinery Lignin for Production of Selective Monomeric Phenolic Compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Ruoshui; Guo, Mond; Lin, Kuan-Ting; Hebert, Vincent R; Zhang, Jinwen; Wolcott, Michael P; Quintero, Melissa; Ramasamy, Karthikeyan K; Chen, Xiaowen; Zhang, Xiao

    2016-07-25

    Lignin is the largest source of renewable material with an aromatic skeleton. However, due to the recalcitrant and heterogeneous nature of the lignin polymer, it has been a challenge to effectively depolymerize lignin and produce high-value chemicals with high selectivity. In this study, a highly efficient lignin-to-monomeric phenolic compounds (MPC) conversion method based on peracetic acid (PAA) treatment was reported. PAA treatment of two biorefinery lignin samples, diluted acid pretreated corn stover lignin (DACSL) and steam exploded spruce lignin (SESPL), led to complete solubilization and production of selective hydroxylated monomeric phenolic compounds (MPC-H) and monomeric phenolic acid compounds (MPC-A) including 4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The maximized MPC yields obtained were 18 and 22 % based on the initial weight of the lignin in SESPL and DACSL, respectively. However, we found that the addition of niobium pentoxide catalyst to PAA treatment of lignin can significantly improve the MPC yields up to 47 %. The key reaction steps and main mechanisms involved in this new lignin-to-MPC valorization pathway were investigated and elucidated. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Stability of human interferon-beta 1: oligomeric human interferon-beta 1 is inactive but is reactivated by monomerization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Utsumi, J; Yamazaki, S; Kawaguchi, K; Kimura, S; Shimizu, H

    1989-10-05

    Human interferon-beta 1 is extremely stable is a low ionic strength solution of pH 2 such as 10 mM HCl at 37 degrees C. However, the presence of 0.15 M NaCl led to a remarkable loss of antiviral activity. The molecular-sieve high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that, whereas completely active human interferon-beta 1 eluted as a 25 kDa species (monomeric form), the inactivated preparation eluted primarily as a 90 kDa species (oligomeric form). The specific activity (units per mg protein) of the oligomeric form was approx. 10% of that of the monomeric form. This observation shows that oligomeric human interferon-beta 1 is apparently in an inactive form. When the oligomeric eluate was resolved by polyacrylamide gel containing sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), it appeared to be monomeric under non-reducing conditions. Monomerization of the oligomeric human interferon-beta 1 by treatment with 1% SDS, fully regenerated its antiviral activity. These results suggest that the inactivation of the human interferon-beta 1 preparation was caused by its oligomerization via hydrophobic interactions without the formation of intermolecular disulphide bonds. These oligomers can be dissociated by SDS to restore biological activity.

  11. Principal Component Regression Analysis of the Relation Between CIELAB Color and Monomeric Anthocyanins in Young Cabernet Sauvignon Wines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang-Qing Duan

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Color is one of the key characteristics used to evaluate the sensory quality of red wine, and anthocyanins are the main contributors to color. Monomeric anthocyanins and CIELAB color values were investigated by HPLC-MS and spectrophotometry during fermentation of Cabernet Sauvignon red wine, and principal component regression (PCR, a statistical tool, was used to establish a linkage between the detected anthocyanins and wine coloring. The results showed that 14 monomeric anthocyanins could be identified in wine samples, and all of these anthocyanins were negatively correlated with the L*, b* and H*ab values, but positively correlated with a* and C*ab values. On an equal concentration basis for each detected anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy3-glu had the most influence on CIELAB color value, while malvidin 3-O-glucoside (Mv3-glu had the least. The color values of various monomeric anthocyanins were influenced by their structures, substituents on the B-ring, acyl groups on the glucoside and the molecular steric structure. This work develops a statistical method for evaluating correlation between wine color and monomeric anthocyanins, and also provides a basis for elucidating the effect of intramolecular copigmentation on wine coloring.

  12. A Domain of Herpes Simplex Virus pUL33 Required To Release Monomeric Viral Genomes from Cleaved Concatemeric DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Kui; Dang, Xiaoqun; Baines, Joel D

    2017-10-15

    Monomeric herpesvirus DNA is cleaved from concatemers and inserted into preformed capsids through the actions of the viral terminase. The terminase of herpes simplex virus (HSV) is composed of three subunits encoded by U L 15, U L 28, and U L 33. The U L 33-encoded protein (pU L 33) interacts with pU L 28, but its precise role in the DNA cleavage and packaging reaction is unclear. To investigate the function of pU L 33, we generated a panel of recombinant viruses with either deletions or substitutions in the most conserved regions of U L 33 using a bacterial artificial chromosome system. Deletion of 11 amino acids (residues 50 to 60 or residues 110 to 120) precluded viral replication, whereas the truncation of the last 10 amino acids from the pU L 33 C terminus did not affect viral replication or the interaction of pU L 33 with pU L 28. Mutations that replaced the lysine at codon 110 and the arginine at codon 111 with alanine codons failed to replicate, and the pU L 33 mutant interacted with pU L 28 less efficiently. Interestingly, genomic termini of the large (L) and small (S) components were detected readily in cells infected with these mutants, indicating that concatemeric DNA was cleaved efficiently. However, the release of monomeric genomes as assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was greatly diminished, and DNA-containing capsids were not observed. These results suggest that pU L 33 is necessary for one of the two viral DNA cleavage events required to release individual genomes from concatemeric viral DNA. IMPORTANCE This paper shows a role for pU L 33 in one of the two DNA cleavage events required to release monomeric genomes from concatemeric viral DNA. This is the first time that such a phenotype has been observed and is the first identification of a function of this protein relevant to DNA packaging other than its interaction with other terminase components. Copyright © 2017 Yang et al.

  13. Hda Monomerization by ADP Binding Promotes Replicase Clamp-mediated DnaA-ATP Hydrolysis*S⃞

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su'etsugu, Masayuki; Nakamura, Kenta; Keyamura, Kenji; Kudo, Yuka; Katayama, Tsutomu

    2008-01-01

    ATP-DnaA is the initiator of chromosomal replication in Escherichia coli, and the activity of DnaA is regulated by the regulatory inactivation of the DnaA (RIDA) system. In this system, the Hda protein promotes DnaA-ATP hydrolysis to produce inactive ADP-DnaA in a mechanism that is mediated by the DNA-loaded form of the replicase sliding clamp. In this study, we first revealed that hda translation uses an unusual initiation codon, CUG, located downstream of the annotated initiation codon. The CUG initiation codon could be used for restricting the Hda level, as this initiation codon has a low translation efficiency, and the cellular Hda level is only ∼100 molecules per cell. Hda translated using the correct reading frame was purified and found to have a high RIDA activity in vitro. Moreover, we found that Hda has a high affinity for ADP but not for other nucleotides, including ATP. ADP-Hda was active in the RIDA system in vitro and stable in a monomeric state, whereas apo-Hda formed inactive homomultimers. Both ADP-Hda and apo-Hda could form complexes with the DNA-loaded clamp; however, only ADP-Hda-DNA-clamp complexes were highly functional in the following interaction with DnaA. Formation of ADP-Hda was also observed in vivo, and mutant analysis suggested that ADP binding is crucial for cellular Hda activity. Thus, we propose that ADP is a crucial Hda ligand that promotes the activated conformation of the protein. ADP-dependent monomerization might enable the arginine finger of the Hda AAA+ domain to be accessible to ATP bound to the DnaA AAA+ domain. PMID:18977760

  14. Monomeric insulins obtained by protein engineering and their medical implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brange, J; Ribel, U; Hansen, J F; Dodson, G; Hansen, M T; Havelund, S; Melberg, S G; Norris, F; Norris, K; Snel, L

    1988-06-16

    The use of insulin as an injected therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetes has been one of the outstanding successes of modern medicine. The therapy has, however, had its associated problems, not least because injection of insulin does not lead to normal diurnal concentrations of insulin in the blood. This is especially true at meal times when absorption from subcutaneous tissue is too slow to mimic the normal rapid increments of insulin in the blood. In the neutral solutions used for therapy, insulin is mostly assembled as zinc-containing hexamers and this self-association, which under normal physiological circumstances functions to facilitate proinsulin transport, conversion and intracellular storage, may limit the rate of absorption. We now report that it is possible, by single amino-acid substitutions, to make insulins which are essentially monomeric at pharmaceutical concentrations (0.6 mM) and which have largely preserved their biological activity. These monomeric insulins are absorbed two to three times faster after subcutaneous injection than the present rapid-acting insulins. They are therefore capable of giving diabetic patients a more physiological plasma insulin profile at the time of meal consumption.

  15. Improved detection of a staphylococcal infection by monomeric and protein A-purified polyclonal human immunoglobulin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calame, W.

    1993-01-01

    The present study was undertaken to compare the technetium-99m labelled non-specific polyclonal human immunoglobulin (Ig) with 99m Tc-labelled monomeric human immunoglobulin (m-Ig), 99m Tc-labelled, protein A-purified, human immunoglobulin (A-IG) and 99m Tc-labelled monomeric, protein A-purified, human immunoglobulin (mA-Ig) as tracer agents for the detection of a thigh infection with Staphylococcus aureus. In vitro the binding of the various tracer agents to bacteria at various intervals was determined. For the in vivo evaluation, mice were infected and received one of the various labelled proteins. Scintigrams were made 0.25, 1, 4 and 24 h later. All 99m Tc-labelled Igs bound to bacteria in vitro: The percentages of binding for the m-Ig (from 1 h onwards) and A-Ig and mA-Ig (from 3 h onwards) were significantly higher than that for Ig. The in vivo target-to-non-target (T/NT) ratios were significantly higher from 4 h onwards for all purified Igs than for Ig. Protein A-purified Ig yielded higher T/NT ratios than m-Ig. Furthermore, the amount of activity in the liver was significantly lower 24 h after administration of m-Ig, A-Ig and mA-Ig than after administration of Ig. It is concluded that in this experimental infection 99m Tc-labelled monomeric Ig localizes a staphylococcal thigh infection better and faster than 99m Tc-labelled unpurified Ig. However, the accumulation obtained with protein A-purified Ig or protein A-purified monomeric Ig was the highest of all tracer agents tested. (orig.)

  16. Characterization of monomeric intermediates during VSV glycoprotein structural transition.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aurélie A Albertini

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Entry of enveloped viruses requires fusion of viral and cellular membranes, driven by conformational changes of viral glycoproteins. Crystal structures provide static pictures of pre- and post-fusion conformations of these proteins but the transition pathway remains elusive. Here, using several biophysical techniques, including analytical ultracentrifugation, circular dichroïsm, electron microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering, we have characterized the low-pH-induced fusogenic structural transition of a soluble form of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV glycoprotein G ectodomain (G(th, aa residues 1-422, the fragment that was previously crystallized. While the post-fusion trimer is the major species detected at low pH, the pre-fusion trimer is not detected in solution. Rather, at high pH, G(th is a flexible monomer that explores a large conformational space. The monomeric population exhibits a marked pH-dependence and adopts more elongated conformations when pH decreases. Furthermore, large relative movements of domains are detected in absence of significant secondary structure modification. Solution studies are complemented by electron micrographs of negatively stained viral particles in which monomeric ectodomains of G are observed at the viral surface at both pH 7.5 and pH 6.7. We propose that the monomers are intermediates during the conformational change and thus that VSV G trimers dissociate at the viral surface during the structural transition.

  17. LRP1 Modulates APP Intraneuronal Transport and Processing in Its Monomeric and Dimeric State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claus U. Pietrzik

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1, LRP1, interacts with APP and affects its processing. This is assumed to be mostly caused by the impact of LRP1 on APP endocytosis. More recently, also an interaction of APP and LRP1 early in the secretory pathway was reported whereat retention of LRP1 in the ER leads to decreased APP cell surface levels and in turn, to reduced Aβ secretion. Here, we extended the biochemical and immunocytochemical analyses by showing via live cell imaging analyses in primary neurons that LRP1 and APP are transported only partly in common (one third but to a higher degree in distinct fast axonal transport vesicles. Interestingly, co-expression of LRP1 and APP caused a change of APP transport velocities, indicating that LRP1 recruits APP to a specific type of fast axonal transport vesicles. In contrast lowered levels of LRP1 facilitated APP transport. We further show that monomeric and dimeric APP exhibit similar transport characteristics and that both are affected by LRP1 in a similar way, by slowing down APP anterograde transport and increasing its endocytosis rate. In line with this, a knockout of LRP1 in CHO cells and in primary neurons caused an increase of monomeric and dimeric APP surface localization and in turn accelerated shedding by meprin β and ADAM10. Notably, a choroid plexus specific LRP1 knockout caused a much higher secretion of sAPP dimers into the cerebrospinal fluid compared to sAPP monomers. Together, our data show that LRP1 functions as a sorting receptor for APP, regulating its cell surface localization and thereby its processing by ADAM10 and meprin β, with the latter exhibiting a preference for APP in its dimeric state.

  18. Preparation of a highly concentrated, completely monomeric, active sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lüdi, H; Hasselbach, W

    1985-11-21

    Sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from fast skeletal muscle were partially delipidated with sodium cholate at high ionic strength and sedimented in a discontinuous sucrose gradient. Phospholipid content was reduced from 0.777 mumol/mg protein to 0.242 mumol/mg protein. As judged from gel electrophoresis and high pressure liquid gel chromatography, accessory proteins were removed during centrifugation and the Ca2+-ATPase was obtained in an almost pure form. Addition of myristoylglycerophosphocholine (1 mg/mg protein) reactivates ATPase and dinitrophenylphosphatase activity to the same degree obtained with native vesicles. Using the analytical ultracentrifuge it could be demonstrated that the reactivated Ca2+-ATPase was present exclusively in a monomeric state. These results were obtained at high and low ionic strength and up to a protein concentration of 10 mg/ml. Therefore this preparation should be very useful to investigate differences between oligomeric and monomeric Ca2+-ATPase.

  19. Mapping monomeric threading to protein-protein structure prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerler, Aysam; Govindarajoo, Brandon; Zhang, Yang

    2013-03-25

    The key step of template-based protein-protein structure prediction is the recognition of complexes from experimental structure libraries that have similar quaternary fold. Maintaining two monomer and dimer structure libraries is however laborious, and inappropriate library construction can degrade template recognition coverage. We propose a novel strategy SPRING to identify complexes by mapping monomeric threading alignments to protein-protein interactions based on the original oligomer entries in the PDB, which does not rely on library construction and increases the efficiency and quality of complex template recognitions. SPRING is tested on 1838 nonhomologous protein complexes which can recognize correct quaternary template structures with a TM score >0.5 in 1115 cases after excluding homologous proteins. The average TM score of the first model is 60% and 17% higher than that by HHsearch and COTH, respectively, while the number of targets with an interface RMSD benchmark proteins. Although the relative performance of SPRING and ZDOCK depends on the level of homology filters, a combination of the two methods can result in a significantly higher model quality than ZDOCK at all homology thresholds. These data demonstrate a new efficient approach to quaternary structure recognition that is ready to use for genome-scale modeling of protein-protein interactions due to the high speed and accuracy.

  20. Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of decameric and monomeric forms of C49S mutant thioredoxin-dependent AhpC from Helicobacter pylori

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Supangat; Seo, Kyung Hye; Furqoni, Ahmad; Kwon, Young-Chul; Cho, Myung-Je; Rhee, Kwang-Ho; Lee, Sang Yeol; Lee, Kon Ho

    2008-01-01

    Decameric and monomeric forms of recombinant C49S mutant AhpC from H. pylori have been crystallized. Diffraction data were collected to 2.8 and 2.25 Å, respectively. Cys49Ser mutant Helicobacter pylori alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (C49S HpAhpC) was purified under reducing conditions in monomeric and decameric forms. The monomeric form was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to 2.25 Å resolution and belonged to space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 245.8, b = 140.7, c = 189.5 Å, β = 127°, and contained 20 molecules in the asymmetric unit. A crystal of the decameric form was obtained by the microbatch crystallization method and diffracted to 2.8 Å resolution. It belonged to space group C222, with unit-cell parameters a = 257.5, b = 417.5, c = 95.6 Å. The structure of the monomeric form of C49S HpAhpC has been solved by the molecular-replacement method

  1. Development of bisphenol A-removing recombinant Escherichia coli by monomeric and dimeric surface display of bisphenol A-binding peptide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maruthamuthu, Murali Kannan; Hong, Jiyeon; Arulsamy, Kulandaisamy; Somasundaram, Sivachandiran; Hong, SoonHo; Choe, Woo-Seok; Yoo, Ik-Keun

    2018-04-01

    Peptide-displaying Escherichia coli cells were investigated for use in adsorptive removal of bisphenol A (BPA) both in Luria-Bertani medium including BPA or ATM thermal paper eluted wastewater. Two recombinant strains were constructed with monomeric and dimeric repeats of the 7-mer BPA-binding peptide (KSLENSY), respectively. Greater than threefold increased adsorption of BPA [230.4 µmol BPA per g dry cell weight (DCW)] was found in dimeric peptide-displaying cells compared to monomeric strains (63.4 µmol per g DCW) in 15 ppm BPA solution. The selective removal of BPA from a mixture of BPA analogs (bisphenol F and bisphenol S) was verified in both monomeric and dimeric peptide-displaying cells. The binding chemistry of BPA with the peptide was assumed, based on molecular docking analysis, to be the interaction of BPA with serine and asparagine residues within the 7-mer peptide sequence. The peptide-displaying cells also functioned efficiently in thermal paper eluted wastewater containing 14.5 ppm BPA.

  2. Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy with Monomeric Allergoid in a Mouse Model of Atopic Dermatitis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babakhin, Alexander; Andreev, Sergey; Nikonova, Alexandra; Shilovsky, Igor; Buzuk, Andrey; Elisyutina, Olga; Fedenko, Elena; Khaitov, Musa

    2015-01-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a widespread and difficult to treat allergic skin disease and is a tough challenge for healthcare. In this study, we investigated whether allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) with a monomeric allergoid obtained by succinylation of ovalbumin (sOVA) is effective in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis. An experimental model of AD was reproduced by epicutaneous sensitization with ovalbumin (OVA). ASIT was performed with subcutaneous (SC) administration of increasing doses of OVA or sOVA. The levels of anti-OVA antibodies, as well as cytokines, were detected by ELISA. Skin samples from patch areas were taken for histologic examination. ASIT with either OVA or sOVA resulted in a reduction of both the anti-OVA IgE level and the IgG1/IgG2a ratio. Moreover, ASIT with sOVA increased the IFN-γ level in supernatants after splenocyte stimulation with OVA. Histologic analysis of skin samples from the sites of allergen application showed that ASIT improved the histologic picture by decreasing allergic inflammation in comparison with untreated mice. These data suggest that ASIT with a succinylated allergen represents promising approach for the treatment of AD. PMID:26275152

  3. Energy level alignment at Co/AlOx/pentacene interfaces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Popinciuc, M.; Jonkman, H. T.; van Wees, B. J.

    2007-01-01

    X-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (XPS and UPS) experiments were performed in order to study the energy level alignment and electronic structure at Co/AlOx/pentacene interfaces as a function of the aluminum oxide (AlOx) tunnel barrier thickness and the oxidation state of Co. XPS was

  4. Structure/function analysis of PARP-1 in oxidative and nitrosative stress-induced monomeric ADPR formation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ben Buelow

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1 is a multifunctional enzyme that is involved in two major cellular responses to oxidative and nitrosative (O/N stress: detection and response to DNA damage via formation of protein-bound poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose (PAR, and formation of the soluble 2(nd messenger monomeric adenosine diphosphate-ribose (mADPR. Previous studies have delineated specific roles for several of PARP-1's structural domains in the context of its involvement in a DNA damage response. However, little is known about the relationship between the mechanisms through which PARP-1 participates in DNA damage detection/response and those involved in the generation of monomeric ADPR. To better understand the relationship between these events, we undertook a structure/function analysis of PARP-1 via reconstitution of PARP-1 deficient DT40 cells with PARP-1 variants deficient in catalysis, DNA binding, auto-PARylation, and PARP-1's BRCT protein interaction domain. Analysis of responses of the respective reconstituted cells to a model O/N stressor indicated that PARP-1 catalytic activity, DNA binding, and auto-PARylation are required for PARP-dependent mADPR formation, but that BRCT-mediated interactions are dispensable. As the BRCT domain is required for PARP-dependent recruitment of XRCC1 to sites of DNA damage, these results suggest that DNA repair and monomeric ADPR 2(nd messenger generation are parallel mechanisms through which PARP-1 modulates cellular responses to O/N stress.

  5. Low IDL-B and high LDL-1 subfraction levels in serum of ALS patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delaye, J B; Patin, F; Piver, E; Bruno, C; Vasse, M; Vourc'h, P; Andres, C R; Corcia, P; Blasco, H

    2017-09-15

    Converging evidence highlights that lipid metabolism plays a key role in ALS pathophysiology. Dyslipidemia has been described in ALS patients and may be protective but peripheral lipoprotein subclasses have never been studied. We collected sera from 30 ALS patients and 30 gender and age-matched controls. We analyzed 11 distinct lipoprotein subclasses by linear polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Lipoprint, Quantimetrix Corporation, USA). We also measured lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein B, and apolipoprotein E levels. ALS patients had significant higher total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels than controls (pALS patients than controls. Our preliminary work confirmed the association between ALS and dyslipidemia. The low IDL-B levels may explain the hepatic steatosis frequently reported in ALS. The high levels of the cholesterol-rich LDL-1 subfraction is consistent with previously reported hypercholesterolemia. This study describes, for the first time, the distribution of serum lipoproteins in ALS patients, with low IDL-B and high LDL-1 subfraction level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Induction of antibodies against epitopes inaccessible on the HIV type 1 envelope oligomer by immunization with recombinant monomeric glycoprotein 120

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schønning, Kristian; Bolmstedt, A; Novotny, J

    1998-01-01

    An N-glycan (N306) at the base of the V3 loop of HIV-BRU gp120 is shielding a linear neutralization epitope at the tip of the V3 loop on oligomeric Env. In contrast, this epitope is readily antigenic on monomeric gp120. Immunization with recombinant monomeric HIV-BRU gp120 may thus be expected...... immunogenic structures inaccessible on the envelope oligomer. The limited ability of recombinant gp120 vaccines to induce neutralizing antibodies against primary isolates may thus not exclusively reflect genetic variation....

  7. Creating a monomeric endonuclease TALE-I-SceI with high specificity and low genotoxicity in human cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jianfei; Chen, He; Luo, Ling; Lai, Yongrong; Xie, Wei; Kee, Kehkooi

    2015-01-01

    To correct a DNA mutation in the human genome for gene therapy, homology-directed repair (HDR) needs to be specific and have the lowest off-target effects to protect the human genome from deleterious mutations. Zinc finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) and CRISPR-CAS9 systems have been engineered and used extensively to recognize and modify specific DNA sequences. Although TALEN and CRISPR/CAS9 could induce high levels of HDR in human cells, their genotoxicity was significantly higher. Here, we report the creation of a monomeric endonuclease that can recognize at least 33 bp by fusing the DNA-recognizing domain of TALEN (TALE) to a re-engineered homing endonuclease I-SceI. After sequentially re-engineering I-SceI to recognize 18 bp of the human β-globin sequence, the re-engineered I-SceI induced HDR in human cells. When the re-engineered I-SceI was fused to TALE (TALE-ISVB2), the chimeric endonuclease induced the same HDR rate at the human β-globin gene locus as that induced by TALEN, but significantly reduced genotoxicity. We further demonstrated that TALE-ISVB2 specifically targeted at the β-globin sequence in human hematopoietic stem cells. Therefore, this monomeric endonuclease has the potential to be used in therapeutic gene targeting in human cells. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  8. Natural monomeric form of fetal bovine serum acetylcholinesterase lacks the C-terminal tetramerization domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Ashima; Hur, Regina S; Luo, Chunyuan; Doctor, Bhupendra P

    2003-12-30

    Acetylcholinesterase isolated from fetal bovine serum (FBS AChE) was previously characterized as a globular tetrameric form. Analysis of purified preparations of FBS AChE by gel permeation chromatography revealed the presence of a stable, catalytically active, monomeric form of this enzyme. The two forms could be distinguished from each other based on their molecular weight, hydrodynamic properties, kinetic properties, thermal stability, and the type of glycans they carry. No differences between the two forms were observed for the binding of classical inhibitors such as edrophonium and propidium or inhibitors that are current or potential drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease such as (-) huperzine A and E2020; tacrine inhibited the monomeric form 2-3-fold more potently than the tetrameric form. Sequencing of peptides obtained from an in-gel tryptic digest of the monomer and tetramer by tandem mass spectrometry indicated that the tetramer consists of 583 amino acid residues corresponding to the mature form of the enzyme, whereas the monomer consists of 543-547 amino acid residues. The subunit molecular weight of the protein component of the monomer (major species) was determined to be 59 414 Da and that of the tetramer as 64 239 Da. The N-terminal of the monomer and the tetramer was Glu, suggesting that the monomer is not a result of truncation at the N-terminal. The only differences detected were at the C-terminus. The tetramer yielded the expected C-terminus, CSDL, whereas the C-terminus of the monomer yielded a mixture of peptides, of which LLSATDTLD was the most abundant. These results suggest that monomeric FBS AChE is trimmed at the C-terminus, and the results are consistent with the involvement of C-terminal amino acids in the assembly of monomers into tetramers.

  9. Monomeric, Oligomeric and Polymeric Proteins in Huntington Disease and Other Diseases of Polyglutamine Expansion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guylaine Hoffner

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Huntington disease and other diseases of polyglutamine expansion are each caused by a different protein bearing an excessively long polyglutamine sequence and are associated with neuronal death. Although these diseases affect largely different brain regions, they all share a number of characteristics, and, therefore, are likely to possess a common mechanism. In all of the diseases, the causative protein is proteolyzed, becomes abnormally folded and accumulates in oligomers and larger aggregates. The aggregated and possibly the monomeric expanded polyglutamine are likely to play a critical role in the pathogenesis and there is increasing evidence that the secondary structure of the protein influences its toxicity. We describe here, with special attention to huntingtin, the mechanisms of polyglutamine aggregation and the modulation of aggregation by the sequences flanking the polyglutamine. We give a comprehensive picture of the characteristics of monomeric and aggregated polyglutamine, including morphology, composition, seeding ability, secondary structure, and toxicity. The structural heterogeneity of aggregated polyglutamine may explain why polyglutamine-containing aggregates could paradoxically be either toxic or neuroprotective.

  10. Monomeric banana lectin at acidic pH overrules conformational stability of its native dimeric form.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javed M Khan

    Full Text Available Banana lectin (BL is a homodimeric protein categorized among jacalin-related family of lectins. The effect of acidic pH was examined on conformational stability of BL by using circular dichroism, intrinsic fluorescence, 1-anilino-8-napthalene sulfonate (ANS binding, size exclusion chromatography (SEC and dynamic light scattering (DLS. During acid denaturation of BL, the monomerization of native dimeric protein was found at pH 2.0. The elution profile from SEC showed two different peaks (59.65 ml & 87.98 ml at pH 2.0 while single peak (61.45 ml at pH 7.4. The hydrodynamic radii (R h of native BL was 2.9 nm while at pH 2.0 two species were found with R h of 1.7 and 3.7 nm. Furthermore at, pH 2.0 the secondary structures of BL remained unaltered while tertiary structure was significantly disrupted with the exposure of hydrophobic clusters confirming the existence of molten globule like state. The unfolding of BL with different subunit status was further evaluated by urea and temperature mediated denaturation to check their stability. As inferred from high Cm and ΔG values, the monomeric form of BL offers more resistance towards chemical denaturation than the native dimeric form. Besides, dimeric BL exhibited a Tm of 77°C while no loss in secondary structures was observed in monomers even up to 95°C. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on monomeric subunit of lectins showing more stability against denaturants than its native dimeric state.

  11. mKikGR, a monomeric photoswitchable fluorescent protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satoshi Habuchi

    Full Text Available The recent demonstration and utilization of fluorescent proteins whose fluorescence can be switched on and off has greatly expanded the toolkit of molecular and cell biology. These photoswitchable proteins have facilitated the characterization of specifically tagged molecular species in the cell and have enabled fluorescence imaging of intracellular structures with a resolution far below the classical diffraction limit of light. Applications are limited, however, by the fast photobleaching, slow photoswitching, and oligomerization typical for photoswitchable proteins currently available. Here, we report the molecular cloning and spectroscopic characterization of mKikGR, a monomeric version of the previously reported KikGR that displays high photostability and switching rates. Furthermore, we present single-molecule imaging experiments that demonstrate that individual mKikGR proteins can be localized with a precision of better than 10 nanometers, suggesting their suitability for super-resolution imaging.

  12. Energy levels of GaAs/Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As/AlAs spherical quantum dot with an impurity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boz, Figen Karaca, E-mail: figenb@trakya.edu.tr; Nisanci, Beyza; Aktas, Saban; Okan, S. Erol

    2016-11-30

    Highlights: • Energy levels and probability distribution of an electron in GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs/AlAs spherical quantum dot were calculated. • The size effects on the electronic binding energy were determined within a core/shell/shell model. • The differences between the impurity energies of the first and the second levels are detected. - Abstract: We have calculated the energy levels and the radial probability distributions of an electron with an impurity in a spherical quantum dot which is layered as GaAs/Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As/AlAs. The numerical method used is the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method in the framework of the effective mass approximation. The variation of the energy levels have been calculated as functions of the radius of the GaAs sphere and the thickness of Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As spherical layer considering effective mass and dielectric constant mismatches. The results have presented the importance of the geometry on the electronic properties of the spherical GaAs/Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As/AlAs quantum dot.

  13. Effects of aluminum on organic acid metabolism and secretion by red spruce cell suspension cultures and the reversal of Al effects on growth and polyamine metabolism by exogenous organic acids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakesh Minocha; Stephanie Long

    2004-01-01

    In the absence of added Al, the concentration of succinate in cultured red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) cells was 15-20 times higher (> 600 nmol g-1FW) than that of citrate or oxalate and 4-6 times higher than that of malate. Addition of AICIJ (effective monomeric Al concentrations of 0.23 and 0.48...

  14. Selective defunctionalization by TiO2 of monomeric phenolics from lignin pyrolysis into simple phenols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mante, Ofei D; Rodriguez, Jose A; Babu, Suresh P

    2013-11-01

    This study is focused on defunctionalizing monomeric phenolics from lignin into simple phenols for applications such as phenol/formaldehyde resins, epoxidized novolacs, adhesives and binders. Towards this goal, Titanium dioxide (TiO2) was used to selectively remove hydroxyl, methoxy, carbonyl and carboxyl functionalities from the monomeric phenolic compounds from lignin to produce mainly phenol, cresols and xylenols. The results showed that anatase TiO2 was more selective and active compared to rutile TiO2. Catechols were found to be the most reactive phenolics and 4-ethylguaiacol the least reactive with anatase TiO2. An overall conversion of about 87% of the phenolics was achieved at 550°C with a catalyst-to-feed ratio of 5 w/w. Over 97% conversion of phenolics is achievable at moderate temperatures (550°C or ≤ 600°C) and a moderate catalyst-to-feed ratio of 6.5:1. The reactivity of catechols on TiO2 suggests that titania is a promising catalyst in the removal of hydroxyl moiety. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Holistic versus monomeric strategies for hydrological modelling of human-modified hydrosystems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Nalbantis

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The modelling of human-modified basins that are inadequately measured constitutes a challenge for hydrological science. Often, models for such systems are detailed and hydraulics-based for only one part of the system while for other parts oversimplified models or rough assumptions are used. This is typically a bottom-up approach, which seeks to exploit knowledge of hydrological processes at the micro-scale at some components of the system. Also, it is a monomeric approach in two ways: first, essential interactions among system components may be poorly represented or even omitted; second, differences in the level of detail of process representation can lead to uncontrolled errors. Additionally, the calibration procedure merely accounts for the reproduction of the observed responses using typical fitting criteria. The paper aims to raise some critical issues, regarding the entire modelling approach for such hydrosystems. For this, two alternative modelling strategies are examined that reflect two modelling approaches or philosophies: a dominant bottom-up approach, which is also monomeric and, very often, based on output information, and a top-down and holistic approach based on generalized information. Critical options are examined, which codify the differences between the two strategies: the representation of surface, groundwater and water management processes, the schematization and parameterization concepts and the parameter estimation methodology. The first strategy is based on stand-alone models for surface and groundwater processes and for water management, which are employed sequentially. For each model, a different (detailed or coarse parameterization is used, which is dictated by the hydrosystem schematization. The second strategy involves model integration for all processes, parsimonious parameterization and hybrid manual-automatic parameter optimization based on multiple objectives. A test case is examined in a hydrosystem in Greece

  16. Preparation and properties of a monomeric Mn(IV)-oxo complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsell, Trenton H; Behan, Rachel K; Green, Michael T; Hendrich, Michael P; Borovik, A S

    2006-07-12

    Manganese-oxo complexes have long been investigated because of their proposed roles in biological and chemical catalysis. However, there are few examples of monomeric complexes with terminal oxo ligands, especially those with oxomanganese(IV) units. A oxomanganese(IV) complex has been prepared from [MnIIIH3buea(O)]2- ([H3buea]3-, tris[(N'-tert-butylureaylato)-N-ethylene]aminato), a monomeric MnIII-O complex in which the oxo ligand arises from cleavage of dioxygen. Treating [MnIIIH3buea(O)]2- with [Cp2Fe]BF4 in either DMF at -45 degrees C or DMSO at room temperature produces [MnIVH3buea(O)]-: lambdamax = 635 nm; nu(Mn-16O) = 737 cm-1; nu(Mn-18O) = 709 cm-1; g = 5.15, 2.44, 1.63, D = 3.0 cm-1, E/D = 0.26, aMn = 66 G (A = 190 MHz). These spectroscopic properties support the assignment of a mononuclear MnIV-oxo complex with an S = 3/2 ground state. Density functional theory supports this assignment and the Jahn-Teller distortion around the high-spin MnIV center that would alter the molecular structure of [MnIVH3buea(O)]- from trigonal symmetry (as indicated by the highly rhombic EPR signal). [MnIVH3buea(O)]- is relatively unstable in DMSO, converting to [MnIIIH3buea(OH)]- via a proposed X-H bond cleavage. [MnIVH3buea(O)]- reacts with 1,2-diphenylhydrazine to from azobenzene (95% yield) and [MnIIIH3buea(OH)]-. The MnIV-oxo does not react with triphenyl- or tricyclohexylphosphine. However, O-atom transfer is observed with methyldiphenylphosphine and dimethylphenylphosphine, producing the corresponding phosphine oxides. These results illustrate the diverse reactivity of the MnIV-oxo unit.

  17. Polyimide resin composites via in situ polymerization of monomeric reactants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavano, P. J.

    1974-01-01

    Thermo-oxidatively stable polyimide/graphite-fiber composites were prepared using a unique in situ polymerization of monomeric reactants directly on reinforcing fibers. This was accomplished by using an aromatic diamine and two ester-acids in a methyl alcohol solvent, rather than a previously synthesized prepolymer varnish, as with other A-type polyimides. A die molding procedure was developed and a composite property characterization conducted with high modulus graphite fiber tow. Flexure, tensile, compressive, and shear tests were conducted at temperatures from 72 to 650 F on laminates before and after exposures at the given temperatures in an air environment for times up to 1000 hours. The composite material was determined to be oxidatively, thermally, and hydrolytically stable.

  18. Monomeric RC-LH1 core complexes retard LH2 assembly and intracytoplasmic membrane formation in PufX-minus mutants of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Peter G; Mothersole, David J; Ng, Irene W; Olsen, John D; Hunter, C Neil

    2011-09-01

    In the model photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides domains of light-harvesting 2 (LH2) complexes surround and interconnect dimeric reaction centre-light-harvesting 1-PufX (RC-LH1-PufX) 'core' complexes, forming extensive networks for energy transfer and trapping. These complexes are housed in spherical intracytoplasmic membranes (ICMs), which are assembled in a stepwise process where biosynthesis of core complexes tends to dominate the early stages of membrane invagination. The kinetics of LH2 assembly were measured in PufX mutants that assemble monomeric core complexes, as a consequence of either a twelve-residue N-terminal truncation of PufX (PufXΔ12) or the complete removal of PufX (PufX(-)). Lower rates of LH2 assembly and retarded maturation of membrane invagination were observed for the larger and less curved ICM from the PufX(-) mutant, consistent with the proposition that local membrane curvature, initiated by arrays of bent RC-LH1-PufX dimers, creates a favourable environment for stable assembly of LH2 complexes. Transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution atomic force microscopy were used to examine ICM morphology and membrane protein organisation in these mutants. Some partitioning of core and LH2 complexes was observed in PufX(-) membranes, resulting in locally ordered clusters of monomeric RC-LH1 complexes. The distribution of core and LH2 complexes in the three types of membrane examined is consistent with previous models of membrane curvature and domain formation (Frese et al., 2008), which demonstrated that a combination of crowding and asymmetries in sizes and shapes of membrane protein complexes drives membrane organisation. 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Predicting the Extent of Inundation due to Sea-Level Rise: Al Hamra Development, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. A Pilot Project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arthur Robert M.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available As new information is received, predictions of sea-level rise resulting from global warming continue to be revised upwards. Measurements indicate that the rise in sea-level is continuing at, or close to, the worst case forecasts (Kellet et al. 2014. Coastal areas are coming under increasing risk of inundation and flooding as storms are predicted to increase in frequency and severity, adding to the risk of inundation due to higher sea levels. Stakeholders, government agencies, developers and land owners require accurate, up to date information to be able to protect coastal areas. Geographic Information Systems (GIS along with accurate remote sensing technologies such as LiDAR provides the best means for delivering this information. Using these technologies, this paper predicts the risk posed to a large multi-use development in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. This development, Al Hamra Village, is situated on the coast of the Arabian Gulf. Al Hamra’s physical relationship to the Gulf is in common with other developments in Ras Al Khaimah in its and for this reason has been used as a pilot project. The resulting GIS model shows that Al Hamra is indeed at risk from predicted flood events. How this information can be used as a planning tool for numerous strategies is discussed in this paper.

  20. Discovery of Radioiodinated Monomeric Anthraquinones as a Novel Class of Necrosis Avid Agents for Early Imaging of Necrotic Myocardium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qin; Yang, Shengwei; Jiang, Cuihua; Li, Jindian; Wang, Cong; Chen, Linwei; Jin, Qiaomei; Song, Shaoli; Feng, Yuanbo; Ni, Yicheng; Zhang, Jian; Yin, Zhiqi

    2016-02-16

    Assessment of myocardial viability is deemed necessary to aid in clinical decision making whether to recommend revascularization therapy for patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Dianthraquinones such as hypericin (Hyp) selectively accumulate in necrotic myocardium, but were unsuitable for early imaging after administration to assess myocardial viability. Since dianthraquinones can be composed by coupling two molecules of monomeric anthraquinone and the active center can be found by splitting chemical structure, we propose that monomeric anthraquinones may be effective functional groups for necrosis targetability. In this study, eight radioiodinated monomeric anthraquinones were evaluated as novel necrosis avid agents (NAAs) for imaging of necrotic myocardium. All (131)I-anthraquinones showed high affinity to necrotic tissues and (131)I-rhein emerged as the most promising compound. Infarcts were visualized on SPECT/CT images at 6 h after injection of (131)I-rhein, which was earlier than that with (131)I-Hyp. Moreover, (131)I-rhein showed satisfactory heart-to-blood, heart-to-liver and heart-to-lung ratios for obtaining images of good diagnostic quality. (131)I-rhein was a more promising "hot spot imaging" tracer for earlier visualization of necrotic myocardium than (131)I-Hyp, which supported further development of radiopharmaceuticals based on rhein for SPECT/CT ((123)I and (99m)Tc) or PET/CT imaging ((18)F and (124)I) of myocardial necrosis.

  1. Characterization of monomeric DNA-binding protein Histone H1 in Leishmania braziliensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmelo, Emma; González, Gloria; Cruz, Teresa; Osuna, Antonio; Hernández, Mariano; Valladares, Basilio

    2011-08-01

    Histone H1 in Leishmania presents relevant differences compared to higher eukaryote counterparts, such as the lack of a DNA-binding central globular domain. Despite that, it is apparently fully functional since its differential expression levels have been related to changes in chromatin condensation and infectivity, among other features. The localization and the aggregation state of L. braziliensis H1 has been determined by immunolocalization, mass spectrometry, cross-linking and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Analysis of H1 sequences from the Leishmania Genome Database revealed that our protein is included in a very divergent group of histones H1 that is present only in L. braziliensis. An antibody raised against recombinant L. braziliensis H1 recognized specifically that protein by immunoblot in L. braziliensis extracts, but not in other Leishmania species, a consequence of the sequence divergences observed among Leishmania species. Mass spectrometry analysis and in vitro DNA-binding experiments have also proven that L. braziliensis H1 is monomeric in solution, but oligomerizes upon binding to DNA. Finally, despite the lack of a globular domain, L. braziliensis H1 is able to form complexes with DNA in vitro, with higher affinity for supercoiled compared to linear DNA.

  2. Structural Characterization of Monomeric/Dimeric State of p59fyn SH2 Domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huculeci, Radu; Kieken, Fabien; Garcia-Pino, Abel; Buts, Lieven; van Nuland, Nico; Lenaerts, Tom

    2017-01-01

    Src homology 2 (SH2) domains are key modulators in various signaling pathways allowing the recognition of phosphotyrosine sites of different proteins. Despite the fact that SH2 domains acquire their biological functions in a monomeric state, a multitude of reports have shown their tendency to dimerize. Here, we provide a technical description on how to isolate and characterize by gel filtration, circular dichroism (CD), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) each conformational state of p59 fyn SH2 domain.

  3. Comparison of excretory urographic contrast effects of dimeric and monomeric non-ionic iodinated contrast media in dogs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishimoto, M.; Yamada, K.; Watanabe, A.; Miyamoto, K.; Iwasaki, T.; Miyake, Y.

    2007-01-01

    In excretory urography, the osmolarity of contrast media has rarely been treated as important in veterinary medicine. In this study, the contrast effect of two contrast media (monomeric iohexol and dimeric iodixanol) in the renal cortex and aorta were compared using computed tomography (CT). Five beagle dogs were used and the study employed a cross-over method for each contrast media. The results showed that there was no difference between the media in the aorta, but iodixanol showed higher CT value and a longer contrast effect than iohexol in the renal cortex, in spite of having the same iodine dosage. It is believed that iodixanol, with its low osmolarity, is diluted less by osmotic diuresis than monomeric iohexol. It is important to consider the osmolarity of the contrast media when evaluating the contrast effect, and it is essential to use the same contrast media for each examination, or the renal excretory speed will be under/overestimated

  4. Localized deep levels in AlxGa1−xN epitaxial films with various Al compositions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Li-Yang; Shen Bo; Wang Ping; Yan Jian-Chang; Wang Jun-Xi

    2014-01-01

    By using high-temperature deep-level transient spectroscopy (HT-DLTS) and other electrical measurement techniques, localized deep levels in n-type Al x Ga 1−x N epitaxial films with various Al compositions (x = 0, 0.14, 0.24, 0.33, and 0.43) have been investigated. It is found that there are three distinct deep levels in Al x Ga 1−x N films, whose level position with respect to the conduction band increases as Al composition increases. The dominant defect level with the activation energy deeper than 1.0 eV below the conduction band closely follows the Fermi level stabilization energy, indicating that its origin may be related to the defect complex, including the anti-site defects and divacancies in Al x Ga 1−x N films. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

  5. α-SNAP prevents docking of the acrosome during sperm exocytosis because it sequesters monomeric syntaxin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Facundo Rodríguez

    Full Text Available α-SNAP has an essential role in membrane fusion that consists of bridging cis SNARE complexes to NSF. α-SNAP stimulates NSF, which releases itself, α-SNAP, and individual SNAREs that subsequently re-engage in the trans arrays indispensable for fusion. α-SNAP also binds monomeric syntaxin and NSF disengages the α-SNAP/syntaxin dimer. Here, we examine why recombinant α-SNAP blocks secretion in permeabilized human sperm despite the fact that the endogenous protein is essential for membrane fusion. The only mammalian organism with a genetically modified α-SNAP is the hyh mouse strain, which bears a M105I point mutation; males are subfertile due to defective sperm exocytosis. We report here that recombinant α-SNAP-M105I has greater affinity for the cytosolic portion of immunoprecipitated syntaxin than the wild type protein and in consequence NSF is less efficient in releasing the mutant. α-SNAP-M105I is a more potent sperm exocytosis blocker than the wild type and requires higher concentrations of NSF to rescue its effect. Unlike other fusion scenarios where SNAREs are subjected to an assembly/disassembly cycle, the fusion machinery in sperm is tuned so that SNAREs progress uni-directionally from a cis configuration in resting cells to monomeric and subsequently trans arrays in cells challenged with exocytosis inducers. By means of functional and indirect immunofluorescense assays, we show that recombinant α-SNAPs--wild type and M105I--inhibit exocytosis because they bind monomeric syntaxin and prevent this SNARE from assembling with its cognates in trans. Sequestration of free syntaxin impedes docking of the acrosome to the plasma membrane assessed by transmission electron microscopy. The N-terminal deletion mutant α-SNAP-(160-295, unable to bind syntaxin, affects neither docking nor secretion. The implications of this study are twofold: our findings explain the fertility defect of hyh mice and indicate that assembly of SNAREs in trans

  6. Sequence-specific 1H-NMR assignments for the aromatic region of several biologically active, monomeric insulins including native human insulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, M; Lee, R W; Kaarsholm, N C; Thøgersen, H; Brange, J; Dunn, M F

    1990-06-12

    The aromatic region of the 1H-FT-NMR spectrum of the biologically fully-potent, monomeric human insulin mutant, B9 Ser----Asp, B27 Thr----Glu has been investigated in D2O. At 1 to 5 mM concentrations, this mutant insulin is monomeric above pH 7.5. Coupling and amino acid classification of all aromatic signals is established via a combination of homonuclear one- and two-dimensional methods, including COSY, multiple quantum filters, selective spin decoupling and pH titrations. By comparisons with other insulin mutants and with chemically modified native insulins, all resonances in the aromatic region are given sequence-specific assignments without any reliance on the various crystal structures reported for insulin. These comparisons also give the sequence-specific assignments of most of the aromatic resonances of the mutant insulins B16 Tyr----Glu, B27 Thr----Glu and B25 Phe----Asp and the chemically modified species des-(B23-B30) insulin and monoiodo-Tyr A14 insulin. Chemical dispersion of the assigned resonances, ring current perturbations and comparisons at high pH have made possible the assignment of the aromatic resonances of human insulin, and these studies indicate that the major structural features of the human insulin monomer (including those critical to biological function) are also present in the monomeric mutant.

  7. Formation of amyloid fibers by monomeric light chain variable domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brumshtein, Boris; Esswein, Shannon R; Landau, Meytal; Ryan, Christopher M; Whitelegge, Julian P; Phillips, Martin L; Cascio, Duilio; Sawaya, Michael R; Eisenberg, David S

    2014-10-03

    Systemic light chain amyloidosis is a lethal disease characterized by excess immunoglobulin light chains and light chain fragments composed of variable domains, which aggregate into amyloid fibers. These fibers accumulate and damage organs. Some light chains induce formation of amyloid fibers, whereas others do not, making it unclear what distinguishes amyloid formers from non-formers. One mechanism by which sequence variation may reduce propensity to form amyloid fibers is by shifting the equilibrium toward an amyloid-resistant quaternary structure. Here we identify the monomeric form of the Mcg immunoglobulin light chain variable domain as the quaternary unit required for amyloid fiber assembly. Dimers of Mcg variable domains remain stable and soluble, yet become prone to assemble into amyloid fibers upon disassociation into monomers. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  8. The Beckman DxI 800 prolactin assay demonstrates superior specificity for monomeric prolactin.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Byrne, Brendan

    2010-02-01

    Commercially available prolactin immunoassays detect macroprolactin to variable degrees. Best practice requires laboratories to assess the cross-reactivity of their prolactin assay with macroprolactin, and where appropriate, introduce a screen for the presence of macroprolactin. Our policy has been to reanalyse hyperprolactinaemic samples following polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation and to report the resultant value as the monomeric prolactin content of the sample. The goal of this study was to determine the need to continue PEG precipitation when prolactin measurements with the Wallac AutoDELFIA were replaced by the Beckman DxI 800.

  9. 11 Efficacy and Tolerability of HDM Injective Immunotherapy With Monomeric Allergoid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Compalati, Enrico; Atzeni, Isabella; Cabras, Sergio; Fancello, Paolo; Gaspardini, Giulio; Longo, Rocco; Patella, Vincenzo; Tore, Giorgio

    2012-01-01

    Background Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is an effective treatment of respiratory allergy and carbamylated monomeric allergoids (monoids), by virtue of their reduced IgE-binding activity, resulted clinically safe by sublingual administration. Purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of immunotherapy with house dust mites (HDM) monoid administered by injective route in patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR). Methods A preparation of 0.70 mL of 10 BU/mL containing modified extract with 50% Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and 50% Dermatophagoides farinae (amount of major allergen: 4 μg of group 1 per milliliter) was delivered monthly for 12 months, following a 5-week build-up induction phase (0.10–0.20–0.30–0.50–0.70 mL), to 58 patients (60% males, mean age 25.1 ± 12.7) suffering from AR due to mites for at least 2 years, whereas 60 patients with similar baseline characteristics were observed as controls. All patients were allowed to assume traditional drug therapy for their condition. At the end of the study changes from baseline in symptoms scores, in number of days with drug assumption, in severity of AR (according to ARIA classification) were compared between the 2 groups; moreover an overall assessment of clinical efficacy and tolerability was based on patients' and physicians' judgements (unsatisfactory, mild, good, optimal). Results In respect to baseline both groups showed, after 1 year, an improvement in symptoms score (P allergoid was associated with a significant clinical benefit observed through objective and subjective outcomes; the traditional safety of monomeric allergoids was confirmed by the subjective judgements of tolerability.

  10. The structure of mAG, a monomeric mutant of the green fluorescent protein Azami-Green, reveals the structural basis of its stable green emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebisawa, Tatsuki; Yamamura, Akihiro; Kameda, Yasuhiro; Hayakawa, Kou; Nagata, Koji; Tanokura, Masaru

    2010-01-01

    The crystal structure of a monomeric mutant of Azami-Green (mAG) from G. fascicularis was determined at 2.2 Å resolution. Monomeric Azami-Green (mAG) from the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis is the first known monomeric green-emitting fluorescent protein that is not a variant of Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (avGFP). These two green fluorescent proteins are only 27% identical in their amino-acid sequences. mAG is more similar in its amino-acid sequence to four fluorescent proteins: Dendra2 (a green-to-red irreversibly photoconverting fluorescent protein), Dronpa (a bright-and-dark reversibly photoswitchable fluorescent protein), KikG (a tetrameric green-emitting fluorescent protein) and Kaede (another green-to-red irreversibly photoconverting fluorescent protein). To reveal the structural basis of stable green emission by mAG, the 2.2 Å crystal structure of mAG has been determined and compared with the crystal structures of avGFP, Dronpa, Dendra2, Kaede and KikG. The structural comparison revealed that the chromophore formed by Gln62-Tyr63-Gly64 (QYG) and the fixing of the conformation of the imidazole ring of His193 by hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contacts involving His193, Arg66 and Thr69 are likely to be required for the stable green emission of mAG. The crystal structure of mAG will contribute to the design and development of new monomeric fluorescent proteins with faster maturation, brighter fluorescence, improved photostability, new colours and other preferable properties as alternatives to avGFP and its variants

  11. MxiN Differentially Regulates Monomeric and Oligomeric Species of the Shigella Type Three Secretion System ATPase Spa47.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Case, Heather B; Dickenson, Nicholas E

    2018-04-17

    Shigella rely entirely on the action of a single type three secretion system (T3SS) to support cellular invasion of colonic epithelial cells and to circumvent host immune responses. The ATPase Spa47 resides at the base of the Shigella needle-like type three secretion apparatus (T3SA), supporting protein secretion through the apparatus and providing a likely means for native virulence regulation by Shigella and a much needed target for non-antibiotic therapeutics to treat Shigella infections. Here, we show that MxiN is a differential regulator of Spa47 and that its regulatory impact is determined by the oligomeric state of the Spa47 ATPase, with which it interacts. In vitro and in vivo characterization shows that interaction of MxiN with Spa47 requires the six N-terminal residues of Spa47 that are also necessary for stable Spa47 oligomer formation and activation. This interaction with MxiN negatively influences the activity of Spa47 oligomers while upregulating the ATPase activity of monomeric Spa47. Detailed kinetic analyses of monomeric and oligomeric Spa47 in the presence and absence of MxiN uncover additional mechanistic insights into the regulation of Spa47 by MxiN, suggesting that the MxiN/Spa47 species resulting from interaction with monomeric and oligomeric Spa47 are functionally distinct and that both could be involved in Shigella T3SS regulation. Uncovering regulation of Spa47 by MxiN addresses an important gap in the current understanding of how Shigella controls T3SA activity and provides the first description of differential T3SS ATPase regulation by a native T3SS protein.

  12. UARS Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) Level 3AL V010 (UARIS3AL) at GES DISC

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) Level 3AL data product consists of daily, 4 degree increment latitude-ordered vertical profiles of...

  13. UARS Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) Level 3AL V009 (UARCL3AL) at GES DISC

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) Level 3AL data product consists of daily, 4 degree increment latitude-ordered vertical profiles of temperature...

  14. Antioxidant effects of phenolic rye (Secale cereale L.) extracts, monomeric hydroxycinnamates, and ferulic acid dehydrodimers on human low-density lipoproteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreasen, M.F.; Landbo, Anne-Katrine Regel; Christensen, L.P.

    2001-01-01

    Dietary antioxidants that protect low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from oxidation may help to prevent atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. The antioxidant activities of purified monomeric and dimeric hydroxycinnamates and of phenolic extracts from rye (whole grain, bran, and flour) were...

  15. A de novo designed monomeric, compact three helix bundle protein on a carbohydrate template

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Malik, Leila; Nygård, Jesper; Christensen, Niels Johan

    2015-01-01

    De novo design and chemical synthesis of proteins and of other artificial structures, which mimic them, is a central strategy for understanding protein folding and for accessing proteins with novel functions. We have previously described carbohydrates as templates for the assembly of artificial...... the template could facilitate protein folding. Here we report the design and synthesis of 3-helix bundle carboproteins on deoxy-hexopyranosides. The carboproteins were analyzed by CD, AUC, SAXS, and NMR, which revealed the formation of the first compact, and folded monomeric carboprotein distinctly different...

  16. Antioxidant effects of phenolic rye (Secale cereale L.) extracts, monomeric hydroxycinnamates, and ferulic acid dehydrodimers on human low-density lipoproteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreasen, Mette Findal; Landbo, A K; Christensen, L P

    2001-01-01

    Dietary antioxidants that protect low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from oxidation may help to prevent atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. The antioxidant activities of purified monomeric and dimeric hydroxycinnamates and of phenolic extracts from rye (whole grain, bran, and flour) were...... investigated using an in vitro copper-catalyzed human LDL oxidation assay. The most abundant ferulic acid dehydrodimer (diFA) found in rye, 8-O-4-diFA, was a slightly better antioxidant than ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid. The antioxidant activity of the 8-5-diFA was comparable to that of ferulic acid......, but neither 5-5-diFA nor 8-5-benzofuran-diFA inhibited LDL oxidation when added at 10-40 microM. The antioxidant activity of the monomeric hydroxycinnamates decreased in the following order: caffeic acid > sinapic acid > ferulic acid > p-coumaric acid. The antioxidant activity of rye extracts...

  17. Hydrogen production from the monomeric sugars hydrolyzed from hemicellulose by Enterobacter aerogenes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ren, Yunli; Wang, Jianji; Liu, Zhen; Ren, Yunlai; Li, Guozhi [School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmaceutics, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471039, Henan (China)

    2009-12-15

    Relatively large percentages of xylose with glucose, arabinose, mannose, galactose and rhamnose constitute the hydrolysis products of hemicellulose. In this paper, hydrogen production performance of facultative anaerobe (Enterobacter aerogenes) has been investigated from these different monomeric sugars except glucose. It was shown that the stereoisomers of mannose and galactose were more effective for hydrogen production than those of xylose and arabinose. The substrate of 5 g/l xylose resulted in a relative high level of hydrogen yield (73.8 mmol/l), hydrogen production efficiency (2.2 mol/mol) and a maximum hydrogen production rate (249 ml/l/h). The hydrogen yield, hydrogen production efficiency and the maximum hydrogen production rate reached 104 mmol/l, 2.35 mol/mol and 290 ml/l/h, respectively, on a substrate of 10 g/l galactose. The hydrogen yields and the maximum hydrogen production rates increased with an increase of mannose concentrations and reached 119 mmol/l and 518 ml/l/h on the culture of 25 g/l mannose. However, rhamnose was a relative poor carbon resource for E. aerogenes to produce hydrogen, from which the hydrogen yield and hydrogen production efficiency were about one half of that from the mannose substrate. E. aerogenes was found to be a promising strain for hydrogen production from hydrolysis products of hemicellulose. (author)

  18. Functional alteration of a dimeric insecticidal lectin to a monomeric antifungal protein correlated to its oligomeric status.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilanjana Banerjee

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Allium sativum leaf agglutinin (ASAL is a 25-kDa homodimeric, insecticidal, mannose binding lectin whose subunits are assembled by the C-terminal exchange process. An attempt was made to convert dimeric ASAL into a monomeric form to correlate the relevance of quaternary association of subunits and their functional specificity. Using SWISS-MODEL program a stable monomer was designed by altering five amino acid residues near the C-terminus of ASAL. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By introduction of 5 site-specific mutations (-DNSNN-, a β turn was incorporated between the 11(th and 12(th β strands of subunits of ASAL, resulting in a stable monomeric mutant ASAL (mASAL. mASAL was cloned and subsequently purified from a pMAL-c2X system. CD spectroscopic analysis confirmed the conservation of secondary structure in mASAL. Mannose binding assay confirmed that molecular mannose binds efficiently to both mASAL and ASAL. In contrast to ASAL, the hemagglutination activity of purified mASAL against rabbit erythrocytes was lost. An artificial diet bioassay of Lipaphis erysimi with mASAL displayed an insignificant level of insecticidal activity compared to ASAL. Fascinatingly, mASAL exhibited strong antifungal activity against the pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Alternaria brassicicola in a disc diffusion assay. A propidium iodide uptake assay suggested that the inhibitory activity of mASAL might be associated with the alteration of the membrane permeability of the fungus. Furthermore, a ligand blot assay of the membrane subproteome of R. solani with mASAL detected a glycoprotein receptor having interaction with mASAL. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Conversion of ASAL into a stable monomer resulted in antifungal activity. From an evolutionary aspect, these data implied that variable quaternary organization of lectins might be the outcome of defense-related adaptations to diverse situations in plants. Incorporation of m

  19. Resolved single-molecule detection of individual species within a mixture of anti-biotin antibodies using an engineered monomeric nanopore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahie, Monifa; Chisholm, Christina; Chen, Min

    2015-02-24

    Oligomeric protein nanopores with rigid structures have been engineered for the purpose of sensing a wide range of analytes including small molecules and biological species such as proteins and DNA. We chose a monomeric β-barrel porin, OmpG, as the platform from which to derive the nanopore sensor. OmpG is decorated with seven flexible loops that move dynamically to create a distinct gating pattern when ionic current passes through the pore. Biotin was chemically tethered to the most flexible one of these loops. The gating characteristic of the loop's movement in and out of the porin was substantially altered by analyte protein binding. The gating characteristics of the pore with bound targets were remarkably sensitive to molecular identity, even providing the ability to distinguish between homologues within an antibody mixture. A total of five gating parameters were analyzed for each analyte to create a unique fingerprint for each biotin-binding protein. Our exploitation of gating noise as a molecular identifier may allow more sophisticated sensor design, while OmpG's monomeric structure greatly simplifies nanopore production.

  20. UARS Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) Level 3AL V001

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) Level 3AL data product consists of daily, 4 degree increment latitude-ordered vertical profiles of...

  1. UARS Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) Level 3AL V001

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) Level 3AL data product consists of daily, 4 degree increment latitude-ordered vertical profiles of temperature...

  2. Comparative analysis of the heme iron electronic structure and stereochemistry in tetrameric rabbit hemoglobin and monomeric soybean leghemoglobin a using Mössbauer spectroscopy with a high velocity resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alenkina, I. V.; Kumar, A.; Berkovsky, A. L.; Oshtrakh, M. I.

    2018-02-01

    A comparative study of tetrameric rabbit hemoglobin and monomeric soybean leghemoglobin a in the oxy- and deoxy-forms was carried out using 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy with a high velocity resolution in order to analyze the heme iron electronic structure and stereochemistry in relation to the Mössbauer hyperfine parameters. The Mössbauer spectra of tetrameric rabbit hemoglobin in both forms were fitted using two quadrupole doublets related to the 57Fe in ɑ- and β-subunits. In contrast, the Mössbauer spectra of monomeric soybean leghemoglobin a were fitted using: (i) two quadrupole doublets for the oxy-form related to two conformational states of the distal His E7 imidazole ring and different hydrogen bonding of oxygen molecule in the oxy-form and (ii) using three quadrupole doublets for deoxy-form related to three conformational states of the proximal His F8 imidazole ring. Small variations of Mössbauer hyperfine parameters related to small differences in the heme iron electronic structure and stereochemistry in tetrameric rabbit hemoglobin and monomeric soybean leghemoglobin a are discussed.

  3. Fermentation of Arabinoxylan-Oligosaccharides, Oligofructose and their Monomeric Sugars by Hindgut Bacteria from Siberian Sturgeon and African Catfish in Batch Culture in vitro

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geraylou, Z.; Rurangwa, E.; Wiele, van der T.; Courtin, C.M.; Delcour, J.A.; Buyse, J.; Ollevier, F.

    2014-01-01

    The in vitro fermentation of two Non-Digestible Oligosaccharide (NDO) preparations, Arabinoxylan- Oligosaccharides (AXOS) and Oligofructose (OF), and their respective monomeric sugars, xylose and fructose, were investigated by hindgut microbiota of two major aquaculture fish species, Siberian

  4. Pleiotropic benefit of monomeric and oligomeric flavanols on vascular health--a randomized controlled clinical pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weseler, Antje R; Ruijters, Erik J B; Drittij-Reijnders, Marie-José; Reesink, Koen D; Haenen, Guido R M M; Bast, Aalt

    2011-01-01

    Cardiovascular diseases are expanding to a major social-economic burden in the Western World and undermine man's deep desire for healthy ageing. Epidemiological studies suggest that flavanol-rich foods (e.g. grapes, wine, chocolate) sustain cardiovascular health. For an evidenced-based application, however, sound clinical data on their efficacy are strongly demanded. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention study we supplemented 28 male smokers with 200 mg per day of monomeric and oligomeric flavanols (MOF) from grape seeds. At baseline, after 4 and 8 weeks we measured macro- and microvascular function and a cluster of systemic biomarkers for major pathological processes occurring in the vasculature: disturbances in lipid metabolism and cellular redox balance, and activation of inflammatory cells and platelets. In the MOF group serum total cholesterol and LDL decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) by 5% (n = 11) and 7% (n = 9), respectively in volunteers with elevated baseline levels. Additionally, after 8 weeks the ratio of glutathione to glutathione disulphide in erythrocytes rose from baseline by 22% (n = 15, Pbenefit of an 8 weeks supplementation with 200 mg/d MOF in humans. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00742287.

  5. Method for the isolation of biologically active monomeric immunoglobulin A from a plasma fraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leibl, H; Tomasits, R; Wolf, H M; Eibl, M M; Mannhalter, J W

    1996-04-12

    A purification method for immunoglobulin A (IgA) yielding monomeric IgA with a purity of over 97% has been developed. This procedure uses ethanol-precipitated plasma (Cohn fraction III precipitate) as the starting material and includes heparin-Sepharose adsorption, dextran sulfate and ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydroxyapatite chromatography, batch adsorption by an anion-exchange matrix and gel permeation. Additional protein G Sepharose treatment leads to an IgA preparation of greater than 99% purity. The isolated IgA presented with an IgA subclass distribution, equivalent to IgA in unfractionated plasma, and was biologically active, as was shown by its ability to down-modulate Haemophilus influenzae-b-induced IL-6 secretion of human monocytes.

  6. Multiple mechanisms increase levels of resistance in Rapistrum rugosum to ALS herbicides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhara M Hatami

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Rapistrum rugosum (turnip weed is a common weed of wheat fields in Iran, which is most often controlled by tribenuron-methyl (TM, a sulfonylurea (SU belonging to the acetolactate synthase (ALS inhibiting herbicides group. Several cases of unexplained control failure of R. rugosum by TM have been seen, especially in Golestan province-Iran. Hence, there is lack of research in evaluation of the level of resistance of the R. rugosum populations to TM, using whole plant dose–response and enzyme assays, then investigating some potential resistance mechanisms Results revealed that the resistance factor (RF for resistant (R populations was 2.5 to 6.6 fold higher than susceptible (S plant. Neither foliar retention, nor 14C-TM absorption and translocation were the mechanisms responsible for resistance in turnip weed. Metabolism of TM was the second resistant mechanism in two populations (Ag-R5 and G-1, in which three metabolites were found. The concentration of TM for 50% inhibition of ALS enzyme activity in vitro showed a high level of resistance to the herbicide (resistance factors were from 28 to 38 and cross-resistance to sulfonyl-aminocarbonyl-triazolinone (SCT, pyrimidinyl-thiobenzoate (PTB and triazolopyrimidine (TP, with no cross-resistance to imidazolinone (IMI. Substitution Pro 197 to Ser 197 provided resistance to four of five ALS-inhibiting herbicides including SU, TP, PTB and SCT with no resistance to IMI. These results documented the first case of R. rugosum resistant population worldwide and demonstrated that both RST and NRST mechanisms are involved to the resistance level to TM.

  7. Interfacial phenomena in the reactions of Al-B, Al-Ti-B, and Al-Zr-B alloys with KF-AlF3 and NaF-AlF3 melts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, M.S.; Terry, B.S.; Grieveson, P.

    1993-01-01

    The interfacial phenomena occurring during the contacting of liquid Al-B, Al-Ti-B, and Al-Zr-B melts with KF-AlF 3 liquid fluxes have been investigated by optical examination of quenched metal drops previously immersed in the liquid fluxes. Reactions in the Al-B/KF-AlF 3 system involve the formation of metastable AlB 12 at the metal/flux interface. At high KBF 4 levels in the flux, the AlB 12 is dispersed in the flux and also at low KBF 4 levels in the metal. Reactions in the Al-Ti-B/KF-AlF 3 system involve the formation of TiB 2 , which may be dispersed in either the metal or the flux depending upon the composition of the flux. The results obtained for the Al-Ti-B/NaF-AlF 3 and Al-Zr-B/KF-AlF 3 systems were similar to those observed for the Al-Ti-B/KF-AlF 3 system

  8. Monomeric Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) Peptides in Solution Adopt Very Similar Ramachandran Map Distributions That Closely Resemble Random Coil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roche, Julien; Shen, Yang; Lee, Jung Ho; Ying, Jinfa; Bax, Ad

    2016-02-09

    The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the aggregation and fibrillation of amyloid peptides Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) into amyloid plaques. Despite strong potential therapeutic interest, the structural pathways associated with the conversion of monomeric Aβ peptides into oligomeric species remain largely unknown. In particular, the higher aggregation propensity and associated toxicity of Aβ(1-42) compared to that of Aβ(1-40) are poorly understood. To explore in detail the structural propensity of the monomeric Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) peptides in solution, we recorded a large set of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters, including chemical shifts, nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs), and J couplings. Systematic comparisons show that at neutral pH the Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) peptides populate almost indistinguishable coil-like conformations. Nuclear Overhauser effect spectra collected at very high resolution remove assignment ambiguities and show no long-range NOE contacts. Six sets of backbone J couplings ((3)JHNHα, (3)JC'C', (3)JC'Hα, (1)JHαCα, (2)JNCα, and (1)JNCα) recorded for Aβ(1-40) were used as input for the recently developed MERA Ramachandran map analysis, yielding residue-specific backbone ϕ/ψ torsion angle distributions that closely resemble random coil distributions, the absence of a significantly elevated propensity for β-conformations in the C-terminal region of the peptide, and a small but distinct propensity for αL at K28. Our results suggest that the self-association of Aβ peptides into toxic oligomers is not driven by elevated propensities of the monomeric species to adopt β-strand-like conformations. Instead, the accelerated disappearance of Aβ NMR signals in D2O over H2O, particularly pronounced for Aβ(1-42), suggests that intermolecular interactions between the hydrophobic regions of the peptide dominate the aggregation process.

  9. Urate levels predict survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Analysis of the expanded Pooled Resource Open-Access ALS clinical trials database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paganoni, Sabrina; Nicholson, Katharine; Chan, James; Shui, Amy; Schoenfeld, David; Sherman, Alexander; Berry, James; Cudkowicz, Merit; Atassi, Nazem

    2018-03-01

    Urate has been identified as a predictor of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) survival in some but not all studies. Here we leverage the recent expansion of the Pooled Resource Open-Access ALS Clinical Trials (PRO-ACT) database to study the association between urate levels and ALS survival. Pooled data of 1,736 ALS participants from the PRO-ACT database were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate associations between urate levels at trial entry and survival. After adjustment for potential confounders (i.e., creatinine and body mass index), there was an 11% reduction in risk of reaching a survival endpoint during the study with each 1-mg/dL increase in uric acid levels (adjusted hazard ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.82-0.97, P ALS and confirms the utility of the PRO-ACT database as a powerful resource for ALS epidemiological research. Muscle Nerve 57: 430-434, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Interaction of Classical Platinum Agents with the Monomeric and Dimeric Atox1 Proteins: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaolei Wang

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We carried out molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations for a series of binary and ternary models of the cisplatin, transplatin and oxaliplatin agents binding to a monomeric Atox1 protein and a dimeric Atox1 protein to investigate their interaction mechanisms. All three platinum agents could respectively combine with the monomeric Atox1 protein and the dimeric Atox1 protein to form a stable binary and ternary complex due to the covalent interaction of the platinum center with the Atox1 protein. The results suggested that the extra interaction from the oxaliplatin ligand–Atox1 protein interface increases its affinity only for the OxaliPt + Atox1 model. The binding of the oxaliplatin agent to the Atox1 protein might cause larger deformation of the protein than those of the cisplatin and transplatin agents due to the larger size of the oxaliplatin ligand. However, the extra interactions to facilitate the stabilities of the ternary CisPt + 2Atox1 and OxaliPt + 2Atox1 models come from the α1 helices and α2-β4 loops of the Atox1 protein–Atox1 protein interface due to the cis conformation of the platinum agents. The combinations of two Atox1 proteins in an asymmetric way in the three ternary models were analyzed. These investigations might provide detailed information for understanding the interaction mechanism of the platinum agents binding to the Atox1 protein in the cytoplasm.

  11. Dose-finding study of carbamylated monomeric allergoid tablets in grass-allergic rhinoconjunctivitis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mösges, Ralph; Rohdenburg, Christina; Eichel, Andrea; Zadoyan, Gregor; Kasche, Elena-Manja; Shah-Hosseini, Kija; Lehmacher, Walter; Schmalz, Petra; Compalati, Enrico

    2017-11-01

    To determine the optimal effective and safe dose of sublingual immunotherapy tablets containing carbamylated monomeric allergoids in patients with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. In this prospective, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, multicenter, Phase II study, four different daily doses were applied preseasonally for 12 weeks. Of 158 randomized adults, 155 subjects (safety population) received 300 units of allergy (UA)/day (n = 36), 600 UA/day (n = 43), 1000 UA/day (n = 39), or 2000 UA/day (n = 37). After treatment, 54.3, 47.6, 59.0 and 51.4% of patients, respectively, ceased to react to the highest allergen concentration in a conjunctival provocation test. Furthermore, the response threshold improved in 70.4, 62.9, 76.7 and 66.7% of patients, respectively. No serious adverse events occurred. This study found 1000 UA/day to be the optimal effective and safe dose.

  12. Assessment of modification level of hypoeutectic Al -Si alloys by pattern recognition of cooling curves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHEN Xiang

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available Most evaluations of modification level are done according to a specific scale based on an merican Foundry Society (AFS standard wall chart as qualitative analysis in Al-Si casting production currently. This method is quite dependent on human experience when making comparisons of the microstructure with the standard chart. And the structures depicted in the AFS chart do not always resemble those seen in actual Al-Si castings. Therefore, this ualitativeanalysis procedure is subjective and can introduce human-caused errors into comparative metallographic analyses. A quantization parameter of the modification level was introduced by setting up the relationship between mean area weighted shape factor of eutectic silicon phase and the modification level using image analysis technology. In order to evaluate the modification level, a new method called "intelligent evaluating of melt quality by pattern recognition of hermal analysis cooling curves" has also been introduced. The results show that silicon modification level can be precisely assessed by comparison of the cooling curve of the melt to be evaluated with the one most similar to it in a database.

  13. Levels of 31P from [alpha]-particle capture in 27Al

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voigt, M.J.A. de; Regenboog, D.A.; Grootenhuis, J.; Leun, C. van der

    1971-01-01

    Resonance energies, strengths and decay schemes have been determined for seventeen 27Al(α, γ)31P resonances in the range Eα = 2.3–3.3 MeV. New levels of 31P are reported at Ex = 6503±3, 6792±3, 7117.7±1.0, 7441.4±1.0 and 8345.5±1.5 keV. The reaction Q-value is found as 9665.1 ±1.3 keV. Doppler-shift

  14. Persistent photoconductivity in AlGaN/GaN heterojunction channels caused by the ionization of deep levels in the AlGaN barrier layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murayama, H.; Akiyama, Y.; Niwa, R.; Sakashita, H.; Sakaki, H.; Kachi, T.; Sugimoto, M.

    2013-01-01

    Time-dependent responses of drain current (I d ) in an AlGaN/GaN HEMT under UV (3.3 eV) and red (2.0 eV) light illumination have been studied at 300 K and 250 K. UV illumination enhances I d by about 10 %, indicating that the density of two-dimensional electrons is raised by about 10 12 cm −2 . When UV light is turned off at 300 K, a part of increased I d decays quickly but the other part of increment is persistent, showing a slow decay. At 250 K, the majority of increment remains persistent. It is found that such a persistent increase of I d at 250 K can be partially erased by the illumination of red light. These photo-responses are explained by a simple band-bending model in which deep levels in the AlGaN barrier get positively charged by the UV light, resulting in a parabolic band bending in the AlGaN layer, while some potion of those deep levels are neutralized by the red light

  15. Alpha B- and βA3-crystallins containing d-aspartic acids exist in a monomeric state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakaue, Hiroaki; Takata, Takumi; Fujii, Norihiko; Sasaki, Hiroshi; Fujii, Noriko

    2015-01-01

    Crystallin stability and subunit-subunit interaction are essential for eye lens transparency. There are three types of crystallins in lens, designated as α-, β-, and γ-crystallins. Alpha-crystallin is a hetero-polymer of about 800kDa, consisting of 35-40 subunits of two different αA- and αB-subunits, each of 20kDa. The β/γ-crystallin superfamily comprises oligomeric β-crystallin (2-6 subunits) and monomeric γ-crystallin. Since lens proteins have very long half-lives, they undergo numerous post-translational modifications including racemization, isomerization, deamidation, oxidation, glycation, and truncation, which may decrease crystallin solubility and ultimately cause cataract formation. Racemization and isomerization of aspartyl (Asp) residues have been detected only in polymeric α- and oligomeric β-crystallin, while the situation in monomeric γ-crystallin has not been studied. Here, we investigated the racemization and isomerization of Asp in the γ-crystallin fraction of elderly donors. The results show that Asp residues of γS-, γD- and γC-crystallins were not racemized and isomerized. However, strikingly, we found that a portion of αB-crystallin and βA3-crystallin moved to the lower molecular weight fraction which is the same size of γ-crystallin. In those fractions, Asp-96 of αB-crystallin and Asp-37 of βA3-crystallin were highly inverted, which do not occur in the native lens higher molecular weight fraction. Our results indicate the possibility that the inversion of Asp residues may induce dissociation of αB- and βA3-crystallins from the polymeric and oligomeric states. This is the first report that stereoinversion of amino acids disturbs lens protein assembly in aged human lens. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Selection Criteria of Sites Suitable for Low- Level Radioactive U-mining and Milling wastes Disposal at Al-Missikat-Al-Aradiya District, Eastern Desert, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel-Monem, A.A.; Rabei, S.I.; El-Kiki, M.F.; Guirguis, G.P.; Rabei, S.I.

    1999-01-01

    Uranium mining and milling tailings are U-depleted but contain 230 TH and 226 Ra. These low-level radioactive wastes are disposed of in the near surface environment. Hydro geologically, suitable sites for disposal of these wastes should be characterized by:1) deep water-level,2) minimal precipitation,3) minimal exposure to flooding and 4) circular- shaped basins. Al-Missikat-Al-Aradiya District with future potential of U-mining and milling operations, a geomorphologic analysis led to the selection of four sites (sub basins) having the geomorphologic characteristics:1)elongation and circularity ratio≡1, 2) high track drainage density (limited infiltration),3) high stream frequency (deep water-table) and 4) moderate to low bifurcation ratio. These sites are further characterized geologically and structurally

  17. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a monomeric mutant of Azami-Green (mAG), an Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein-like green-emitting fluorescent protein from the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebisawa, Tatsuki; Yamamura, Akihiro; Kameda, Yasuhiro; Hayakawa, Kou; Nagata, Koji; Tanokura, Masaru

    2009-01-01

    A monomeric mutant of Azami-Green from G. fascicularis was expressed, purified and crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystal belonged to space group P1 and diffracted X-rays to 2.20 Å resolution. Monomeric Azami-Green (mAG) from the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis is the first monomeric green-emitting fluorescent protein that is not a derivative of Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (avGFP). mAG and avGFP are 27% identical in amino-acid sequence. Diffraction-quality crystals of recombinant mAG were obtained by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using PEG 3350 as the precipitant. The mAG crystal diffracted X-rays to 2.20 Å resolution on beamline AR-NW12A at the Photon Factory (Tsukuba, Japan). The crystal belonged to space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 41.78, b = 51.72, c = 52.89 Å, α = 90.96, β = 103.41, γ = 101.79°. The Matthews coefficient (V M = 2.10 Å 3 Da −1 ) indicated that the crystal contained two mAG molecules per asymmetric unit

  18. Admission levels of serum Gc-globulin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schiødt, F V; Bondesen, S; Petersen, I

    1996-01-01

    Gc-globulin scavenges actin released from necrotic hepatocytes to the extracellular space. In 77 patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) (excluding patients treated with liver transplantation), admission levels of serum Gc-globulin and degree of complexing with monomeric actin (complex ratio...... in the same range as the KCH criteria. An advantage of Gc-globulin is that it gives an estimate of the outcome already on admission. Acute liver transplantation should be considered in FHF patients with Gc-globulin less than 100 mg/L....

  19. Comparison of Sirtuin 3 Levels in ALS and Huntington’s Disease—Differential Effects in Human Tissue Samples vs. Transgenic Mouse Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Buck

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by distinct patterns of neuronal loss. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS upper and lower motoneurons degenerate whereas in Huntington’s disease (HD medium spiny neurons in the striatum are preferentially affected. Despite these differences the pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors are remarkably similar. In addition, non-neuronal features, such as weight loss implicate a dysregulation in energy metabolism. Mammalian sirtuins, especially the mitochondrial NAD+ dependent sirtuin 3 (SIRT3, regulate mitochondrial function and aging processes. SIRT3 expression depends on the activity of the metabolic master regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α, a modifier of ALS and HD in patients and model organisms. This prompted us to systematically probe Sirt3 mRNA and protein levels in mouse models of ALS and HD and to correlate these with patient tissue levels. We found a selective reduction of Sirt3 mRNA levels and function in the cervical spinal cord of end-stage ALS mice (superoxide dismutase 1, SOD1G93A. In sharp contrast, a tendency to increased Sirt3 mRNA levels was found in the striatum in HD mice (R6/2. Cultured primary neurons express the highest levels of Sirt3 mRNA. In primary cells from PGC-1α knock-out (KO mice the Sirt3 mRNA levels were highest in astrocytes. In human post mortem tissue increased mRNA and protein levels of Sirt3 were found in the spinal cord in ALS, while Sirt3 levels were unchanged in the human HD striatum. Based on these findings we conclude that SIRT3 mediates the different effects of PGC-1α during the course of transgenic (tg ALS and HD and in the human conditions only partial aspects Sirt3 dysregulation manifest.

  20. Familial ALS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boylan, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    Synopsis Genes linked to ALS susceptibility are being identified at an increasing rate owing to advances in molecular genetic technology. Genetic mechanisms in ALS pathogenesis appear to exert major effects in ~10% of patients, but genetic factors at some level may be important components of disease risk in most ALS patients. Identification of gene variants associated with ALS has informed concepts of the pathogenesis of ALS, aided the identification of therapeutic targets, facilitated research to develop new ALS biomarkers, and supported the establishment of clinical diagnostic tests for ALS-linked genes. Translation of this knowledge to ALS therapy development is ongoing. PMID:26515623

  1. A model of insulin fibrils derived from the x-ray crystal structure of a monomeric insulin (despentapeptide insulin).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brange, J; Dodson, G G; Edwards, D J; Holden, P H; Whittingham, J L

    1997-04-01

    The crystal structure of despentapeptide insulin, a monomeric insulin, has been refined at 1.3 A spacing and subsequently used to predict and model the organization in the insulin fibril. The model makes use of the contacts in the densely packed despentapeptide insulin crystal, and takes into account other experimental evidence, including binding studies with Congo red. The dimensions of this model fibril correspond well with those measured experimentally, and the monomer-monomer contacts within the fibril are in accordance with the known physical chemistry of insulin fibrils. Using this model, it may be possible to predict mutations in insulin that might alleviate problems associated with fibril formation during insulin therapy.

  2. Synergistic binding of glucose and aluminium ATP to hexokinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woolfitt, A R; Kellett, G L; Hoggett, J G

    1988-08-10

    The binding of glucose, AlATP and AlADP to the monomeric and dimeric forms of the native yeast hexokinase PII isoenzyme and to the proteolytically modified SII monomeric form was monitored at pH 6.7 by the concomitant quenching of intrinsic protein fluorescence. No fluorescence changes were observed when free enzyme was mixed with AlATP at concentrations up to 7500 microM. In the presence of saturating concentrations of glucose, the maximal quenching of fluorescence induced by AlATP was between 1.5 and 3.5% depending on species, and the average value of [L]0.5, the concentration of ligand at half-saturation, over all monomeric species was 0.9 +/- 0.4 microM. The presence of saturating concentrations of AlATP diminished [L]0.5 for glucose binding by between 260- and 670-fold for hexokinase PII and SII monomers, respectively (dependent on the ionic strength), and by almost 4000-fold for PII dimer. The data demonstrate extremely strong synergistic interactions in the binding of glucose and AlATP to yeast hexokinase, arising as a consequence of conformational changes in the free enzyme induced by glucose and in enzyme-glucose complex induced by AlATP. The synergistic interactions of glucose and AlATP are related to their kinetic synergism and to the ability of AlATP to act as a powerful inhibitor of the hexokinase reaction.

  3. Pleiotropic benefit of monomeric and oligomeric flavanols on vascular health--a randomized controlled clinical pilot study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antje R Weseler

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are expanding to a major social-economic burden in the Western World and undermine man's deep desire for healthy ageing. Epidemiological studies suggest that flavanol-rich foods (e.g. grapes, wine, chocolate sustain cardiovascular health. For an evidenced-based application, however, sound clinical data on their efficacy are strongly demanded. METHODS: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention study we supplemented 28 male smokers with 200 mg per day of monomeric and oligomeric flavanols (MOF from grape seeds. At baseline, after 4 and 8 weeks we measured macro- and microvascular function and a cluster of systemic biomarkers for major pathological processes occurring in the vasculature: disturbances in lipid metabolism and cellular redox balance, and activation of inflammatory cells and platelets. RESULTS: In the MOF group serum total cholesterol and LDL decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05 by 5% (n = 11 and 7% (n = 9, respectively in volunteers with elevated baseline levels. Additionally, after 8 weeks the ratio of glutathione to glutathione disulphide in erythrocytes rose from baseline by 22% (n = 15, P<0.05 in MOF supplemented subjects. We also observed that MOF supplementation exerts anti-inflammatory effects in blood towards ex vivo added bacterial endotoxin and significantly reduces expression of inflammatory genes in leukocytes. Conversely, alterations in macro- and microvascular function, platelet aggregation, plasma levels of nitric oxide surrogates, endothelin-1, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, prostaglandin F2alpha, plasma antioxidant capacity and gene expression levels of antioxidant defense enzymes did not reach statistical significance after 8 weeks MOF supplementation. However, integrating all measured effects into a global, so-called vascular health index revealed a significant improvement of overall vascular health by MOF compared to placebo (P ≤ 0.05. CONCLUSION: Our

  4. Monomeric Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 Peptides in Solution Adopt Very Similar Ramachandran Map Distributions That Closely Resemble Random Coil

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    The pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the aggregation and fibrillation of amyloid peptides Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 into amyloid plaques. Despite strong potential therapeutic interest, the structural pathways associated with the conversion of monomeric Aβ peptides into oligomeric species remain largely unknown. In particular, the higher aggregation propensity and associated toxicity of Aβ1–42 compared to that of Aβ1–40 are poorly understood. To explore in detail the structural propensity of the monomeric Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 peptides in solution, we recorded a large set of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters, including chemical shifts, nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs), and J couplings. Systematic comparisons show that at neutral pH the Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 peptides populate almost indistinguishable coil-like conformations. Nuclear Overhauser effect spectra collected at very high resolution remove assignment ambiguities and show no long-range NOE contacts. Six sets of backbone J couplings (3JHNHα, 3JC′C′, 3JC′Hα, 1JHαCα, 2JNCα, and 1JNCα) recorded for Aβ1–40 were used as input for the recently developed MERA Ramachandran map analysis, yielding residue-specific backbone ϕ/ψ torsion angle distributions that closely resemble random coil distributions, the absence of a significantly elevated propensity for β-conformations in the C-terminal region of the peptide, and a small but distinct propensity for αL at K28. Our results suggest that the self-association of Aβ peptides into toxic oligomers is not driven by elevated propensities of the monomeric species to adopt β-strand-like conformations. Instead, the accelerated disappearance of Aβ NMR signals in D2O over H2O, particularly pronounced for Aβ1–42, suggests that intermolecular interactions between the hydrophobic regions of the peptide dominate the aggregation process. PMID:26780756

  5. Evidence for an early innate immune response in the motor cortex of ALS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jara, Javier H; Genç, Barış; Stanford, Macdonell J; Pytel, Peter; Roos, Raymond P; Weintraub, Sandra; Mesulam, M Marsel; Bigio, Eileen H; Miller, Richard J; Özdinler, P Hande

    2017-06-26

    Recent evidence indicates the importance of innate immunity and neuroinflammation with microgliosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology. The MCP1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and CCR2 (CC chemokine receptor 2) signaling system has been strongly associated with the innate immune responses observed in ALS patients, but the motor cortex has not been studied in detail. After revealing the presence of MCP1 and CCR2 in the motor cortex of ALS patients, to elucidate, visualize, and define the timing, location and the extent of immune response in relation to upper motor neuron vulnerability and progressive degeneration in ALS, we developed MCP1-CCR2-hSOD1 G93A mice, an ALS reporter line, in which cells expressing MCP1 and CCR2 are genetically labeled by monomeric red fluorescent protein-1 and enhanced green fluorescent protein, respectively. In the motor cortex of MCP1-CCR2-hSOD1 G93A mice, unlike in the spinal cord, there was an early increase in the numbers of MCP1+ cells, which displayed microglial morphology and selectively expressed microglia markers. Even though fewer CCR2+ cells were present throughout the motor cortex, they were mainly infiltrating monocytes. Interestingly, MCP1+ cells were found in close proximity to the apical dendrites and cell bodies of corticospinal motor neurons (CSMN), further implicating the importance of their cellular interaction to neuronal pathology. Similar findings were observed in the motor cortex of ALS patients, where MCP1+ microglia were especially in close proximity to the degenerating apical dendrites of Betz cells. Our findings reveal that the intricate cellular interplay between immune cells and upper motor neurons observed in the motor cortex of ALS mice is indeed recapitulated in ALS patients. We generated and characterized a novel model system, to study the cellular and molecular basis of this close cellular interaction and how that relates to motor neuron vulnerability and progressive degeneration in

  6. Core and valence level photoemission and photoabsorption study of icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horn, K; Theis, W; Paggel, J J; Barman, S R; Rotenberg, E; Ebert, Ph; Urban, K

    2006-01-01

    The electronic structure of quasicrystalline Al-Pd-Mn is investigated by means of valence and core level photoelectron spectroscopy. Variations of the photoionization cross section in the constituents' valence electronic levels as a function of photon energy are used to identify contributions from the different atomic species, in particular near the Pd 4d Cooper minimum. Resonant photoemission at the Mn 2p absorption edge shows the contribution of the Mn 3d states to the density of states in a region near the Fermi level. The asymmetry of Pd 3d and Mn 2p core level photoemission lines, and its difference for emission from metallic and quasicrystalline phases, are utilized to infer the contributions of the different constituents to the density of states at the Fermi level

  7. Recombinant DNA derived monomeric insulin analogue: comparison with soluble human insulin in normal subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vora, J P; Owens, D R; Dolben, J; Atiea, J A; Dean, J D; Kang, S; Burch, A; Brange, J

    1988-11-12

    To compare the rate of absorption from subcutaneous tissue and the resulting hypoglycaemic effect of iodine-125 labelled soluble human insulin and a monomeric insulin analogue derived by recombinant DNA technology. Single blind randomised comparison of equimolar doses of 125I labelled soluble human insulin and insulin analogue. Study in normal people at a diabetes research unit and a university department of medical physics. Seven healthy male volunteers aged 20-39 not receiving any other drugs. After an overnight fast and a basal period of one hour two doses (0.05 and 0.1 U/kg) of 125I labelled soluble human insulin and insulin analogue were injected subcutaneously into the anterior abdominal wall on four separate days. To find a fast acting insulin for meal related requirements in insulin dependent diabetics. MEASUREMENTS and main results--Residual radioactivity at the injection site was measured continuously for the first two hours after injection of the 125I labelled preparations and thereafter for five minutes simultaneously with blood sampling. Frequent venous blood samples were obtained over six hours for determination of plasma immunoreactive insulin, insulin analogue, glucose, and glucagon values. Time to 50% of initial radioactivity at the injection site for the insulin analogue compared with soluble insulin was 61 v 135 minutes (p less than 0.05) with 0.05 U/kg and 67 v 145 minutes (p less than 0.001) with 0.1 U/kg. Concentrations in plasma increased faster after the insulin analogue compared with soluble insulin, resulting in higher plasma concentrations between 10 and 150 minutes (0.001 less than p less than 0.05) after 0.05 U/kg and between 40 and 360 minutes (0.001 less than p less than 0.05) after 0.1 U/kg. The hypoglycaemic response to insulin analogue was a plasma glucose nadir at 60 minutes with both doses compared with 90 and 120 minutes with soluble insulin at 0.5 and 0.1 U/kg respectively. The response of glucagon substantiated the earlier and

  8. Mutations in specific structural regions of immunoglobulin light chains are associated with free light chain levels in patients with AL amyloidosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanya L Poshusta

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The amyloidoses are protein misfolding diseases characterized by the deposition of amyloid that leads to cell death and tissue degeneration. In immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL, each patient has a unique monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain (LC that forms amyloid deposits. Somatic mutations in AL LCs make these proteins less thermodynamically stable than their non-amyloidogenic counterparts, leading to misfolding and ultimately the formation of amyloid fibrils. We hypothesize that location rather than number of non-conservative mutations determines the amyloidogenicity of light chains. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed sequence alignments on the variable domain of 50 kappa and 91 lambda AL light chains and calculated the number of non-conservative mutations over total number of patients for each secondary structure element in order to identify regions that accumulate non-conservative mutations. Among patients with AL, the levels of circulating immunoglobulin free light chain varies greatly, but even patients with very low levels can have very advanced amyloid deposition. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that in specific secondary structure elements, there are significant differences in the number of non-conservative mutations between normal and AL sequences. AL sequences from patients with different levels of secreted light chain have distinct differences in the location of non-conservative mutations, suggesting that for patients with very low levels of light chains and advanced amyloid deposition, the location of non-conservative mutations rather than the amount of free light chain in circulation may determine the amyloidogenic propensity of light chains.

  9. Recombination luminescence and trap levels in undoped and Al-doped ZnO thin films on quartz and GaSe (0 0 0 1) substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Evtodiev, I. [Moldova State University, 60 A. Mateevici Str., Chisinau, MD 2009, Republic of Moldova (Moldova, Republic of); Caraman, I. [Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau, 157 Calea Marasesti, RO 600115 Bacau (Romania); Leontie, L., E-mail: lleontie@uaic.ro [Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Bd. Carol I, Nr. 11, RO 700506 Iasi (Romania); Rusu, D.-I. [Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau, 157 Calea Marasesti, RO 600115 Bacau (Romania); Dafinei, A. [Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, Platforma Magurele, Str. Fizicienilor nr. 1, CP Mg - 11, Bucharest-Magurele, RO 76900 (Romania); Nedeff, V.; Lazar, G. [Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau, 157 Calea Marasesti, RO 600115 Bacau (Romania)

    2012-03-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZnO films on GaSe create electron trapping states and PL recombination levels. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Zn and Al diffusion in GaSe produces low-energy widening of its PL emission. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZnO:Al films on GaSe lamellas are suitable for gas-discharge lamp applications. -- Abstract: Photoluminescence spectra of ZnO and ZnO:Al (1.00, 2.00 and 5.00 at.%) films on GaSe (0 0 0 1) lamellas and amorphous quartz substrates, obtained by annealing, at 700 K, of undoped and Al-doped metal films, are investigated. For all samples, the nonequilibrium charge carriers recombine by radiative band-to-band transitions with energy of 3.27 eV, via recombination levels created by the monoionized oxygen atoms, forming the impurity band laying in the region 2.00 - 2.70 eV. Al doping induces an additional recombination level at 1.13 eV above the top of the valence band of ZnO films on GaSe substrates. As a result of thermal diffusion of Zn and Al into the GaSe interface layer from ZnO:Al/GaSe heterojunction, electron trap levels located at 0.22 eV and 0.26 eV below the conduction band edge of GaSe, as well as a deep recombination level, responsible for the luminescent emission in the region 1.10 - 1.40 eV, are created.

  10. Sulfatide promotes the folding of proinsulin, preserves insulin crystals, and mediates its monomerization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osterbye, T; Jørgensen, K H; Fredman, P; Tranum-Jensen, J; Kaas, A; Brange, J; Whittingham, J L; Buschard, K

    2001-06-01

    Sulfatide is a glycolipid that has been associated with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. It is present in the islets of Langerhans and follows the same intracellular route as insulin. However, the role of sulfatide in the beta cell has been unclear. Here we present evidence suggesting that sulfatide promotes the folding of reduced proinsulin, indicating that sulfatide possesses molecular chaperone activity. Sulfatide associates with insulin by binding to the insulin domain A8--A10 and most likely by interacting with the hydrophobic side chains of the dimer-forming part of the insulin B-chain. Sulfatide has a dual effect on insulin. It substantially reduces deterioration of insulin hexamer crystals at pH 5.5, conferring stability comparable to those in beta cell granules. Sulfatide also mediates the conversion of insulin hexamers to the biological active monomers at neutral pH, the pH at the beta-cell surface. Finally, we report that inhibition of sulfatide synthesis with chloroquine and fumonisine B1 leads to inhibition of insulin granule formation in vivo. Our observations suggest that sulfatide plays a key role in the folding of proinsulin, in the maintenance of insulin structure, and in the monomerization process.

  11. Impact of the silicon substrate resistivity and growth condition on the deep levels in Ni-Au/AlN/Si MIS Capacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chong; Simoen, Eddy; Zhao, Ming; Li, Wei

    2017-10-01

    Deep levels formed under different growth conditions of a 200 nm AlN buffer layer on B-doped Czochralski Si(111) substrates with different resistivity were investigated by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) on metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors. Growth-temperature-dependent Al diffusion in the Si substrate was derived from the free carrier density obtained by capacitance-voltage measurement on samples grown on p- substrates. The DLTS spectra revealed a high concentration of point and extended defects in the p- and p+ silicon substrates, respectively. This indicated a difference in the electrically active defects in the silicon substrate close to the AlN/Si interface, depending on the B doping concentration.

  12. Energy level broadening effect on the equation of state of hot dense Al and Au plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou Yong; Jin Fengtao; Yuan Jianmin

    2007-01-01

    In the hot dense matter regime, the isothermal equation of state (EOS) of Al and Au is calculated using an average-atom (AA) model in which the broadening of energy levels of atoms and ions are accounted for by using with a Gaussian distribution of the density of states. The distribution of bound electrons in the energy bands is determined by the continuum Fermi-Dirac distribution. With a self-consistent field average atoms scheme, it is shown that the energy-level broadening has a significant effect on the isothermal equation of state (EOS) of Al and Au in the hot dense matter regime. The jumps in the equation of state (EOS) induced by pressure ionization of the one-electron orbital with the increase in density, which often occur in the normal average-atom model and have been avoided by generally introducing the pseudo-shape resonance states, disappear naturally

  13. Development, validation and evaluation of an analytical method for the determination of monomeric and oligomeric procyanidins in apple extracts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollands, Wendy J; Voorspoels, Stefan; Jacobs, Griet; Aaby, Kjersti; Meisland, Ane; Garcia-Villalba, Rocio; Tomas-Barberan, Francisco; Piskula, Mariusz K; Mawson, Deborah; Vovk, Irena; Needs, Paul W; Kroon, Paul A

    2017-04-28

    There is a lack of data for individual oligomeric procyanidins in apples and apple extracts. Our aim was to develop, validate and evaluate an analytical method for the separation, identification and quantification of monomeric and oligomeric flavanols in apple extracts. To achieve this, we prepared two types of flavanol extracts from freeze-dried apples; one was an epicatechin-rich extract containing ∼30% (w/w) monomeric (-)-epicatechin which also contained oligomeric procyanidins (Extract A), the second was an oligomeric procyanidin-rich extract depleted of epicatechin (Extract B). The parameters considered for method optimisation were HPLC columns and conditions, sample heating, mass of extract and dilution volumes. The performance characteristics considered for method validation included standard linearity, method sensitivity, precision and trueness. Eight laboratories participated in the method evaluation. Chromatographic separation of the analytes was best achieved utilizing a Hilic column with a binary mobile phase consisting of acidic acetonitrile and acidic aqueous methanol. The final method showed linearity for epicatechin in the range 5-100μg/mL with a correlation co-efficient >0.999. Intra-day and inter-day precision of the analytes ranged from 2 to 6% and 2 to 13% respectively. Up to dp3, trueness of the method was >95% but decreased with increasing dp. Within laboratory precision showed RSD values <5 and 10% for monomers and oligomers, respectively. Between laboratory precision was 4 and 15% (Extract A) and 7 and 30% (Extract B) for monomers and oligomers, respectively. An analytical method for the separation, identification and quantification of procyanidins in an apple extract was developed, validated and assessed. The results of the inter-laboratory evaluation indicate that the method is reliable and reproducible. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Lipoamino acid-based micelles as promising delivery vehicles for monomeric amphotericin B.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serafim, Cláudia; Ferreira, Inês; Rijo, Patrícia; Pinheiro, Lídia; Faustino, Célia; Calado, António; Garcia-Rio, Luis

    2016-01-30

    Lipoamino acid-based micelles have been developed as delivery vehicles for the hydrophobic drug amphotericin B (AmB). The micellar solubilisation of AmB by a gemini lipoamino acid (LAA) derived from cysteine and its equimolar mixtures with the bile salts sodium cholate (NaC) and sodium deoxycholate (NaDC), as well as the aggregation sate of the drug in the micellar systems, was studied under biomimetic conditions (phosphate buffered-saline, pH 7.4) using UV-vis spectroscopy. Pure surfactant systems and equimolar mixtures were characterized by tensiometry and important parameters were determined, such as critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension at the CMC (γCMC), maximum surface excess concentration (Γmax), and minimum area occupied per molecule at the water/air interface (Amin). Rheological behaviour from viscosity measurements at different shear rates was also addressed. Solubilisation capacity was quantified in terms of molar solubilisation ratio (χ), micelle-water partition coefficient (KM) and Gibbs energy of solubilisation (ΔGs°). Formulations of AmB in micellar media were compared in terms of drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, aggregation state of AmB and in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The LAA-containing micellar systems solubilise AmB in its monomeric and less toxic form and exhibit in vitro antifungal activity comparable to that of the commercial formulation Fungizone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Reply to comment by E. Bard et al. on "Younger Dryas sea level and meltwater pulse 1B recorded in Barbados reef crest coral Acropora palmata" by N. A. Abdul et al.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortlock, Richard A.; Abdul, Nicole A.; Wright, James D.; Fairbanks, Richard G.

    2016-12-01

    Abdul et al. (2016) presented a detailed record of sea level at Barbados (13.9-9 kyr B.P.) tightly constraining the timing and amplitude during the Younger Dryas and Meltwater Pulse 1B (MWP-1B) based on U-Th dated reef crest coral species Acropora palmata. The Younger Dryas slow stand and the large (14 m) rapid sea level jump are not resolved in the Tahiti record. Tahiti sea level estimates are remarkably close to the Barbados sea level curve between 13.9 and 11.6 kyr but fall below the Barbados sea level curve for a few thousand years following MWP-1B. By 9 kyr the Tahiti sea level estimates again converge with the Barbados sea level curve. Abdul et al. (2016) concluded that Tahiti reefs at the core sites did not keep up with intervals of rapidly rising sea level during MWP-1B. We counter Bard et al. (2016) by showing (1) that there is no evidence for a hypothetical fault in Oistins Bay affecting one of the Barbados coring locations, (2) that the authors confuse the rare occurrences of A. palmata at depths >5 m with the "thickets" of A. palmata fronds representing the reef-crest facies, and (3) that uncertainties in depth habitat proxies largely account for differences in Barbados and Tahiti sea level differences curves with A. palmata providing the most faithful proxy. Given the range in Tahiti paleodepth uncertainties at the cored sites, the most parsimonious explanation remains that Tahiti coralgal ridges did not keep up with the sea level rise of MWP-1B.

  16. Spectral shape of sea level muons derived from the model of Bull et al using ISR results on kaon-pion ratio

    CERN Document Server

    Bhattacharya, D P; Choudhury, B

    1978-01-01

    The diffusion model developed by Bull et al. (1965) is used to calculate the sea-level spectra in the energy range 5-650 GeV. Experimental values taken for the K/ pi ratio are those produced by the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings, (Antinucci et al., 1973).

  17. Transient oxidation of Al-deposited Fe-Cr-Al alloy foil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andoh, A.

    1997-01-01

    The oxide phases formed on an Al-deposited Fe-Cr-Al alloy foil and an Fe-Cr-Al alloy foil of the same levels of Al and (La+Ce) contents, and their oxidation kinetics have been studied in air at 1173 and 1373 K using TGA, XRD and SEM. Al deposition promotes the growth of metastable aluminas (θ-Al 2 O 3 , γ-Al 2 O 3 ). Scales consisting of θ-Al 2 O 3 and a small amount of α-Al 2 O 3 develop on the Al-deposited foil at 1173 K and exhibit the whisker-type morphology. In the early stage of oxidation at 1373 K, thick scales consisting of θ-Al 2 O 3 and α-Al 2 O 3 grow rapidly on the Al-deposited foil. The transformation from θ-Al 2 O 3 to α-Al 2 O 3 is very fast, and the scales result in only α-Al 2 O 3 . In contrast, α-Al 2 O 3 scales containing a minor amount of FeAl 2 O 4 develop on the alloy foil. The growth rate of α-Al 2 O 3 scales on the Al-deposited foil is smaller than that on the alloy foil and very close to that on NiAl at 1373 K. (orig.)

  18. Deep-level defects introduced by 1 MeV electron radiation in AlInGaP for multijunction space solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, H.S.; Yamaguchi, M.; Ekins-Daukes, N. J.; Khan, A.; Takamoto, T.; Agui, T.; Kamimura, K.; Kaneiwa, M.; Imaizumi, M.; Ohshima, T.; Itoh, H.

    2005-01-01

    Presented in this paper are 1 MeV electron irradiation effects on wide-band-gap (1.97 eV) (Al 0.08 Ga 0.92 ) 0.52 In 0.48 P diodes and solar cells. The carrier removal rate estimated in p-AlInGaP with electron fluence is about 1 cm -1 , which is lower than that in InP and GaAs. From high-temperature deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements, a deep-level defect center such as majority-carrier (hole) trap H2 (E ν +0.90±0.05 eV) was observed. The changes in carrier concentrations (Δp) and trap densities as a function of electron fluence were compared, and as a result the total introduction rate, 0.39 cm -1 , of majority-carrier trap centers (H1 and H2) is different from the carrier removal rate, 1 cm -1 , in p-AlInGaP. From the minority-carrier injection annealing (100 mA/cm 2 ), the annealing activation energy of H2 defect is ΔE=0.60 eV, which is likely to be associated with a vacancy-phosphorus Frenkel pair (V p -P i ). The recovery of defect concentration and carrier concentration in the irradiated p-AlInGaP by injection relates that a deep-level defect H2 acts as a recombination center as well as compensator center

  19. Design Function and Structure of a Monomeric CLC Transporter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    L Robertson; L Kolmakova-Partensky; C Miller

    2011-12-31

    Channels and transporters of the ClC family cause the transmembrane movement of inorganic anions in service of a variety of biological tasks, from the unusual - the generation of the kilowatt pulses with which electric fish stun their prey - to the quotidian - the acidification of endosomes, vacuoles and lysosomes. The homodimeric architecture of ClC proteins, initially inferred from single-molecule studies of an elasmobranch Cl{sup -} channel and later confirmed by crystal structures of bacterial Cl{sup -}/H{sup +} antiporters, is apparently universal. Moreover, the basic machinery that enables ion movement through these proteins - the aqueous pores for anion diffusion in the channels and the ion-coupling chambers that coordinate Cl{sup -} and H{sup +} antiport in the transporters - are contained wholly within each subunit of the homodimer. The near-normal function of a bacterial ClC transporter straitjacketed by covalent crosslinks across the dimer interface and the behaviour of a concatemeric human homologue argue that the transport cycle resides within each subunit and does not require rigid-body rearrangements between subunits. However, this evidence is only inferential, and because examples are known in which quaternary rearrangements of extramembrane ClC domains that contribute to dimerization modulate transport activity, we cannot declare as definitive a 'parallel-pathways picture in which the homodimer consists of two single-subunit transporters operating independently. A strong prediction of such a view is that it should in principle be possible to obtain a monomeric ClC. Here we exploit the known structure of a ClC Cl{sup -}/H{sup +} exchanger, ClC-ec1 from Escherichia coli, to design mutants that destabilize the dimer interface while preserving both the structure and the transport function of individual subunits. The results demonstrate that the ClC subunit alone is the basic functional unit for transport and that cross-subunit interaction is not

  20. Improvement of multi-level resistive switching characteristics in solution-processed AlO x -based non-volatile resistive memory using microwave irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seung-Tae; Cho, Won-Ju

    2018-01-01

    We fabricated a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device on a Ti/AlO x /Pt structure with solution-processed AlO x switching layer using microwave irradiation (MWI), and demonstrated multi-level cell (MLC) operation. To investigate the effect of MWI power on the MLC characteristics, post-deposition annealing was performed at 600-3000 W after AlO x switching layer deposition, and the MLC operation was compared with as-deposited (as-dep) and conventional thermally annealing (CTA) treated devices. All solution-processed AlO x -based ReRAM devices exhibited bipolar resistive switching (BRS) behavior. We found that these devices have four-resistance states (2 bits) of MLC operation according to the modulation of the high-resistance state (HRSs) through reset voltage control. Particularly, compared to the as-dep and CTA ReRAM devices, the MWI-treated ReRAM devices showed a significant increase in the memory window and stable endurance for multi-level operation. Moreover, as the MWI power increased, excellent MLC characteristics were exhibited because the resistance ratio between each resistance state was increased. In addition, it exhibited reliable retention characteristics without deterioration at 25 °C and 85 °C for 10 000 s. Finally, the relationship between the chemical characteristics of the solution-processed AlO x switching layer and BRS-based multi-level operation according to the annealing method and MWI power was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

  1. Internet Addiction and Its Relationship with Self-Efficacy Level among Al-Hussein Bin Talal University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alrekebat, Amjad Farhan

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the Internet addiction and its relationship to self-efficacy level among Al-Hussein Bin Talal University students. The study sample consisted of 300 female and male students, who were selected randomly. The participants completed a questionnaire that consisted of two scales: Internet addiction which was…

  2. Fermi level pinning in metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/InGaAs gate stack after post metallization annealing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winter, R.; Krylov, I.; Cytermann, C.; Eizenberg, M. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel); Tang, K.; Ahn, J.; McIntyre, P. C. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States)

    2015-08-07

    The effect of post metal deposition annealing on the effective work function in metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/InGaAs gate stacks was investigated. The effective work functions of different metal gates (Al, Au, and Pt) were measured. Flat band voltage shifts for these and other metals studied suggest that their Fermi levels become pinned after the post-metallization vacuum annealing. Moreover, there is a difference between the measured effective work functions of Al and Pt, and the reported vacuum work function of these metals after annealing. We propose that this phenomenon is caused by charging of indium and gallium induced traps at the annealed metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interface.

  3. Enhanced coagulation for improving coagulation performance and reducing residual aluminum combining polyaluminum chloride with diatomite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Wenchao; Wu, Chunde

    2016-01-01

    The feasibility of using enhanced coagulation, which combined polyaluminum chloride (PAC) with diatomite for improving coagulation performance and reducing the residual aluminum (Al), was discussed. The effects of PAC and diatomite dosage on the coagulation performance and residual Al were mainly investigated. Results demonstrated that the removal efficiencies of turbidity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and UV254 were significantly improved by the enhanced coagulation, compared with PAC coagulation alone. Meaningfully, the five forms of residual Al (total Al (TAl), total dissolved Al (TDAl), dissolved organic Al (DOAl), dissolved monomeric Al (DMAl), and dissolved organic monomeric Al (DOMAl)) all had different degrees of reduction in the presence of diatomite and achieved the lowest concentrations (0.185, 0.06, 0.053, 0.014, and 0 mg L(-1), respectively) at a PAC dose of 15 mg L(-1) and diatomite dose of 40 mg L(-1). In addition, when PAC was used as coagulant, the majority of residual Al existed in dissolved form (about 31.14-70.16%), and the content of DOMAl was small in the DMAl.

  4. Ultrasonic spot welding of Al/Mg/Al tri-layered clad sheets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Macwan, A.; Patel, V.K.; Jiang, X.Q.; Li, C.; Bhole, S.D.; Chen, D.L.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The optimal welding condition is achieved at 100 J and 0.1 s. • Failure load first increases and then decreases with increasing welding energy. • The highest failure load after welding is close to that of the clad sheets. • At low energy levels failure occurs in the mode of interfacial failure. • At high energy levels failure takes place at the edge of nugget region. - Abstract: Solid-state ultrasonic spot welding (USW) was used to join Al/Mg/Al tri-layered clad sheets, aiming at exploring weldability and identifying failure mode in relation to the welding energy. It was observed that the application of a low welding energy of 100 J was able to achieve the optimal welding condition during USW at a very short welding time of 0.1 s for the tri-layered clad sheets. The optimal lap shear failure load obtained was equivalent to that of the as-received Al/Mg/Al tri-layered clad sheets. With increasing welding energy, the lap shear failure load initially increased and then decreased after reaching a maximum value. At a welding energy of 25 J, failure occurred in the mode of interfacial failure along the center Al/Al weld interface due to insufficient bonding. At a welding energy of 50 J, 75 J and 100 J, failure was also characterized by the interfacial failure mode, but it occurred along the Al/Mg clad interface rather than the center Al/Al weld interface, suggesting stronger bonding of the Al/Al weld interface than that of the Al/Mg clad interface. The overall weld strength of the Al/Mg/Al tri-layered clad sheets was thus governed by the Al/Mg clad interface strength. At a welding energy of 125 J and 150 J, thinning of weld nugget and extensive deformation at the edge of welding tip caused failure at the edge of nugget region, leading to a lower lap shear failure load

  5. A monomeric G protein-coupled receptor isolated in a high-density lipoprotein particle efficiently activates its G protein

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Whorton, Matthew R; Bokoch, Michael P; Rasmussen, Søren Gøgsig Faarup

    2007-01-01

    G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) respond to a diverse array of ligands, mediating cellular responses to hormones and neurotransmitters, as well as the senses of smell and taste. The structures of the GPCR rhodopsin and several G proteins have been determined by x-ray crystallography, yet...... the organization of the signaling complex between GPCRs and G proteins is poorly understood. The observations that some GPCRs are obligate heterodimers, and that many GPCRs form both homo- and heterodimers, has led to speculation that GPCR dimers may be required for efficient activation of G proteins. However......, technical limitations have precluded a definitive analysis of G protein coupling to monomeric GPCRs in a biochemically defined and membrane-bound system. Here we demonstrate that a prototypical GPCR, the beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR), can be incorporated into a reconstituted high-density lipoprotein...

  6. Growth temperature dependence of Si doping efficiency and compensating deep level defect incorporation in Al0.7Ga0.3N

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armstrong, Andrew M.; Moseley, Michael W.; Allerman, Andrew A.; Crawford, Mary H.; Wierer, Jonathan J.

    2015-01-01

    The growth temperature dependence of Si doping efficiency and deep level defect formation was investigated for n-type Al 0.7 Ga 0.3 N. It was observed that dopant compensation was greatly reduced with reduced growth temperature. Deep level optical spectroscopy and lighted capacitance-voltage were used to understand the role of acceptor-like deep level defects on doping efficiency. Deep level defects were observed at 2.34 eV, 3.56 eV, and 4.74 eV below the conduction band minimum. The latter two deep levels were identified as the major compensators because the reduction in their concentrations at reduced growth temperature correlated closely with the concomitant increase in free electron concentration. Possible mechanisms for the strong growth temperature dependence of deep level formation are considered, including thermodynamically driven compensating defect formation that can arise for a semiconductor with very large band gap energy, such as Al 0.7 Ga 0.3 N

  7. Crystal Structure of a Monomeric Form of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Endonuclease Nsp15 Suggests a Role for Hexamerization As An Allosteric Switch

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joseph, J.S.; Saikatendu, K.S.; Subramanian, V.; Neuman, B.W.; Buchmeier, M.J.; Stevens, R.C.; Kuhn, P.; /Scripps Res. Inst.

    2007-07-09

    Mature nonstructural protein-15 (nsp15) from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) contains a novel uridylate-specific Mn{sup 2+}-dependent endoribonuclease (NendoU). Structure studies of the full-length form of the obligate hexameric enzyme from two CoVs, SARS-CoV and murine hepatitis virus, and its monomeric homologue, XendoU from Xenopus laevis, combined with mutagenesis studies have implicated several residues in enzymatic activity and the N-terminal domain as the major determinant of hexamerization. However, the tight link between hexamerization and enzyme activity in NendoUs has remained an enigma. Here, we report the structure of a trimmed, monomeric form of SARS-CoV nsp15 (residues 28 to 335) determined to a resolution of 2.9 Angstroms. The catalytic loop (residues 234 to 249) with its two reactive histidines (His 234 and His 249) is dramatically flipped by {approx}120 degrees into the active site cleft. Furthermore, the catalytic nucleophile Lys 289 points in a diametrically opposite direction, a consequence of an outward displacement of the supporting loop (residues 276 to 295). In the full-length hexameric forms, these two loops are packed against each other and are stabilized by intimate intersubunit interactions. Our results support the hypothesis that absence of an adjacent monomer due to deletion of the hexamerization domain is the most likely cause for disruption of the active site, offering a structural basis for why only the hexameric form of this enzyme is active.

  8. /Cu-Al System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kish, Orel; Froumin, Natalya; Aizenshtein, Michael; Frage, Nachum

    2014-05-01

    Wettability and interfacial interaction of the Ta2O5/Cu-Al system were studied. Pure Cu does not wet the Ta2O5 substrate, and improved spreading is achieved when relatively a high fraction of the active element (~40 at.% Al) was added. The Al2O3 and AlTaO4 phases were observed at the Ta2O5/Cu-Al interface. A thermodynamic evaluation allowed us to suggest that the lack of wetting bellow 40 at.% Al is due to the presence of a native oxide, which covers the drop. The conditions of the native oxide decomposition and the formation of the volatile Al2O suboxide strongly depend on the vacuum level during sessile drop experiments and the composition of the Cu-Al alloy. In our case, Al contents greater than 40% provides thermodynamic conditions for the formation of Al2O (as a result of Al reaction with Al2O3) and the drop spreading. It was suggested that the final contact angle in the Ta2O5/Cu-Al system (50°) is determined by Ta adsorption on the newly formed alumina interlayer.

  9. Adsorbate reactivity and thermal mobility from simple modeling of high-resolution core-level spectra: application to O/Al(111)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schouborg, Jakob; Raarup, Merete K; Balling, Peter

    2009-01-01

    A high-resolution core-level spectroscopy investigation of the adsorption of oxygen on Al(111) at variable oxygen exposure demonstrates a low surface reactivity for an intensively cleaned surface. The threshold for oxide formation is as high as ∼200 L (langmuirs), at which point the coverage of the chemisorbed oxygen exceeds half a monolayer. A simple model is presented, using which it is possible to deduce the oxygen coverage from the core-level spectra and determine the initial sticking probability. For our data a value of 0.018 ± 0.004 is obtained. The changes in core-level spectra following low-temperature annealing of low-coverage O/Al(111) reflect the formation of gradually larger islands of oxygen atoms (Ostwald ripening). The island formation is consistent with a random-walk model from which the diffusion barrier can be deduced to be in the range of 0.80-0.90 eV.

  10. Action of Monomeric/Gemini Surfactants on Free Cells and Biofilm of Asaia lannensis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Koziróg

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the biological activity of surfactants based on quaternary ammonium compounds: gemini surfactant hexamethylene-1,6-bis-(N,N-dimethyl-N-dodecylammonium bromide (C6, synthesized by the reaction of N,N-dimethyl-N-dodecylamine with 1,6-dibromohexane, and its monomeric analogue dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB. The experiments were performed with bacteria Asaia lannensis, a common spoilage in the beverage industry. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC values were determined using the tube standard two-fold dilution method. The growth and adhesive properties of bacterial cells were studied in different culture media, and the cell viability was evaluated using plate count method. Both of the surfactants were effective against the bacterial strain, but the MIC of gemini compound was significantly lower. Both C6 and DTAB exhibited anti-adhesive abilities. Treatment with surfactants at or below MIC value decreased the number of bacterial cells that were able to form biofilm, however, the gemini surfactant was more effective. The used surfactants were also found to be able to eradicate mature biofilms. After 4 h of treatment with C6 surfactant at concentration 10 MIC, the number of bacterial cells was reduced by 91.8%. The results of this study suggest that the antibacterial activity of the gemini compound could make it an effective microbiocide against the spoilage bacteria Asaia sp. in both planktonic and biofilm stages.

  11. Action of Monomeric/Gemini Surfactants on Free Cells and Biofilm of Asaia lannensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koziróg, Anna; Kręgiel, Dorota; Brycki, Bogumił

    2017-11-22

    We investigated the biological activity of surfactants based on quaternary ammonium compounds: gemini surfactant hexamethylene-1,6-bis-( N,N -dimethyl- N -dodecylammonium bromide) (C6), synthesized by the reaction of N,N -dimethyl- N- dodecylamine with 1,6-dibromohexane, and its monomeric analogue dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). The experiments were performed with bacteria Asaia lannensis , a common spoilage in the beverage industry. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined using the tube standard two-fold dilution method. The growth and adhesive properties of bacterial cells were studied in different culture media, and the cell viability was evaluated using plate count method. Both of the surfactants were effective against the bacterial strain, but the MIC of gemini compound was significantly lower. Both C6 and DTAB exhibited anti-adhesive abilities. Treatment with surfactants at or below MIC value decreased the number of bacterial cells that were able to form biofilm, however, the gemini surfactant was more effective. The used surfactants were also found to be able to eradicate mature biofilms. After 4 h of treatment with C6 surfactant at concentration 10 MIC, the number of bacterial cells was reduced by 91.8%. The results of this study suggest that the antibacterial activity of the gemini compound could make it an effective microbiocide against the spoilage bacteria Asaia sp. in both planktonic and biofilm stages.

  12. Interaction of chemokine receptor CXCR4 in monomeric and dimeric state with its endogenous ligand CXCL12: coarse-grained simulations identify differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cutolo, Pasquale; Basdevant, Nathalie; Bernadat, Guillaume; Bachelerie, Françoise; Ha-Duong, Tâp

    2017-02-01

    Despite the recent resolutions of the crystal structure of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in complex with small antagonists or viral chemokine, a description at the molecular level of the interactions between the full-length CXCR4 and its endogenous ligand, the chemokine CXCL12, in relationship with the receptor recognition and activation, is not yet completely elucidated. Moreover, since CXCR4 is able to form dimers, the question of whether the CXCR4-CXCL12 complex has a 1:1 or 2:1 preferential stoichiometry is still an open question. We present here results of coarse-grained protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulations of CXCL12 in association with CXCR4 in monomeric and dimeric states. Our proposed models for the 1:1 and 2:1 CXCR4-CXCL12 quaternary structures are consistent with recognition and activation motifs of both partners provided by the available site-directed mutagenesis data. Notably, we observed that in the 2:1 complex, the chemokine N-terminus makes more steady contacts with the receptor residues critical for binding and activation than in the 1:1 structure, suggesting that the 2:1 stoichiometry would favor the receptor signaling activity with respect to the 1:1 association.

  13. Pushing the size limit of de novo structure ensemble prediction guided by sparse SDSL-EPR restraints to 200 residues: The monomeric and homodimeric forms of BAX

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, Axel W.; Bordignon, Enrica; Bleicken, Stephanie; García-Sáez, Ana J.; Jeschke, Gunnar; Meiler, Jens

    2016-01-01

    Structure determination remains a challenge for many biologically important proteins. In particular, proteins that adopt multiple conformations often evade crystallization in all biologically relevant states. Although computational de novo protein folding approaches often sample biologically relevant conformations, the selection of the most accurate model for different functional states remains a formidable challenge, in particular, for proteins with more than about 150 residues. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy can obtain limited structural information for proteins in well-defined biological states and thereby assist in selecting biologically relevant conformations. The present study demonstrates that de novo folding methods are able to accurately sample the folds of 192-residue long soluble monomeric Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX). The tertiary structures of the monomeric and homodimeric forms of BAX were predicted using the primary structure as well as 25 and 11 EPR distance restraints, respectively. The predicted models were subsequently compared to respective NMR/X-ray structures of BAX. EPR restraints improve the protein-size normalized root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD100) of the most accurate models with respect to the NMR/crystal structure from 5.9 Å to 3.9 Å and from 5.7 Å to 3.3 Å, respectively. Additionally, the model discrimination is improved, which is demonstrated by an improvement of the enrichment from 5% to 15% and from 13% to 21%, respectively. PMID:27129417

  14. Early cytokine modulation after the rapid induction phase of sublingual immunotherapy with mite monomeric allergoids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Gioacchino, M; Perrone, A; Petrarca, C; Di Claudio, F; Mistrello, G; Falagiani, P; Dadorante, V; Verna, N; Braga, M; Ballone, E; Cavallucci, E

    2008-01-01

    The influence of different treatment schedules of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in activating IL-10-producing T-cells, crucial in inducing allergen-specific tolerance, is not completely understood. The present work was designed to evaluate allergen driven interleukin release by mononuclear cells in the early phase of SLIT, after application of different induction schemes. Twenty mite-allergic patients were enrolled, 10 (group A) treated with a traditional 98 day induction scheme and 10 (group B) with a 16 day scheme with monomeric allergoid vaccine. At the end of the induction phase, the cumulative doses taken by group A and group B patients were equivalent to 50.5 and 50.3 microg of mite group 1 allergens, respectively. The release of Th1-, Th2- and Treg-related interleukins was assessed in culture supernatants of 5 microg/ml Der-p1-stimulated mononuclear cells, isolated before and after the induction phases. No relevant treatment-related side effects were observed. Interleukin release was similar in the two groups at the enrolment. Non-stimulated and Der p 1 stimulated release of studied cytokines was similar in the two groups at enrolment. Der p 1 stimulation significantly increased IL-10 release (pallergoids are utilized.

  15. Atomistic simulations of diffusion mechanisms in off-stoichiometric Al-rich Ni3Al

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duan, Jinsong

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents dynamics simulation results of diffusion in off-stoichiometric Al-rich Ni 3 Al (Ni 73 Al 27 ) at temperature ranging from 1300 to 1550 K. The interatomic forces are described by the Finnis-Sinclair type N-body potentials. Particular attention is devoted to the effect of the extra 2% of Al atoms sitting on the Ni sublattice as antisite point defects (Al Ni ) on diffusion. Simulation results show that Ni atoms mainly diffuse through the Ni sublattice at the temperatures investigated. Al atoms diffuse via both the intrasublattice and antistructure bridge (ASB) mechanisms. The contribution to Al diffusion from the ASB mechanism decreases at the lower temperature (T Ni ) enhances both Al and Ni diffusion in Ni 73 Al 27 . The Ni-Al coupled diffusion effect is observed and understood at the atomic level for the first time

  16. Production of 26Al by spallation of Fe, Si, Al nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paillard, P.

    1977-01-01

    Cross sections for 7 Be, 10 Be and 26 Al formation in Al, Si and Fe targets bombarded with 0.6 and 24GeV protons have been measured by using highly selective chemical separation and low level background counters. Results for 26 Al at 0.6GeV are in mb: 17.9 + or - 2.7 in Al, 12.5 + or - 2.5 in Si and 0.45 + or - 0.14 in Fe; at 24GeV 2.6 + or - 0.5mb in Fe. Results for 10 Be are not valid on account of experimental difficulties. It is deduced from these values of aluminium in cosmic ray propagation that 26 Al is not yet cosmic ray chronometer [fr

  17. Structural Analysis of Monomeric RNA-Dependent Polymerases: Evolutionary and Therapeutic Implications.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo Jácome

    Full Text Available The crystal structures of monomeric RNA-dependent RNA polymerases and reverse transcriptases of more than 20 different viruses are available in the Protein Data Bank. They all share the characteristic right-hand shape of DNA- and RNA polymerases formed by the fingers, palm and thumb subdomains, and, in many cases, "fingertips" that extend from the fingers towards the thumb subdomain, giving the viral enzyme a closed right-hand appearance. Six conserved structural motifs that contain key residues for the proper functioning of the enzyme have been identified in all these RNA-dependent polymerases. These enzymes share a two divalent metal-ion mechanism of polymerization in which two conserved aspartate residues coordinate the interactions with the metal ions to catalyze the nucleotidyl transfer reaction. The recent availability of crystal structures of polymerases of the Orthomyxoviridae and Bunyaviridae families allowed us to make pairwise comparisons of the tertiary structures of polymerases belonging to the four main RNA viral groups, which has led to a phylogenetic tree in which single-stranded negative RNA viral polymerases have been included for the first time. This has also allowed us to use a homology-based structural prediction approach to develop a general three-dimensional model of the Ebola virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Our model includes several of the conserved structural motifs and residues described in other viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases that define the catalytic and highly conserved palm subdomain, as well as portions of the fingers and thumb subdomains. The results presented here help to understand the current use and apparent success of antivirals, i.e. Brincidofovir, Lamivudine and Favipiravir, originally aimed at other types of polymerases, to counteract the Ebola virus infection.

  18. Small-angle X-ray scattering analysis reveals the ATP-bound monomeric state of the ATPase domain from the homodimeric MutL endonuclease, a GHKL phosphotransferase superfamily protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iino, Hitoshi; Hikima, Takaaki; Nishida, Yuya; Yamamoto, Masaki; Kuramitsu, Seiki; Fukui, Kenji

    2015-05-01

    DNA mismatch repair is an excision system that removes mismatched bases chiefly generated by replication errors. In this system, MutL endonucleases direct the excision reaction to the error-containing strand of the duplex by specifically incising the newly synthesized strand. Both bacterial homodimeric and eukaryotic heterodimeric MutL proteins belong to the GHKL ATPase/kinase superfamily that comprises the N-terminal ATPase and C-terminal dimerization regions. Generally, the GHKL proteins show large ATPase cycle-dependent conformational changes, including dimerization-coupled ATP binding of the N-terminal domain. Interestingly, the ATPase domain of human PMS2, a subunit of the MutL heterodimer, binds ATP without dimerization. The monomeric ATP-bound state of the domain has been thought to be characteristic of heterodimeric GHKL proteins. In this study, we characterized the ATP-bound state of the ATPase domain from the Aquifex aeolicus MutL endonuclease, which is a homodimeric GHKL protein unlike the eukaryotic MutL. Gel filtration, dynamic light scattering, and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses clearly showed that the domain binds ATP in a monomeric form despite its homodimeric nature. This indicates that the uncoupling of dimerization and ATP binding is a common feature among bacterial and eukaryotic MutL endonucleases, which we suggest is closely related to the molecular mechanisms underlying mismatch repair.

  19. Processing simulated high-level liquid waste by heat treatment with addition of TiN and AlN or Al2O3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uno, Masayoshi; Kinoshita, Hajime; Sakai, Etsuro; Ikeda, Akira; Matsumoto, Y.; Yamanaka, Shinsuke

    1999-01-01

    The present study aims to decrease the melting temperature of the oxide phase by the addition of the mixture of TiN and AlN or Al 2 O 3 for reduction of the treatment temperature of super high temperature method. The addition of the mixture of TiN and AlN or Al 2 O 3 with the atomic ratio of Al to Ti of 1:9 caused the melting of both the alloy phase and oxide phase at 1673 K. The measured values of density and hardness for thus obtained oxide phase were same as those for the oxide phase obtained at 1873 K without Al. Thus, above mentioned method is achieved at 1673 K without degradation of the properties of the oxide phase as an waste. (author)

  20. The formation of AlB2 in an Al-B master alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Xiaoming

    2005-01-01

    The formation of borides in an Al-3 wt.%B master alloy, produced via chemical reactions of KBF 4 and aluminium has been investigated. The chemical reactions produce boron, which dissolves into molten aluminium and subsequently forms aluminium borides. Backscattered electron imaging (BEI) of the Al-3 wt.%B master alloy under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed the presence of two types of phases that contain different levels of boron. Combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) results, the two types of phases are identified as AlB 2 on AlB 12 . This gives a direct evidence for a peritectic reaction of AlB 12 and aluminium, which produces AlB 2 . The thermodynamic properties of the reactions that may be involved are examined, and the presence of AlB 12 phase in the master alloy explained. The observed microstructure is explained according to the peritectic reaction in an Al-B phase diagram. The stability of AlB 2 and AlB 12 at lower temperature than 975 deg. C is clarified

  1. Hyperfine fields and spin relaxation of Ce in GdAl2 and DyAl2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waeckelgaard, E.; Karlsson, E.; Lindgren, B.; Mayer, A.

    1987-04-01

    We have investigated the ferromagnetic state of the cubic intermetallic compounds GdAl 2 and DyAl 2 with the 140 Ce nuclei using DPAC. The local fields of Ce are for the lowest measured temperatures B eff (30 K) = 54(2) T for GdAl 2 and B eff (12.5 K) = 27(1) T for DyAl 2 which are considerably lower than the hyperfine field measured for a free Ce ion (183 T). By introducing a crystal field, of cubic symmetry, a lower hyperfine field is obtained which is in quantitative agreement with the local field of Ce in GdAl 2 . For DyAl 2 an additional effect, represented by a non-magnetic level below the lowest magnetic level, may explain a further reduction of the hyperfine field. Two models relating to a Kondo non-magnetic state of Ce are discussed. Spin relaxation in the paramagnetic state are also studied and compared with observations of the same systems measured with μSR. (authors)

  2. PEMBARUAN MASLAḤAH DALAM MAQĀṢID AL- SHARĪ‘AH: TELAAH HUMANISTIS TENTANG AL-KULLIYYĀT AL-KHAMSAH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zaenuddin Mansyur

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract:   In order to answer a variety of issues faced by human being in the current era, such as human rights abuses, social disintegration, and terrorism, the renewal of Islamic law in the level of theoretical and practical aspects is very urgent. This paper aims to examine one of the Islamic legal reform efforts, namely to build a more technical understanding of the concept of maṣlaḥah contained in the maqāṣīd sharī‘ah, called the al-kulliyat al-khamsah. Therefore, the concept of maṣlaḥah in ḥifẓ al-dīn is technically defined as al-ḥurriyah al-i‘tiqād (freedom of religion and schools; in ḥifẓ al-nafs as al-karamat al-insān (human being breeding; in ḥifẓ al-nasl as ḥifẓ al-usrah (wholeness and harmony of the family; in ḥifẓ al-māl as al-taḍammun al-insān (social solidarity , and in ḥifẓ al-‘aql as al-ḥuqūq as al-tarbiyāt (increasing human resources quality.Abstrak: Demi menjawab aneka persoalan zaman yang dihadapi manusia era sekarang, seperti penyelewengan terhadap HAM, disintegrasi sosial, dan terorisme, maka pembaharuan hukum Islam dalam tataran teoretis dan praktis urgen dilakukan. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji salah satu upaya pembaruan hukum Islam, yaitu membangun pemahaman yang lebih teknis terhadap konsep maṣlaḥah yang terkandung dalam maqāṣīd sharī‘ah, yang disebut dengan al-kulliyāt al-khamsah. Oleh karena itu, konsep maṣlaḥah dalam ḥifẓu al-dīn secara teknis dimaknai sebagai ḥurriyah al-i‘tiqād (kebebasan untuk beragama dan beraliran; dalam ḥifẓu al-nafs sebagai al-karāmāt al-insān (pemuliaan kemanusiaan; dalam ḥifẓu al-nasl sebagai ḥifẓu al-usrah (keutuhan dan keharmonisan keluarga; dalam ḥifẓu al-māl sebagai al-taḍammun al-insān (solidaritas sosial; dan dalam ḥifẓu al-‘aql sebagai al-ḥuqūq al-tarbiyāt (peningkatan sumber daya manusia.

  3. Modulation of basophils' degranulation and allergy-related enzymes by monomeric and dimeric naphthoquinones.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brígida R Pinho

    Full Text Available Allergic disorders are characterized by an abnormal immune response towards non-infectious substances, being associated with life quality reduction and potential life-threatening reactions. The increasing prevalence of allergic disorders demands for new and effective anti-allergic treatments. Here we test the anti-allergic potential of monomeric (juglone, menadione, naphthazarin, plumbagin and dimeric (diospyrin and diosquinone naphthoquinones. Inhibition of RBL-2H3 rat basophils' degranulation by naphthoquinones was assessed using two complementary stimuli: IgE/antigen and calcium ionophore A23187. Additionally, we tested for the inhibition of leukotrienes production in IgE/antigen-stimulated cells, and studied hyaluronidase and lipoxidase inhibition by naphthoquinones in cell-free assays. Naphthazarin (0.1 µM decreased degranulation induced by IgE/antigen but not A23187, suggesting a mechanism upstream of the calcium increase, unlike diospyrin (10 µM that reduced degranulation in A23187-stimulated cells. Naphthoquinones were weak hyaluronidase inhibitors, but all inhibited soybean lipoxidase with the most lipophilic diospyrin, diosquinone and menadione being the most potent, thus suggesting a mechanism of competition with natural lipophilic substrates. Menadione was the only naphthoquinone reducing leukotriene C4 production, with a maximal effect at 5 µM. This work expands the current knowledge on the biological properties of naphthoquinones, highlighting naphthazarin, diospyrin and menadione as potential lead compounds for structural modification in the process of improving and developing novel anti-allergic drugs.

  4. Effects of Al(III and Nano-Al13 Species on Malate Dehydrogenase Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rong Fu Chen

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The effects of different aluminum species on malate dehydrogenase (MDH activity were investigated by monitoring amperometric i-t curves for the oxidation of NADH at low overpotential using a functionalized multi-wall nanotube (MWNT modified glass carbon electrode (GCE. The results showed that Al(III and Al13 can activate the enzymatic activity of MDH, and the activation reaches maximum levels as the Al(III and Al13 concentration increase. Our study also found that the effects of Al(III and Al13 on the activity of MDH depended on the pH value and aluminum speciation. Electrochemical and circular dichroism spectra methods were applied to study the effects of nano-sized aluminum compounds on biomolecules.

  5. Effects of Al(III) and nano-Al13 species on malate dehydrogenase activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiaodi; Cai, Ling; Peng, Yu; Li, Huihui; Chen, Rong Fu; Shen, Ren Fang

    2011-01-01

    The effects of different aluminum species on malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activity were investigated by monitoring amperometric i-t curves for the oxidation of NADH at low overpotential using a functionalized multi-wall nanotube (MWNT) modified glass carbon electrode (GCE). The results showed that Al(III) and Al(13) can activate the enzymatic activity of MDH, and the activation reaches maximum levels as the Al(III) and Al(13) concentration increase. Our study also found that the effects of Al(III) and Al(13) on the activity of MDH depended on the pH value and aluminum speciation. Electrochemical and circular dichroism spectra methods were applied to study the effects of nano-sized aluminum compounds on biomolecules.

  6. The anchorless adhesin Eap (extracellular adherence protein) from Staphylococcus aureus selectively recognizes extracellular matrix aggregates but binds promiscuously to monomeric matrix macromolecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Uwe; Hussain, Muzaffar; Villone, Daniela; Herrmann, Mathias; Robenek, Horst; Peters, Georg; Sinha, Bhanu; Bruckner, Peter

    2006-05-01

    Besides a number of cell wall-anchored adhesins, the majority of Staphylococcus aureus strains produce anchorless, cell wall-associated proteins, such as Eap (extracellular adherence protein). Eap contains four to six tandem repeat (EAP)-domains. Eap mediates diverse biological functions, including adherence and immunomodulation, thus contributing to S. aureus pathogenesis. Eap binding to host macromolecules is unusually promiscuous and includes matrix or matricellular proteins as well as plasma proteins. The structural basis of this promiscuity is poorly understood. Here, we show that in spite of the preferential location of the binding epitopes within triple helical regions in some collagens there is a striking specificity of Eap binding to different collagen types. Collagen I, but not collagen II, is a binding substrate in monomolecular form. However, collagen I is virtually unrecognized by Eap when incorporated into banded fibrils. By contrast, microfibrils containing collagen VI as well as basement membrane-associated networks containing collagen IV, or aggregates containing fibronectin bound Eap as effectively as the monomeric proteins. Therefore, Eap-binding to extracellular matrix ligands is promiscuous at the molecular level but not indiscriminate with respect to supramolecular structures containing the same macromolecules. In addition, Eap bound to banded fibrils after their partial disintegration by matrix-degrading proteinases, including matrix metalloproteinase 1. Therefore, adherence to matrix suprastructures by S. aureus can be supported by inflammatory reactions.

  7. Gas-phase synthesis and structure of monomeric ZnOH: a model species for metalloenzymes and catalytic surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zack, Lindsay N; Sun, Ming; Bucchino, Matthew P; Clouthier, Dennis J; Ziurys, Lucy M

    2012-02-16

    Monomeric ZnOH has been studied for the first time using millimeter and microwave gas-phase spectroscopy. ZnOH is important in surface processes and at the active site of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase. In the millimeter-wave direct-absorption experiments, ZnOH was synthesized by reacting zinc vapor, produced in a Broida-type oven, with water. In the Fourier-transform microwave measurements, ZnOH was produced in a supersonic jet expansion of CH(3)OH and zinc vapor, created by laser ablation. Multiple rotational transitions of six ZnOH isotopologues in their X(2)A' ground states were measured over the frequency range of 22-482 GHz, and splittings due to fine and hyperfine structure were resolved. An asymmetric top pattern was observed in the spectra, showing that ZnOH is bent, indicative of covalent bonding. From these data, spectroscopic constants and an accurate structure were determined. The Zn-O bond length was found to be similar to that in carbonic anhydrase and other model enzyme systems.

  8. Comparison of monomeric and polymeric horseradish peroxidase as labels in competitive ELISA for small molecule detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Dongyang; Ying, Yibin; Wu, Jian; Niessner, Reinhard; Knopp, Dietmar

    2013-01-01

    We have developed a simple and sensitive competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine aflatoxin B1 (as a model small analyte) and using streptavidin-polymeric horseradish peroxidase complex (SApolyHRP) as a label for signal amplification. The performance of the assay was evaluated by comparing it with the classical indirect competitive ELISA using HRP labeled anti-mouse IgG as the tracer antibody. The results indicate that the SApolyHRP-based competitive ELISA exhibits a typically 2.4-fold steeper slope of the linear working range of the calibration curve compared to the monomeric HRP based classical ELISA, i.e., the sensitivity was increased. The SApolyHRP conjugate causes a typically 19-fold stronger signal generation in comparison to the traditional HRP labeled anti-mouse IgG at the same concentration (25 ng mL −1 ). Moreover, the SApolyHRP-based assay has a much wider linear range and a 3.8-fold better signal-to-noise ratio. Considering its simplicity, sensitivity and ease of operation, this competitive ELISA is considered to be a promising tool for small molecule immuno detection. (author)

  9. No need to be HAMLET or BAMLET to interact with histones: binding of monomeric alpha-lactalbumin to histones and basic poly-amino acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Permyakov, Serge E; Pershikova, Irina V; Khokhlova, Tatyana I; Uversky, Vladimir N; Permyakov, Eugene A

    2004-05-18

    The ability of a specific complex of human alpha-lactalbumin with oleic acid (HAMLET) to induce cell death with selectivity for tumor and undifferentiated cells was shown recently to be mediated by interaction of HAMLET with histone proteins irreversibly disrupting chromatin structure [Duringer, C., et al. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 42131-42135]. Here we show that monomeric alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA) in the absence of fatty acids is also able to bind efficiently to the primary target of HAMLET, histone HIII, regardless of Ca(2+) content. Thus, the modification of alpha-LA by oleic acid is not required for binding to histones. We suggest that interaction of negatively charged alpha-LA with the basic histone stabilizes apo-alpha-LA and destabilizes the Ca(2+)-bound protein due to compensation for excess negative charge of alpha-LA's Ca(2+)-binding loop by positively charged residues of the histone. Spectrofluorimetric curves of titration of alpha-LA by histone H3 were well approximated by a scheme of cooperative binding of four alpha-LA molecules per molecule of histone, with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 1.0 microM. Such a stoichiometry of binding implies that the binding process is not site-specific with respect to histone and likely is driven by just electrostatic interactions. Co-incubation of positively charged poly-amino acids (poly-Lys and poly-Arg) with alpha-LA resulted in effects which were similar to those caused by histone HIII, confirming the electrostatic nature of the alpha-LA-histone interaction. In all cases that were studied, the binding was accompanied by aggregation. The data indicate that alpha-lactalbumin can be used as a basis for the design of antitumor agents, acting through disorganization of chromatin structure due to interaction between alpha-LA and histone proteins.

  10. Natural radioactivity survey in Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi Mountain Region Libya

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Askouri, N.A.; Hussain, M.O.; Al-Ojaily, A.S.

    2011-01-01

    The measurement of natural radioactivity in a given region or country is essential to provide a reference base-line map to follow up a possible variation in future. In order to perform such measurement, the natural radioactivity was measured in different locations. The locations (50 sites) were distributed over Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi Mountain, starting from the city Al-Azeeziah in the eastern part to Wazen on the Tunisian border in the west. The measurements showed obvious variation from one site to another. The levels were fluctuating from (12.8 counts/minute) in Bir-Ayad to (45.7 counts/minute) in Gherian. In order to investigate the cause for such variation, samples were collected from (27) sites for detailed study. The levels of natural radioactivity were determined in the laboratory, and were ranging from (58.7 Bq/kg) in Bir-Ayad to (102.1 Bq/kg) in Gherian. The variation in measured radioactivity was related to the geological structures taken in six perpendicular sections, namely, Gharian, Yevren, Zintan, Nalut, Wazen and Al-Azeeziah taking the naturally occurred radioisotopes concentration of 4 0K, 232 Th and 238 U present in consideration.

  11. Effects of plasma treatment on the Ohmic characteristics of Ti/Al/Ti/Au contacts to n-AlGaN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, X. A.; Piao, H.; LeBoeuf, S. F.; Li, J.; Lin, J. Y.; Jiang, H. X.

    2006-01-01

    The effects of surface treatment using Cl 2 /BCl 3 and Ar inductive coupled plasmas on the Ohmic characteristics of Ti/Al/Ti/Au contacts to n-type Al x Ga 1-x N (x=0-0.5) were investigated. Plasma treatment significantly increased the surface conductivity of GaN and Al 0.1 Ga 0.9 N, leading to improved Ohmic behaviors of the contacts. However, it reduced the surface doping level in Al x Ga 1-x N (x≥0.3) and degraded the contact properties. Following a 900-1000 deg. C anneal, the Ti/Al/Ti/Au contacts to Al x Ga 1-x N (x=0-0.3) became truly Ohmic, with specific contact resistances of (3-7)x10 -5 Ω cm 2 , whereas the contact to Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N remained rectifying even without the plasma treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed that the Fermi level moved toward the conduction band in GaN after the plasma treatment, but it was pinned by plasma-induced deep-level states in Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N. This study emphasizes the need to mitigate plasma damage introduced during the mesa etch step for AlGaN-based deep-UV emitters and detectors

  12. Resolution of two native monomeric 90 kDa nitrate reductase active proteins from Shewanella gelidimarina and the sequence of two napA genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simpson, Philippa J.L.; McKinzie, Audra A.; Codd, Rachel

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → Two monomeric 90 kDa nitrate reductase active proteins from Shewanella gelidimarina. → Sequence of napA from napEDABC-type operon and napA from NapDAGHB-type operon. → Isolation of NAP as NapA or NapAB correlated with NapA P47E amino acid substitution. -- Abstract: The reduction of nitrate to nitrite in the bacterial periplasm occurs in the 90 kDa NapA subunit of the periplasmic nitrate reductase (NAP) system. Most Shewanella genomes contain two nap operons: napEDABC and napDAGHB, which is an unusual feature of this genus. Two native, monomeric, 90 kDa nitrate reductase active proteins were resolved by hydrophobic interaction chromatography from aerobic cultures of Shewanella gelidimarina replete with reduced nitrogen compounds. The 90 kDa protein obtained in higher yield was characterized as NapA by electronic absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies and was identified by LC/MS/MS and MALDI-TOF/TOF MS as NapA from the napEDABC-type operon. The other 90 kDa protein, which was unstable and produced in low yields, was posited as NapA from the napDAGHB-type operon. Two napA genes have been sequenced from the napEDABC-type and napDAGHB-type operons of S. gelidimarina. Native NAP from S. putrefaciens was resolved as one NapA monomer and one NapAB heterodimer. Two amino acid substitutions in NapA correlated with the isolation of NAP as a NapA monomer or a NapAB heterodimer. The resolution of native, redox-active NapA isoforms in Shewanella provides new insight into the respiratory versatility of this genus, which has implications in bioremediation and the assembly of microbial fuel cells.

  13. Influence of surface states on deep level transient spectroscopy in AlGaN/GaN heterostructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Qing; Ma Xiao-Hua; Chen Wei-Wei; Hou Bin; Zhu Jie-Jie; Zhang Meng; Chen Li-Xiang; Cao Yan-Rong; Hao Yue

    2016-01-01

    Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) as a method to investigate deep traps in AlGaN/GaN heterostructure or high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) has been widely utilized. The DLTS measurements under different bias conditions are carried out in this paper. Two hole-like traps with active energies of E v + 0.47 eV, and E v + 0.10 eV are observed, which are related to surface states. The electron traps with active energies of E c − 0.56 eV are located in the channel, those with E c − 0.33 eV and E c − 0.88 eV are located in the AlGaN layer. The presence of surface states has a strong influence on the detection of electron traps, especially when the electron traps are low in density. The DLTS signal peak height of the electron trap is reduced and even disappears due to the presence of plentiful surface state. (paper)

  14. Towards advanced structural analysis of iron oxide clusters on the surface of γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} using EXAFS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boubnov, Alexey [Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstr. 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Roppertz, Andreas [Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Chair of Reaction Engineering, Technical University of Freiberg, Fuchsmuehlenweg 9, D-09599 Freiberg (Germany); Kundrat, Matthew D. [Center for Functional Nanostructures and Institute of Physical Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstr. 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Mangold, Stefan [Institut für Beschleunigerphysik und Technologie (IBPT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Reznik, Boris [Institute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstr. 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Jacob, Christoph R. [Center for Functional Nanostructures and Institute of Physical Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstr. 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, TU Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Str. 10, D-38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Kureti, Sven [Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Chair of Reaction Engineering, Technical University of Freiberg, Fuchsmuehlenweg 9, D-09599 Freiberg (Germany); Grunwaldt, Jan-Dierk, E-mail: grunwaldt@kit.edu [Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstr. 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • Analysis of isolated and oligomeric FeOx (x = 4, 5) on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} by XANES and EXAFS. • Iron is trivalent and is mainly located at octahedral lattice sites of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • Low Fe loading (0.1%) guarantees high dispersion of catalytically active iron sites. • Surface Fe-cluster on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and DFT-optimised Fe-doped Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} as input models for EXAFS. • Interactions of iron with support are well-accounted for using realistic models. - Abstract: Iron oxide centres are structurally investigated in 0.1% Fe/γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, which is known as highly active catalyst, for instance in the oxidation of CO. The sample was characterised by using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in terms of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These analyses evidenced high dispersion of the iron oxide entities without significant presence of bulk-like aggregates associated with the low Fe content of the catalyst. A library of structural models of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-supported surface Fe was created as input for EXAFS fitting. Additionally, several model structures of Fe substituting Al ions in bulk γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} were created with optimised geometry based on density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. From EXAFS refinement of the best 8 out of 24 models, it was found that the trivalent Fe ions are coordinated by 4–5 oxygen atoms and are located on octahedral lattice sites of the exposed surfaces of γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. These iron oxide species exist mainly as a mixture of monomeric and binuclear species and due to the low concentration represent suitable model systems as alternative to single crystal systems for structure-function relationships.

  15. Measurements of effective quasiparticle recombination times and of densities of electronic states at the Fermi level in superconducting Al- and Pb-films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Epperlein, P W [International Business Machines Corp., Zurich (Switzerland). Research Lab.; Eisenmenger, W [Stuttgart Univ. (TH) (Germany, F.R.). Physikalisches Inst.

    1979-01-01

    Temperature-dependent quasiparticle recombination lifetimes iota exp(T) and densities Nsub(o) of electronic states at the Fermi level have been measured from time decay experiments of excess quasiparticle concentrations in evaporated, superconducting Al- and Pb-tunnel junctions. Current pulses were used to inject excess, nonthermal quasiparticles in a single junction acting simultaneously as generator and detector. The experimental lifetimes in 'unperturbed' Al show satisfactory agreement with calculations based on the 2..delta..-phonon trapping lifetime model. iota exp decreases with increasing perturbations of the Al film structure by oxygen background evaporation. In Pb the measured times indicate 2..delta..-phonon volume losses. The densities Nsub(o) in Pb-films and 'unperturbed' as well as oxygen-perturbed Al-films differ by less than 5% from the corresponding bulk material data. Therefore, in trying to explain then enhancement of the transition temperature from 1.23K to 1.85K in perturbed, granular Al-films a change of Nsub(o) can be ruled out.

  16. Measurements of effective quasiparticle recombination times and of densities of electronic states at the fermi level in superconducting Al- and Pb-films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Epperlein, P.W.; Eisenmenger, W.

    1979-01-01

    Temperature-dependent quasiparticle recombination lifetimes iota exp(T) and densities Nsub(o) of electronic states at the Fermi level have been measured from time decay experiments of excess quasiparticle concentrations in evaporated, superconducting Al- and Pb-tunnel junctions. Current pulses were used to inject excess, nonthermal quasiparticles in a single junction acting simultaneously as generator and detector. The experimental lifetimes in 'unperturbed' Al show satisfactory agreement with calculations based on the 2Δ-phonon trapping lifetime model. iota exp decreases with increasing perturbations of the Al film structure by oxygen background evaporation. In Pb the measured times indicate 2Δ-phonon volume losses. The densities Nsub(o) in Pb-films and 'unperturbed' as well as oxygen-perturbed Al-films differ by less than 5% from the corresponding bulk material data. Therefore, in trying to explain then enhancement of the transition temperature from 1.23K to 1.85K in perturbed, granular Al-films a change of Nsub(o) can be ruled out. (orig.) [de

  17. Elevated free nitrotyrosine levels, but not protein-bound nitrotyrosine or hydroxyl radicals, throughout amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-like disease implicate tyrosine nitration as an aberrant in vivo property of one familial ALS-linked superoxide dismutase 1 mutant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruijn, L I; Beal, M F; Becher, M W; Schulz, J B; Wong, P C; Price, D L; Cleveland, D W

    1997-07-08

    Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1; EC 1.15.1.1) are responsible for a proportion of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through acquisition of an as-yet-unidentified toxic property or properties. Two proposed possibilities are that toxicity may arise from imperfectly folded mutant SOD1 catalyzing the nitration of tyrosines [Beckman, J. S., Carson, M., Smith, C. D. & Koppenol, W. H. (1993) Nature (London) 364, 584] through use of peroxynitrite or from peroxidation arising from elevated production of hydroxyl radicals through use of hydrogen peroxide as a substrate [Wiedau-Pazos, M., Goto, J. J., Rabizadeh, S., Gralla, E. D., Roe, J. A., Valentine, J. S. & Bredesen, D. E. (1996) Science 271, 515-518]. To test these possibilities, levels of nitrotyrosine and markers for hydroxyl radical formation were measured in two lines of transgenic mice that develop progressive motor neuron disease from expressing human familial ALS-linked SOD1 mutation G37R. Relative to normal mice or mice expressing high levels of wild-type human SOD1, 3-nitrotyrosine levels were elevated by 2- to 3-fold in spinal cords coincident with the earliest pathological abnormalities and remained elevated in spinal cord throughout progression of disease. However, no increases in protein-bound nitrotyrosine were found during any stage of SOD1-mutant-mediated disease in mice or at end stage of sporadic or SOD1-mediated familial human ALS. When salicylate trapping of hydroxyl radicals and measurement of levels of malondialdehyde were used, there was no evidence throughout disease progression in mice for enhanced production of hydroxyl radicals or lipid peroxidation, respectively. The presence of elevated nitrotyrosine levels beginning at the earliest stages of cellular pathology and continuing throughout progression of disease demonstrates that tyrosine nitration is one in vivo aberrant property of this ALS-linked SOD1 mutant.

  18. Quinoline derivative containing monomeric and polymeric metal carboxylates: Synthesis, crystal structure and gas adsorption study over a 2D layered framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gayen, Saikat; Saha, Debraj; Koner, Subratanath

    2018-06-01

    A new supramolecular metal-carboxylate framework [Co(mqc)2]n (1), and another monomeric compound [Zn (mqc)2(H2O)] (2) (mqcH = 4-methoxy 2-quinolinecarboxylic acid) have been synthesized solvothermally and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra, UV-vis spectra, powdered X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analysis. Compound 1 is a 2D coordination polymer, extended to a 3D porous supramolecular network having void space in between 2D layers. Compound 1 exhibits gas uptake capacity of N2, H2, CO2 and CH4 like small gas molecules in which moderately high uptake of H2 and CO2 takes place among the 2D MOFs. While the Zn variety, compound 2 features a one-dimensional chain like structure through strong intermolecular hydrogen-bonding.

  19. Model of a DNA-protein complex of the architectural monomeric protein MC1 from Euryarchaea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Françoise Paquet

    Full Text Available In Archaea the two major modes of DNA packaging are wrapping by histone proteins or bending by architectural non-histone proteins. To supplement our knowledge about the binding mode of the different DNA-bending proteins observed across the three domains of life, we present here the first model of a complex in which the monomeric Methanogen Chromosomal protein 1 (MC1 from Euryarchaea binds to the concave side of a strongly bent DNA. In laboratory growth conditions MC1 is the most abundant architectural protein present in Methanosarcina thermophila CHTI55. Like most proteins that strongly bend DNA, MC1 is known to bind in the minor groove. Interaction areas for MC1 and DNA were mapped by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR data. The polarity of protein binding was determined using paramagnetic probes attached to the DNA. The first structural model of the DNA-MC1 complex we propose here was obtained by two complementary docking approaches and is in good agreement with the experimental data previously provided by electron microscopy and biochemistry. Residues essential to DNA-binding and -bending were highlighted and confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. It was found that the Arg25 side-chain was essential to neutralize the negative charge of two phosphates that come very close in response to a dramatic curvature of the DNA.

  20. 60Co gamma radiation effect on AlGaN//AlN/GaN HEMT devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yanping; Luo Yinhong; Wang Wei; Zhang Keying; Guo Hongxia; Guo Xiaoqiang; Wang Yuanming

    2013-01-01

    The testing techniques and experimental methods of the 60 Co gamma irradiation effect on AlGaN/AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are established. The degradation of the electrical properties of the device under the actual radiation environment are analyzed theoretically, and studies of the total dose effects of gamma radiation on AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs at three different radiation bias conditions are carried out. The degradation patterns of the main parameters of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs at different doses are then investigated, and the device parameters that were sensitive to the gamma radiation induced damage and the total dose level induced device damage are obtained. (authors)

  1. Investigating the atomic level influencing factors of glass forming ability in NiAl and CuZr metallic glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sedighi, Sina; Kirk, Donald Walter; Singh, Chandra Veer, E-mail: chandraveer.singh@utoronto.ca; Thorpe, Steven John [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, Room 140, 184 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E4 (Canada)

    2015-09-21

    Bulk metallic glasses are a relatively new class of amorphous metal alloy which possess unique mechanical and magnetic properties. The specific concentrations and combinations of alloy elements needed to prevent crystallization during melt quenching remains poorly understood. A correlation between atomic properties that can explain some of the previously identified glass forming ability (GFA) anomalies of the NiAl and CuZr systems has been identified, with these findings likely extensible to other transition metal–transition metal and transition metal–metalloid (TM–M) alloy classes as a whole. In this work, molecular dynamics simulation methods are utilized to study thermodynamic, kinetic, and structural properties of equiatomic CuZr and NiAl metallic glasses in an attempt to further understand the underlying connections between glass forming ability, nature of atomic level bonding, short and medium range ordering, and the evolution of structure and relaxation properties in the disordered phase. The anomalous breakdown of the fragility parameter as a useful GFA indicator in TM–M alloy systems is addressed through an in-depth investigation of bulk stiffness properties and the evolution of (pseudo)Gruneisen parameters over the quench domain, with the efficacy of other common glass forming ability indicators similarly being analyzed through direct computation in respective CuZr and NiAl systems. Comparison of fractional liquid-crystal density differences in the two systems revealed 2-3 times higher values for the NiAl system, providing further support for its efficacy as a general purpose GFA indicator.

  2. Landau levels and shallow donor states in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells at megagauss magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zybert, M.; Marchewka, M.; Sheregii, E. M.; Rickel, D. G.; Betts, J. B.; Balakirev, F. F.; Gordon, M.; Stier, A. V.; Mielke, C. H.; Pfeffer, P.; Zawadzki, W.

    2017-03-01

    Landau levels and shallow donor states in multiple GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (MQWs) are investigated by means of the cyclotron resonance at megagauss magnetic fields. Measurements of magneto-optical transitions were performed in pulsed fields up to 140 T and temperatures from 6-300 K. The 14 ×14 P.p band model for GaAs is used to interpret free-electron transitions in a magnetic field. Temperature behavior of the observed resonant structure indicates, in addition to the free-electron Landau states, contributions of magnetodonor states in the GaAs wells and possibly in the AlGaAs barriers. The magnetodonor energies are calculated using a variational procedure suitable for high magnetic fields and accounting for conduction band nonparabolicity in GaAs. It is shown that the above states, including their spin splitting, allow one to interpret the observed magneto-optical transitions in MQWs in the middle infrared region. Our experimental and theoretical results at very high magnetic fields are consistent with the picture used previously for GaAs/AlGaAs MQWs at lower magnetic fields.

  3. Comment on "Younger Dryas sea level and meltwater pulse 1B recorded in Barbados reefal crest coral Acropora palmata" by N. A. Abdul et al.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bard, Edouard; Hamelin, Bruno; Deschamps, Pierre; Camoin, Gilbert

    2016-12-01

    Based on new U-Th ages of corals drilled offshore Barbados, Abdul et al. (2016) have confirmed the existence of the abrupt stratigraphic feature called meltwater pulse 1B (MWP-1B), which they interpret as being due to a very large and global sea level step change dated at about 11.3 kyr before present (approximately 15 m and equivalent to twice the amount of water stored in the present Greenland ice sheet). This contrasts with the Tahiti record, in which MWP-1B is essentially absent or very small, as Carlson and Clark (2012) and Lambeck et al. (2014) also conclude in their recent reviews of deglacial sea levels at the global scale. However, the evidence provided by Abdul et al. and their main conclusions are not convincing as they are affected by the following three main problems, which may explain the apparent discrepancies: Problem #1/Barbados is located in a subduction zone, which was also active throughout the Late Glacial period. Furthermore, the Barbados cores studied by Abdul et al. were drilled on both sides of the extension of a tectonic feature identified at the southern tip of Barbados (South Point) as underlined by several studies of the Barbados stratigraphy. Problem #2/Fossil samples of Acropora palmata may not be reliable sea level markers during rapid and large sea level rises. Indeed, the asexual reproduction strategy of this species may not be optimal to keep up when the water depth is increasing very rapidly. This may in part explain why the living depth of A. palmata at Barbados was significantly greater than 5 m during some periods of the last deglaciation, notably between 14.5 and 14 kyr B.P. and possibly between 14 and 11.5 kyr B.P. Problem #3/The slow glacio-isostatic adjustment and the rapid responses due to gravitational changes of ice and water masses complicate the interpretation of individual relative sea level (RSL) records at specific locations. Therefore, the Barbados and Tahiti record cannot be compared directly in terms of absolute

  4. Surface-assisted DNA self-assembly: An enzyme-free strategy towards formation of branched DNA lattice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhanjadeo, Madhabi M.; Nayak, Ashok K.; Subudhi, Umakanta

    2017-01-01

    DNA based self-assembled nanostructures and DNA origami has proven useful for organizing nanomaterials with firm precision. However, for advanced applications like nanoelectronics and photonics, large-scale organization of self-assembled branched DNA (bDNA) into periodic lattices is desired. In this communication for the first time we report a facile method of self-assembly of Y-shaped bDNA nanostructures on the cationic surface of Aluminum (Al) foil to prepare periodic two dimensional (2D) bDNA lattice. Particularly those Y-shaped bDNA structures having smaller overhangs and unable to self-assemble in solution, they are easily assembled on the surface of Al foil in the absence of ligase. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis shows homogenous distribution of two-dimensional bDNA lattices across the Al foil. When the assembled bDNA structures were recovered from the Al foil and electrophoresed in nPAGE only higher order polymeric bDNA structures were observed without a trace of monomeric structures which confirms the stability and high yield of the bDNA lattices. Therefore, this enzyme-free economic and efficient strategy for developing bDNA lattices can be utilized in assembling various nanomaterials for functional molecular components towards development of DNA based self-assembled nanodevices. - Highlights: • Al foil surface-assisted self-assembly of monomeric structures into larger branched DNA lattice. • FESEM study confirms the uniform distribution of two-dimensional bDNA lattice structures across the surface of Al foil. • Enzyme-free and economic strategy to prepare higher order structures from simpler DNA nanostructures have been confirmed by recovery assay. • Use of well proven sequences for the preparation of pure Y-shaped monomeric DNA nanostructure with high yield.

  5. On immobilization of high-level waste in an Y–Al garnet-based cermet matrix in SHS conditions

    OpenAIRE

    Konovalov, E.E.; Lastov, A.I.; Nerozin, N.A.

    2015-01-01

    A method of high-level waste (HLW) radionuclide immobilization in a long-life matrix based on Y–Al garnet, a material highly chemically resistant to natural environments, has been developed for the ultimate HLW isolation from the environment. Model systems containing Ce, Nd, Sm, Zr, Mo, 238U, and 241Am were used in the study as simulators of HLW radionuclides. An energy-saving technology of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) was employed to synthesize the matrix material with f...

  6. Growth of CdTe: Al films; Crecimiento de peliculas de CdTe: Al

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez A, M.; Zapata T, M. [CICATA-IPN, 89600 Altamira, Tamaulipas (Mexico); Melendez L, M. [CINVESTAV-IPN, A.P. 14-740, 07000 Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Pena, J.L. [CINVESTAV-IPN, A.P. 73 Cordemex, 97310 Merida, Yucatan (Mexico)

    2006-07-01

    CdTe: AI films were grown by the close space vapor transport technique combined with free evaporation (CSVT-FE). The Aluminum (Al) evaporation was made by two kinds of sources: one made of graphite and the other of tantalum. The films were deposited on glass substrates. The Al source temperature was varied maintaining the CdTe source temperature fixed as well as the substrate temperature. The films were characterized by x-ray energy dispersive analysis (EDAX), x-ray diffraction and optical transmission. The results showed for the films grown with the graphite source for Al evaporation, the Al did not incorporate in the CdTe matrix, at least to the level of EDAX sensitivity; they maintained the same crystal structure and band gap. For the samples grown with the tantalum source, we were able to incorporate the Al. The x-ray diffraction patterns show that the films have a crystal structure that depends on Al concentration. They were cubic up to 2.16 at. % Al concentration; for 19.65 at. % we found a mixed phase; for Al concentration higher than 21 at. % the films were amorphous. For samples with cubic structure it was found that the lattice parameter decreases and the band gap increases with Al concentration. (Author)

  7. Effects of combined additions of Sr and AlTiB grain refiners in hypoeutectic Al-Si foundry alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, L.; Dahle, A.K.

    2006-01-01

    Strontium is the most widely used and a very effective element for modifying the morphology of eutectic silicon, while Ti and B are commonly present in the commercial grain refiners used for Al-Si alloys. Systematic studies on the effects of combined additions of Sr and different AlTiB grain refiners on the Al + Si eutectic and primary aluminium solidification have been performed. While slight coarsening of both eutectic Si and primary aluminium grains occurs during holding, no obvious interactions are observed between Sr and AlTiB grain refiners when the addition level of grain refiners is low. As a result, a well-modified and grain refined structure was obtained. However, strong negative interactions between Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B were observed as the addition level of the grain refiner increases. It was found that these interactions have a much more profound impact on the eutectic solidification than the primary Al solidification. The melt treated with combined additions of Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B still shows good grain refinement efficiency even after losing its modification completely. The mechanism responsible for such negative interactions is further discussed

  8. Effects of combined additions of Sr and AlTiB grain refiners in hypoeutectic Al-Si foundry alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, L. [CSIRO Minerals, P.O. Box 883, Kenmore, Qld. 4069 (Australia)]. E-mail: Liming.Lu@csiro.au; Dahle, A.K. [CRC for Cast Metals Manufacturing, Division of Materials, School of Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld. 4072 (Australia)

    2006-11-05

    Strontium is the most widely used and a very effective element for modifying the morphology of eutectic silicon, while Ti and B are commonly present in the commercial grain refiners used for Al-Si alloys. Systematic studies on the effects of combined additions of Sr and different AlTiB grain refiners on the Al + Si eutectic and primary aluminium solidification have been performed. While slight coarsening of both eutectic Si and primary aluminium grains occurs during holding, no obvious interactions are observed between Sr and AlTiB grain refiners when the addition level of grain refiners is low. As a result, a well-modified and grain refined structure was obtained. However, strong negative interactions between Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B were observed as the addition level of the grain refiner increases. It was found that these interactions have a much more profound impact on the eutectic solidification than the primary Al solidification. The melt treated with combined additions of Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B still shows good grain refinement efficiency even after losing its modification completely. The mechanism responsible for such negative interactions is further discussed.

  9. First-principles study of L10 Ti-Al and V-Al alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chubb, S.R.; Papaconstantopoulos, D.A.; Klein, B.M.

    1988-01-01

    As a first step towards understanding the reduced embrittlement of L1 0 Ti-Al alloys which accompanies the introduction of small concentrations of V, we have determined from first principles, using full-potential linearized--augmented-plane-wave calculations, the equilibrium values of the structural parameters and the associated electronic structure for the stoichiometric (L1 0 ) Ti-Al (tetragonal) compound. Our calculated values of c/a and a are in good agreement with experiment. Using the same method of calculation, we have also studied the electronic structure associated with the (hypothetical) L1 0 V-Al alloy that would form when V is substituted for Ti. We find that (1) the electronic structures of these V-Al alloys are relatively insensitive to variations of c/a and a; (2) near the Ti-Al equilibrium geometry, the electronic structures of the V-Al and Ti-Al alloys are very similar; and (3) that a rigid-band model involving substitution of V for Ti can be used to gain a qualitative understanding of the reduction in c/a which accompanies the introduction of small concentrations of V. We relate the reduction in c/a to important changes in the bonding that accompany the occupation of bands immediately above the Fermi level of the stoichiometric Ti-Al compound

  10. Corrosion inhibition of aluminum with a series of aniline monomeric surfactants and their analog polymers in 0.5 M HCl solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.M. El-Deeb

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The inhibition effect of 3-(12-sodiumsulfonate dodecyloxy aniline monomeric surfactant (MC12 and its analog polymer Poly 3-(dodecyloxy sulfonic acid aniline (PC12 on the corrosion of aluminum in 0.5 M HCl solution was investigated using weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The presence of these two compounds in 0.5 M HCl inhibits the corrosion of aluminum without modifying the mechanism of corrosion process. It was found that these inhibitors act as mixed-type inhibitors with anodic predominance as well as the inhibition efficiency increases with increasing inhibitor concentration, but decreases with raising temperature. Langmuir and Frumkin adsorption isotherms fit well with the experimental data. Thermodynamic functions for both dissolution and adsorption processes were determined. The obtained results from weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization techniques are in good agreement with contact angle measurements.

  11. A mouse model of familial ALS has increased CNS levels of endogenous ubiquinol9/10 and does not benefit from exogenous administration of ubiquinol10.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacopo Lucchetti

    Full Text Available Oxidative stress and mitochondrial impairment are the main pathogenic mechanisms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, a severe neurodegenerative disease still lacking of effective therapy. Recently, the coenzyme-Q (CoQ complex, a key component of mitochondrial function and redox-state modulator, has raised interest for ALS treatment. However, while the oxidized form ubiquinone10 was ineffective in ALS patients and modestly effective in mouse models of ALS, no evidence was reported on the effect of the reduced form ubiquinol10, which has better bioavailability and antioxidant properties. In this study we compared the effects of ubiquinone10 and a new stabilized formulation of ubiquinol10 on the disease course of SOD1(G93A transgenic mice, an experimental model of fALS. Chronic treatments (800 mg/kg/day orally started from the onset of disease until death, to mimic the clinical trials that only include patients with definite ALS symptoms. Although the plasma levels of CoQ10 were significantly increased by both treatments (from <0.20 to 3.0-3.4 µg/mL, no effect was found on the disease progression and survival of SOD1(G93A mice. The levels of CoQ10 in the brain and spinal cord of ubiquinone10- or ubiquinol10-treated mice were only slightly higher (≤10% than the endogenous levels in vehicle-treated mice, indicating poor CNS availability after oral dosing and possibly explaining the lack of pharmacological effects. To further examine this issue, we measured the oxidized and reduced forms of CoQ9/10 in the plasma, brain and spinal cord of symptomatic SOD1(G93A mice, in comparison with age-matched SOD1(WT. Levels of ubiquinol9/10, but not ubiquinone9/10, were significantly higher in the CNS, but not in plasma, of SOD1(G93A mice, suggesting that CoQ redox system might participate in the mechanisms trying to counteract the pathology progression. Therefore, the very low increases of CoQ10 induced by oral treatments in CNS might be not sufficient to

  12. Effect of elevated Al and pH on the growth and root morphology of Al-tolerant and Al-sensitive wheat seedlings in an acid soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Toufiq Iqbal

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Aluminium ion (Al3+ toxicity and hydrogen ion (H+ activity are the major constraints for plant growth in acid soil. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of pH and Al on the growth response and changes in root morphology of Al-tolerant (ET8 and Al-sensitive (ES8 wheat seedlings. Different levels of AlCl3 and CaCO3 were added to the soils to manipulate soil pH and extractable Al. The results showed that the bulk soil pH remained constant at pH 4.1 with further applications of AlCl3, and that the seedlings died at the 200 mg AlCl3/kg treatments. The ET8 seedlings responded better than the ES8 seedlings in both low and high Al and pH. The ET8 seedlings had higher root surface areas and root tip numbers than the ES8 seedlings in the Al treatment. In contrast, the ES8 had higher root diameters than the ET8 seedlings due to the elevated Al supply. Apoplast Al increased with the increase of soil available extractable Al, and declined with the decrease of soil extractable Al. The ET8 seedlings accumulated more Al in their apoplast than the ES8 seedlings. This study concluded that accumulation of Al in the apoplast is also involved in Al tolerance mechanism with the addition of organic acid exudation.

  13. Sea-level history and tectonic uplift during the last-interglacial period (LIG): Inferred from the Bab al-Mandab coral reef terraces, southern Red Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Mikhlafi, Ahmed Saif; Edwards, Lawrence R.; Cheng, Hai

    2018-02-01

    Results of U-series dating of late Pleistocene raised coral reef terraces from the Bab al-Mandab area, define two distinct groups: (1) well-preserved aragonitic fossil corals recorded from the Al-Hajaja terrace (Tr3) yield ages for last-interglacial period (LIG); and (2) calcitic fossil corals recovered from Perim Island terrace (Tr1) show varying degrees of U-series open system behavior and yield coral assemblage ages of LIG and older ages. Fossil corals from Tr1 are recrystallized corals, have anomalously high initial δ234U ranged from (152 ± 2‰ to 287 ± 7‰), corresponding to ages of ∼120 ka and ∼406 ka, respectively. Applying age reliability criteria on the current data suggest majority of the ages cannot be considered reliable and all are suspected for open system behavior associated with U loss/addition that significantly affects the 230Th/U ages. The diagenesis shown by these corals occurred probably due to extensive interaction of fossil corals with freshwater during the wet periods prevailed in southern Arabia coeval with the African monsoon, which led to U loss. Post-depositional U loss suggest (230Th/238U) increase, which shift the U-Th ages to unexpectedly higher levels as it is shown here. Measured elevation at the Al-Hajaja terrace (Tr3) is ∼4 ± 2 m above present sea level (apsl) consistent with eustatic sea level changes and indicates that the Bab al-Mandab area is stable at least since the LIG period. The Perim Island terrace (Tr1) is at elevation of 7 ± 2 m apsl; its reef yields diageneticaly-altered corals of multiple ages and cannot be used for sea level reconstructions.

  14. High-κ Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} material in low temperature wafer-level bonding for 3D integration application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fan, J., E-mail: fanji@hust.edu.cn; Tu, L. C. [MOE Key Laboratory of Fundamental Physical Quantities Measurement, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Tan, C. S. [School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

    2014-03-15

    This work systematically investigated a high-κ Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} material for low temperature wafer-level bonding for potential applications in 3D microsystems. A clean Si wafer with an Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer thickness of 50 nm was applied as our experimental approach. Bonding was initiated in a clean room ambient after surface activation, followed by annealing under inert ambient conditions at 300 °C for 3 h. The investigation consisted of three parts: a mechanical support study using the four-point bending method, hermeticity measurements using the helium bomb test, and thermal conductivity analysis for potential heterogeneous bonding. Compared with samples bonded using a conventional oxide bonding material (SiO{sub 2}), a higher interfacial adhesion energy (∼11.93 J/m{sup 2}) and a lower helium leak rate (∼6.84 × 10{sup −10} atm.cm{sup 3}/sec) were detected for samples bonded using Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. More importantly, due to the excellent thermal conductivity performance of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, this technology can be used in heterogeneous direct bonding, which has potential applications for enhancing the performance of Si photonic integrated devices.

  15. Analysis of monomeric and oligomeric organophosphorus flame retardants in fish muscle tissues using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: Application to Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from an e-waste processing area in northern Vietnam

    OpenAIRE

    Matsukami, Hidenori; Suzuki, Go; Tue, Nguyen Minh; Tuyen, Le Huu; Viet, Pham Hung; Takahashi, Shin; Tanabe, Shinsuke; Takigami, Hidetaka

    2016-01-01

    Using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry combined with liquid chromatography (LC), a novel analytical method was developed to quantify eight monomeric organophosphorus flame retardants (m-PFRs) and three oligomeric organophosphorus flame retardants (o-PFRs) in fish muscle samples. The optimization and validation experiments indicate that the developed method can determine accurately the concentrations of analytes in fish muscle samples. The recoveries of analytes in fish muscle ...

  16. Effect of artificial accelerated aging on the optical properties and monomeric conversion of composites used after expiration date.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Lucas da Fonseca Roberti; Mundim, Fabricio Mariano; Pires-de-Souza, Fernanda de Carvalho Panzeri; Puppin Rontani, Regina Maria; Consani, Simonides

    2013-01-01

    This study sought to evaluate how artificial accelerated aging (AAA) affected color stability (ΔE), opacity (ΔOP), and degree of conversion (DOC) for 3 composite materials (Tetric Ceram, Tetric Ceram HB, and Tetric Flow) used both 180 days before and 180 days after their expiration dates. To evaluate the materials' optical properties, 10 specimens of each composite-5 prior to expiration and 5 after the materials' expiration date-were made in a teflon matrix. After polishing, the specimens were submitted to initial color and opacity readings and submitted to AAA for 384 hours; at that point, new readings were taken to determine ΔE and ΔOP. To evaluate monomeric conversion evaluation, 6 specimens from each composite and expiration date-3 prior to AAA and 3 after-were submitted to DOC analysis. Results of the 2-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's tests (P 0.05). The expired Tetric Flow had the highest DOC values (71.42% ± 4.21) before AAA, significantly different than that of the other composites (P > 0.05). It was concluded that both expiration date and AAA affected the properties of the composites tested.

  17. Optimized labeling of membrane proteins for applications to super-resolution imaging in confined cellular environments using monomeric streptavidin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamma, Ingrid; Rossier, Olivier; Giannone, Grégory; Thoumine, Olivier; Sainlos, Matthieu

    2017-04-01

    Recent progress in super-resolution imaging (SRI) has created a strong need to improve protein labeling with probes of small size that minimize the target-to-label distance, increase labeling density, and efficiently penetrate thick biological tissues. This protocol describes a method for labeling genetically modified proteins incorporating a small biotin acceptor peptide with a 3-nm fluorescent probe, monomeric streptavidin. We show how to express, purify, and conjugate the probe to organic dyes with different fluorescent properties, and how to label selectively biotinylated membrane proteins for SRI techniques (point accumulation in nanoscale topography (PAINT), stimulated emission depletion (STED), stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM)). This method is complementary to the previously described anti-GFP-nanobody/SNAP-tag strategies, with the main advantage being that it requires only a short 15-amino-acid tag, and can thus be used with proteins resistant to fusion with large tags and for multicolor imaging. The protocol requires standard molecular biology/biochemistry equipment, making it easily accessible for laboratories with only basic skills in cell biology and biochemistry. The production/purification/conjugation steps take ∼5 d, and labeling takes a few minutes to an hour.

  18. Electroluminescence of erbium in Al/α-Si:H(Er)/p-c-Si/Al structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kon'kov, I.O.; Kuznetsov, A.N.; Pak, P.E.; Terukov, E.I.; Granitsyna, L.S.

    2001-01-01

    It is informed for the first time on the observation of the erbium intensive electroluminescence from the amorphous hydrated silicon layer by application of the Al/α-Si:H(Er)/p-c-Si/Al structure in the direct shift mode. The above structure is the n-p-heterostructure with the barrier values of 0.3-0.4 eV for the electrons and 0.9-1.1 eV for the holes. The electroluminescence efficiency is evaluated at the level ∼ 2 x 10 -5 . The electroluminescence effect in the Al/α-Si:H(Er)/p-c-Si/Al structure is connected with the hole tunneling from the crystal silicon by the amorphous silicon localized states with the subsequent release into the valent zone [ru

  19. The Escherichia coli P and Type 1 Pilus Assembly Chaperones PapD and FimC Are Monomeric in Solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarowar, Samema; Hu, Olivia J.; Werneburg, Glenn T.; Thanassi, David G.; Li, Huilin; Christie, P. J.

    2016-06-27

    ABSTRACT

    The chaperone/usher pathway is used by Gram-negative bacteria to assemble adhesive surface structures known as pili or fimbriae. Uropathogenic strains ofEscherichia coliuse this pathway to assemble P and type 1 pili, which facilitate colonization of the kidney and bladder, respectively. Pilus assembly requires a periplasmic chaperone and outer membrane protein termed the usher. The chaperone allows folding of pilus subunits and escorts the subunits to the usher for polymerization into pili and secretion to the cell surface. Based on previous structures of mutant versions of the P pilus chaperone PapD, it was suggested that the chaperone dimerizes in the periplasm as a self-capping mechanism. Such dimerization is counterintuitive because the chaperone G1 strand, important for chaperone-subunit interaction, is buried at the dimer interface. Here, we show that the wild-type PapD chaperone also forms a dimer in the crystal lattice; however, the dimer interface is different from the previously solved structures. In contrast to the crystal structures, we found that both PapD and the type 1 pilus chaperone, FimC, are monomeric in solution. Our findings indicate that pilus chaperones do not sequester their G1 β-strand by forming a dimer. Instead, the chaperones may expose their G1 strand for facile interaction with pilus subunits. We also found that the type 1 pilus adhesin, FimH, is flexible in solution while in complex with its chaperone, whereas the P pilus adhesin, PapGII, is rigid. Our study clarifies a crucial step in pilus biogenesis and reveals pilus-specific differences that may relate to biological function.

    IMPORTANCEPili are critical virulence factors for many bacterial pathogens. UropathogenicE. colirelies on P and type 1 pili assembled by the chaperone/usher pathway to

  20. Low-frequency noise in AlTiO/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction field-effect transistors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Le, Son Phuong; Ui, Toshimasa; Nguyen, Tuan Quy; Shih, Hong-An; Suzuki, Toshi-kazu, E-mail: tosikazu@jaist.ac.jp [Center for Nano Materials and Technology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan)

    2016-05-28

    Using aluminum titanium oxide (AlTiO, an alloy of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiO{sub 2}) as a high-k gate insulator, we fabricated and investigated AlTiO/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction field-effect transistors. From current low-frequency noise (LFN) characterization, we find Lorentzian spectra near the threshold voltage, in addition to 1/f spectra for the well-above-threshold regime. The Lorentzian spectra are attributed to electron trapping/detrapping with two specific time constants, ∼25 ms and ∼3 ms, which are independent of the gate length and the gate voltage, corresponding to two trap level depths of 0.5–0.7 eV with a 0.06 eV difference in the AlTiO insulator. In addition, gate leakage currents are analyzed and attributed to the Poole-Frenkel mechanism due to traps in the AlTiO insulator, where the extracted trap level depth is consistent with the Lorentzian LFN.

  1. Effect of deep levels of radiation-induced defects in silicon γ-irradiated Al-V-n-Si structures characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buzaneva, E.V.; Vdovichenko, A.D.; Kuznetsov, G.V.; Muntyan, Yu.G.

    1985-01-01

    The effect of high energy γ-quanta irradiation on the mechanism of current transmission in Al-V-N-Si structures employed in Schottky barrier instruments has been investigated. Before irradiation the structures have been annealed in the nitrogen atmosphere at T=500 deg C. The samples have been γ-irradiated on the side of the metall film at T=20 deg C. The irradiation spectrum is continuous, maximum γ-quanta energy 50 MeV, medium one is 20 MeV. The integral flux of γ-quanta, PHIsub(γ) varied from 10 7 to 10 13 quantum/cm -2 . The volt-ampere and volt-farad characteristics have been measred. It is shown that variation of the main electrophysical characteristics of the Al-V-nSi structures upon γ-irradiation is due to deep levels of radiation defects arising in silicon with the energetic position Esub(c)-E=0.38-0.4 eV and Esub(v)+Esub(2)=0.23-0.25 → β, where Esub(c), Esub(v) are energies for the conduction band bottom and the valence band ceiling. In the 77-293 K temperature range the determining range the determining effect on current mission mechanism in irradiated structures is exerted by resonance electron tunnelling with participation of a level with the Esub(c)-Esub(1)=0.38-0.4 eV

  2. State of insulin self-association does not affect its absorption from the pulmonary route.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Alamdar; Ahsan, Fakhrul

    2005-06-01

    This study is designed to compare and contrast the pulmonary absorption profiles of monomeric and hexameric insulin in the presence or absence of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) or n-tetradecyl-beta-d-maltoside (TDM). The pulmonary absorption of two forms of insulin was studied by monitoring the changes in plasma insulin and glucose levels after intratracheal administration of monomeric or hexameric insulin into anesthetized rodents. EDTA or TDM was added to the formulation in order to evaluate if either of these agents has effects on the rate and extent of pulmonary absorption of monomeric and hexameric insulin. The biochemical changes that may occur after acute administration of TDM-based formulation have also been investigated by estimating lung injury markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. A dose-dependent increase in the plasma insulin and decrease in plasma glucose levels was observed when increasing concentrations of hexameric or monomeric insulin were administered via the pulmonary route. Pulmonary administration of monomeric and hexameric insulin produced comparable absorption profiles in the presence or absence of EDTA or TDM. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis did not show differences in the levels of injury markers produced in TDM-treated rats and that produced in saline-treated rats, indicating no evidence for adverse effects of TDM in these short-term studies. Overall, in terms of rapidity of action and efficacy to reduce blood sugar, monomeric insulin did not provide advantages over hexameric insulin when administered via the pulmonary route.

  3. Hydrolyzable tannins of tamaricaceous plants. V. Structures of monomeric-trimeric tannins and cytotoxicity of macrocyclic-type tannins isolated from Tamarix nilotica (1).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orabi, Mohamed A A; Taniguchi, Shoko; Sakagami, Hiroshi; Yoshimura, Morio; Yoshida, Takashi; Hatano, Tsutomu

    2013-05-24

    Three new ellagitannin monomers, nilotinins M5-M7 (1-3), a dimer, nilotinin D10 (4), and a trimer, nilotinin T1 (5), together with three known dimers, hirtellin D (7) and tamarixinins B (8) and C (9), and a trimer, hirtellin T2 (6), were isolated from Tamarix nilotica dried leaves. The structures of the tannins were elucidated by intensive spectroscopic methods and chemical conversions into known tannins. The new trimer (5) is a unique macrocyclic type whose monomeric units are linked together by an isodehydrodigalloyl and two dehydrodigalloyl moieties. Additionally, dimeric and trimeric macrocyclic-type tannins isolated from T. nilotica in this study were assessed for possible cytotoxic activity against four human tumor cell lines. Tumor-selective cytotoxicities of the tested compounds were higher than those of synthetic and natural potent cytotoxic compounds, including polyphenols, and comparable with those of 5-fluorouracil and melphalan.

  4. Triisobutylaluminum: bulkier and yet more reactive towards silica surfaces than triethyl or trimethylaluminum

    KAUST Repository

    Kermagoret, Anthony; Kerber, Rachel Nathaniel; Conley, Matthew P.; Callens, Emmanuel; Florian, Pierre; Massiot, Dominique; Copé ret, Christophe; Delbecq, Franç oise; Rozanska, Xavier; Sautet, Philippe

    2013-01-01

    Triisobutylaluminum reacts with silica yielding three different Al sites according to high-field aluminum-27 NMR and first principle calculations: a quadruply grafted dimeric surface species and two incorporated Al(O)x species (x = 4 or 5). This result is in stark contrast to the bis-grafted species that forms during Et3Al silica grafting. Thus the isobutyl ligands, which render R3Al monomeric, lead to greater reactivity towards the silica surface. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  5. Influence of dilution level on oxidation resistance of plasma transferred arc NiCrAlC coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benegra, M.; Farina, A.B.; Goldenstein, H.; Oliveira, A.S.C.M. d'

    2010-01-01

    NICRALC coatings processed by Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA) are a new proposal to protect the components exposed to high-temperature oxidation environments. This study evaluated the relationship between the compositional changes in the coatings due to the different levels of dilution, and the morphology and phase constitution of the developing protective oxide scale. Elementary powders were mixed and deposited by PTA welding onto AISI 316L stainless steel, varying current intensity (100 and 130 A). The microstructure of specimens was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy with local chemical analysis and by X-Ray diffraction. The coatings were subjected to thermo-gravimetric balance (TGA), using temperatures range of 700-1,000 °C during 5 hours. Results revealed the alumina formation, independent on the compositional variation. For low dilution level transient q-alumina was observed, while for high dilution level resulted in a stable a-alumina. This difference was attributed to the complexity of aluminum diffusion in intermetallic structures. The accumulated mass were smaller than other materials employed to high-temperature, such as as-cast NiCrAlC, indicating better oxidation resistance of the tested coatings. (author)

  6. The monomeric form of Neisseria DNA mimic protein DMP19 prevents DNA from binding to the histone-like HU protein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Tzu-Ping; Liao, Yi-Ting; Hsu, Kai-Cheng

    2017-01-01

    DNA mimicry is a direct and effective strategy by which the mimic competes with DNA for the DNA binding sites on other proteins. Until now, only about a dozen proteins have been shown to function via this strategy, including the DNA mimic protein DMP19 from Neisseria meningitides. We have shown previously that DMP19 dimer prevents the operator DNA from binding to the transcription factor NHTF. Here, we provide new evidence that DMP19 monomer can also interact with the Neisseria nucleoid-associated protein HU. Using BS3 crosslinking, gel filtration and isothermal titration calorimetry assays, we found that DMP19 uses its monomeric form to interact with the Neisseria HU dimer. Crosslinking conjugated mass spectrometry was used to investigate the binding mode of DMP19 monomer and HU dimer. Finally, an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) confirmed that the DNA binding affinity of HU is affected by DMP19. These results showed that DMP19 is bifunctional in the gene regulation of Neisseria through its variable oligomeric forms. PMID:29220372

  7. Solvent effects on extraction of aluminum(III), gallium(III), and indium(III), with decanoic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Hiromichi; Hayashi, Hisao; Fujii, Yukio; Mizuta, Masateru

    1986-01-01

    Extraction of aluminum(III) and indium(III) with decanoic acid in 1-octanol was carried out at 25 deg C and at an aqueous ionic strength of 0.1 mol dm -3 (NaClO 4 ). Monomeric and tetrameric aluminum(III) decanoates and monomeric indium(III) decanoate are responsible for the extraction. From a comparison of the present results with those obtained from the previous works, the polymerization of the extracted species was found to be more extensive in benzene than in 1-octanol, and the metal decanoates were highly polymerized in the following order in both solvents: Al > Ga > In. (author)

  8. AlN and Al oxy-nitride gate dielectrics for reliable gate stacks on Ge and InGaAs channels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Y.; Li, H.; Robertson, J. [Engineering Department, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

    2016-05-28

    AlN and Al oxy-nitride dielectric layers are proposed instead of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} as a component of the gate dielectric stacks on higher mobility channels in metal oxide field effect transistors to improve their positive bias stress instability reliability. It is calculated that the gap states of nitrogen vacancies in AlN lie further away in energy from the semiconductor band gap than those of oxygen vacancies in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and thus AlN might be less susceptible to charge trapping and have a better reliability performance. The unfavourable defect energy level distribution in amorphous Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} is attributed to its larger coordination disorder compared to the more symmetrically bonded AlN. Al oxy-nitride is also predicted to have less tendency for charge trapping.

  9. Ohmic contacts to n+-GaN capped AlGaN/AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Liang; Mohammed, Fitih M.; Ofuonye, Benedict; Adesida, Ilesanmi

    2007-01-01

    Investigations of Ti/Al/Mo/Au Ohmic contact formation, premetallization plasma treatment effects, and interfacial reactions for n + -GaN capped AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures are presented. Ti thickness played an important role in determining contact performance. Transmission electron microscopy studies confirmed that thick Ti layer was necessary to fully consume the GaN cap and the top of AlGaN to enable a higher tunneling current flow. A direct correlation of plasma treatment conditions with I-V linearity, current level, and contact performance was established. The plasma-affected region is believed to extend over 20 nm into the AlGaN and GaN

  10. Influence of Al grain boundaries segregations and La-doping on embrittlement of intermetallic NiAl

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kovalev, Anatoly I., E-mail: a_kovalev@sprg.ru; Wainstein, Dmitry L.; Rashkovskiy, Alexander Yu.

    2015-11-01

    Highlights: • We investigated Al grain boundaries segregations in ordered pure and La-doped NiAl. • Structural segregation of Al decreases critical strain for brittle cracks nucleation. • La alloying sharply improves plasticity of NiAl intermetallic. • Metallicity of interatomic bonds on grain boundaries increases at La alloying. • We have experimentally measured by EELFS that La atoms are located in Al sublattice. - Abstract: The microscopic nature of intergranular fracture of NiAl was experimentally investigated by the set of electron spectroscopy techniques. The paper demonstrates that embrittlement of NiAl intermetallic compound is caused by ordering of atomic structure that leads to formation of structural aluminum segregations at grain boundaries (GB). Such segregations contain high number of brittle covalent interatomic bonds. The alloying by La increases the ductility of material avoiding Al GB enrichment and disordering GB atomic structure. The influence of La alloying on NiAl mechanical properties was investigated. GB chemical composition, atomic and electronic structure transformations after La doping were investigated by AES, XPS and EELFS techniques. To qualify the interatomic bonds metallicity the Fermi level (E{sub F}) position and electrons density (n{sub eff}) in conduction band were determined in both undoped and doped NiAl. Basing on experimental results the physical model of GB brittleness formation was proposed.

  11. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) treated with Low Level LASER Therapy (LLLT): a case report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longo, Leonardo; Postiglione, Marco; Gabellini, Massimiliano; Longo, Diego

    2009-06-01

    The topic concerns the effect of LLLT on ALS. The purpose is to find a new and effective approach to treat ALS by utilizing the beneficial biological effects on human tissues provided by LLLT and by testing the effectiveness of a specific treatment protocol. There are no reports in literature dealing with this topic. A 69 year old male with signs of lower motor neuron degeneration diagnosed in 2003 as ALS was given LLLT. Two different types of LASERs (wavelengths 810 and 890 nm) where used with specific parameters in March 2007. Three cycles of 20 daily sessions at 40 days interval were given. Gradual and significant improvements were noted after each cycle particularly appreciated by the patient especially in muscular mobility and respiratory functions. However signs of improvement 20 days after the third cycle showed a tendency to regression. Results obtained indicate that LLLT with the specific protocol used gives significant improvement of the ALS clinical picture but that its duration is not permanent. Further research on a large cohort is justified especially as regards LASER parameters and treatment cycles.

  12. Unscheduled DNA synthesis in xeroderma pigmentosum cells after microinjection of yeast photoreactivating enzyme.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J.C.M. Zwetsloot; J.H.J. Hoeijmakers (Jan); W. Vermeulen (Wim); A.P.M. Eker (André); D. Bootsma (Dirk)

    1986-01-01

    textabstractPhotoreactivating enzyme (PRE) from yeast causes a light-dependent reduction of UV-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) when injected into the cytoplasm of repair-proficieint human fibroblasts (Zwetsloot et al., 1985). This result indicates that the exogenous PRE monomerizers

  13. Landau levels and shallow donor states in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells at mega-gauss magnetic fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zybert, M. [Univ. of Rzeszow, Pigonia (Poland); Marchweka, M. [Univ. of Rzeszow, Pigonia (Poland); Sheregii, E. M. [Center for Microelectronics and Nanotechnology, University of Rzeszow; Rickel, Dwight Gene [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Betts, Jonathan Bobby [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Balakirev, Fedor Fedorovich [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Gordon, Michael Joseph [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Stier, Andreas V. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Mielke, Charles H. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pfeffer, P. [Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw (Poland); Zawadski, W. [Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw (Poland)

    2017-03-06

    Landau levels and shallow donor states in multiple GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (MQWs) are investigated by means of the cyclotron resonance at mega-gauss magnetic fields. Measurements of magneto-optical transitions were performed in pulsed fields up to 140 T and temperatures from 6 to 300 K. The 14 x 14 P.p band model for GaAs is used to interpret free-electron transitions in a magnetic field. Temperature behavior of the observed resonant structure indicates, in addition to the free-electron Landau states, contributions of magneto-donor states in the GaAs wells and possibly in the AlGaAs barriers. The magneto-donor energies are calculated using a variational procedure suitable for high magnetic fields and accounting for conduction band nonparabolicity in GaAs. It is shown that the above states, including their spin splitting, allow one to interpret the observed mengeto-optical transitions in MQWs in the middle infrared region. Our experimental and theoretical results at very high magnetic fields are consistent with the picture used previously for GaAs/AlGaAs MQWs at lower magnetic fields.

  14. Influence of Al grain boundaries segregations and La-doping on embrittlement of intermetallic NiAl

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovalev, Anatoly I.; Wainstein, Dmitry L.; Rashkovskiy, Alexander Yu.

    2015-11-01

    The microscopic nature of intergranular fracture of NiAl was experimentally investigated by the set of electron spectroscopy techniques. The paper demonstrates that embrittlement of NiAl intermetallic compound is caused by ordering of atomic structure that leads to formation of structural aluminum segregations at grain boundaries (GB). Such segregations contain high number of brittle covalent interatomic bonds. The alloying by La increases the ductility of material avoiding Al GB enrichment and disordering GB atomic structure. The influence of La alloying on NiAl mechanical properties was investigated. GB chemical composition, atomic and electronic structure transformations after La doping were investigated by AES, XPS and EELFS techniques. To qualify the interatomic bonds metallicity the Fermi level (EF) position and electrons density (neff) in conduction band were determined in both undoped and doped NiAl. Basing on experimental results the physical model of GB brittleness formation was proposed.

  15. A 12-week DBPC dose-finding study with sublingual monomeric allergoid tablets in house dust mite-allergic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hüser, C; Dieterich, P; Singh, J; Shah-Hosseini, K; Allekotte, S; Lehmacher, W; Compalati, E; Mösges, R

    2017-01-01

    In sublingual immunotherapy, optimal doses are a key factor for therapeutic outcomes. The aim of this study with tablets containing carbamylated monomeric house dust mite allergoids was to determine the most effective and safe dose. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-finding study, 131 patients with house dust mite-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis were randomized to 12-week treatments with 300 UA/day, 1000 UA/day, 2000 UA/day, 3000 UA/day or placebo. Conjunctival provocation tests (CPT) were performed before, during and after treatment. The change in mean allergic severity (primary endpoint), calculated from the severity of the CPT reaction, and the proportion of patients with an improved CPT threshold (secondary endpoint) determined the treatment effect. The mean allergic severity decreased in all groups, including the placebo group. It was lower in all active treatment groups (300 UA/day: 0.14, 1000 UA/day: 0.15, 2000 UA/day: 0.10, 3000 UA/day: 0.15) than in the placebo group (0.30). However, this difference was not statistically significant (P allergoid sublingual tablets is well tolerated and reduces the CPT reaction in house dust mite-allergic patients. © 2016 The Authors. Allergy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Monomeric, porous type II collagen scaffolds promote chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamaddon, M.; Burrows, M.; Ferreira, S. A.; Dazzi, F.; Apperley, J. F.; Bradshaw, A.; Brand, D. D.; Czernuszka, J.; Gentleman, E.

    2017-03-01

    Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of pain and disability and is often associated with the degeneration of articular cartilage. Lesions to the articular surface, which are thought to progress to OA, have the potential to be repaired using tissue engineering strategies; however, it remains challenging to instruct cell differentiation within a scaffold to produce tissue with appropriate structural, chemical and mechanical properties. We aimed to address this by driving progenitor cells to adopt a chondrogenic phenotype through the tailoring of scaffold composition and physical properties. Monomeric type-I and type-II collagen scaffolds, which avoid potential immunogenicity associated with fibrillar collagens, were fabricated with and without chondroitin sulfate (CS) and their ability to stimulate the chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells was assessed. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that cells produced abundant collagen type-II on type-II scaffolds and collagen type-I on type-I scaffolds. Gene expression analyses indicated that the addition of CS - which was released from scaffolds quickly - significantly upregulated expression of type II collagen, compared to type-I and pure type-II scaffolds. We conclude that collagen type-II and CS can be used to promote a more chondrogenic phenotype in the absence of growth factors, potentially providing an eventual therapy to prevent OA.

  17. Communication: The Al + CO2 → AlO + CO reaction: Experiment vs. theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Zhi; Moore, Kevin B.; Schaefer, Henry F.

    2017-11-01

    Based on their highly sophisticated crossed-beam experimental studies of the Al + CO2 → AlO + CO reaction, Honma and Hirata have directly challenged the results of earlier theoretical studies of this system. We report high level theoretical studies of this system. It is shown that, consistent with Honma-Hirata experimental conclusions, the previous theoretical prediction of a substantial barrier height for this reaction was incorrect. However, for the structures of the possible intermediates, in agreement with the 1992 theoretical study of Sakai, we find striking disagreement with the experimental conclusion that the O-C-O moiety is nearly linear. The energies of the three entrance channel intermediates lie 14.4, 15.2, and 16.4 kcal mol-1 below separated Al + CO2.

  18. Perception of Emotional Facial Expressions in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at Behavioural and Brain Metabolic Level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aho-Özhan, Helena E A; Keller, Jürgen; Heimrath, Johanna; Uttner, Ingo; Kassubek, Jan; Birbaumer, Niels; Ludolph, Albert C; Lulé, Dorothée

    2016-01-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) primarily impairs motor abilities but also affects cognition and emotional processing. We hypothesise that subjective ratings of emotional stimuli depicting social interactions and facial expressions is changed in ALS. It was found that recognition of negative emotions and ability to mentalize other's intentions is reduced. Processing of emotions in faces was investigated. A behavioural test of Ekman faces expressing six basic emotions was presented to 30 ALS patients and 29 age-, gender and education matched healthy controls. Additionally, a subgroup of 15 ALS patients that were able to lie supine in the scanner and 14 matched healthy controls viewed the Ekman faces during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Affective state and a number of daily social contacts were measured. ALS patients recognized disgust and fear less accurately than healthy controls. In fMRI, reduced brain activity was seen in areas involved in processing of negative emotions replicating our previous results. During processing of sad faces, increased brain activity was seen in areas associated with social emotions in right inferior frontal gyrus and reduced activity in hippocampus bilaterally. No differences in brain activity were seen for any of the other emotional expressions. Inferior frontal gyrus activity for sad faces was associated with increased amount of social contacts of ALS patients. ALS patients showed decreased brain and behavioural responses in processing of disgust and fear and an altered brain response pattern for sadness. The negative consequences of neurodegenerative processes in the course of ALS might be counteracted by positive emotional activity and positive social interactions.

  19. Al-Qurû’ fi Al-Qur’an ‘Inda Al-Anbary fi Al-Adhdâd

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raushani Azza

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study examines about the term al-Qurû in the Qur’an. Al-Qurû is one of the most popular discussions among muslim scholars and mufasir, both in terms of language and fiqh. However, there is a bate among muslim scholar and mufasir about the meaning of al-Qurû. It’s because al-Qurû is one of the sentence of al-Adhdâd wich has two meaning, especially in the Qur’an, namely haid (menstruation and thahr. One of the most popular muslim scholar who concern in Qur’an and Arabic is al-Anbari with his book al-Adhdâd. Al-Anbari explains that Qurû has two meanings, First, al-Qurû in etymology is the form of Jama’ from aqra and qurû. Second, al-Qurû has a meaning of menstruation, thahr, or the period of iddah as a sign of being allowed to remarry after certain period of time.

  20. A comparative immunogenicity study in rabbits of disulfide-stabilized, proteolytically cleaved, soluble trimeric human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp140, trimeric cleavage-defective gp140 and monomeric gp120

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beddows, Simon; Franti, Michael; Dey, Antu K.; Kirschner, Marc; Iyer, Sai Prasad N.; Fisch, Danielle C.; Ketas, Thomas; Yuste, Eloisa; Desrosiers, Ronald C.; Klasse, Per Johan; Maddon, Paul J.; Olson, William C.; Moore, John P.

    2007-01-01

    The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) surface envelope glycoprotein (Env) complex, a homotrimer containing gp120 surface glycoprotein and gp41 transmembrane glycoprotein subunits, mediates the binding and fusion of the virus with susceptible target cells. The Env complex is the target for neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and is the basis for vaccines intended to induce NAbs. Early generation vaccines based on monomeric gp120 subunits did not confer protection from infection; one alternative approach is therefore to make and evaluate soluble forms of the trimeric Env complex. We have directly compared the immunogenicity in rabbits of two forms of soluble trimeric Env and monomeric gp120 based on the sequence of HIV-1 JR-FL . Both protein-only and DNA-prime, protein-boost immunization formats were evaluated, DNA-priming having little or no influence on the outcome. One form of trimeric Env was made by disrupting the gp120-gp41 cleavage site by mutagenesis (gp140 UNC ), the other contains an intramolecular disulfide bond to stabilize the cleaved gp120 and gp41 moieties (SOSIP.R6 gp140). Among the three immunogens, SOSIP.R6 gp140 most frequently elicited neutralizing antibodies against the homologous, neutralization-resistant strain, HIV-1 JR-FL . All three proteins induced NAbs against more sensitive strains, but the breadth of activity against heterologous primary isolates was limited. When antibodies able to neutralize HIV-1 JR-FL were detected, antigen depletion studies showed they were not directed at the V3 region but were targeted at other, undefined gp120 and also non-gp120 epitopes

  1. THz emission of donor and acceptor doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well structures with inserted thin AlAs monolayer

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Dommelen, Paphavee; Daengngam, Chalongrat; Kalasuwan, Pruet

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we explore THz range optical intersubband transition energies in a donor doped quantum well of a GaAs/AlGaAs system as a function of the insertion position of an AlAs monolayer in the GaAs quantum well. In simulated models, the optical transition energies between electron subband levels 1 and 2 were higher in the doped structure than in the undoped structure. This may be because the envelope wave function of the second electron subband strongly overlapped the envelope wave function of the first electron subband and influenced the optical intersubband transition between the two levels in the THz range. At different levels of bias voltage at the Schottky barrier on the donor doped structure, the electric field in the growth direction of the structure linearly increased the further away the AlAs monolayer was placed from the reference position. We also simulated the optical transition energies between acceptor energy levels of the acceptor doped structure as a function of the insertion position of the AlAs monolayer. The acceptor doped structure induced THz range emission whereas the undoped structure induced mid-IR emission.

  2. Liu et al., Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2016) 13(1):157-168 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    acer

    Figure 4: The forest plot of LH levels. E2. 10 out of 12 RCTs (Xia et al., 2008; Deng et al., 2005; Cao et al., 2007; Xing et al., 2001; Yuan, 2006; Yan, 2002; Shi et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2008; Yang, 2012) conducted a comparison of the therapeutic effects of E2 levels between integrated Chinese and western medicine and.

  3. Taiwo et al (15)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Timothy Ademakinwa

    geometric rise in preference for commercial aquaculture .... content, malondialdehyde level and lipid content of the muscle of the .... other researchers on the gilthead sea bream (Mnari et al., 2007), the .... 23, Orlando, Florida, USA, pp. 18–28.

  4. On the origin of planarity in Al5- and Al5 clusters: The importance of a four-center peripheral bond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geske, Grant D.; Boldyrev, Alexander I.; Li, Xi; Wang, Lai-Sheng

    2000-10-01

    Ab initio calculations were combined with anion photoelectron spectroscopy to unravel the structural origin of Al5 and Al5-. Well-resolved photoelectron spectra of Al5- were obtained and compared to theoretical calculations performed at various levels of theory. It was shown that the best agreement between the experimental and theoretical data is for a planar C2v structure. Analyses of the electronic structure and molecular orbitals revealed that the planarity in Al5 and Al5- are due to the presence of a four-center peripheral bond that is common in a whole family of planar pentaatomic species recently uncovered.

  5. Al-Âyah al-Mutasyâbihât al-Lafzhiyyah fi Sûrah al-An’âm ‘Inda al-Kirmâny

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hikmatiar Pasya

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses about the verses of mutasyâbihât in the Quran. The debate of this verses caused various opinions. The meaning of the mutasyâbihât in this paper is the similarity and difference of the words in the Qur'an. Mufasir have different opinion about the meaning of the verse of mutasyâbihât al-lafdzi. In addition, many Hufadz of the Quran who are confused from one verse to another, or one chapter to another. It’s because similarity of verses in the Qur'an with other verses. So the writer wants to explain the verses mutasyâbihât al-lafdzi in the perspective of Hamzh al-Karmani in Surah al-An'âm. In this discussion the author discovers some passages in mutasyâbihât al-lafdzi, namely Asrâru al-balaghah fi mutasyabih al-lafdzi, Asrar al-balaghah fi mutasyabih al-hurf, and murâ'ah al-ikhtilâfmurâd bi al-lafdzi al-mukarrar.

  6. Characterizing the natural radiation levels throughout the main geological units of Sabkhat al Jabboul area, northern Syria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Hilal, Mohamed; Aissa, Mosa

    2015-02-01

    The concentrations of equivalent eU, eTh, and K% were determined together with soil gas radon values and carborne gamma-ray survey in order to define the natural radioactivity levels throughout main geological units of Sabkhat al Jabboul region. Forty five soil and rock samples were collected from various lithofacies in each geological unit, and analyzed by γ-ray spectrometric technique for determining the concentration values of major radioelements. Such radiometric data could be used to differentiate between various lithologies of the investigated rocks. Although no distinct radioactive anomalies were found in the area, the radiometric profiles showed some minor variations with slightly higher values than the normal level. Despite the low radioactivity and the lack of rocks diversity in the surveyed area, it was possible to classify some certain rock types based on their radiometric response. The relationships between eU, eTh and their ratios were discussed for the Quaternary, Neogene and Paleogene formations, in order to evaluate the degree of uranium distribution and remobilization. The overall results of this radiometric survey were generally low, and lying within the range of the normal background levels in Syrian. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Ferrous Iron Oxidation under Varying pO2 Levels: The Effect of Fe(III)/Al(III) Oxide Minerals and Organic Matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chunmei; Thompson, Aaron

    2018-01-16

    Abiotic Fe(II) oxidation by O 2 commonly occurs in the presence of mineral sorbents and organic matter (OM) in soils and sediments; however, this tertiary system has rarely been studied. Therefore, we examined the impacts of mineral surfaces (goethite and γ-Al 2 O 3 ) and organic matter [Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA)] on Fe(II) oxidation rates and the resulting Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides under 21 and 1% pO 2 at pH 6. We tracked Fe dynamics by adding 57 Fe(II) to 56 Fe-labeled goethite and γ-Al 2 O 3 and characterized the resulting solids using 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. We found Fe(II) oxidation was slower at low pO 2 and resulted in higher-crystallinity Fe(III) phases. Relative to oxidation of Fe(II) (aq) alone, both goethite and γ-Al 2 O 3 surfaces increased Fe(II) oxidation rates regardless of pO 2 levels, with goethite being the stronger catalyst. Goethite surfaces promoted the formation of crystalline goethite, while γ-Al 2 O 3 favored nano/small particle or disordered goethite and some lepidocrocite; oxidation of Fe(II) aq alone favored lepidocrocite. SRFA reduced oxidation rates in all treatments except the mineral-free systems at 21% pO 2 , and SRFA decreased Fe(III) phase crystallinity, facilitating low-crystalline ferrihydrite in the absence of mineral sorbents, low-crystalline lepidocrocite in the presence of γ-Al 2 O 3 , but either crystalline goethite or ferrihydrite when goethite was present. This work highlights that the oxidation rate, the types of mineral surfaces, and OM control Fe(III) precipitate composition.

  8. Serum Levels of Progranulin Do Not Reflect Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels in Neurodegenerative Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilke, Carlo; Gillardon, Frank; Deuschle, Christian; Dubois, Evelyn; Hobert, Markus A; Müller vom Hagen, Jennifer; Krüger, Stefanie; Biskup, Saskia; Blauwendraat, Cornelis; Hruscha, Michael; Kaeser, Stephan A; Heutink, Peter; Maetzler, Walter; Synofzik, Matthis

    2016-01-01

    Altered progranulin levels play a major role in neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's dementia (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), even in the absence of GRN mutations. Increasing progranulin levels could hereby provide a novel treatment strategy. However, knowledge on progranulin regulation in neurodegenerative diseases remains limited. We here demonstrate that cerebrospinal fluid progranulin levels do not correlate with its serum levels in AD, FTD and ALS, indicating a differential regulation of its central and peripheral levels in neurodegeneration. Blood progranulin levels thus do not reliably predict central nervous progranulin levels and their response to future progranulin-increasing therapeutics.

  9. Association between blood lead levels and environmental exposure among Saudi schoolchildren in certain districts of Al-Madinah

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zolaly MA

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Mohammed Adnan Zolaly1, Manal Ibrahim Hanafi2,3, Nashaat Shawky4, Khalid el-Harbi1, Ahmed M Mohamadin5,61Pediatric Department, 2Family and Community Medicine Department, Medical College, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia; 3Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt; 4Ophthalmology Department, Medical College, 5Chemistry for Health Sciences Department, Deanery of Academic Services, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia; 6Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EgyptIntroduction: Both occupational and environmental exposures to lead remain a serious problem in many developing and industrializing countries. When humans are exposed to high levels of lead, there is damage to almost all organs and organ systems (most importantly, the central nervous system, kidneys, and blood, which often culminates in death.Objective: To estimate the prevalence of blood lead levels (BLLs and to identify the sources of environmental exposure and potential risk factors for elevated BLLs among Saudi schoolchildren.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to May 2010. The study population included 557 Saudi school students of both sexes. A multistage random sampling technique was used. Information about socioeconomic status, house and school construction, and parents' education and employment was collected using questionnaires. Lead was analyzed in a blood sample using an atomic absorption technique and hemoglobin was measured using a Sysmex hematological analyzer.Results: The mean BLL was 4.94 ± 3.38 µg/dL (range 0.45–26.3 µg/dL. A total of 19% had BLLs <1.0 µg/dL, 16% had BLLs <2.5 µg/dL, 15% had BLLs <5.0 µg/dL, 20% had BLLs <7.5 µg/dL, 25% had BLLs <10.0 µg/dL, and about 6% had BLLs >10.0 µg/dL. Analysis of odds by controlling all risk factors (adjusted odds ratio [OR] that affect BLLs (≥10 µg/dL indicated

  10. BERKELEY: ALS ring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    1993-06-15

    Everybody at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's Center for Beam Physics is pleased with the rapid progress in commissioning LBL's Advanced Light Source (ALS) electron storage ring, the foundation for this third-generation synchrotron radiation facility. Designed for a maximum current of 400 mA, the ALS storage ring reached 407 mA just 24 days after storing the first beam on 16 March. ALS construction as a US Department of Energy (DOE) national user facility to provide high-brightness vacuum ultra-violet and soft x-ray radiation began in October 1987. One technical requirement marking project completion was to accumulate a 50-mA current in the storage ring. The ALS passed this milestone on 24 March, a week ahead of the official deadline. Once injected, the electron beam decays quasi-exponentially primarily because of interactions with residual gas molecules in the storage-ring vacuum chamber. Eventually, when the pressure in the vacuum chamber with beam decreases toward the expected operating level of 1 nano Torr, it will only be necessary to refill the storage ring at intervals of four to eight hours. At present the vacuum is improving rapidly as surfaces are irradiated (scrubbed) by the synchrotron radiation itself. At 100 mA, beam lifetime was about one hour (9 April)

  11. BERKELEY: ALS ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1993-01-01

    Everybody at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's Center for Beam Physics is pleased with the rapid progress in commissioning LBL's Advanced Light Source (ALS) electron storage ring, the foundation for this third-generation synchrotron radiation facility. Designed for a maximum current of 400 mA, the ALS storage ring reached 407 mA just 24 days after storing the first beam on 16 March. ALS construction as a US Department of Energy (DOE) national user facility to provide high-brightness vacuum ultra-violet and soft x-ray radiation began in October 1987. One technical requirement marking project completion was to accumulate a 50-mA current in the storage ring. The ALS passed this milestone on 24 March, a week ahead of the official deadline. Once injected, the electron beam decays quasi-exponentially primarily because of interactions with residual gas molecules in the storage-ring vacuum chamber. Eventually, when the pressure in the vacuum chamber with beam decreases toward the expected operating level of 1 nano Torr, it will only be necessary to refill the storage ring at intervals of four to eight hours. At present the vacuum is improving rapidly as surfaces are irradiated (scrubbed) by the synchrotron radiation itself. At 100 mA, beam lifetime was about one hour (9 April)

  12. Diffusion-induced quadrupole relaxation of 27Al nuclei in dilute Al-Ti, Al-Cr, Al-Mn, and Al-Cu alloys at high temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bottyan, L.; Beke, D.L.; Tompa, K.

    1983-01-01

    The temperature dependence of the laboratory frame spin-lattice relaxation time of 27 Al nuclei is measured in 5N Al and in dilute Al-Ti, Al-Cr, Al-Mn, and Al-Cu alloys at 5.7 and 9.7 MHz resonance frequencies. The relaxation in pure aluminium is found to be purely due to the conduction electrons. An excess T 1 -relaxation contribution is detected in all Al-3d alloys investigated above 670 K. The excess relaxation rate is proportional to the impurity content and the temperature dependence of the excess contribution is of Arrhenius-type with an activation energy of (1.3 +- 0.3) eV for all of the investigated alloys. The relaxation contribution is found to be quadrupolar in origin and is caused by the relative diffusional jumps of solute atoms and Al atoms relatively far from the impurity. (author)

  13. Use of fluorescence to probe the surface dynamics during disorder-to-order transition and cluster formation in dihalonaphthalene-water thin films on Al2O3(0001)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, M.A.; Hoss, D.R.; Howard, K.E.; Louie, A.D.; Bishop, A.J.; Martin, K.A.; Nishimura, A.M.

    2006-01-01

    Amorphous dihalonaphthalenes that are prepared by vacuum deposition onto a cold Al 2 O 3 surface form electronically excited dimers when optically pumped, and their emission is characteristically red-shifted, broad and featureless compared to the monomeric fluorescence. If the surface is heated, the adlayer undergoes a disorder-to-order transition at a temperature characteristic of the molecule. Since pure crystalline dihalonaphthalenes typically fluoresce and do not exhibit excimeric features, the transition was studied by taking advantage of the changes in the spectral characteristics of the adlayer. These included transmittance, and emission from fluorescence and excimer. The combination of these methods allowed a close look at the surface dynamics of molecules on the surface of Al 2 O 3 as the adlayer was heated from the deposition temperature to desorption. If a bilayer is formed by depositing water onto the surface with the organic adlayer on top, water, with its lower desorption energy, can be made to percolate into the organic layer. The optical probes indicate that the water clearly associates with the organic molecules while the excess water desorbs. By varying the coverage of either the water or the dihalonaphthalene, the stoichiometric composition of the cluster can be determined and are reported here

  14. Non-LTE effects in Al I lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menzhevitski, V. S.; Shimansky, V. V.; Shimanskaya, N. N.

    2012-07-01

    We present the theoretical analysis of the Al I line formation in the spectra of late-type stars ignoring the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The calculations were based on the 39-level aluminum atom model for one-dimensional hydrostatic stellar atmosphere models with the parameters: T eff from 4000 to 9000 K, log g = 0.0-4.5, and metallicity [ A] = 0.0;-1.0;-2.0;-3.0;-4.0. The aluminum atom model and the method of calculations were tested by the study of line profiles in the solar spectrum. We refined the oscillator strengths and Van-der-Vaals broadening constants C 6 of the investigated transitions. We conclude that the Al I atom is in the overionization state: the 3 p level is underpopulated in the line formation region. This leads to the line weakening, as compared with the LTE results. The overionization effect becomes more pronounced with increasing temperature and decreasing metallicity. We show that the use of various atomic data (ionization cross-sections) for the low levels of Al I does not change the behavior of non-LTE deviations, whereas the value of these deviations varies essentially. For nine selected Al I lines we calculated the grids of theoretical non-LTE corrections (Δ X NLTE = log ɛ NLTE - log ɛ LTE) to the Al abundances determinedwith the LTE assumption. The non-LTE corrections are positive and significant for the stars with temperatures T eff > 6000 K. These corrections weakly depend on log g, and increase with declining stellar metallicity.

  15. Synthesizing (ZrAl3 + AlN)/Mg-Al composites by a 'matrix exchange' method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Tong; Li, Zengqiang; Hu, Kaiqi; Han, Mengxia; Liu, Xiangfa

    2018-06-01

    A method named 'matrix exchange' to synthesize ZrAl3 and AlN reinforced Mg-Al composite was developed in this paper. By inserting Al-10ZrN master alloy into Mg matrix and reheating the cooled ingot to 550 °C, Al and Mg atoms diffuse to the opposite side. As a result, liquid melt occurs once the interface areas reach to proper compositions. Then dissolved Al atoms react with ZrN, leading to the in-situ formation of ZrAl3 and AlN particles, while the Al matrix is finally replaced by Mg. This study provides a new insight for preparing Mg composites.

  16. Development and Characterisation of Aluminium Matrix Nanocomposites AlSi10Mg/MgAl2O4 by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giulio Marchese

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Recently, additive manufacturing techniques have been gaining attention for the fabrication of parts from aluminium alloys to composites. In this work, the processing of an AlSi10Mg based composite reinforced with 0.5% in weight of MgAl2O4 nanoparticles through laser powder bed fusion (LPBF process is presented. After an initial investigation about the effect of process parameters on the densification levels, the LPBF materials were analysed in terms of microstructure, thermo-mechanical and mechanical properties. The presence of MgAl2O4 nanoparticles involves an increment of the volumetric energy density delivered to the materials, in order to fabricate samples with high densification levels similar to the AlSi10Mg samples. However, the application of different building parameters results in modifying the size of the cellular structures influencing the mechanical properties and therefore, limiting the strengthening effect of the reinforcement.

  17. Coupled growth of Al-Al2Cu eutectics in Al-Cu-Ag alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hecht, U; Witusiewicz, V; Drevermann, A

    2012-01-01

    Coupled eutectic growth of Al and Al 2 Cu was investigated in univariant Al-Cu-Ag alloys during solidification with planar and cellular morphology. Experiments reveal the dynamic selection of small spacings, below the minimum undercooling spacing and show that distinct morphological features pertain to nearly isotropic or anisotropic Al-Al 2 Cu interfaces.

  18. The removal of bisphenol A from aqueous solutions by MIL-53(Al) and mesostructured MIL-53(Al).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Meimei; Wu, Yi-Nan; Qiao, Junlian; Zhang, Jing; McDonald, Amanda; Li, Guangtao; Li, Fengting

    2013-09-01

    In this work, metal-organic framework MIL-53(Al){Al(OH)[O2C-C6H4-CO2]} and MIL-53(Al)-F127{Al(OH)[O2C-C6H4-CO2]} were synthesized and used as sorbents to remove bisphenol A (BPA) from aqueous system. The sorption kinetics data of BPA were found to be in agreement with the pseudo-second-order model. The equilibrium sorption amounts of BPA on MIL-53(Al) and MIL-53(Al)-F127 reached 329.2±16.5 and 472.7±23.6 mg g(-1), respectively, far more than that of commercial activated carbons (ranging from 129.6 to 263.1 mg g(-1)). Both MIL-53(Al) and MIL-53(Al)-F127 could remove BPA fast from aqueous solutions, and the required contact time to reach equilibrium was approximately 90 min for MIL-53(Al) and 30 min for MIL-53(Al)-F127, respectively. The optimum pH levels for the removal of BPA using MIL-53 (Al) and MIL-53(Al)-F127 were 4 and 6 separately. The optimum temperature for the sorption behavior of BPA on the two sorbents was 20 °C. The results performed show that the resulting products, as one kind of MOFs, can be regarded as a new class of sorbents for water treatment and could find great applications in the fields of environmental water pollution control and resources reuse. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. AL ITTIJAHAT AL MUNHARIFAH FI AT TAFSIR LI BADLI ASHAB AL MADZAHIB AL NAHWIYYAH WA BADL MAN YAJHALUNA QAWAID AL LUGHAH AL ARABIYYAH FI NADHAR MUHAMMAD HUSAIN AL DZAHABIY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Misbakhudin Misbakhudin

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available One of the most precious achievement in qur’anic studies was the book of Al-Ittijâhât al-Munharifah fî al-Tafsîr: Dawâfi’uha wa Daf’uha written by A great Islamic scholar, Muhammad Husein al-Dzahabî. He was succeeded in discussing several issues of corruptions of the exegesis of the holy Qur’an. This article is aimed to explain and to describe his analysis toward several corrupted linguist interpretations in their originations and such corrupted linguistic interpretations of the holy Qur’an which are ignoring Arabic structures and grammers

  20. Electronic structures of three semiconducting intermetallics: RuAl sub 2 , RuGa sub 2 and OsAl sub 2

    CERN Document Server

    Springborg, M

    1998-01-01

    Results of first-principles, density-functional, LMTO-ASA calculations on the closely related C11, C40, and C54 structures of the three title compounds are reported. Only for OsAl sub 2 in the C11 structure were the structural degrees of freedom optimized; this gave results in good agreement with experimental values. On the other hand, the calculations were not capable of reproducing the correct relative stability of the different structures; this was ascribed to the atomic-sphere approximation. All of the compounds were found to be small-gap semiconductors with, however, a slightly larger gap for OsAl sub 2. The occurrence of a gap at the Fermi level is mainly due to hybridization between d functions of Os or Ru and p functions of Al or Ga, but, in particular for OsAl sub 2 , charge-transfer effects can also be considered to be responsible for the occurrence of a gap. Several flat bands just above the Fermi level lead to a corresponding high density of states there, but also to low carrier velocities. As a b...

  1. Stability of monomeric Cro variants: Isoenergetic transformation of a type I' to a type II' beta-hairpin by single amino acid replacements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mollah, A K M M; Stennis, Rhonda L; Mossing, Michael C

    2003-05-01

    The thermodynamic stabilities of three monomeric variants of the bacteriophage lambda Cro repressor that differ only in the sequence of two amino acids at the apex of an engineered beta-hairpin have been determined. The sequences of the turns are EVK-XX-EVK, where the two central residues are DG, GG, and GT, respectively. Standard-state unfolding free energies, determined from circular dichroism measurements as a function of urea concentration, range from 2.4 to 2.7 kcal/mole, while those determined from guanidine hydrochloride range from 2.8 to 3.3 kcal/mole for the three proteins. Thermal denaturation yields van't Hoff unfolding enthalpies of 36 to 40 kcal /mole at midpoint temperatures in the range of 53 to 58 degrees C. Extrapolation of the thermal denaturation free energies with heat capacities of 400 to 600 cal/mole deg gives good agreement with the parameters determined in denaturant titrations. As predicted from statistical surveys of amino acid replacements in beta-hairpins, energetic barriers to transformation from a type I' turn (DG) to a type II' turn (GT) can be quite small.

  2. Optimization of the boron content in FeAl (40 at. % Al) alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Webb, G.; Juliet, P.; Lefort, A.

    1993-01-01

    FeAl intermetallic alloys are of interest for several high temperature applications due to excellent oxidation resistance, low density, and relatively low cost. Attempts to further increase the ductility of iron-rich FeAl have met with, at best, marginal success. Of the ductilization techniques employed, B doping appears to be a promising method for obtaining enhanced ductility and high strength in iron rich FeAl. Boron additions enhance the ductility of these alloys by increasing the grain boundary cohesive strength which reduces the tendency for intergranular fracture. The goal of the present work was to determine the optimum B concentration for increasing ambient temperature ductility. To accomplish this, a series of three iron rich FeAl alloys of similar Fe stoichiometries were doped with different levels of B (0,12, and 80 wppm). Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was conducted on these alloys for evaluation of the B partitioning after consolidation by extrusion. Ambient temperature tensile testing and SEM fractography were then used to evaluate the effect of such additions on ambient temperature ductility in air. The results of these experiments indicate that optimum ductility is obtained from a homogeneous distribution of boron in which boride precipitation is limited

  3. Could Sirtuin Activities Modify ALS Onset and Progression?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Bor Luen

    2017-10-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with a complex etiology. Sirtuins have been implicated as disease-modifying factors in several neurological disorders, and in the past decade, attempts have been made to check if manipulating Sirtuin activities and levels could confer benefit in terms of neuroprotection and survival in ALS models. The efforts have largely focused on mutant SOD1, and while limited in scope, the results were largely positive. Here, the body of work linking Sirtuins with ALS is reviewed, with discussions on how Sirtuins and their activities may impact on the major etiological mechanisms of ALS. Moving forward, it is important that the potentially beneficial effect of Sirtuins in ALS disease onset and progression are assessed in ALS models with TDP-43, FUS, and C9orf72 mutations.

  4. Convolutional Neural Networks for Text Categorization: Shallow Word-level vs. Deep Character-level

    OpenAIRE

    Johnson, Rie; Zhang, Tong

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the performances of shallow word-level convolutional neural networks (CNN), our earlier work (2015), on the eight datasets with relatively large training data that were used for testing the very deep character-level CNN in Conneau et al. (2016). Our findings are as follows. The shallow word-level CNNs achieve better error rates than the error rates reported in Conneau et al., though the results should be interpreted with some consideration due to the unique pre-processing o...

  5. On compensation in Si-doped AlN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Joshua S.; Baker, Jonathon N.; Gaddy, Benjamin E.; Bryan, Isaac; Bryan, Zachary; Mirrielees, Kelsey J.; Reddy, Pramod; Collazo, Ramón; Sitar, Zlatko; Irving, Douglas L.

    2018-04-01

    Controllable n-type doping over wide ranges of carrier concentrations in AlN, or Al-rich AlGaN, is critical to realizing next-generation applications in high-power electronics and deep UV light sources. Silicon is not a hydrogenic donor in AlN as it is in GaN; despite this, the carrier concentration should be controllable, albeit less efficiently, by increasing the donor concentration during growth. At low doping levels, an increase in the Si content leads to a commensurate increase in free electrons. Problematically, this trend does not persist to higher doping levels. In fact, a further increase in the Si concentration leads to a decrease in free electron concentration; this is commonly referred to as the compensation knee. While the nature of this decrease has been attributed to a variety of compensating defects, the mechanism and identity of the predominant defects associated with the knee have not been conclusively determined. Density functional theory calculations using hybrid exchange-correlation functionals have identified VAl+n SiAl complexes as central to mechanistically understanding compensation in the high Si limit in AlN, while secondary impurities and vacancies tend to dominate compensation in the low Si limit. The formation energies and optical signatures of these defects in AlN are calculated and utilized in a grand canonical charge balance solver to identify carrier concentrations as a function of Si content. The results were found to qualitatively reproduce the experimentally observed compensation knee. Furthermore, these calculations predict a shift in the optical emissions present in the high and low doping limits, which is confirmed with detailed photoluminescence measurements.

  6. Catalytic Depolymerization of Lignin and Woody Biomass in Supercritical Ethanol : Influence of Reaction Temperature and Feedstock

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huang, Xiaoming; Atay, Ceylanpinar; Zhu, Jiadong; Palstra, Sanne W L; Korányi, Tamás I; Boot, Michael D; Hensen, Emiel J M

    2017-01-01

    The one-step ethanolysis approach to upgrade lignin to monomeric aromatics using a CuMgAl mixed oxide catalyst is studied in detail. The influence of reaction temperature (200-420 °C) on the product distribution is investigated. At low temperature (200-250 °C), recondensation is dominant, while

  7. Catalytic depolymerization of lignin and woody biomass in supercritical Ethanol: influence of reaction temperature and feedstock : Influence of reaction temperature and feedstock

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huang, X.; Atay, C.; Zhu, J.; Palstra, S.W.L.; Korányi, T.I.; Boot, M.D.; Hensen, E.J.M.

    2017-01-01

    The one-step ethanolysis approach to upgrade lignin to monomeric aromatics using a CuMgAl mixed oxide catalyst is studied in detail. The influence of reaction temperature (200-420 °C) on the product distribution is investigated. At low temperature (200-250 °C), recondensation is dominant, while

  8. Tuning Fermi level of Cr{sub 2}CoZ (Z=Al and Si) inverse Heusler alloys via Fe-doping for maximum spin polarization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Mukhtiyar [Department of Physics, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra-136119, Haryana (India); Saini, Hardev S. [Department of Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014 (India); Thakur, Jyoti [Department of Physics, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra-136119, Haryana (India); Reshak, Ali H. [New Technologies—Research Center, University of West Bohemia, Univerzitni 8, 306 14 Pilsen (Czech Republic); Center of Excellence Geopolymer and Green Technology, School of Material Engineering, University Malaysia Perlis, 01007 Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Kashyap, Manish K., E-mail: manishdft@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra-136119, Haryana (India)

    2014-12-15

    We report full potential treatment of electronic and magnetic properties of Cr{sub 2−x}Fe{sub x}CoZ (Z=Al, Si) Heusler alloys where x=0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0, based on density functional theory (DFT). Both parent alloys (Cr{sub 2}CoAl and Cr{sub 2}CoSi) are not half-metallic frromagnets. The gradual replacement of one Cr sublattice with Fe induces the half-metallicity in these systems, resulting maximum spin polarization. The half-metallicity starts to appear in Cr{sub 2−x}Fe{sub x}CoAl and Cr{sub 2−x}Fe{sub x}CoSi with x=0.50 and x=0.25, respectively, and the values of minority-spin gap and half-metallic gap or spin-flip gap increase with further increase of x. These gaps are found to be maximum for x=1.0 for both cases. An excellent agreement between the structural properties of CoFeCrAl with available experimental study is obtained. The Fermi level tuning by Fe-doping makes these alloys highly spin polarized and thus these can be used as promising candidates for spin valves and magnetic tunnelling junction applications. - Highlights: • Tuning of E{sub F} in Cr{sub 2}CoZ (Z=Al, Si) has been demonstrated via Fe doping. • Effect of Fe doping on half-metallicity and magnetism have been discussed. • The new alloys have a potential of being used as spin polarized electrodes.

  9. Current issues in ALS epidemiology: Variation of ALS occurrence between populations and physical activity as a risk factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luna, J; Logroscino, G; Couratier, P; Marin, B

    2017-05-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with a fatal outcome. This review aims to report key epidemiological features of ALS in relation to the hypothesis of variation between populations, to summarize environmental hypothesis and to highlight current issues that deserve much considerations. Epidemiological ALS studies have shown a variation of incidence, mortality and prevalence between geographical areas and different populations. These data could support the notion that genetic factors, especially populations' ancestries, along with environmental and lifestyle factors, play a significant role in the occurrence of the disease. To date, there is no strong evidence to confirm an association between a particular environmental factor and ALS. Physical activity (PA) has been extensively evaluated. Recent studies support with the best evidence level that PA in general population is not a risk factor for ALS. However, further research is needed to clarify the association of PA in some occupations and some athletic activities. Epidemiological research based on multicenter international collaboration is essential to provide new data on ALS especially in some regions of the world that are to date poorly represented in the ALS literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  10. IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and ALS in adult patients with chronic kidney disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lepenies, Julia; Wu, Zida; Stewart, Paul M; Strasburger, Christian J; Quinkler, Marcus

    2010-04-01

    Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) is for the most part bound in a ternary complex with IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and acid-labile subunit (ALS). This ternary complex is a storage form of IGF-1 in blood and passes not through the renal glomerulus. Little information is available in regard to the components of the ternary complex in adult renal disease. To investigate levels of serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and ALS in relation to renal function and extent of proteinuria. We measured IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and ALS concentrations in 137 patients who were investigated due to proteinuria and/or haematuria and/or renal impairment. The patients received renal biopsies and the histological diagnosis was documented. Urinary albumin excretion and relevant clinical parameter were evaluated. IGF-1 showed a highly positive correlation to IGFBP-3 and ALS, and the latter to IGFBP-3. IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and ALS decreased with increasing age. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 showed no significant change depending on the creatinine clearance. However, ALS decreased with decreasing renal function. In patients with heavy proteinuria ALS levels, but not IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels, decreased significantly. Patients with chronic ischaemic renal damage and diabetic glomerulopathy showed higher IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels compared to patients with thin glomerular basement membrane disease despite their older age. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels seem to be independent of renal function and severity of proteinuria. However, ALS levels are altered in renal failure and nephrotic syndrome, which may be due to increased renal loss or diminished hepatic production or both. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Effects of Sulfation Level on the Desulfation Behavior of Presulfated Pt-BaO/Al2O3 Lean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, D.; Szanyi, J.; Kwak, J.; Wang, X.; Hanson, J.; Engelhard, M.; Peden, C.

    2009-01-01

    Desulfation by hydrogen of presulfated Pt (2 wt %)-BaO(20 wt %)/Al2O3 with various sulfur loading (S/Ba = 0.12, 0.31, and 0.62) were investigated by combining H2 temperature programmed reaction (TPRX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), in situ sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), and synchrotron time-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD) techniques. We find that the amount of H2S desorbed during the desulfation in the H2 TPRX experiments is not proportional to the amount of initial sulfur loading. The results of both in situ sulfur K-edge XANES and TR-XRD show that at low sulfur loadings, sulfates were transformed to a BaS phase and remained in the catalyst rather than being removed as H2S. On the other hand, when the deposited sulfur level exceeded a certain threshold (at least S/Ba = 0.31) sulfates were reduced to form H2S, and the relative amount of the residual sulfide species in the catalyst was much less than at low sulfur loading. Unlike samples with high sulfur loading (e.g., S/Ba = 0.62), H2O did not promote the desulfation for the sample with S/Ba of 0.12, implying that the formed BaS species originating from the reduction of sulfates at low sulfur loading are more stable to hydrolysis. The results of this combined spectroscopy investigation provide clear evidence to show that sulfates at low sulfur loadings are less likely to be removed as H2S and have a greater tendency to be transformed to BaS on the material, leading to the conclusion that desulfation behavior of Pt-BaO/Al2O3 lean NOx trap catalysts is markedly dependent on the sulfation levels.

  12. I222 crystal form of despentapeptide (B26-B30) insulin provides new insights into the properties of monomeric insulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whittingham, Jean L; Youshang, Zhang; Záková, Lenka; Dodson, Eleanor J; Turkenburg, Johan P; Brange, Jens; Dodson, G Guy

    2006-05-01

    Despentapeptide (des-B26-B30) insulin (DPI), an active modified insulin, has been crystallized in the presence of 20% acetic acid pH 2. A crystal structure analysis to 1.8 A spacing (space group I222) revealed that the DPI molecule, which is unable to make beta-strand interactions for physiological dimer formation and is apparently monomeric in solution, formed an alternative lattice-generated dimer. The formation of this dimer involved interactions between surfaces which included the B9-B19 alpha-helices (usually buried by the dimer-dimer contacts within the native hexamer). The two crystallographically independent molecules within the dimer were essentially identical and were similar in conformation to T-state insulin as seen in the T(6) insulin hexamer. An unusual feature of each molecule in the dimer was the presence of two independent conformations at the B-chain C-terminus (residues B20-B25). Both conformations were different from that of native insulin, involving a 3.5 A displacement of the B20-B23 beta-turn and a repositioning of residue PheB25 such that it made close van der Waals contact with the main body of the molecule, appearing to stabilize the B-chain C-terminus.

  13. Forward Current Transport Mechanisms of Ni/Au—InAlN/AlN/GaN Schottky Diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao-Feng; Shao, Zhen-Guang; Chen, Dun-Jun; Lu, Hai; Zhang, Rong; Zheng, You-Dou

    2014-05-01

    We fabricate two Ni/Au-In0.17Al0.83N/AlN/GaN Schottky diodes on substrates of sapphire and Si, respectively, and investigate their forward-bias current transport mechanisms by temperature-dependent current-voltage measurements. In the temperature range of 300-485 K, the Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) calculated by using the conventional thermionic-emission (TE) model are strongly positively dependent on temperature, which is in contrast to the negative-temperature-dependent characteristic of traditional semiconductor Schottky diodes. By fitting the forward-bias I-V characteristics using different current transport models, we find that the tunneling current model can describe generally the I-V behaviors in the entire measured range of temperature. Under the high forward bias, the traditional TE mechanism also gives a good fit to the measured I-V data, and the actual barrier heights calculated according to the fitting TE curve are 1.434 and 1.413 eV at 300K for InAlN/AlN/GaN Schottky diodes on Si and the sapphire substrate, respectively, and the barrier height shows a slightly negative temperature coefficient. In addition, a formula is given to estimate SBHs of Ni/Au—InAlN/AlN/GaN Schottky diodes taking the Fermi-level pinning effect into account.

  14. Elemental separation in nanocrystalline Cu-Al alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Y. B.; Liao, X. Z.; Zhao, Y. H.; Cooley, J. C.; Horita, Z.; Zhu, Y. T.

    2013-06-01

    Nanocrystallization by high-energy severe plastic deformation has been reported to increase the solubility of alloy systems and even to mix immiscible elements to form non-equilibrium solid solutions. In this letter, we report an opposite phenomenon—nanocrystallization of a Cu-Al single-phase solid solution by high-pressure torsion separated Al from the Cu matrix when the grain sizes are refined to tens of nanometers. The Al phase was found to form at the grain boundaries of nanocrystalline Cu. The level of the separation increases with decreasing grain size, which suggests that the elemental separation was caused by the grain size effect.

  15. 180 - 184_ Farouk et al.,

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies, Kano, Nigeria aceutical and Medicinal ... d out to determine the levels of Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) in m ... and soil. Contamination of als may be due to natural, activities (Wilkinson et ation of ...

  16. Transplacental passage of {sup 26}Al from pregnant rats to fetuses and {sup 26}Al transfer through maternal milk to suckling rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yumoto, S.; Nagai, H.; Matsuzaki, H.; Kobayashi, T.; Tada, W.; Ohki, Y.; Kakimi, S.; Kobayashi, K

    2000-10-01

    Aluminium (Al) is toxic to the growth of fetuses and sucklings. However, the incorporation of Al into fetuses and sucklings in the periods of gestation and lactation has not been well clarified because Al lacks a suitable isotope for a tracer experiment. In this study, we used {sup 26}Al (a radioisotope of Al with half-life of 716,000 yr) as a tracer, and measured {sup 26}Al incorporation into fetuses and sucklings by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). To investigate Al incorporation into fetuses through transplacental passage, {sup 26}Al ({sup 26}AlCl{sub 3}) was subcutaneously injected into pregnant rats on day 15 of gestation. {sup 26}Al was also subcutaneoulsy injected into lactating rats from day 1 to day 20 postpartum. By day 20 of gestation, 0.2% of the {sup 26}Al injected into a pregnant rat had been transferred to the fetuses, and {sup 26}Al was detected in the brain and liver of the fetuses. On day 9 postpartum, high levels of {sup 26}Al were demonstrated in the brain, liver, kidneys and blood of suckling rats. It is concluded that {sup 26}Al subcutaneously injected into pregnant rats and/or lactating rats is incorporated into their offspring through transplacental passage and/or maternal milk.

  17. Effect of AlN growth temperature on trap densities of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph J. Freedsman

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The trapping properties of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors (MIS-HFETs with AlN layers grown at 600 and 700 °C has been quantitatively analyzed by frequency dependent parallel conductance technique. Both the devices exhibited two kinds of traps densities, due to AlN (DT-AlN and AlGaN layers (DT-AlGaN respectively. The MIS-HFET grown at 600 °C showed a minimum DT-AlN and DT-AlGaN of 1.1 x 1011 and 1.2 x 1010 cm-2eV-1 at energy levels (ET -0.47 and -0.36 eV. Further, the gate-lag measurements on these devices revealed less degradation ∼ ≤ 5% in drain current density (Ids-max. Meanwhile, MIS-HFET grown at 700 °C had more degradation in Ids-max ∼26 %, due to high DT-AlN and DT-AlGaN of 3.4 x 1012 and 5 x 1011 cm-2eV-1 positioned around similar ET. The results shows MIS-HFET grown at 600 °C had better device characteristics with trap densities one order of magnitude lower than MIS-HFET grown at 700 °C.

  18. Malamih al-Ashwat al-'Arabiyyah wa Makharijaha

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amrah Muhammad Kasim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This writing discusses on al-ashwat al-‘arabiyyah that is known with “phonetic” term. It talks and interprets makharij al-huruf or place for producing sounds and also processing production of sounds by parts of mouth in Arabic language. The problems of sounds and its systems in Arabic language have been conducted by the scholars of al-ashwat al-‘arabiyyah attractively, neatly, and detail and gotten ahead the phonetic western scholars. Part of their analysis results formulate the study about al-ashwat al-sakinah (al-Shamit is known with vocal and consonant sounds in research questions shawait – shawamit. Ibnu Jinni has formulated “harakat”(wowel in Arabic language and dimension of letter  mad and liyn on alif  letter - waw - ya’ (ا و ي, from these letters create  harakat fathah, dammah, and kasrah. Moreover, in this writing also exist the description of hija’i letters and its makhraj that are correct from parts of mouth and the unity of coordinative sounds that produce sounds in morphemes arrangement, in one word that produces meaning. The result of phonological study has divided al-ashwat to be kinds of sound like the pronounced sounds, produced sounds from mouth, and heard sound.

  19. Low dietary levels of Al, Pb and Cd may affect the non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity in caged honey bees (Apis mellifera).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauthier, Maxime; Aras, Philippe; Jumarie, Catherine; Boily, Monique

    2016-02-01

    Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the abnormally high mortality rate observed in bee populations in Europe and North America. While studies based on the effects of pesticides are paramount, the metals present in agroecosystems are often overlooked. Sources of metals are linked to the nature of soils and to agricultural practices, namely the use of natural or chemical nutrients as well as residual materials from waste-water treatment sludge. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of metals on honey bees exposed for 10 days to environmentally realistic concentrations of Al, Pb and Cd (dissolved in syrup). The monitoring of syrup consumption combined with the quantification of metals in bees revealed the following order for metal bioconcentration ratios: Cd > Pb > Al. Alpha-tocopherol, metallothionein-like proteins (MTLPs) and lipid peroxidation were quantified. When bees were exposed to increasing amounts of Cd, a marked augmentation of MTLPs levels was found. Lead (Pb) and Cd caused an increase in α-tocopherol content, while alteration of lipid peroxidation was observed only with Al exposure. These findings raise concerns about the bioavailability and the additional threat posed by metals for pollinators in agricultural areas while providing new insights for potential use of the honey bee as a sentinel species for metal exposure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. The Level of Psychological Burnout at the Teachers of Students with Autism Disorders in Light of a Number of Variables in Al-Riyadh Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atiyat, Omar Khalil

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed at measuring the level of the psychological burnout in the teachers of students that have autism symptoms in Al-Riyadh area--kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In light of variables. These variables are the gender, the teaching place, the academic qualification of the teachers, the experience of the teachers, the age of the teachers, and…

  1. The study of electronic structures and optical properties of Al-doped GaN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Enling; Hou Liping; Liu Mancang; Xi Meng; Wang Xiqiang; Dai Yuanbin; Li Lisha

    2011-01-01

    The electronic structures and optical properties of undoped and Al-doped GaN (Al x Ga 1-x N, x=0.0625, 0.125, 0.25) have been studied based on generalized gradient approximation (GGA) method of density functional theory (DFT). The differences of the electronic structures and optical properties of undoped and Al-doped GaN have been discussed in detail. The result shows: according to total density of state of undoped and Al-doped GaN, the conduction band becomes width and moves to high energy level with gradual increase concentration of Al impurity. Impurity energy band isn't found in energy band structures of Al x Ga 1-x N, the same as energy band structures of undoped GaN, but the band gaps gradually become wide with increase of Al impurity. Absorption spectra of undoped and Al-doped GaN of main absorption peak moves to high energy level with increase of Al impurity.

  2. Band Offset Measurements in Atomic-Layer-Deposited Al2O3/Zn0.8Al0.2O Heterojunction Studied by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Baojun; Liu, Shulin; Heng, Yuekun; Yang, Yuzhen; Yu, Yang; Wen, Kaile

    2017-12-01

    Pure aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and zinc aluminum oxide (Zn x Al 1-x O) thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The microstructure and optical band gaps (E g ) of the Zn x Al 1-x O (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 1) films were studied by X-ray diffractometer and Tauc method. The band offsets and alignment of atomic-layer-deposited Al 2 O 3 /Zn 0.8 Al 0.2 O heterojunction were investigated in detail using charge-corrected X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In this work, different methodologies were adopted to recover the actual position of the core levels in insulator materials which were easily affected by differential charging phenomena. Valence band offset (ΔE V ) and conduction band offset (ΔE C ) for the interface of the Al 2 O 3 /Zn 0.8 Al 0.2 O heterojunction have been constructed. An accurate value of ΔE V  = 0.82 ± 0.12 eV was obtained from various combinations of core levels of heterojunction with varied Al 2 O 3 thickness. Given the experimental E g of 6.8 eV for Al 2 O 3 and 5.29 eV for Zn 0.8 Al 0.2 O, a type-I heterojunction with a ΔE C of 0.69 ± 0.12 eV was found. The precise determination of the band alignment of Al 2 O 3 /Zn 0.8 Al 0.2 O heterojunction is of particular importance for gaining insight to the design of various electronic devices based on such heterointerface.

  3. The fecal microbiome of ALS patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brenner, David; Hiergeist, Andreas; Adis, Carolin; Mayer, Benjamin; Gessner, André; Ludolph, Albert C; Weishaupt, Jochen H

    2018-01-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative motor neuron disease accompanied by both systemic and central nervous system-specific inflammation as well as deregulated energy metabolism. These potential pathogenetic factors have recently been found to mutually interact with the gut microbiota, raising the hypothesis of a link between microbiome alterations and ALS pathogenesis. The aim of our study was to assess whether ALS is associated with an altered composition of the fecal microbiota. We compared the fecal microbiota of 25 ALS patients with 32 age- and gender-matched healthy persons using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. Confounding factors and secondary disease effects on the microbiome were minimized by selection of patients without dysphagia, gastrostomy, noninvasive ventilation, or reduced body mass index. Comparing the 2 carefully matched groups, the diversity and the abundance of the bacterial taxa on the different taxonomic levels as well as PICRUSt-predicted metagenomes were almost indistinguishable. Significant differences between ALS patients and healthy controls were only observed with regard to the overall number of microbial species (operational taxonomic units) and in the abundance of uncultured Ruminococcaceae. Conclusively, ALS patients do not exhibit a substantial alteration of the gut microbiota composition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Proton irradiation studies on Al and Al5083 alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharyya, P.; Gayathri, N.; Bhattacharya, M.; Gupta, A. Dutta; Sarkar, Apu; Dhar, S.; Mitra, M. K.; Mukherjee, P.

    2017-10-01

    The change in the microstructural parameters and microhardness values in 6.5 MeV proton irradiated pure Al and Al5083 alloy samples have been evaluated using different model based techniques of X-ray diffraction Line Profile Analysis (XRD) and microindendation techniques. The detailed line profile analysis of the XRD data showed that the domain size increases and saturates with irradiation dose both in the case of Al and Al5083 alloy. The corresponding microstrain values did not show any change with irradiation dose in the case of the pure Al but showed an increase at higher irradiation doses in the case of Al5083 alloy. The microindendation results showed that unirradiated Al5083 alloy has higher hardness value compared to that of unirradiated pure Al. The hardness increased marginally with irradiation dose in the case of Al5083, whereas for pure Al, there was no significant change with dose.

  5. Hybrid Density Functional Study of the Local Structures and Energy Levels of CaAl2O4:Ce3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Bibo; Jing, Weiguo; Lou, Liren; Zhang, Yongfan; Yin, Min; Duan, Chang-Kui

    2018-05-03

    First-principles calculations were carried out for the electronic structures of Ce 3+ in calcium aluminate phosphors, CaAl 2 O 4 , and their effects on luminescence properties. Hybrid density functional approaches were used to overcome the well-known underestimation of band gaps of conventional density functional approaches and to calculate the energy levels of Ce 3+ ions more accurately. The obtained 4f-5d excitation and emission energies show good consistency with measured values. A detailed energy diagram of all three sites is obtained, which explains qualitatively all of the luminescent phenomena. With the results of energy levels calculated by combining the hybrid functional of Heyd, Scuseria, and Ernzerhof (HSE06) and the constraint occupancy approach, we are able to construct a configurational coordinate diagram to analyze the processes of capture of a hole or an electron and luminescence. This approach can be applied for systematic high-throughput calculations in predicting Ce 3+ activated luminescent materials with a moderate computing requirement.

  6. Al-Qaeda's operational evolution: behavioral and organizational perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borum, Randy; Gelles, Michael

    2005-01-01

    Al-Qaeda is widely regarded by the military, law enforcement, diplomatic, and intelligence communities as being the foremost threat to U.S. national security and safety. The nature of this threat, however, has changed since al-Qaeda first emerged in the late 1980s. This article describes the emergence of a new form of transnational terrorism and details al-Qaeda's progression from being an organization to an ideological movement. Drawing on a theory of social movements, we analyze its trajectory and the levels of influence. We also offer a behavioral perspective in explaining how al-Qaeda has adapted as a learning organization with new leadership, tactics, and patterns of recruitment and training.

  7. Coping strategies and psychological distress in caregivers of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siciliano, Mattia; Santangelo, Gabriella; Trojsi, Francesca; Di Somma, Carmela; Patrone, Manila; Femiano, Cinzia; Monsurrò, Maria Rosaria; Trojano, Luigi; Tedeschi, Gioacchino

    2017-08-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes distress in caregivers. The present study aims to examine the association between coping strategies and psychological distress in caregivers of ALS patients. Coping strategies were assessed in 96 ALS informal caregivers by means of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. Data about caregivers' demographic characteristics, levels of burden, depression and anxiety (psychological distress) were also gathered by standardised questionnaires. Patients' clinical, cognitive and behavioural disturbances were evaluated by ALS specific assessment tools. Sequential logistic regression analysis showed that emotion-oriented coping strategy was significantly associated with high levels of depressive (p ALS caregivers. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing utilisation of maladaptive coping strategies may improve well-being in ALS caregivers, and, possibly, management of symptoms in ALS patients.

  8. Combustion synthesis of AlB2-Al2O3 composite powders with AlB2 nanowire structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Pan; Xiao, Guoqing; Ding, Donghai; Ren, Yun; Yang, Shoulei; Lv, Lihua; Hou, Xing

    2018-05-01

    Using of Al and B2O3 powders as starting materials, and Mg-Al alloy as additives, AlB2-Al2O3 composite powders with AlB2 nanowire structures were successfully fabricated via combustion synthesis method in Ar atmosphere at a pressure of 1.5 MPa. The effect of different amount of Mg-Al alloy on the phase compositions and morphology of the combustion products was investigated. The results revealed that AlB2 and Al2O3 increased, whereas Al decreased with the content of Mg-Al alloy increasing. The impurities MgAl2O4 and AlB12 would exist in the sample with adding of 18 wt% Mg-Al alloy. Interestingly, FESEM/TEM/EDS results showed that AlB2 nanowires were observed in the products when the content of Mg-Al alloy is 6 wt% and 12 wt%. The more AlB2 nanowires can be found as the content of Mg-Al alloy increased. And the yield of AlB2 nanowires with the diameter of about 200 nanometers (nm) and the length up to several tens of micrometers (μm) in the combustion product is highest when the content of Mg-Al alloy is 12 wt%. The vapor, such as Mg-Al (g), B2O2 (g), AlO (g) and Al2O (g), produced during the process of combustion synthesis, reacted with each other to yield AlB2 nanowires by vapor-solid (VS) mechanism and the corresponding model was also proposed.

  9. The effects of boron in TiAl/Ti3Al

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, C.R.; Michel, D.J.; Crowe, C.R.

    1989-01-01

    The authors discuss the TiAl/Ti 3 Al interfacial misfit dislocations structures investigated by TEM in Ti-45Al alloy and Ti-45Al/TiB 2 composite. For TiAl with c/a = 1.02, only a single set of misfit dislocation arrays are crystallographically possible; these were observed in Ti-45Al alloy. However, the observation of three sets of misfit dislocation arrays in the Ti-45Al/TiB 2 composite suggests that the occupation of octahedral sites in the TiAl structure by excess boron was responsible for a decrease in the c/a ratio leading to an increased fcc character of the TiAl at the TiAl/Ti 3 Al interface

  10. Combination of neurofilament heavy chain and complement c3 as CSF biomarkers for ALS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganesalingam, Jeban; An, Jiyan; Shaw, Christopher E; Shaw, Gerry; Lacomis, David; Bowser, Robert

    2011-01-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disease with an average survival of 3 years from symptom onset. Rapid and conclusive early diagnosis is essential if interventions with disease-modifying therapies are to be successful. Cytoskeletal modification and inflammation are known to occur during the pathogenesis of ALS. We measured levels of cytoskeletal proteins and inflammatory markers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of ALS, disease controls and healthy subjects. We determined threshold values for each protein that provided the optimal sensitivity and specificity for ALS within a training set, as determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Interestingly, the optimal assay was a ratio of the levels for phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain and complement C3 (pNFH/C3). We next applied this assay to a separate test set of CSF samples to verify our results. Overall, the predictive pNFH/C3 ratio identified ALS with 87.3% sensitivity and 94.6% specificity in a total of 71 ALS subjects, 52 disease control subjects and 40 healthy subjects. In addition, the level of CSF pNFH correlated with survival of ALS patients. We also detected increased pNFH in the plasma of ALS patients and observed a correlation between CSF and plasma pNFH levels within the same subjects. These findings support large-scale prospective biomarker studies to determine the clinical utility of diagnostic and prognostic signatures in ALS. PMID:21418221

  11. Regulation of synaptic structure by ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cartier, Anna E; Djakovic, Stevan N; Salehi, Afshin; Wilson, Scott M; Masliah, Eliezer; Patrick, Gentry N

    2009-06-17

    Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that is selectively and abundantly expressed in the brain, and its activity is required for normal synaptic function. Here, we show that UCH-L1 functions in maintaining normal synaptic structure in hippocampal neurons. We found that UCH-L1 activity is rapidly upregulated by NMDA receptor activation, which leads to an increase in the levels of free monomeric ubiquitin. Conversely, pharmacological inhibition of UCH-L1 significantly reduces monomeric ubiquitin levels and causes dramatic alterations in synaptic protein distribution and spine morphology. Inhibition of UCH-L1 activity increases spine size while decreasing spine density. Furthermore, there is a concomitant increase in the size of presynaptic and postsynaptic protein clusters. Interestingly, however, ectopic expression of ubiquitin restores normal synaptic structure in UCH-L1-inhibited neurons. These findings point to a significant role of UCH-L1 in synaptic remodeling, most likely by modulating free monomeric ubiquitin levels in an activity-dependent manner.

  12. Regulation of Synaptic Structure by the Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolase UCH-L1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cartier, Anna E.; Djakovic, Stevan N.; Salehi, Afshin; Wilson, Scott M.; Masliah, Eliezer; Patrick, Gentry N.

    2009-01-01

    UCH-L1 is a de-ubiquitinating enzyme that is selectively and abundantly expressed in the brain, and its activity is required for normal synaptic function. Here, we show that UCH-L1 functions in maintaining normal synaptic structure in hippocampal neurons. We have found that UCH-L1 activity is rapidly up-regulated by NMDA receptor activation which leads to an increase in the levels of free monomeric ubiquitin. Conversely, pharmacological inhibition of UCH-L1 significantly reduces monomeric ubiquitin levels and causes dramatic alterations in synaptic protein distribution and spine morphology. Inhibition of UCH-L1 activity increases spine size while decreasing spine density. Furthermore, there is a concomitant increase in the size of pre and postsynaptic protein clusters. Interestingly, however, ectopic expression of ubiquitin restores normal synaptic structure in UCH-L1 inhibited neurons. These findings point to a significant role of UCH-L1 in synaptic remodeling most likely by modulating free monomeric ubiquitin levels in an activity-dependent manner. PMID:19535597

  13. Densification and mechanical properties of sintered Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} ceramic composite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paneto, Flavio Jose; Pereira, Joaquim Lopes; Oliveira, Jean de Lima; Jesus Filho, Edson de; Silva, Leandro Anselmo da; Cabral, Ricardo de Freitas; Santos, Claudinei dos [Centro Universitario de Volta Redonda (UNIFOA), Volta Redonda, RJ (Brazil); Lima, Eduardo de Sousa [Institutlo Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2014-06-15

    In this work, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} ceramic composites were developed with different proportions of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}, which were mixed and compacted at different pressures of 40MPa to 100MPa, being consequently sintered at 1600 deg C-2h. The sintered samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction presenting α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} as crystalline phases. Samples with relative densities ranging from 78 to 80% and 87 to 91% were obtained depending on the composition and the compaction pressure used. The hardness values obtained were of 1010 to 1080HV and 370- 470HV, for mixes Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} having the composition with levels of 20 and 36.5wt.%, respectively. (author)

  14. In Situ Fabrication of AlN Coating by Reactive Plasma Spraying of Al/AlN Powder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Shahien

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Reactive plasma spraying is a promising technology for the in situ formation of aluminum nitride (AlN coatings. Recently, it became possible to fabricate cubic-AlN-(c-AlN based coatings through reactive plasma spraying of Al powder in an ambient atmosphere. However, it was difficult to fabricate a coating with high AlN content and suitable thickness due to the coalescence of the Al particles. In this study, the influence of using AlN additive (h-AlN to increase the AlN content of the coating and improve the reaction process was investigated. The simple mixing of Al and AlN powders was not suitable for fabricating AlN coatings through reactive plasma spraying. However, it was possible to prepare a homogenously mixed, agglomerated and dispersed Al/AlN mixture (which enabled in-flight interaction between the powder and the surrounding plasma by wet-mixing in a planetary mill. Increasing the AlN content in the mixture prevented coalescence and increased the nitride content gradually. Using 30 to 40 wt% AlN was sufficient to fabricate a thick (more than 200 µm AlN coating with high hardness (approximately 1000 Hv. The AlN additive prevented the coalescence of Al metal and enhanced post-deposition nitriding through N2 plasma irradiation by allowing the nitriding species in the plasma to impinge on a larger Al surface area. Using AlN as a feedstock additive was found to be a suitable method for fabricating AlN coatings by reactive plasma spraying. Moreover, the fabricated coatings consist of hexagonal (h-AlN, c-AlN (rock-salt and zinc-blend phases and certain oxides: aluminum oxynitride (Al5O6N, cubic sphalerite Al23O27N5 (ALON and Al2O3. The zinc-blend c-AlN and ALON phases were attributed to the transformation of the h-AlN feedstock during the reactive plasma spraying. Thus, the zinc-blend c-Al

  15. Band alignment of B0.14Al0.86N/Al0.7Ga0.3N heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding; Park, Young Jae; Li, Kuang-Hui; Torres Castanedo, C. G.; Alowayed, Abdulmohsen; Detchprohm, Theeradetch; Dupuis, Russell D.; Li, Xiaohang

    2017-01-01

    Owing to large bandgaps of BAlN and AlGaN alloys, their heterojunctions have the potential to be used in deep ultraviolet and power electronic device applications. However, the band alignment of such junctions has not been identified. In this work, we investigated the band-offset parameters of a BAlN/AlGaN heterojunction grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. These specific compositions were chosen to ensure a sufficiently large band offset for deep ultraviolet and power electronic applications. High resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the high structural quality of the heterojunction with an abrupt interface and uniform element distribution. We employed high resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy to measure the core level binding energies of B 1s and Ga 2p with respect to the valence band maximum of BAlN and AlGaN layers, respectively. Then, we measured the energy separation between the B 1s and Ga 2p core levels at the interface of the heterojunction. The valence band offset was determined to be 0.40 ± 0.05 eV. As a consequence, we identified a staggered-gap (type-II) heterojunction with the conduction band offset of 1.10 ± 0.05 eV. The determination of the band alignment of the BAlN/AlGaN heterojunction facilitates the design of optical and electronic devices based on such junctions.

  16. Band alignment of B0.14Al0.86N/Al0.7Ga0.3N heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding

    2017-09-21

    Owing to large bandgaps of BAlN and AlGaN alloys, their heterojunctions have the potential to be used in deep ultraviolet and power electronic device applications. However, the band alignment of such junctions has not been identified. In this work, we investigated the band-offset parameters of a BAlN/AlGaN heterojunction grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. These specific compositions were chosen to ensure a sufficiently large band offset for deep ultraviolet and power electronic applications. High resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the high structural quality of the heterojunction with an abrupt interface and uniform element distribution. We employed high resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy to measure the core level binding energies of B 1s and Ga 2p with respect to the valence band maximum of BAlN and AlGaN layers, respectively. Then, we measured the energy separation between the B 1s and Ga 2p core levels at the interface of the heterojunction. The valence band offset was determined to be 0.40 ± 0.05 eV. As a consequence, we identified a staggered-gap (type-II) heterojunction with the conduction band offset of 1.10 ± 0.05 eV. The determination of the band alignment of the BAlN/AlGaN heterojunction facilitates the design of optical and electronic devices based on such junctions.

  17. Instability of TiC and TiAl3 compounds in Al-10Mg and Al-5Cu alloys by addition of Al-Ti-C master alloy

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2006-01-01

    The performance of Al-Ti-C master alloy in refining Al-10Mg and A1-5Cu alloys was studied by using electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis.The results indicate that there are obvious fading phenomena in both Al-10Mg and Al-5Cu alloys with the addition of Al-5Ti-0.4C refiner which contains TiC and TiAl3 compounds.Mg element has no influence on the stability of TiC and TiAl3, while TiC particles in Al-10Mg alloy react with Al to form Al4C3 particles, resulting in the refinement fading.However, TiC particles are relatively stable in Al-5Cu alloy, while TiAl3 phase reacts with Al2Cu to produce a new phase Ti(Al, Cu)2, which is responsible for the refinement fading in Al-5Cu alloy.These indicate that the refinement fading will not occur only when both the TiC particles and TiAl3 compound of Al-Ti-C refiner are stable in Al alloys.

  18. Data on metals (Zn, Al, Sr, and Co and metalloid (As concentration levels of ballast water in commercial ships entering Bushehr port, along the Persian Gulf

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farshid Soleimani

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we determined the concentration levels of metals including Zn, Al, Sr, and Co and metalloid of As of ballast water in commercial ships entering Bushehr port, along the Persian Gulf. Ballast water samples were taken from commercial ships entering Bushehr port from 34 ports around the world during 15 February and 25 August 2016. The concentration levels of metals and metalloid were determined by using a graphite furnace absorption spectrometer (AAS.

  19. Dynamics of Agglutinin-Like Sequence (ALS) Protein Localization on the Surface of Candida Albicans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coleman, David Andrew

    2009-01-01

    The ALS gene family encodes large cell-surface glycoproteins associated with "C. albicans" pathogenesis. Als proteins are thought to act as adhesin molecules binding to host tissues. Wide variation in expression levels among the ALS genes exists and is related to cell morphology and environmental conditions. "ALS1," "ALS3," and "ALS4" are three of…

  20. PEMAHAMAN HADITS TARBAWI BURHAN AL ISLAM AL ZARNUJI DALAM KITAB TA’LIM AL MUTA’ALLIM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benny Afwadzi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the understanding of tarbawi (education hadith from one of the major influential clerics in the Islamic educational system, especially in pesantren. He is Burhan al Islam al Zarnuji with his landmark book Ta’lim al Muta’allim. The conclusion that can be drawn is that al Zarnuji has shades of sufistical view in understanding tarbawi hadith. This can be seen in his understanding of hadith on obligation to seek knowledge (thalab al ilmi faridhatun ‘ala kulli muslimin wa muslimatin, which is interpreted as ilm al hal, the science concerning the condition of the human religious or simplistically said as the religious sciences; and the hadith of intention of studying (innama al a’malu bi al niyyat with the intention for the sake of the hereafter and religion, not mundane. Such an understanding is not something taken for granted, but it can be reinterpreted and perfected in accordance with the spirit of the times of context.

  1. Calculation of Gibbs energy of Zr-Al-Ni, Zr-Al-Cu, Al-Ni-Cu and Zr-Al-Ni-Cu liquid alloys based on quasiregular solution model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, H.Q.; Yang, Y.S.; Tong, W.H.; Wang, Z.Y.

    2007-01-01

    With the effects of electronic structure and atomic size being introduced, the mixing enthalpy as well as the Gibbs energy of the ternary Zr-Al-Cu, Ni-Al-Cu, Zr-Ni-Al and quaternary Zr-Al-Ni-Cu systems are calculated based on quasiregular solution model. The computed results agree well with the experimental data. The sequence of Gibbs energies of different systems is: G Zr-Al-Ni-Cu Zr-Al-Ni Zr-Al-Cu Cu-Al-Ni . To Zr-Al-Cu, Ni-Al-Cu and Zr-Ni-Al, the lowest Gibbs energy locates in the composition range of X Zr 0.39-0.61, X Al = 0.38-0.61; X Ni = 0.39-0.61, X Al = 0.38-0.60 and X Zr = 0.32-0.67, X Al = 0.32-0.66, respectively. And to the Zr-Ni-Al-Cu system with 66.67% Zr, the lowest Gibbs energy is obtained in the region of X Al = 0.63-0.80, X Ni = 0.14-0.24

  2. Use of the quartz crystal microbalance to determine the monomeric friction coefficient of polyimides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bechtold, Mary M.

    1995-01-01

    When a thin film of polymer is coated on to a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), the QCM can be used to detect the rate of increase in weight of the polymer film as the volatile penetrant diffuses into the polymer. From this rate information the diffusion coefficient of the penetrant into the polymer can be computed. Calculations requiring this diffusion coefficient lead to values which approximate the monomeric friction coefficient of the polymer. This project has been concerned with the trial of crystal oscillating circuits suitable for driving polymer coated crystals in an atmosphere of penetrant. For these studies done at room temperature, natural rubber was used as an easily applied polymer that is readily penetrated by toluene vapors, qualities anticipated with polyimides when they are tested at T(g) in the presence of toluene. Three quartz crystal oscillator circuits were tested. The simplest circuit used +/- 5 volt dc and had a transistor to transistor logic (TTL) inverter chip that provides a 180 deg phase shift via a feed back loop. This oscillator circuit was stable but would not drive the crystal when the crystal was coated with polymer and subjected to toluene vapors. Removal of a variable resistor from this circuit increased stability but did not otherwise increase performance. Another driver circuit tested contained a two stage differential input, differential output, wide band video amplifier and also contain a feed back loop. The circuit voltage could not be varied and operated at +/- 5 volts dc; this circuit was also stable but failed to oscillate the polymer coated crystal in an atmosphere saturated with toluene vapors. The third oscillator circuit was of similar construction and relied on the same video amplifier but allowed operation with variable voltage. This circuit would drive the crystal when the crystal was submerged in liquid toluene and when the crystal was coated with polymer and immersed in toluene vapors. The frequency readings

  3. Electroluminescence of doped and undoped AlN/SiC-heterojunctions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bruesewitz, Christoph; Vetter, Ulrich; Hofsaess, Hans [II. Physikalisches Institut, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen (Germany)

    2010-07-01

    AlN with its large and direct bandgap is a useful host for optoelectronic applications. Grown on 6H-SiC, a heterojunction is created, forming a diode. The light emitted by n-doped 6H-SiC via electroluminescence forms a broad band with a maximum at a wavelength of 475 nm. With the AlN layer on the surface, nitrogen atoms can diffuse into the 6H-SiC, creating new energy levels. Depending on the direction of the current and additional dopants in the AlN layer, the carrier concentration changes and new levels are available, resulting in different colours. It is shown that in this heterojunction blue, red and white colours are feasible.

  4. Bipolar characteristics of AlGaN/AlN/GaN/AlGaN double heterojunction structure with AlGaN as buffer layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, Enchao; Wang, Xiaoliang; Xiao, Hongling; Wang, Cuimei; Yin, Haibo; Chen, Hong; Feng, Chun; Jiang, Lijuan; Hou, Xun; Wang, Zhanguo

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •2DEG and 2DHG coexist in the AlGaN/AlN/GaN/AlGaN DH-structure. •The sheet densities of 2DEG and 2DHG vary with buffer Al content and GaN thickness. •The conditions for the disappearance of 2DHG are discussed. •Increasing buffer Al content provides better electron confinement. •Dislocation scattering is reduced in the DH-structure. -- Abstract: This is a theoretical study of AlGaN/AlN/GaN/AlGaN double heterojunction (DH) structure with AlGaN as buffer layer. Our calculation shows that as the buffer Al content increases, though two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) sheet density decreases, the channel back-barrier caused by polarization-induced electric field in GaN provides better electron confinement. And under certain conditions the DH-structure shows bipolar characteristics, with an additional two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) formed at GaN/AlGaN interface. The influence of the buffer Al content and GaN channel thickness on the 2DEG and 2DHG sheet densities are investigated, and the conditions for the disappearance of 2DHG are discussed. Also, the mobility inhibited by dislocation scattering is enhanced in DH-structure due to the enhancement of screening effect of the 2DEG

  5. Resonance Raman assignment and evidence for noncoupling of individual 2- and 4-vinyl vibrational modes in a monomeric cyanomethemoglobin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gersonde, K.; Yu, N.T.; Lin, S.H.; Smith, K.M.; Parish, D.W.

    1989-01-01

    We have investigated the resonance Raman spectra of monomeric insect cyanomethemoglobins (CTT III and CTT IV) reconstituted with (1) protohemes IX selectively deuterated at the 4-vinyl as well as the 2,4-divinyls, (2) monovinyl-truncated hemes such as pemptoheme (2-hydrogen, 4-vinyl) and isopemptoheme (2-vinyl, 4-hydrogen), (3) symmetric hemes such as protoheme III (with 2- and 3-vinyls) and protoheme XIII (with 1- and 4-vinyls), and (4) hemes without 2- and 4-vinyls such as mesoheme IX, deuteroheme IX, 2,4-dimethyldeuteroheme IX, and 2,4-dibromodeuteroheme IX. Evidence is presented that the highly localized vinyl C = C stretching vibrations at the 2- and 4-positions of the heme in these cyanomet CTT hemoglobins are noncoupled and inequivalent; i.e., the 1631- and 1624-cm-1 lines have been assigned to 2-vinyl and 4-vinyl, respectively. The elimination of the 2-vinyl (in pemptoheme) or the 4-vinyl (in isopemptoheme) does not affect the C = C stretching frequency of the remaining vinyl. Furthermore, two low-frequency vinyl bending modes at 412 and 591 cm-1 exhibit greatly different resonance Raman intensities between 2-vinyl and 4-vinyl. The observed intensity at 412 cm-1 is primarily derived from 4-vinyl, whereas the 591-cm-1 line results exclusively from the 2-vinyl. Again, there is no significant coupling between 2-vinyl and 4-vinyl for these two bending modes

  6. Response to Lisovski et al.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Streby, Henry M.; Kramer, Gunnar R.; Peterson, Sean M.; Lehman, Justin A.; Buehler, David A.; Andersen, David

    2018-01-01

    Lisovski et al. [1] describe the widely recognized limitations of light-level geolocator data for identifying short-distance latitudinal movements, recommend that caution be used when interpreting such data, intimated that we did not use such caution and argued that environmental shading likely explained the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) movements described in our 2015 report [2] . Lisovski et al. [1] conclude that the bird movements we reported could not be disentangled from estimation error in stationary animals caused by environmental shading. We argue that, to the contrary, these hypotheses can easily be disentangled because the premise that environmental shading caused synchronous and parallel error among geolocators is false. With their assertion that our location estimates could be biased by >3,500 km on a day with no observable local sources of shading, Lisovski et al. [1] have taken a position of incredulity toward all geolocator-based animal movement data published to date.

  7. The code of light: al-ghazali and al-suhrawardi

    OpenAIRE

    Gediminaitė, Barbora

    2017-01-01

    The Code of Light: Al-Ghazali and Al-Suhrawardi The Bachelor’s thesis The Code of Light in Islam: al-Ghazali and al-Suhrawardi presents a comparative study of light. The study analyses the philosophical systems of al-Ghazali and al-Suhrawardi through the reconstruction of the image of light and its operation principles. The main subject of the thesis are the attributes of light. The main problem of the research is the semantics and contextuality of light in Islamic theology and philosophy. Th...

  8. Pemikiran Filosofis Sadra Dalam Tafsir Al-Qur’an Al-Karim : Surah Al-’A‘la

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kerwanto Kerwanto

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstrak : Dalam tafsir atas Surah al-’A‘lā, Mulla Sadra, melalui karyanya Tafsīr al Qur’ān al-Karīm, mengajak jiwa kita berpetualang menuju lapisan makna terdalam untuk mengenali realitas ketauhidan (al- mabdā’, kenabian (shirāth atau nubuwwah dan kebangkitan (ma‘ād dan mengulasnya secara filosofis. Penelitian ini merupakan suatu upaya untuk menggali manfaat dari aspek-aspek penting dari sumber-sumber keagamaan yang tergali dari petunjuk al Qur’an yang berpadu dengan prinsip- prinsip rasional filosofis dan pengalaman mistik (intuitif Sadra. Setiap bab pada tafsir ini diberikan judul dengan tasbīḥ (pernyataan pemujian dan pensucian, dengan tetap memaparkan beragam pokok persoalan terkait metafisika al-Qur’an. Prinsip-prinsip filosofis yang digunakan dalam risalah tafsir ini bisa menjadi salah satu bukti ketidakberjarakan antara filsafat dengan teks-teks keagamaan. Sadra menggunakan metode tafsir yang tetap menerima sisi lahiriah al-Qur’an, dan selanjutnya mencari misteri-misteri, rahasia-rahasia, dan dengan bantuan intelek (akal, intuisi dan iluminasi Tuhan untuk memperoleh realitas-realitas dan makna- makna dibalik selaput ekternalnya (aspek literalnyaKata kunci : Ḥikmah Muta’āliyah, irfan, al-mabdā’, kebangkitan setelah mati, nubuwwah, takwīl, gerak substansial (ḥarakah jawhariyyah, denotasi utama (al-maqshūd al-ashlī, penyempurnaan diri (takammul, tasbīḥ.  Abstract : In his commentary on Surah al-’ A‘lā, Mulla Sadra, through his Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Karīm invites our souls to ventureinto the deepest layers of meaning to recognize the reality of Divinity (al- mabdā’, prophethood (Ṣirāṭ or nubuwwah and resurrection (ma‘ād and discusses it in a more philosophical manner. This study is an attempt to explore the benefits of these important aspects of religious sources unearthed from Qur’anic injunctions combined with rational principles of philosophical and mystical experiences

  9. A united refinement technology for commercial pure Al by Al-10Ti and Al-Ti-C master alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma Xiaoguang; Liu Xiangfa; Ding Haimin

    2009-01-01

    Because flake-like TiAl 3 particles in Al-Ti-C master alloys prepared in a melt reaction method dissolve slowly when they are added into Al melt at 720 deg. C, Ti atoms cannot be released rapidly to play the assistant role of grain refinement, leading to a poor refinement efficiency of Al-Ti-C master alloys. A united refinement technology by Al-10Ti and Al-Ti-C master alloys was put forward in this paper. The rational combination of fine blocky TiAl 3 particles in Al-10Ti and TiC particles in Al-Ti-C can improve the nucleation rate of α-Al. It not only improves the grain refinement efficiency of Al-Ti-C master alloys, but also reduces the consumption

  10. The photoionization spectrum of neutral aluminium, Al I

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roig, R. A.

    1975-01-01

    The absorption spectrum of Al I has been studied for the wavelength range 1160 to 2000 A by the flash pyrolysis technique. Wavelengths and derived energy levels are reported for 70 new lines converging on the 3s3p(3)P(0) limits of Al II. The autoionization parameters of the 3p(2)P(0)-3p(2)(2)S doublet have been measured. Good agreement is obtained with the experiment of Kohl and Parkinson and the recent calculation of Le Dourneuf et al. The relative photoionization cross section has been measured in the wavelength region 1200 A to 2000 A.

  11. Liver X Receptor Genes Variants Modulate ALS Phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mouzat, Kevin; Molinari, Nicolas; Kantar, Jovana; Polge, Anne; Corcia, Philippe; Couratier, Philippe; Clavelou, Pierre; Juntas-Morales, Raul; Pageot, Nicolas; Lobaccaro, Jean -Marc A; Raoul, Cedric; Lumbroso, Serge; Camu, William

    2018-03-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is one of the most severe motor neuron (MN) disorders in adults. Phenotype of ALS patients is highly variable and may be influenced by modulators of energy metabolism. Recent works have implicated the liver X receptors α and β (LXRs), either in the propagation process of ALS or in the maintenance of MN survival. LXRs are nuclear receptors activated by oxysterols, modulating cholesterol levels, a suspected modulator of ALS severity. In a cohort of 438 ALS patients and 330 healthy controls, the influence of LXR genes on ALS risk and phenotype was studied using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The two LXRα SNPs rs2279238 and rs7120118 were shown to be associated with age at onset in ALS patients. Consistently, homozygotes were twice more correlated than were heterozygotes to delayed onset. The onset was thus delayed by 3.9 years for rs2279238 C/T carriers and 7.8 years for T/T carriers. Similar results were obtained for rs7120118 (+2.1 years and +6.7 years for T/C and C/C genotypes, respectively). The LXRβ SNP rs2695121 was also shown to be associated with a 30% increase of ALS duration (p = 0.0055, FDR = 0.044). The tested genotypes were not associated with ALS risk. These findings add further evidence to the suspected implication of LXR genes in the disease process of ALS and might open new perspectives in ALS therapeutics.

  12. Liquidus projection of the Nb-Cr-Al system near the Al3(Nb,Cr) + Cr(Al,Nb) eutectic region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza, S.A.; Ferrandini, P.L.; Nunes, C.A.; Coelho, A.A.; Caram, R.

    2006-01-01

    The system Nb-Cr-Al was investigated in the region near the Al 3 (Nb,Cr) + Cr(Al,Nb) eutectic and the liquidus projection of that region was determined based on the microstructural characterization of arc melted alloys. The characterization utilized scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results allowed one to determine three primary solidification liquidus surfaces ((Cr,Al) 2 Nb, Cr(Al,Nb) and Al 3 (Nb,Cr)), that are originated from the binary systems Cr-Nb, Cr-Al and Al-Nb. It is proposed the occurrence of the invariant reaction L + (Cr,Al) 2 Nb ↔ Al 3 (Nb,Cr) + Cr(Al,Nb) and of a point of minimum, which involves a three phase reaction, L ↔ Al 3 (Nb,Cr) + Cr(Al,Nb). All alloys studied showed formation of the Al 3 (Nb,Cr) + Cr(Al,Nb) eutectic as the last solidification step with Al(Nb)Cr 2 precipitating from Cr(Al,Nb)

  13. Controlling The Surface Water of Shatt Al Arab River by using Sluice Gates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Naseh Ahmed Hamdan

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to find hydrodynamic simulations of river water by controlging gates in Shatt Al Arab river. This river is formed by the meeting of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers near the city of Qurna in the south of Iraq, and it pours into the Arabian Gulf. Hydrodynamic simulations give a proper understanding performance and optimize utilization of the gates controlging the water level. Three different sluice gates opening cases simulate the water surface level using HEC-RAS in Shatt Al Arab river. These cases where being studied within two situations of Tide (the highest high water level and the lowest low water level within the downstream of Shatt Al Arab river. The study also deals with six cases of flow rates in upstream of Shatt Al Arab river. Hec-Ras model is produced by US Army for analyzing river system. This model could simulate steady and unsteady open channel flow.

  14. A united refinement technology for commercial pure Al by Al-10Ti and Al-Ti-C master alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma Xiaoguang [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Liu Xiangfa [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China)], E-mail: xfliu@sdu.edu.cn; Ding Haimin [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China)

    2009-03-05

    Because flake-like TiAl{sub 3} particles in Al-Ti-C master alloys prepared in a melt reaction method dissolve slowly when they are added into Al melt at 720 deg. C, Ti atoms cannot be released rapidly to play the assistant role of grain refinement, leading to a poor refinement efficiency of Al-Ti-C master alloys. A united refinement technology by Al-10Ti and Al-Ti-C master alloys was put forward in this paper. The rational combination of fine blocky TiAl{sub 3} particles in Al-10Ti and TiC particles in Al-Ti-C can improve the nucleation rate of {alpha}-Al. It not only improves the grain refinement efficiency of Al-Ti-C master alloys, but also reduces the consumption.

  15. United modification of Al-24Si alloy by Al-P and Al-Ti-C master alloys

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    韩延峰; 刘相法; 王海梅; 王振卿; 边秀房; 张均艳

    2003-01-01

    The modification effect of a new type of Al-P master alloy on Al-24Si alloys was investigated. It is foundthat excellent modification effect can be obtained by the addition of this new type of A1-P master alloy into Al-24Simelt and the average primary Si grain size is decreased below 47 μm from original 225 μm. It is also found that theTiC particles in the melt coming from Al8Ti2C can improve the modification effect of the Al-P master alloy. Whenthe content of TiC particles in the Al-24Si melt is 0.03 %, the improvement reaches the maximum and keeps steadywith increasing content of TiC particles. Modification effect occurs at 50 min after the addition of the Al-P master al-loy and TiC particles, and keeps stable with prolonging holding time.

  16. Nanoporous Al sandwich foils using size effect of Al layer thickness during Cu/Al/Cu laminate rolling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Hailiang; Lu, Cheng; Tieu, A. Kiet; Li, Huijun; Godbole, Ajit; Kong, Charlie

    2018-06-01

    The roll bonding technique is one of the most widely used methods to produce metal laminate sheets. Such sheets offer interesting research opportunities for both scientists and engineers. In this paper, we report on an experimental investigation of the 'thickness effect' during laminate rolling for the first time. Using a four-high multifunction rolling mill, Cu/Al/Cu laminate sheets were fabricated with a range of thicknesses (16, 40, 70 and 130 μm) of the Al layer. The thickness of the Cu sheets was a constant 300 μm. After rolling, TEM images show good bonding quality between the Cu and Al layers. However, there are many nanoscale pores in the Al layer. The fraction of nanoscale pores in the Al layer increases with a reduction in the Al layer thickness. The finite element method was used to simulate the Cu/Al/Cu rolling process. The simulation results reveal the effect of the Al layer thickness on the deformation characteristics of the Cu/Al/Cu laminate. Finally, we propose that the size effect of the Al layer thickness during Cu/Al/Cu laminate rolling may offer a method to fabricate 'nanoporous' Al sandwich laminate foils. Such foils can be used in electromagnetic shielding of electrical devices and noisy shielding of building.

  17. Structural stability and electronic properties of AlCu3, AlCu2Zr in AlZr3: Stabilnost strukture in elektronske lastnosti AlCu3, AlCu2Zr in AlZr3:

    OpenAIRE

    Cheng, Rong; Wu, Xiao-Yu

    2013-01-01

    First-principles calculations were performed to study the alloying stability and electronic structure of the Al-based intermetallic compounds AlCusub3, AlCusub{2}Zr and AlZrsub3. The results show that the lattice parameters obtained after the full relaxation of the crystalline cells are consistent with the experimental data, and these intermetallics have a strong alloying ability and structural stability due to their negative formation energies and their cohesive energies. A further analysis ...

  18. Wide bandgap engineering of (AlGa)2O3 films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Fabi; Saito, Katsuhiko; Tanaka, Tooru; Nishio, Mitsuhiro; Guo, Qixin; Arita, Makoto

    2014-01-01

    Bandgap tunable (AlGa) 2 O 3 films were deposited on sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The deposited films are of high transmittance as measured by spectrophotometer. The Al content in films is almost the same as that in targets. The measurement of bandgap energies by examining the onset of inelastic energy loss in core-level atomic spectra using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is proved to be valid for determining the bandgap of (AlGa) 2 O 3 films as it is in good agreement with the bandgap values from transmittance spectra. The measured bandgap of (AlGa) 2 O 3 films increases continuously with the Al content covering the whole Al content range from about 5 to 7 eV, indicating PLD is a promising growth technology for growing bandgap tunable (AlGa) 2 O 3 films.

  19. INSIDAD BAB AL-IJTIHAD DAN PENGARUHNYA TERHADAP MADHHAB SHAFI‘I

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luthfi Hadi Aminuddin

    2016-02-01

      Abstract: This work is based on historcal Islamic legal development especially discourse of closing ijtiha>d ’authority’. Muslem and non-moslem specialist writers sure that this discourse happened pasca a’immat al-madha>hib phase.  This phase refers to the era when the creative thinking is stagnant. Amount of Shafi’ithe ulama> who state a binding ruling in religious matters of closing ijtiha>d authority, according to them, are responsible. This paper is to show that closing ijtiha>d ’authority’ discourse (insida>d ba> al-ijtiha>d begins from the times when al-Ghaza>li>, al-Ra>fi’i>, and al-Nawa>wi> clasify mujtahid prerequsites. Their ’mujtahid qualifications’ are efforts which can close ijtiha>d ’authority’ (bab> al-ijtiha>d. Mujtahids did do Ijtiha>d as a creative thinking such as insha>’i> and intiqa>’i>. But they did this as mujtahid muntasib, mujtahid fi> al-madhhab or al-mujtahid al-murajjih} as a different level from mujtahid mustaqill. As}ha>b al-Sha>fi‘i> such as al-Muzani>, al-Buwayt}i>, a-Juwayni>, al-Shayra>zi>, al-Ghaza>li>, al-Ra>fi‘i> and al-Nawa>wi> standardize istinba>t} method which Sha>fi’i> formulated.   Keywords: Insida>d Ba>b al-Ijtiha>d, Dissenting Opinion, Tah}ri>r, Ijtiha>d Intiqa>’i>, Takhri>j.

  20. Reduction of Adipose Tissue Mass by the Angiogenesis Inhibitor ALS-L1023 from Melissa officinalis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byung Young Park

    Full Text Available It has been suggested that angiogenesis modulates adipogenesis and obesity. This study was undertaken to determine whether ALS-L1023 (ALS prepared by a two-step organic solvent fractionation from Melissa leaves, which exhibits antiangiogenic activity, can regulate adipose tissue growth. The effects of ALS on angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling were measured using in vitro assays. The effects of ALS on adipose tissue growth were investigated in high fat diet-induced obese mice. ALS inhibited VEGF- and bFGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation and suppressed matrix metalloproteinase (MMP activity in vitro. Compared to obese control mice, administration of ALS to obese mice reduced body weight gain, adipose tissue mass and adipocyte size without affecting appetite. ALS treatment decreased blood vessel density and MMP activity in adipose tissues. ALS reduced the mRNA levels of angiogenic factors (VEGF-A and FGF-2 and MMPs (MMP-2 and MMP-9, whereas ALS increased the mRNA levels of angiogenic inhibitors (TSP-1, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 in adipose tissues. The protein levels of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were also decreased by ALS in adipose tissue. Metabolic changes in plasma lipids, liver triglycerides, and hepatic expression of fatty acid oxidation genes occurred during ALS-induced weight loss. These results suggest that ALS, which has antiangiogenic and MMP inhibitory activities, reduces adipose tissue mass in nutritionally obese mice, demonstrating that adipose tissue growth can be regulated by angiogenesis inhibitors.

  1. Religiousness is positively associated with quality of life of ALS caregivers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvo, Andrea; Moglia, Cristina; Ilardi, Antonio; Cammarosano, Stefania; Gallo, Sara; Canosa, Antonio; Mastro, Enza; Montuschi, Anna; Chiò, Adriano

    2011-05-01

    It has been repeatedly shown that religiousness and spirituality have positive effects on quality of life (QoL) and outcome in ALS patients. here are, however, very few data on the impact of religiousness/spirituality on ALS caregivers. We determined the impact of religiousness on caregivers and its correlation with quality of life, depression and anxiety. A total of 75 consecutive ALS patients and their informal caregivers were interviewed using tests evaluating religiousness, depression, anxiety, quality of life and satisfaction with life. Results showed that there was a significant correlation between patients and caregivers' public and total religiousness. Caregivers' private religiousness was related to their age and education level, while their public religiousness was related only to their education level. Caregivers' quality of life was related to their private religiousness and satisfaction with life with their total religiousness. We conclude that religiousness is positively associated with ALS caregivers' quality of life and satisfaction with life, in a measure similar to that observed in ALS patients. Health care professionals caring for ALS patients should consider that the needs of the caregivers include religious/spiritual concerns.

  2. Bound states of 27Al studied at selected 26Mg(p,γ)27Al resonances, ch. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maas, J.W.; Holvast, A.J.C.D.; Baghus, A.; Endt, P.M.

    1976-01-01

    Measurements of the γ-ray decay and angular distributions at eight low-energy (Esub(P) 26 Mg (p,γ) 27 Al resonances lead to the spin and parity assignments Jsup(π) = 3/2 + , 1/2 - , 3/2 - , 5/2 + , 5/2, 3/2 - , 9/2 - and 7/2 for the bound states at Esub(x) = 3.96, 4.05, 5.15, 5.25, 5.44, 6.16, 6.99, 7.23 and 7.47 MeV, respectively. For other levels, spin and parity limitations are set. Also reported are precise excitation energies, branching and mixing ratios and lifetime limits. For the resonances, additional information is given on energies, strengths and widths. The reaction Q-value is Q = 8267.2 +- 0.7 keV. The level scheme of 27 Al, complemented with these new data, is compared with the results from recent shell-model calculations

  3. Atomic layer deposition of Al-doped ZnO thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tynell, Tommi; Yamauchi, Hisao; Karppinen, Maarit; Okazaki, Ryuji; Terasaki, Ichiro [Department of Chemistry, Aalto University, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan)

    2013-01-15

    Atomic layer deposition has been used to fabricate thin films of aluminum-doped ZnO by depositing interspersed layers of ZnO and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} on borosilicate glass substrates. The growth characteristics of the films have been investigated through x-ray diffraction, x-ray reflection, and x-ray fluorescence measurements, and the efficacy of the Al doping has been evaluated through optical reflectivity and Seebeck coefficient measurements. The Al doping is found to affect the carrier density of ZnO up to a nominal Al dopant content of 5 at. %. At nominal Al doping levels of 10 at. % and higher, the structure of the films is found to be strongly affected by the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase and no further carrier doping of ZnO is observed.

  4. NMR and NQR study of the electronic and structural properties of Al-Cu-Fe and Al-Cu-Ru quasicrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shastri, A.; Borsa, F.; Torgeson, D.R.; Shield, J.E.; Goldman, A.I.

    1994-01-01

    27 Al and 63,65 Cu NMR is reported for powdered stable Al-Cu-Fe and Al-Cu-Ru icosahedral quasicrystals and crystalline approximants, and for an Al-Pd-Mn single-grain quasicrystal. 27 Al NQR spectra at 4.2 K were observed in Al-Cu-Fe and Al-Cu-Ru samples. From quadrupole-perturbed NMR spectra at different magnetic fields, and from zero-field NQR spectra, a wide distribution of local electric-field gradient (EFG) tensor components and principal-axis-system orientations was found at the Al site. A model EFG calculation based on a 1/1 Al-Cu-Fe approximant successfully explained the observed NQR spectra. The average local gradient is largely determined by the p-electron wave function at the Al site, while the width of the distribution is due to EFG lattice contribution. Comparison of 63 Cu and 27 Al NMR shows the EFG distribution at the two sites is similar, but the electronic contribution to the EFG is considerably smaller at the Cu site, in agreement with a more s-type wave function of the conduction electrons. Overall spread of EFG values is well reproduced by calculation based on the approximant. However, the experimental spectra indicate a much larger number of nonequivalent sites when compared with the simulated NQR spectra based on the 1/1 approximant. The short-range, local chemical order is well represented by the approximant, but differences in coordination must be included at intermediate range in the quasicrystal. Measured 27 Al Knight shift, magnetic susceptibility, and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time as a function of temperature indicate reduced density of states at the Fermi level by a factor of 7 or 8 from the value in Al metal, consistent with the notion of a pseudogap for these quasicrystals. No differences in measured parameters were detected as a function of composition of the quasicrystalline alloys

  5. Effect of surface passivation by SiN/SiO2 of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors on Si substrate by deep level transient spectroscopy method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gassoumi, Malek; Mosbahi, Hana; Zaidi, Mohamed Ali; Gaquiere, Christophe; Maaref, Hassen

    2013-01-01

    Device performance and defects in AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors have been correlated. The effect of SiN/SiO 2 passivation of the surface of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors on Si substrates is reported on DC characteristics. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements were performed on the device after the passivation by a (50/100 nm) SiN/SiO 2 film. The DLTS spectra from these measurements showed the existence of the same electron trap on the surface of the device

  6. Effect of the addition of Al-Ti-C master alloy on the microstructure and microhardness of a cast Al-10Mg alloy

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2006-01-01

    The microstructure and microhardness of a cast Al-10wt%Mg (henceforth Al-l0Mg) alloy with 0.2wt% addition of Al-5Ti-0.25C master alloy were compared with those of a refiner-free alloy of similar chemical composition.It was found that this level of the master alloy addition not only caused an effective grain refinement, but also caused a significant increase in the microhardness of the Al-10Mg alloy.Microchemical analysis revealed that TiC particles existed in the grain center.The relationship between the holding time and grain size was also studied.It shows that the grain refining efficiency is faded observably with the holding time.This is explained in terms of the instability of TiC particles.

  7. Metodologi Kitab Ma‘alim al-Tanzil Karya Al-Bagawiy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Rusydi Khalid

    2017-12-01

    This study aims to describe the metodology of Ma'a> lim al-tanzi>l book by al-Bagawi. The book is one of the books of exegesis written on the basis of hadith, which by the commentary scholars recognized avoided from heresy and weak hadith. The author of this book is Imam Abu Humaid Hussein bin Mas‘u>d al-Farra>’ Al-Bagawi al-Syafi‘i>, died in the year 510 H. This exegesis book combines the interpretation of the companions, tabi‘i>n, and tabi‘i> tabi‘i>n. Interpretation is broken down with easy, simple, and concise diction choices. The stoning of the interpretation of the salaf scholars without mentioning the sanad as already mentioned in the introduction to his book. This book was first printed in one edition with the exegesis book of Ibn Kas}i>r and al-kha>zin. This book interprets the Qur'an analytically from the beginning to the end of the surah by using the method of interpretation based on the hadith, namely by mentioning the arguments of the hadith sahih, the fatwa of the companions and the tabi‘i>n. The characteristic or purpose of this book is fiqh oriented, which tends to the Shafi‘i fiqh.   Abstrak Tulisan ini mendeskripsikan metode penafsiran dalam kitab Ma’a>lim al-tanzi>l karya al-bagawi. Kitab tafsir ini merupakan salah satu di antara kitab-kitab tafsir yang ditulis berdasarkan riwayat, yang oleh para ulama tafsir diakui terhindar dari bid’ah dan hadis dhaif (lemah. Penulis buku ini adalah Imam Abu Muhammad Husain bin Mas‘u>d al-Farra>‘ al-Bagawi al-Syafi‘i>, wafat pada tahun 510 H. Kitab ini adalah kitab pertengahan yang mengutip penafsiran para Sahabat, ta>bi‘i>n, dan tabi‘i ta>bi‘i>n. Penafsiran diuraikan dengan pilihan diksi yang mudah, sederhana, dan ringkas. Penukilan dari interpretasi ulama salaf tanpa menyebutkan sanad karena telah disebutkan dalam pendahuluan bukunya. Buku ini pertama kali dicetak dalam satu edisi dengan tafsir Ibn Kas\\i>r dan tafsir al-Kha>zin. Kitab ini menafsirkan al-Qur’an secara

  8. ALS Association

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... toward a world without ALS! Walk to Defeat ALS® Walk to Defeat ALS® draws people of all ... We need your help. I Will Advocate National ALS Registry The National ALS Registry is a congressionally ...

  9. A Review on the Concepts of Traditional Architecture by Mulla Sadra’s Al-Hikmat Al-Mota'alie

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeinab Soleimani Sheijani

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Paying little attention to the roots of today's architecture has departed the contemporary architecture from its conceptual origins. However, the single application of traditional architecture principles does not fulfill the demands of today's life. Although by peering into the traditional Iranian architecture, principles and specific ideas implicit in the Islamic wisdom of Iran are revealed. In addition to maintaining the values of traditional architecture, a new approach to architectural design can also be achieved by recognizing and integrating these principles with the necessities of today's life. The article aims to answer whether it is possible to create a link between the traditional Iranian architecture concepts and the principles of contemporary rational architecture, similar to what Mulla Sadra, the great Persian philosopher, created between the Iranian ancient wisdom and al-Hikmat al-Masha which was solely a rational philosophy. To achieve the mentioned aim, first Mulla Sadra's intellectual structure has been studied, after modeling al-Hikmat al-Mota'alie. Then the traditional architecture has been analyzed in order to recognize its being (al-Wojud and essence (al-Mahiyat. The priority of being has been introduced in the next step, followed by levels of being. The next pace was to discuss the structure of Mulla Sadra's thinking method in architecture. The results of study indicate that the process of communication between ancient wisdom and al-Hikmat al-Mashaexplained by Sadra can be classified in two phases, cognizing and integrating. In the stage of integration Sadra used rational reasoning to prove the issues that have been obtained through intuition and the same trend can be applied in architecture. The intuitive aspects of traditional architecture can also be presented within the framework of today's rationalist architecture in two steps, including cognizing and integrating.

  10. AlN nanoparticle-reinforced nanocrystalline Al matrix composites: Fabrication and mechanical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Y.Q.; Cong, H.T.; Wang, W.; Sun, C.H.; Cheng, H.M.

    2009-01-01

    To improve the specific strength and stiffness of Al-based composites, AlN/Al nanoparticles were in-situ synthesized by arc plasma evaporation of Al in nitrogen atmosphere and consolidated by hot-pressing to fabricate AlN nanoparticle-reinforced nanocrystalline Al composites (0-39 vol.% AlN). Microstructure characterization shows that AlN nanoparticles homogeneously distribute in the matrix of Al nanocrystalline, which forms atomically bonded interfaces of AlN/Al. The hardness and the elastic modulus of the nanocomposite have been improved dramatically, up to 3.48 GPa and 142 GPa, respectively. Such improvement is believed to result from the grain refinement strengthening and the interface strengthening (load transfer) between the Al matrix and AlN nanoparticles

  11. Comparison of one and two-neutron transfer near the Coulomb barrier for the 27Al(18O, 16O)29Al, 27Al(18O, 17O)28Al and 27Al(13C, 12C)28Al reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schiller, S.A.; Eck, J.S.

    1975-01-01

    Total reaction cross sections for the transfer reactions 27 Al( 18 O, 16 O) 29 Al, 27 Al( 18 O, 17 O) 28 Al and 27 Al( 13 C, 12 C) 28 Al are reported for center-of-mass energies between 13 and 20 MeV for 18 O projectiles and between 11 and 17.5 MeV for 13 C projectiles. The reaction products, 29 Al, and 28 Al, beta decay to 29 Si and 28 Si, respectively, and the subsequent γ decays of 29 Si and 28 Si were measured. Due to the relatively long beta decay half lives, data were taken in a beam-off mode, resulting in very clean spectra. Total cross sections were calculated and compared with a theoretical model for barrier penetration proposed by C.Y. Wong. Differences between 18 O induced one and two-neutron total transfer reaction cross sections are discussed. (orig.) [de

  12. KONSEP MᾹQᾹṢID AL-SYᾹRĪAH MENURUT ṬᾹHᾹ JᾹBIR AL-‘ALWᾹNĪ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chasnak Najidah

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available One discourse which is receiving considerable attention from scholars of Islam is about the objectives of Islamic law (maqasid al-shari'ah. Taha Jabir al-'Alwānī as one reviewer of Maqasid al-shari'ah contemporary formulate the concept of maqasid al-shari'ah different from previous scholars. This article describes the concept of maqasid al-shari'ah by Taha Jabir al-'Alwānī. According to him, there are three levels of hierarchical of Maqasid al-Sharia. The highest value of maqasid al-shari'ah says is what he describes as al-Maqasid al-'ulyā al-Hakimah (intentions of the highest shari'ah and a legal basis, which consists of three main elements, namely al-Tawhid ( Onesess of God, al-Tazkiyah (purification and al-'umrān (prosperity. The position of the second al-shari'ah Maqasid are universal values such as justice, freedom, and equality. While the third position is the formulation of the previous scholars regarding maqasid al-shari'ah consisting of ḍarūriyyat, ḥājiyyāt, and taḥsīniyyāt. In terms of methodological, Taha Jabir al-'Alwānī basing the new system for Maqasid al-syarī'ahnya on the methods of al-jam'u Baina al-qirā'atain, a reading of the two entities: the revelation of God and the universe. With this basis, he argues that the maqasid al-shari'ah formulations are qaṭ'ī, so it can be a reference to the scholars in solving the problems of contemporary law.   [Salah satu diskursus yang mendapat perhatian cukup besar dari para akademisi Islam adalah seputar tujuan-tujuan hukum islam  (maqāṣid al-syarī'ah. Ṭāhā Jābir al-‘Alwānī sebagai salah satu ulama pengkaji maqāṣid asy-syarī’ahkontemporer merumuskan konsep maqāṣid asy-syarī’ahyang berbeda dari ulama sebelumnya. Artikel ini mendeskripsikan konsep maqāṣid asy-syarī’ahmenurut Ṭāhā Jābir al-‘Alwānī. Menurutnya, ada tiga tingkatan hierarkis maqāṣid al-syarī'ah. Nilai tertinggi maqāṣid asy-syarī’ahmenurutnya adalah apa

  13. The dependence of C IV broad absorption line properties on accompanying Si IV and Al III absorption: relating quasar-wind ionization levels, kinematics, and column densities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Filiz Ak, N.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, D. P.; Trump, J. R. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Hall, P. B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 (Canada); Anderson, S. F. [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Hamann, F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-2055 (United States); Myers, Adam D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Pâris, I. [Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago (Chile); Petitjean, P. [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, Universite Paris 6, F-75014 Paris (France); Ross, Nicholas P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Shen, Yue [Carnegie Observatories, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); York, Don, E-mail: nfilizak@astro.psu.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

    2014-08-20

    We consider how the profile and multi-year variability properties of a large sample of C IV Broad Absorption Line (BAL) troughs change when BALs from Si IV and/or Al III are present at corresponding velocities, indicating that the line of sight intercepts at least some lower ionization gas. We derive a number of observational results for C IV BALs separated according to the presence or absence of accompanying lower ionization transitions, including measurements of composite profile shapes, equivalent width (EW), characteristic velocities, composite variation profiles, and EW variability. We also measure the correlations between EW and fractional-EW variability for C IV, Si IV, and Al III. Our measurements reveal the basic correlated changes between ionization level, kinematics, and column density expected in accretion-disk wind models; e.g., lines of sight including lower ionization material generally show deeper and broader C IV troughs that have smaller minimum velocities and that are less variable. Many C IV BALs with no accompanying Si IV or Al III BALs may have only mild or no saturation.

  14. First-principle study of the AlP/Si interfacial adhesion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dai Hongshang [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, 73 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250061 (China); Du Jing [School of Science, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101 (China); Wang Li; Peng Chuanxiao [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, 73 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250061 (China); Liu Xiangfa, E-mail: xfliu@sdu.edu.c [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, 73 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250061 (China); Shandong Binzhou Bohai Piston Co. Ltd., Binzhou 256602, Shandong (China)

    2010-01-15

    AlP is heterogeneous nucleation substrate of primary Si in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys, while studies on the nucleation mechanism at atomic level are absent. The pseudopotential-based DFT calculations have been carried out to investigate the atomic and electronic structure, bonding and adhesion of the AlP/Si interface. In total, eight geometries have been investigated, in which the interfacial stacking sequence is different. The favorable interfaces can be deduced for the reason that adhesive interface energies (W{sub ad}) are different, which cannot be obtained from the traditional mismatch theory. The interfacial density of states and Mulliken population are also investigated. It is found that the main bond between AlP and Si is covalent Al-Si or P-Si bond, accompanying some ionic characteristic.

  15. Efficacy of Surah Al-Rehman in Managing Depression in Muslim Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafique, Rafia; Anjum, Afifa; Raheem, Shazza Shazdey

    2017-09-12

    The study empirically investigated the idea that Quranic verses (Surah Al-Rehman) can help manage depression. Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Everything has an adornment, and the adornment of the Qur'an is Surah Al-Rehman." Surah Al-Rehman is the most rhythmic surah of the Quran, so it was used for our experimental study. The idea of the study was drawn from the premise that music therapy helps reduce depression. The objective of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of Surah Al-Rehman for managing depression in Muslim women admitted for treatment of major depressive disorder in a psychiatry ward of a government hospital. It was hypothesized that women diagnosed with severe depression in the treatment group will have reduced level of depression as compared to control group at post-assessment level. It was further hypothesized that the amount of decrease in depression in treatment group at the post-assessment level will be greater as compared to the control group. A purposive sample of 12 female patients diagnosed with depression was randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 6) and control group (n = 6). Assessment was done at pre- and post-level by using Beck Depression Inventory-II. Both groups did not significantly differ on pre-assessment depression scores. Twelve structured group sessions of 22 min, two times a day, were conducted for a period of 4 weeks with the groups. Treatment group was made to listen to Surah Al-Rehman recited by Qari Abdul Basit, and control group was exposed to music used for relaxation and treatment of depression. Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to find the within-group differences between pre- and post-assessment scores. Both groups had decreased level of depression at post-assessment level, so it was important to assess if there was any difference in level of decrease. Mann-Whitney U test for comparison of groups on level of decrease at the

  16. Al-matrix composite materials reinforced by Al-Cu-Fe particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonneville, J; Laplanche, G; Joulain, A; Gauthier-Brunet, V; Dubois, S

    2010-01-01

    Al-matrix material composites were produced using hot isostatic pressing technique, starting with pure Al and icosahedral (i) Al-Cu-Fe powders. Depending on the processing temperature, the final reinforcement particles are either still of the initial i-phase or transformed into the tetragonal ω-Al0 0.70 Cu 0.20 Fe 0.10 crystalline phase. Compression tests performed in the temperature range 293K - 823K on the two types of composite, i.e. Al/i and Al/ω, indicate that the flow stress of both composites is strongly temperature dependent and exhibit distinct regimes with increasing temperature. Differences exist between the two composites, in particular in yield stress values. In the low temperature regime (T ≤ 570K), the yield stress of the Al/ω composite is nearly 75% higher than that of the Al/i composite, while for T > 570K both composites exhibit similar yield stress values. The results are interpreted in terms of load transfer contribution between the matrix and the reinforcement particles and elementary dislocation mechanisms in the Al matrix.

  17. Kritik Pandangan G.H.A. Juynboll terhadap Ilmu al-Jarh wa al-Ta’dil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arif Chasanul Muna

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The orientalist assumed that the method of ahl ḥadīts is only focused on the sanad analysis. Beyond that, they also give a critic of the sanad analysis methods and assume that is problematic. Among orientalists who discuss sanad is G.H.A. Juynboll. Besides, he agreed with his predecessors about the uncomprehensiveness method of ahl ḥadīts, Juynboll also argued that the aforementioned sanad analysis method. According to him, the science of al-jarḥ wa al-ta’dīl -which is the most important aspect in sanad analysis was deeply problematic, the reason can be traced from two sides; the first, the narrators (al-rāwi assessment standards are not objective. The fact is, more assessments are based on the opposite (regionalism; it’s mean that in the early days of the hadith narration there were conflicts between one region to anothers, so that the narrators of the region refused to narrate from another regions. For example, the conflicts occurred between the narrators of Medina and Iraq or between Iraq and Syria. Secondly, a lot the terms have evolved over time, thus there occured various meanings among them. Therefore, through this article the writer will try to criticize this opinion and examine the level of Juynboll understanding to the methods of ahl ḥadīts analysis, especially on the issue of al-jarḥ wa al-ta‘dīl. Afterward, seeing to what extent the actual accuracy of the criticism is given by orientalist (in this case Juynboll to the method of ahl ḥadīts.

  18. Piezo-tunnel effect in Al/Al2O3/Al junctions elaborated by atomic layer deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafael, R.; Puyoo, E.; Malhaire, C.

    2017-11-01

    In this work, the electrical transport in Al/Al2O3/Al junctions under mechanical stress is investigated in the perspective to use them as strain sensors. The metal/insulator/metal junctions are elaborated with a low temperature process (≤200 °C) fully compatible with CMOS back-end-of-line. The conduction mechanism in the structure is found to be Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, and efforts are made to extract the relevant physical parameters. Gauge factors up to -32.5 were found in the fabricated devices under tensile stress. Finally, theoretical mechanical considerations give strong evidence that strain sensitivity in Al/Al2O3/Al structures originates not only from geometrical deformations but also from the variation of interface barrier height and/or effective electronic mass in the tunneling oxide layer.

  19. Generation and evolution of nanoscale AlP and Al{sub 13}Fe{sub 4} particles in Al-Fe-P system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiao, Huan; Gao, Tong; Zhu, Xiangzhen; Wu, Yuying; Qian, Zhao; Liu, Xiangfa, E-mail: xfliu@sdu.edu.cn

    2015-02-15

    Highlights: • Diffusion and gradual solid reactions between Al and Fe{sub x}P phases in Al-Fe-P alloy were investigated. • Nanoscale AlP clusters are in-situ generated and evolve during the whole process. • This novel Al-Fe-P alloy has an excellent low-temperature refining performance on hypereutectic Al-Si alloy. - Abstract: In this paper, the gradual solid reactions between Al and Fe{sub x}P phases in Al-Fe-P alloy were investigated. The results show that the whole reaction process undergoes four main stages: the diffusion of Al atom, the generation of (Al, Fe, P) intermediate compound, the precipitation of nano AlP and Al{sub 13}Fe{sub 4} clusters and their growth to submicron particles. The microstructure of Fe-P particles evolves from the “egg-type”, the “sponge-type” to the “sesame-cake” structure. AlP and Al{sub 13}Fe{sub 4} nano phases have in-situ generated and evolved during the whole process. The gradual reaction mechanism has been discussed. Furthermore, a novel Al-Fe-P alloy which contains (Al, Fe, P) intermediate compounds and nano AlP particles has been synthesized and its low-temperature refining performance on A390 alloy has also been investigated.

  20. Al-induced root cell wall chemical components differences of wheat ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Root growth is different in plants with different levels of Al-tolerance under Al stress. Cell wall chemical components of root tip cell are related to root growth. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between root growth difference and cell wall chemical components. For this purpose, the cell wall chemical ...

  1. Japanese version of the ALS-FTD-Questionnaire (ALS-FTD-Q-J).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Yasuhiro; Beeldman, Emma; Raaphorst, Joost; Izumi, Yuishin; Yoshino, Hiide; Masuda, Michihito; Atsuta, Naoki; Ito, Satoru; Adachi, Tadashi; Adachi, Yoshiki; Yokota, Osamu; Oda, Masaya; Hanashima, Ritsuko; Ogino, Mieko; Ichikawa, Hiroo; Hasegawa, Kazuko; Kimura, Hideki; Shimizu, Toshio; Aiba, Ikuko; Yabe, Hayato; Kanba, Makoto; Kusumi, Kimiyoshi; Aoki, Tetsuya; Hiroe, Yu; Watanabe, Hirohisa; Nishiyama, Kazutoshi; Nomoto, Masahiro; Sobue, Gen; Nakashima, Kenji

    2016-08-15

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) share common clinical, genetic and neuropathological features. Some ALS patients have behavioral/personality changes, which could result in significant obstacles in the care provided by family members and caregivers. An easy screening tool would contribute greatly to the evaluation of these symptoms. We translated the ALS-FTD-Questionnaire, developed in the Netherlands, into Japanese (ALS-FTD-Q-J) and examined the clinimetric properties (internal consistency, construct and clinical validity). Patients with ALS and/or behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) were evaluated alongside healthy controls in this multicenter study. All ALS patients, regardless of bvFTD status, were further evaluated by the frontal behavioral inventory (FBI) and for frontal/executive function, cognition, anxiety/depression, and motor functions. Data from 146 subjects were analyzed: ALS (92), ALS-bvFTD (6), bvFTD (16), and healthy controls (32). The internal consistency of the ALS-FTD-Q-J was good (Cronbach α=0.92). The ALS-FTD-Q-J showed construct validity as it exhibited a high correlation with the FBI (r=0.79). However, correlations were moderate with anxiety/depression and low with cognitive scales, in contrast to the original report, i.e. a moderate correlation with cognition and a low correlation with anxiety/depression. The ALS-FTD-Q-J discriminated ALS patients from (ALS-)bvFTD patients and controls. Thus, the ALS-FTD-Q-J is useful for evaluating Japanese ALS/FTD patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Radiation detection with Nb/Al-AlOx/Al/Nb superconducting tunnel junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumura, Atsuki; Takahashi, Toru; Kurakado, Masahiko

    1992-01-01

    Superconductor radiation detectors have the possibility of 20-30 times better energy resolution than that of a high resolution Si detector. We fabricated Nb/Al-AlOx/Al/Nb superconducting tunnel junctions with low leakage current. X rays were detected with large area junctions of 178x178 μm 2 . High energy resolution of 160 eV for 5.9 keV was obtained. We also fabricated series connected junctions which covers a rather large area of 4x4 mm 2 . α particles injected into the rear substrate were detected using nonthermal phonons induced by the radiations in the substrate. (author)

  3. ALS-Plus Syndrome: Non-Pyramidal Features in a Large ALS Cohort

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCluskey, Leo; Vandriel, Shannon; Elman, Lauren; Van Deerlin, Vivianna M.; Powers, John; Boller, Ashley; Wood, Elisabeth McCarty; Woo, John; McMillan, Corey T.; Rascovsky, Katya; Grossman, Murray

    2014-01-01

    Objective Autopsy studies show widespread pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but clinical surveys of multisystem disease in ALS are rare. We investigated ALS-Plus syndrome, an understudied group of patients with clinical features extending beyond pyramidal and neuromuscular systems with or without cognitive/behavioral deficits. Methods In a large, consecutively-ascertained cohort of 550 patients with ALS, we documented atypical clinical manifestations. Genetic screening for C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansions was performed in 343 patients, and SOD1, TARDBP, and VCP were tested in the subgroup of patients with a family history of ALS. Gray matter and white matter imaging was available in a subgroup of 30 patients. Results Seventy-five (13.6%) patients were identified with ALS-Plus syndrome. We found disorders of ocular motility, cerebellar, extrapyramidal and autonomic functioning. Relative to those without ALS-Plus, cognitive impairment (8.0% vs 2.9%, p=0.029), bulbar-onset (49.3% vs 23.2%, pALS-Plus. Survival was significantly shorter in ALS-Plus (29.66 months vs 42.50 months, p=0.02), regardless of bulbar-onset or mutation status. Imaging revealed significantly greater cerebellar and cerebral disease in ALS-Plus compared to those without ALS-Plus. Conclusions ALS-Plus syndrome is not uncommon, and the presence of these atypical features is consistent with neuropathological observations that ALS is a multisystem disorder. ALS-Plus syndrome is associated with increased risk for poor survival and the presence of a pathogenic mutation. PMID:25086858

  4. 29Si(d,3He)28Al reaction at 29 MeV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vernotte, J.; Berrier-Ronsin, G.; Fortier, S.; Hourani, E.; Kalifa, J.; Khendriche, A.; Maison, J.M.; Rosier, L.H.; Rotbard, G.

    1994-01-01

    The 29 Si(d, 3 He) 28 Al reaction has been investigated at 29 MeV incident energy. Observations using a split-pole magnetic spectrograph have been made of 55 levels of 28 Al in the range of excitation energy between 0 and 6.7 MeV. Most of them have been identified with 28 Al levels which have been previously observed by other techniques. The spectroscopic factors have been obtained for 23 of these levels through distorted-wave Born approximation analyses of measured angular distributions. The levels at E x =3.105 and 3.762 MeV have been definitely assigned J π =1 + and 0 + , respectively. Four levels which are populated through the pickup of a l p =1 proton have been observed at E x =4.998, 5.406, 6.021, and 6.652 MeV. The excitation energies and spectroscopic factors for positive-parity states were compared with the results of a recent, complete sd-shell space, shell-model calculation. This comparison led to the identification of 21 shell-model levels with experimental levels. This comparison seems accurate enough to make very likely the J π =3 + assignment for the levels at E x =2.988 and 4.597 MeV which were previously assigned J π =(1,3) +

  5. Reduction of CaO and MgO Slag Components by Al in Liquid Fe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mu, Haoyuan; Zhang, Tongsheng; Fruehan, Richard J.; Webler, Bryan A.

    2018-05-01

    This study documents laboratory-scale observations of reactions between Fe-Al alloys (0.1 to 2 wt pct Al) with slags and refractories. Al in steels is known to reduce oxide components in slag and refractory. With continued development of Al-containing Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) grade, the effects of higher Al must be examined because reduction of components such as CaO and MgO could lead to uncontrolled modification of non-metallic inclusions. This may lead to castability or in-service performance problems. In this work, Fe-Al alloys and CaO-MgO-Al2O3 slags were melted in an MgO crucible and samples were taken at various times up to 60 minutes. Inclusions from these samples were characterized using an automated scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM/EDS). Initially Al2O3 inclusions were modified to MgAl2O4, then MgO, then MgO + CaO-Al2O3-MgO liquid inclusions. Modification of the inclusions was faster at higher Al levels. Very little Ca modification was observed except at 2 wt pct Al level. The thermodynamic feasibility of inclusion modification and some of the mass transfer considerations that may have led to the differences in the Mg and Ca modification behavior were discussed.

  6. Tailoring ultrafine grained and dispersion-strengthened Ti 2 AlC/TiAl ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In situ Ti 2 AlC/TiAl composite was fabricated by hot-pressing method via the reaction system of Ti 3 AlC 2 and Ti-Al pre-alloyed powders at low temperature of 1150 ∘ C. The composite mainly consisted of TiAl, Ti 3 Al and Ti 2 AlC phases. Fine Ti 2 AlC particles were homogeneously distributed and dispersed in the matrix.

  7. Effect of Al doping on phase formation and thermal stability of iron nitride thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tayal, Akhil [Amity Center for Spintronic Materials, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida 201 303 (India); Gupta, Mukul, E-mail: mgupta@csr.res.in [Amity Center for Spintronic Materials, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida 201 303 (India); Pandey, Nidhi [Amity Center for Spintronic Materials, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida 201 303 (India); Gupta, Ajay [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, University Campus, Khandwa Road, Indore 452 001 (India); Horisberger, Michael [Laboratory for Developments and Methods, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Stahn, Jochen [Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

    2015-11-25

    In the present work, we systematically studied the effect of Al doping on the phase formation of iron nitride (Fe–N) thin films. Fe–N thin films with different concentration of Al (Al = 0, 2, 3, 6, and 12 at.%) were deposited using dc magnetron sputtering by varying the nitrogen partial pressure between 0 and 100%. The structural and magnetic properties of the films were studied using x-ray diffraction and polarized neutron reflectivity. It was observed that at the lowest doping level (2 at.% of Al), nitrogen rich non-magnetic Fe–N phase gets formed at a lower nitrogen partial pressure as compared to the un-doped sample. Interestingly, we observed that as Al doping is increased beyond 3 at.%, nitrogen rich non-magnetic Fe–N phase appears at higher nitrogen partial pressure as compared to un-doped sample. The thermal stability of films were also investigated. Un-doped Fe–N films deposited at 10% nitrogen partial pressure possess poor thermal stability. Doping of Al at 2 at.% improves it marginally, whereas, for 3, 6 and 12 at.% Al doping, it shows significant improvement. The obtained results have been explained in terms of thermodynamics of Fe–N and Al–N. - Highlights: • Doping effects of Al on Fe–N phase formation is studied. • Phase formation shows a non-monotonic behavior with Al doping. • Low doping levels of Al enhance and high levels retard the nitridation process. • Al doping beyond 3 at.% improve thermal stability of Fe–N films.

  8. Holocene sea level, a semi-empirical contemplation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bittermann, K.; Kemp, A.; Vermeer, M.; Rahmstorf, S.

    2017-12-01

    Holocene eustatic sea level from approximately -10,000-1800 CE was characterized by an increase of about 60m, with the rate progressively slowing down until sea level almost stabilizes between 500-1800 CE. Global and northern-hemisphere temperatures rose from the last glacial termination until the `Holocene Optimum'. From ­­there, up to the start of the recent anthropogenic rise, they almost steadily decline. How are the sea-level and temperature evolutions linked? We investigate this with semi-empirical sea-level models. We found that, due to the nature of Milankovitch forcing, northern-hemisphere temperature (we used the Greenland temperature by Vinther et al., 2009) is a better model driver than global mean temperature because the evolving mass of northern-hemisphere land ice was the dominant cause of Holocene global sea-level trends. The adjustment timescale for this contribution is 1200 years (900-1500 years; 90% confidence interval). To fit the observed sea-level history, the model requires a small additional constant rate (Bittermann 2016). This rate turns out to be of the same order of magnitude as reconstructions of Antarctic sea-level contributions (Briggs et al. 2014, Golledge et al. 2014). In reality this contribution is unlikely to be constant but rather has a dominant timescale that is large compared to the time considered. We thus propose that Holocene sea level can be described by a linear combination of a temperature driven rate, which becomes negative in the late Holocene (as Northern Hemisphere ice masses are diminished), and a positive, approximately constant term (possibly from Antarctica), which starts to dominate from the middle of the Holocene until the start of industrialization. Bibliography: Bittermann, K. 2016. Semi-empirical sea-level modelling. PhD Thesis University of Potsdam. Briggs, R.D., et al. 2014. A data-constrained large ensemble analysis of Antarctic evolution since the Eemian. Quaternary science reviews, 103, 91

  9. Assessing behavioural changes in ALS: cross-validation of ALS-specific measures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto-Grau, Marta; Costello, Emmet; O'Connor, Sarah; Elamin, Marwa; Burke, Tom; Heverin, Mark; Pender, Niall; Hardiman, Orla

    2017-07-01

    The Beaumont Behavioural Inventory (BBI) is a behavioural proxy report for the assessment of behavioural changes in ALS. This tool has been validated against the FrSBe, a non-ALS-specific behavioural assessment, and further comparison of the BBI against a disease-specific tool was considered. This study cross-validates the BBI against the ALS-FTD-Q. Sixty ALS patients, 8% also meeting criteria for FTD, were recruited. All patients were evaluated using the BBI and the ALS-FTD-Q, completed by a carer. Correlational analysis was performed to assess construct validity. Precision, sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of the BBI when compared to the ALS-FTD-Q, were obtained. The mean score of the whole sample on the BBI was 11.45 ± 13.06. ALS-FTD patients scored significantly higher than non-demented ALS patients (31.6 ± 14.64, 9.62 ± 11.38; p ALS-FTD-Q was observed (r = 0.807, p ALS-FTD-Q. Good construct validity has been further confirmed when the BBI is compared to an ALS-specific tool. Furthermore, the BBI is a more comprehensive behavioural assessment for ALS, as it measures the whole behavioural spectrum in this condition.

  10. Survey on Cosmogenic 26Al in Lewis Cliff Meteorites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welten, K. C.; Alderliesten, C.; Lindner, L.

    1992-07-01

    INTRODUCTION: We have embarked upon a ^26Al gamma-ray survey of meteorites selected from about 2000 samples recently recovered from the Lewis Cliff Ice Fields (84 degrees 18'S/161 degrees 20'E). Due to its 705-ka half-life ^26Al can be used for estimating terrestrial ages and thus contribute to further characterization of Antarctic meteorites in addition to their classification and thermoluminescence (TL) properties. The ^26Al survey is also useful for identifying meteorites with unusual exposure histories, which merit additional measurements of cosmogenic radionuclides (by AMS) and noble gases. In addition, it provides clues on possible pairings. METHOD: Low-level gamma-ray spectroscopy is well suited for ^26Al survey work, since bulk meteorite samples can be measured routinely and nondestructively without any previous sample preparation. The required size of the samples (30-500 g) makes the method relatively independent of depth effects and compositional inhomogeneities. The use of a high-resolution GeLi detector also allows the determination of the natural ^40K activity and thus the K content of the samples, which can be used as an additional pairing criterion for ordinary chondrites. Also ^137Cs, a fall-out surface contamination [1], is simultaneously measured; low values may be characteristic for meteorites recently fallen or released from the ablating ice. For the detector an efficiency calibration curve has been made that adequately accounts for differences in size and shape of the meteorite samples. RESULTS and DISCUSSION: TERRESTRIAL AGES: So far, we have measured over 30 Lewis Cliff equilibrated H and L chondrites, collected from widely differing locations. Normalized to L-chondrite composition, the ^26Al contents range from 27 to 110 dpm/kg with peaks around 43 and 53 dpm/kg. This bimodal ^26Al distribution is reminiscent of that observed for Allan Hills ordinary chondrites [2]. Tentative terrestrial ages, calculated on the basis of ^26Al saturation

  11. Plastic deformation of Al13Fe4 particles in Al-Al13Fe4 by high-speed compression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoneyama, N.; Mizoguchi, K.; Kumai, S.; Sato, A.; Kiritani, M.

    2003-01-01

    Spray-formed Al-Fe alloys having undergone high-speed deformation were examined under a high-voltage electron microscope. Two types of specimens were examined; one containing fine Al 13 Fe 4 particles, and the other containing large particles. In the former specimen, deformation is found to proceed in three patterns, depending on specimen thickness and strain rate: (1) without deformation of the Al 13 Fe 4 ; (2) breaking of the Al 13 Fe 4 ; or (3) melting of the Al 13 Fe 4 . Local melting is found to alter some of the Al 13 Fe 4 particles, to impart five-fold symmetry in diffraction or an amorphous structure. In the latter specimen, introduction of glide dislocations enabled us to determine a shear system in the mc102 monoclinic c2/m crystal of Al 13 Fe 4 . On the bases of these observations, the mechanism of high-speed deformation is discussed while taking into account the highly stressed and/or heated states of Al 13 Fe 4 embedded in Al matrix

  12. The use of natural radioactive Isotopes in the determination of pollution sources of AL-Kabir AL-Shimali river

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Masri, M. S.; Shwiekani, R.; Mamish, S.

    2012-01-01

    In the present research, variations of concentration levels of some natural radioactive isotopes (226 Ra, 210 Po,210 Pb, U and Th isotopes) and some trace elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) in water and sediments of AL-Kabir AL-Shimali river during the period of 2009-2010 have been studied. The samples were collected along the river from the asphalt factory to the end of the mouth of the river in the Mediterranean Sea. Results showed that concentrations of natural radioactive isotopes have been increased slightly in water and sediments of the river after the asphalt factory and after the factories area, while the concentrations of Rn in the river's water were low along the river except the waters of October 16, Lake Dam that reached a value of 341 mBq/l. These high concentrations in water and sediments of the AL-Kabir AL-Shimali River were due to discharges from the asphalt factory and other factories known to contain natural radioactive isotopes, indicating the possibility of using these isotopes in the determination of pollution sources of AL-Kabir AL-Shimali River. However, the measured concentrations are relatively low compared to the values reported in the world due to river water flow that dilute concentrations of these elements. On the other hand, measurements of trace elements (Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd) showed low concentrations in the waters of the river, with some increases in the concentrations in river sediments after the asphalt factory and the factories area , indicating the contribution of the factories outlets in this increase. The results were compared with the results of previous studies conducted on the Euphrates and the Orontes, where the comparison showed lower values in the AL-Kabir AL-Shimali river environment. (author)

  13. The use of natural radioactive isotopes in the determination of pollution sources of Al-Kabir Al-Shimali river

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    ALmasri, M.; Shweikani, R.; Mamish, S.; Al-Haleem, M.A.; Al-Shamali, K.; Jerby, B.

    2010-10-01

    In the present research, variations of concentration levels of some natural radioactive isotopes ( 226 Ra, 210 Po, 210 Pb, U and Th isotopes) and some trace elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) in water and sediments of Al-Kabir Al-Shimali river during the period of 2009-2010 have been studied. The samples were collected along the river from the asphalt factory to the end of the mouth of the river in the Mediterranean Sea. Results showed that concentrations of natural radioactive isotopes have been increased slightly in water and sediments of the river after the asphalt factory and after the factories area, while the concentrations of Rn in the river's water were low along the river except the waters of October 16, Lake Dam that reached a value of 341mBq/l. These high concentrations in water and sediments of the Al-Kabir Al-Shimali River were due to discharges from the asphalt factory and other factories known to contain natural radioactive isotopes, indicating the possibility of using these isotopes in the determination of pollution sources of Al-Kabir Al-Shimali River. However, the measured concentrations are relatively low compared to the values reported in the world due to river water flow that dilute concentrations of these elements. On the other hand, measurements of trace elements (Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd) showed low concentrations in the waters of the river, with some increases in the concentrations in river sediments after the asphalt factory and the factories area , indicating the contribution of the factories outlets in this increase. The results were compared with the results of previous studies conducted on the Euphrates and the Orontes, where the comparison showed lower values in the Al-Kabir Al-Shimali river environment.(author)

  14. Investigating chlorophyll and nitrogen levels of mangroves at Al-Khor, Qatar: an integrated chemical analysis and remote sensing approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Naimi, Noora; Al-Ghouti, Mohammad A; Balakrishnan, Perumal

    2016-05-01

    Mangroves are unique ecosystems that dominate tropical and subtropical coastlines around the world. They provide shelter and nursery to wide variety of species such as fish and birds. Around 73 species of mangroves were recognized around the world. In Qatar, there is only one mangrove species Avicennia marina that is predominant along the northeastern coast. Assessing the health of these valuable ecosystems is vital for protection, management, and conservation of those resources. In this study, an integrated approach of chemical and remote sensing analysis was implemented to investigate the current status of the mangrove trees in Al-Khor, Qatar. Fifteen different A. marina trees from different locations in the mangrove forest were examined for their chlorophyll and nitrogen content levels. Soil analysis was also conducted to understand the effect of moisture on nitrogen availability. Results shows that currently, mangroves are in a good status in terms of nitrogen availability and chlorophyll levels which are related and both are key factors for photosynthesis. Remote sensing techniques were used for chlorophyll prediction. The results showed that these methods have the potential to be used for chlorophyll prediction and estimation.

  15. Synthesis and characterization of pillared bentonite with Al, AL/Fe and impregnated with Pd; Sintese e caracterizacao de bentonitas pilarizadas com Al, AL/Fe e impregnadas com Pd

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silva, Marcus Vinicius Costa; Pizarro, Alejandro Herrero; Molina, Carmen Belen, E-mail: marcus.ufpa@yahoo.com.br [Universidade Federal do Para (UFPA), Belem, PA (Brazil). Instituto de Tecnologia. Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica; Seccion de Ingenieria Quimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madri (Spain)

    2017-10-01

    In this work, a north american bentonite was pillared with Al and Al/Fe, creating the Al-PILC and Al-Fe-PILC, respectively. Then the Pd was impregnated in the materials, generating Pd-Al-PILC and Pd-Al-Fe-PILC, respectively. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric and N{sub 2} adsorption at 77 K to determine the specific surface area by BET method (Brunauer - Emmett - Teller). There was an increase in the basal spacing of bentonite from 12.4Å in the original sample to 17.81Å in the Al-Fe-PILC, 17.20Å in Pd-Al-PILC and 17.05Å in the Pd-Al-Fe-PILC. The specific surface area increased from 19.05m{sup 2}/g in the original sample to 173.49m{sup 2}/g in Al-Fe-PILC, 101.31m{sup 2}/g to Pd-Al-PILC and 92m{sup 2}/g in Pd-Al-Fe-PILC. The pillaring process was successful and the synthesized materials have great potential for use as catalysts. (author)

  16. Electrodeposition of Al from a 1-butylpyrrolidine-AlCl3 ionic liquid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giridhar Pulletikurthi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The addition of 1-butylpyrrolidine to AlCl3 results in the formation of an electrolyte that is suited to Al deposition. The feasibility of electrodepositing Al from the synthesized electrolyte was investigated. Several compositions of AlCl3 and 1-butylpyrrolidine were prepared for this purpose. These mixtures show a different phase behavior at various compositions of AlCl3 and 1-butylpyrrolidine. IR, Raman and NMR spectroscopy were employed to characterize the synthesized liquids. Among the prepared compositions, 1:1.2 mol ratio of 1-butylpyrrolidine:AlCl3 and the upper phase of 1:1.3 mol ratio of 1-butylpyrrolidine:AlCl3 were found to be suitable for Al electrodeposition at room temperature (RT. Uniform and thick (~µm thick layers of Al were obtained on copper at RT. Al deposition occured from the cationic species of AlCl3−xLy+ (where x≤2, y=1–2, and L=1-butylpyrrolidine in this electrolyte. This behavior is contrary to the well investigated classic AlCl3 based ionic liquids, where the deposition of Al occurs mainly from anionic Al2Cl7− ions.

  17. Orientation of Al3Ti platelets in Al-Al3Ti functionally graded material manufactured by centrifugal method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Y.; Fukui, Y.

    1997-01-01

    Al-Al 3 Ti functionally graded materials (FGMs) were manufactured by the centrifugal method with a commercial ingot of Al-5 mass% Ti master alloy. The alloy was melted at a liquid/solid coexisting temperature, at which Al 3 Ti remains as a solid, and then it was cast into a thick-walled ring. It was found that the Al-Al 3 Ti functionally graded material can be successfully fabricated by the centrifugal method. It was also found that the volume fraction of the Al 3 Ti can be increased by repetition of the centrifugal method. Since the shape of Al 3 Ti particles in a commercial alloy ingot is that of a platelet, the Al 3 Ti particles are arranged with their platelet planes nearly perpendicular to the radial direction. The orientation effects become stronger when the G number becomes larger. Although the final centrifugal casting was conducted under a very large centrifugal force for the specimen cast three times, the orientation effects were weaker than those in the specimen cast one time. From these observations, it is concluded that the origin of orientation of Al 3 Ti platelets can be attributed to the angular velocity gradient of the melt along the radial direction produced by the difference in the viscosity. (orig.)

  18. In situ synthesis of Ti{sub 2}AlC–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiAl composite by vacuum sintering mechanically alloyed TiAl powder coated with CNTs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jian [Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Tianjin University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, Tianjin 300072 (China); Zhao, Naiqin, E-mail: nqzhao@tju.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, Tianjin (China); Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Tianjin University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, Tianjin 300072 (China); Nash, Philip [Thermal Processing Technology Center, Illinois Institute of Technology, IL (United States); Liu, Enzuo; He, Chunnian; Shi, Chunsheng; Li, Jiajun [Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Tianjin University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, Tianjin 300072 (China)

    2013-11-25

    Highlights: •Using zwitterionic surfactant to enhance the dispersion of the CNTs on the powder surface. •CNTs as carbon source decreased the formation temperature of Ti{sub 2}AlC. •Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was generated in situ from the oxygen atoms introduced in the drying procedure. •Nanosized Ti{sub 3}Al was precipitated at 1250 °C and distribute in the TiAl matrix homogeneously. •Ti{sub 2}AlC–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiAl composite was synthesized in situ by sintering pre-alloy Ti–Al coated with CNTs. -- Abstract: Bulk Ti{sub 2}AlC–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiAl composites were in situ synthesized by vacuum sintering mechanically alloyed Ti–50 at.% Al powders coated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The pre-alloyed Ti–50 at.% Al powder was obtained by ball milling Ti and Al powders. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes as the carbon resource were covered on the surface of the pre-alloyed powders by immersing them into a water solution containing the CNTs. A zwitterionic surfactant was used to enhance the dispersion of the CNTs on the powder surface. The samples were cold pressed and sintered in vacuum at temperatures from 950 to 1250 °C, respectively. The results show that the reaction of forming Ti{sub 2}AlC can be achieved below 950 °C, which is 150 °C lower than in the Ti–Al–TiC system and 250 °C lower than for the Ti–Al–C system due to the addition of CNTs. Additionally, the reinforcement of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles was introduced in situ in Ti{sub 2}AlC/TiAl by the drying process and subsequent sintering of the composite powders. Dense Ti{sub 2}AlC–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiAl composites were obtained by sintering at 1250 °C and exhibited a homogeneous distribution of Ti{sub 2}AlC, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and precipitated Ti{sub 3}Al particles and a resulting high hardness.

  19. 27Al NMR studies of NpPd5Al2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chudo, H.; Sakai, H.; Tokunaga, Y.; Kambe, S.; Aoki, D.; Homma, Y.; Shiokawa, Y.; Haga, Y.; Ikeda, S.; Matsuda, T.D.; Onuki, Y.; Yasuoka, H.

    2009-01-01

    We present 27 Al NMR studies for a single crystal of the Np-based superconductor NpPd 5 Al 2 (T c =4.9K). We have observed a five-line 27 Al NMR spectrum with a center line and four satellite lines separated by first-order nuclear quadrupole splittings. The Knight shift clearly drops below T c . The temperature dependence of the 27 Al nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate shows no coherence peak below T c , indicating that NpPd 5 Al 2 is an unconventional superconductor with an anisotropic gap. The analysis of the present NMR data provides evidence for strong-coupling d-wave superconductivity in NpPd 5 Al 2 .

  20. Investigation of blue luminescence in Mg doped AlN films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Xiliang; Xiong, Juan, E-mail: xiongjuana@163.com; Zhang, Weihai; Liu, Lei; Gu, Haoshuang, E-mail: guhsh@hubu.edu.cn

    2015-02-05

    Highlights: • AlN films doped with 0.8–4.4 at.% Mg were deposited by magnetron sputtering. • Structural and photoluminescence properties of Mg-doped AlN films were synthesized in detailed. • A broad blue band centered at 420 nm and 440 nm was observed in Mg-doped AlN films. • An enhancement of A1 (TO) mod and a slightly blue-shift of E2 (high) mode were observed. - Abstract: The Al{sub 1−x}Mg{sub x}N thin films were deposited on (1 0 0) silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering. The structural and photoluminescence properties of the films with varying Mg concentrations were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. The results clearly showed that the Mg atoms successfully incorporated into AlN, while the crystal structure of the films was maintained. The Raman spectra of Al{sub 1−x}Mg{sub x}N films reveals the enhancement of A{sub 1} (TO) mode, a slightly blue-shift and an augment in FWHM for E{sub 2} (high) phonon mode with increasing Mg content, which can be associated with the deterioration of (0 0 2) orientation and the appearance of (1 0 0) orientation. A broad blue band centered at 420 nm and 440 nm was observed in Mg-doped AlN films. It was suggested that the transitions from the shallow donor level not only to the ground state but also to the excited states of the deep level was responsible for the broad blue emission band. This work indicates the AlN film for the application in lighting emission devices.

  1. Magnetic tunnel junctions with AlN and AlNxOy barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwickert, M. M.; Childress, J. R.; Fontana, R. E.; Kellock, A. J.; Rice, P. M.; Ho, M. K.; Thompson, T. J.; Gurney, B. A.

    2001-01-01

    Nonoxide tunnel barriers such as AlN are of interest for magnetic tunnel junctions to avoid the oxidation of the magnetic electrodes. We have investigated the fabrication and properties of thin AlN-based barriers for use in low resistance magnetic tunnel junctions. Electronic, magnetic and structural data of tunnel valves of the form Ta (100 Aa)/PtMn (300 Aa)/CoFe 20 (20 Aa - 25 Aa)/barrier/CoFe 20 (10 - 20 Aa)/NiFe 16 (35 - 40 Aa)/Ta (100 Aa) are presented, where the barrier consists of AlN, AlN x O y or AlN/AlO x with total thicknesses between 8 and 15 Aa. The tunnel junctions were sputter deposited and then lithographically patterned down to 2 x 2μm 2 devices. AlN was deposited by reactive sputtering from an Al target with 20% - 35% N 2 in the Ar sputter gas at room temperature, resulting in stoichiometric growth of AlN x (x=0.50±0.05), as determined by RBS. TEM analysis shows that the as-deposited AlN barrier is crystalline. For AlN barriers and AlN followed by natural O 2 oxidation, we obtain tunnel magnetoresistance >10% with specific junction resistance R j down to 60Ωμm 2 . [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  2. Development of an efficient grain refiner for Al-7Si alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kori, S.A.; Murty, B.S.; Chakraborty, M. [Indian Inst. of Technol., Kharagpur (India). Dept. of Metall. and Mater. Eng.

    2000-03-15

    The response of Al-7Si alloy towards grain refinement by Al-Ti-B master alloys (with different Ti-B ratios) at different addition levels has been studied in detail. The results indicate that high B-containing master alloys are powerful grain refiners when compared to conventional grain refiners like Al-5Ti-lB master alloys. In the present study, indigenously developed master alloys have been used for the grain refinement of alloys Al-7Si and LM-25. Significant improvements in mechanical properties have been obtained with a combination of grain refiner and Sr as modifier. (orig.)

  3. 26Al incorporation into the tissues of suckling rats through maternal milk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yumoto, S.; Nagai, H.; Kobayashi, K.; Tada, W.; Horikawa, T.; Matsuzaki, H.

    2004-01-01

    Aluminium (Al) is highly neurotoxic and inhibits prenatal and postnatal development of the brain in humans and experimental animals. However, Al incorporation into the brain of sucklings through maternal milk has not yet been well clarified because Al lacks a suitable isotope for radioactive tracer experiments. Using 26 Al as a tracer, we measured 26 Al incorporation into the brain of suckling rats by accelerator mass spectrometry. Lactating rats were subcutaneously injected with 26 AlCl 3 from day 1 to day 20 postpartum. Suckling rats were weaned from day 21 postpartum. From day 5 to day 20 postpartum, the 26 Al levels measured in the brain, liver, kidneys and bone of suckling rats increased significantly. After weaning, the amounts of 26 Al in the liver and kidneys decreased remarkably. However, the 26 Al amount in the brain had diminished only slightly up to 140 days after weaning

  4. A study of the Al-rich part of the Al-Re alloy system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balanetskyy, S.; Grushko, B.

    2008-01-01

    The Al-rich part of the Al-Re phase diagram was reinvestigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The earlier reported Al 12 Re, Al 6 Re, and Al 11 Re 4 phases were confirmed. Close to the Al 4 Re composition a high-temperature h-Al 4 Re and a low-temperature l-Al 4 Re phase were found to be formed at slightly different compositions. Both exhibited compositional ranges. A new phase was revealed close to the Al 3 Re composition. The Al 11 Re 4 phase is formed congruently at 1650 deg. C, Al 3 Re peritectically at 1610 deg. C, h-Al 4 Re peritectically at 1410 deg. C, l-Al 4 Re peritectically at ∼1000 deg. C, Al 6 Re peritectically at 813 deg. C and Al 12 Re peritectically at 746 deg. C. Finally, the Al 12 Re-(Al) eutectic is formed at 658 deg. C. The Al 3 Re and h-Al 4 Re are decomposed by eutectoid reactions at ∼946 and 833 deg., respectively. The structure of the h-Al 4 Re phase has not yet been clarified, but it is distinctly different from the Al 4 W phase suggested earlier. The structure of l-Al 4 Re was confirmed. The Al 3 Re phase was found to have a monoclinic structure with a = 0.5180(4) nm, b = 3.97641(9) nm, c = 0.4955(3) nm and β = 99.55(7) o

  5. Abu al-Layth al-Libi

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-02-01

    success. As an Arab participant acknowledged very early on, “the situation was really harsh. All the brothers were tired,” as they lacked food and... glorious battles that occurred during the early Islamic period.133 He stressed the importance of the battlefield as the path to achieve honor and dignity...diaspora in Waziristan. In the words of Walid Othmani, a French jihadi trained by al-Qa`ida in Waziristan in 2008, “[Al-Libi] was someone well-known and

  6. AL-QUR’AN SEBAGAI SUMBER PENGETAHUAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siti Kusrini

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available By studying the history of Prophet Muhammad SAW then it can be understood that he was a leading man in that time because it has implemented a moral revolution so as to lift the human level from the valley of moral damage to the highest level of morality. This historical approach can be gained by understanding that the Qur'an contains the most powerful force in helping human beings reach the spiritual, moral, social and intellectual heights that are central to the manifestation of the welfare of mankind and the whole of nature. To achieve the level of human morality in realizing the welfare of life is not enough just to read, interpret, and praise the Koran. More than that, the next important thing is we must observe, research, search, and explore the most powerful values in the Qur'an. The Qur'an as a source of knowledge about Islam, God, man, and nature, contains God's commands to humans in the form of the most holy values. These values become the foundation of life that requires application in the form of behavior, which its validity is not limited by time, place and certain atmosphere.   Dengan menelaah sejarah Nabi Muhammad SAW maka dapat dipahami bahwa beliau adalah orang terkemuka pada zaman itu karena telah melaksanakan revolusi moral sehingga mampu mengangkat derajat manusia dari lembah kerusakan moral ke tingkat akhlak yang paling tinggi. Pendekatan dari segi sejarah tersebut dapat diperoleh pemahaman bahwa al Quran mengandung kekuatan yang maha dahsyat dalam membantu manusia mencapai ketinggian spiritual, moral, sosial dan intelektual yang merupakan inti dalam perwujudan kesejahteraan umat manusia dan keseluruhan isi alam. Untuk mencapai tingkat akhlak manusia dalam mewujudkan kesejahteraan hidup itu tidak cukup hanya dengan membaca, menafsirkan, dan memuji al Quran. Lebih dari itu, hal penting berikutnya adalah kita wajib mengamati, meneliti, mencari, dan menggali nilai-nilai yang maha dahsyat dalam al Quran. Al Quran sebagai sumber

  7. Production of Monomeric Aromatic Compounds from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Lignin by Chemical and Enzymatic Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pei-Ling Tang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFBF was pretreated with alkali, and lignin was extracted for further degradation into lower molecular weight phenolic compounds using enzymes and chemical means. Efficiency of monomeric aromatic compounds production from OPEFBF lignin via chemical (nitrobenzene versus oxygen and enzymatic [cutinase versus manganese peroxidase (MnP] approaches was investigated. The effects of sodium hydroxide concentration (2, 5, and 10% wt. and reaction time (30, 90, and 180 minutes on the yield of aromatic compounds were studied. The results obtained indicated that nitrobenzene oxidation produced the highest yield (333.17±49.44 ppm hydroxybenzoic acid, 5.67±0.25 ppm p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 25.57±1.64 ppm vanillic acid, 168.68±23.23 ppm vanillin, 75.44±6.71 ppm syringic acid, 815.26±41.77 ppm syringaldehyde, 15.21±2.19 ppm p-coumaric acid, and 44.75±3.40 ppm ferulic acid, among the tested methods. High sodium hydroxide concentration (10% wt. was needed to promote efficient nitrobenzene oxidation. However, less severe oxidation condition was preferred to preserve the hydroxycinnamic acids (p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. Cutinase-catalyzed hydrolysis was found to be more efficient than MnP-catalyzed oxidation in the production of aromatic compounds. By hydrolyzed 8% wt. of lignin with 0.625 mL cutinase g−1 lignin at pH 8 and 55°C for 24 hours, about 642.83±14.45 ppm hydroxybenzoic acid, 70.19±3.31 ppm syringaldehyde, 22.80±1.04 ppm vanillin, 27.06±1.20 ppm p-coumaric acid, and 50.19±2.23 ppm ferulic acid were produced.

  8. SAP-like ultrafine-grained Al composites dispersion strengthened with nanometric AlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balog, M.; Krizik, P.; Yan, M.; Simancik, F.; Schaffer, G.B.; Qian, M.

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports the development of novel Sinter-Aluminum-Pulver (SAP)-like Al–AlN nanocomposites via replacing the native Al 2 O 3 thin films on fine Al powder with a large volume fraction of in situ formed nanometric AlN dispersoids. Fine gas-atomized Al powder (d 50 =1.3 µm) compacts were first partially nitrided at 590 °C in flowing nitrogen, controlled by a small addition of Sn (0.3–0.4 wt%), and subsequently consolidated by hot direct extrusion. The resulting Al–AlN composites consisted of submicrometric Al grains reinforced with nanometric AlN dispersoids together with some nanometric Al 2 O 3 dispersoids. An Al–13 vol% AlN nanocomposite fabricated this way achieved exceptional ultimate tensile strength of 227 MPa, yield strength of 195 MPa and Young's modulus of 66 GPa at 300 °C, superior to typical SAP materials and coarse grained Al–AlN composites. In addition, the Al–13 vol% AlN nanocomposite exhibited good thermal stability up to 500 °C. The strengthening mechanism is discussed

  9. Analisis Kecenderungan Manhaj Akidah Shaykh Shams al-Din al-Sumatera’i

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MOHD HAIDHAR KAMARZAMAN

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Shaykh Shams al-Din al-Sumatera'i is a very great and respected scholar during 16th and 17th century of Acheh. His knowledge in various fields recognized by local and international scholars. He had been a Qadi Malik al-’Adil, a religious leader, who became a referred by communities and country during the reign of the three Sultans of Aceh. He has authored nearly 40 pieces of books related to the theology and sufism. This study focuses on the methods used by Shaykh Shams al-Din al-Sumatera'i in his theological writings. This study found that Shaykh Shams al-Din al-Sumatera'i had used six methods in the such writings.

  10. Density functional theory study of Al-doped hematite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rivera, Richard; Stashans, Arvids; Piedra, Lorena; Pinto, Henry P

    2012-01-01

    Using first-principles density functional theory calculations within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) as well as the GGA+U approach, we study Al-doped α-Fe 2 O 3 crystals. Structural, electronic, magnetic and optical properties due to impurity incorporation have been investigated and discussed in detail. Atomic displacements and Bader charges on atoms have been computed, showing that Al dopant converts the chemical bonding in its neighbourhood into a more ionic one. This work enhances our knowledge about how a crystalline lattice reacts in the presence of an Al impurity. It was found that Al incorporation produces some local changes in the band structure of the material without the creation of local energy levels within the band gap. The results provide evidence for changes in the magnetic moments in the vicinity of a defect, which means that α-Fe 2 O 3 doped with aluminum might not act as an antiferromagnetic substance.

  11. Mendengarkan Murattal Al-Qur'an Untuk Menurunkan Tingkat Insomnia

    OpenAIRE

    Wulandari, Etik Dwi; Trimulyaningsih, Nita

    2015-01-01

    This research aimed to understand the effect of listening murattal Al-Qur'an to insomnia score. The hypothesis of this research is listening murattal Al-Qur'an can reduce insomnia level. Subjects participated in this research were two university students from Faculty of Psychology and Social Culture, major Psychology, Department of Psychology at the Islamic University of Indonesia, who were diagnosed with insomnia. The data was collected with KSPBJ - Insomnia Rating Scale, monitoring scale an...

  12. Mendengarkan Murattal Al-Qur'an untuk Menurunkan Tingkat Insomnia

    OpenAIRE

    Wulandari, Etik Dwi; Trimulyaningsih, Nita

    2015-01-01

    This research aimed to understand the effect of listening murattal Al-Qur'an to insomnia score. The hypothesis of this research is listening murattal Al-Qur'an can reduce insomnia level. Subjects participated in this research were two university students from Faculty of Psychology and Social Culture, major Psychology, Department of Psychology at the Islamic University of Indonesia, who were diagnosed with insomnia. The data was collected with KSPBJ - Insomnia Rating Scale, monitoring scale an...

  13. KITAB AL-SANĪ AL-MAṬĀLIB: INTERKONEKSI NAHWU DAN TASAWUF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zakiyah Zakiyah

    2012-12-01

    Tulisan ini mereview buku yang berjudul al-Sanī al-Maṭālib yang ditulis oleh Kiai Nur Iman Mlangi Yogyakarta. Buku ini ditulis dalam bahasa Arab yang me­ngandung interkoneksi antara ilmu Nahwu (tata bahasa Arab dengan mis­tisis­me. Buku ini sangat menarik karena kenyataan bahwa kedua pengetahuan tersebut memiliki aturan sendiri-sendiri. Selain itu, sangat sedikit penulis yang menulis dengan gaya seperti itu. Salah satunya adalah Syaikh Abdul Qadir bin Ahmad al-Kuhany dengan karyanya yang berjudul Manniyat al-Fāqir al-Munjarid wa Sayrat al-Murīd al-Mutafarrid. Buku al-Saniy al-Muthalib diduga telah ditulis pada akhir abad ke-18 atau awal abad ke-19, menurut periode kehidupan Kiai Nur Iman yaitu sekitar pertengahan abad ke-18. Aturan Nahwu dalam buku ini dijelaskan secara teosofi yang dimulai dengan penjelasan mengenai tauhid (keesaan Tuhan sebagai kajian dasar bagi orang Islam, yang diikuti dengan makna dari masing-masing aturan bahasa Arab dalam aspek mistiknya.

  14. Correspondence regarding Zhong et al., BMC Bioinformatics 2013 Mar 7;14:89.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhn, Alexandre

    2014-11-28

    Computational expression deconvolution aims to estimate the contribution of individual cell populations to expression profiles measured in samples of heterogeneous composition. Zhong et al. recently proposed Digital Sorting Algorithm (BMC Bioinformatics 2013 Mar 7;14:89) and showed that they could accurately estimate population-specific expression levels and expression differences between two populations. They compared DSA with Population-Specific Expression Analysis (PSEA), a previous deconvolution method that we developed to detect expression changes occurring within the same population between two conditions (e.g. disease versus non-disease). However, Zhong et al. compared PSEA-derived specific expression levels across different cell populations. Specific expression levels obtained with PSEA cannot be directly compared across different populations as they are on a relative scale. They are accurate as we demonstrate by deconvolving the same dataset used by Zhong et al. and, importantly, allow for comparison of population-specific expression across conditions.

  15. Stability of the composites: NiAl - cellular high-melting point metal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belomyttsev, M.Yu.; Kozlov, D.A.

    2006-01-01

    For sintered composite materials (CM) NiAl-W and NiAl-W-Mo the structure and mechanical properties are studied. A comparative analysis of the effect of hot deformation by compression at 1000-1300 Deg C on the integrity of microsamples themselves and tungsten shells of NiAl granules in CM with a cellular structure is accomplished. Local chemical composition of a NiAl/refractory metal interface in CM with cellular structure and free of it is determined. A CM structural state effect on compression yield strength at 1000 Deg C is estimated. The treatment is proposed which permits approaching cellular structured CM oxidation resistance at 1000-1100 Deg C to the level of heat stability of unalloyed NiAl or its alloy with Hf [ru

  16. Rekonstruksi Konsep Ijtihad: Studi Pemikiran Ben’umar tentang al-Ijtihad fi al-Waqi’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duski Ibrahim

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper is the result of a research that evaluating the reconstruction the concept of ijtihad, by discuss the idea of al-Ijtihad Ben'umar fi al-waqi’. This paper concludes that Al-Ijtihad fi al-waqi’ is actually a form of collective ijtihad (al ijtihad al-jama'i, by gathering the experts of shari'ah law (fuqaha` ash-shar'i and experts Researchers and scientists (khubara` al-'ashr. Because experts know the nash purposes, while researchers and scientists (al-khubara` know the reality (al-waqi’, the effects in the future (ma'alat = future effect and challenges (tahaddiyat. The idea of formulating the concept of al-ijtihad fi al-waqi’ emerged based on a premise that ijtihad is a creation of experts to implement Islamic law in society. Therefore, the concept of ijtihad experienced a significant development, start from using the nash from the language aspects, continue to the using of logic. At the moment when the situation people are increasingly develop, then the creation of ijtihad become a necessary to developed, for example in the form of al-ijtihad fi al-waqi’ . About the source of the formation of the concept of al -ijtihad fi al-waqi’ comes from theory about the functions of nash, al-manath theory in Islamic law, and supported by the theory of al-mashlalah al-mursalah.

  17. HADIS DI KALANGAN SUNNI (SHAHIH BUKHORI DAN SYI’AH (AL-KAFI Al- KULAINI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khoirul Mudawinun Nisa'

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Sunnah or hadith has a unique and long history. He had experienced the transition from oral tradition to written tradition. The compilation also requires a fairly long time. Political competition among Muslims groups is also coloring in the context of the power struggle. Until the end of the 9th century, the codification effort can produce some great collections (hadith which is considered to be authentic, in addition to a large number of other hadith collections. There is an assumption, that the belief differences in Islam streams impacted or even become the source of hadith differences that recognized by each group. For example Sunni groups just hold on a history of Sunni only, while Shi’ites only recognize the traditions of the history of Shi'ite only and so on. Study hadith among Sunni use the book of Saheeh Bukhari by Imam Bukhari and among Shi'ites use the book of al-kafi by al Kulaini, because both of books are famous books in the both of groups. Comparison of the two hadiths in both of them is assessed through: (1 systematic of the book contents; (2 method of the book preparation; (3 characteristics and features of the books; (4 quality of the book; (5 authentic level of the book; (6 criticisms and comments of the scholars. The results study showed that Al Kafi in the Shi’ite side is unequal footing with Sahih Bukhari on the Sunni side. Al Kafi has become a reference by Shi'ite cleric but no Shia scholar can prove that all of Al-Kafi history is Saheeh. In taking hadith as a reference, the Shia scholars would assess the position of hadith then set the fatwa. This is clearly different with Shahih Bukhari where Bukhari himself said that all of the hadiths are authentic, and has become the consensus of scholars (Sunni that Sahih Bukhari is the most authentic book after the Qur'an.

  18. Hydrogen Storage Characteristics of CNT doped NaAlH4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pukazhselvan, D.; Sterlin Leo Hudson, M.; Bipin Kumar Gupta; Srivastava, O.N.

    2006-01-01

    The current Hydrogen based energy infrastructure required a high energy density consumer friendly hydrogen storage media. Although the desired goals for the hydrogen fueled vehicular transport has not yet met by any hydrogen storage material, complex Sodium Alanate is said to be a promising candidate under this demand due to its high hydrogen storage capacity and the thermodynamically permissible reversible hydrogen storage capacity. However its poor sorption behavior under moderate conditions (NaAlH 4 →Na 3 AlH 6 ; 3.7 wt % vs 50 hrs at ∼170 C and Na 3 AlH 6 →NaH; 1.85 wt % vs 30 hrs at ∼220 C) urges their limited uses in ages. But these limitations can be removed by using catalysts particularly transition elements but the location of catalyst in NaAlH 4 matrix and the possible mechanism is not yet clearly understood. The aim of the present investigation is to improve the overall sorption characteristics of NaAlH 4 by a new light weighted high surface area (1315 sq mtr/gm) material (CNT) admixing and to obtain a best doping level to NaAlH 4 . So far only Ti has been attempted as a suitable catalyst. It is believed that the high surface area of CNT can provide an additional solid-gas (H 2 ) surface/interface and it can produce thermal contact between grains (thermal conductivity Kth of MWCNT: 3000 w/k and Kth of NaAlH 4 : 0.32 w/k) for stimulating their thermally activated dissociation in NaAlH 4 . In parallel with this approach XRD of NaAlH 4 reveals that there was no change in lattice structure after doping by CNT, SEM picture depicts that CNT precipitation in grain surfaces. Catalytic concentration of various mole % of x values finds that x = 8 is the best doping level as it gives 3.3 wt % of hydrogen within 2 hrs. The comparative sorption behavior with Ti:NaAlH 4 also shows CNTs as an optimum alternative catalyst to NaAlH 4 and besides this CNT doped desorbed ingredients shown good re-hydrogenation behavior(3.7 wt % at 8. cycle and 4.2 wt % maximum at

  19. Proton threshold states in 26Al and their role in astrophysics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wijekumar, V.

    1985-01-01

    The energy levels of 26 Al between E/sub x/ = 6.3 and 6.5 MeV, corresponding to proton threshold energies in the 25 Mg + p reaction from E/sub p/ = 0 to 200 keV, have been investigated using the reactions 27 Al( 3 He,α) 26 Al and 24 Mg( 3 He,p) 26 Al. Despite early work reporting a doublet at E/sub x/ 6346 keV and E/sub x/ = 6362 keV, most subsequent work reported a single state with conflicting spin and parity assignments. By measuring the spectroscopic factors of these states from the 25 Mg( 3 He,d) 26 Al reaction, resonance strengths, omegaγ, of the proton threshold states in 26 Al corresponding to the 25 Mg(p,γ) 26 Al reaction have been deduced. The limits on the branching ratios from these states to the ground state of 26 Al have been obtained by using the reaction 27 Al( 3 He,αγ) 26 Al. Finally by combining the results of the above experiments, stellar reaction rates of the 25 Mg(p,γ) 26 Al reaction have been calculated. The results conclude that the production rate of 26 Al in stellar environments from the reaction 25 Mg(p,γ) 26 Al is substantially higher than what was calculated from other work

  20. Phase 2 study of sodium phenylbutyrate in ALS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cudkowicz, Merit E; Andres, Patricia L; Macdonald, Sally A; Bedlack, Richard S; Choudry, Rabia; Brown, Robert H; Zhang, Hui; Schoenfeld, David A; Shefner, Jeremy; Matson, Samantha; Matson, Wayne R; Ferrante, Robert J

    2009-04-01

    The objective of the study was to establish the safety and pharmacodynamics of escalating dosages of sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) in participants with ALS. Transcription dysregulation may play a role in the pathogenesis of ALS. Sodium phenylbutyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, improves transcription and post-transcriptional pathways, promoting cell survival in a mouse model of motor neuron disease. Forty research participants at eight sites enrolled in an open-label study. Study medication was increased from 9 to 21 g/day. The primary outcome measure was tolerability. Secondary outcome measures included adverse events, blood histone acetylation levels, and NaPB blood levels at each dosage. Twenty-six participants completed the 20-week treatment phase. NaPB was safe and tolerable. No study deaths or clinically relevant laboratory changes occurred with NaPB treatment. Histone acetylation was decreased by approximately 50% in blood buffy-coat specimens at screening and was significantly increased after NaPB administration. Blood levels of NaPB and the primary metabolite, phenylacetate, increased with dosage. While the majority of subjects tolerated higher dosages of NaPB, the lowest dose (9 g/day), was therapeutically efficient in improving histone acetylation levels.

  1. On the transparent conducting oxide Al doped ZnO: First Principles and Boltzmann equations study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Slassi, A. [Institute of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, MAScIR, Rabat (Morocco); LMPHE (URAC 12), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed V-Agdal, Rabat (Morocco); Naji, S. [LMPHE (URAC 12), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed V-Agdal, Rabat (Morocco); Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ibb University, Ibb (Yemen); Benyoussef, A. [Institute of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, MAScIR, Rabat (Morocco); LMPHE (URAC 12), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed V-Agdal, Rabat (Morocco); Hamedoun, M., E-mail: hamedoun@hotmail.com [Institute of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, MAScIR, Rabat (Morocco); El Kenz, A. [LMPHE (URAC 12), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed V-Agdal, Rabat (Morocco)

    2014-08-25

    Highlights: • The incorporation of Al in ZnO increases the optical band edge absorption. • Incorporated Al creates shallow donor states of Al-3s around Fermi level. • Transmittance decreases in the visible and IR regions, while it increases in the UV region. • Electrical conductivity increases and reaches almost the saturation for high concentration of Al. - Abstract: We report, in this work, a theoretical study on the electronic, optical and electrical properties of pure and Al doped ZnO with different concentrations. In fact, we investigate these properties using both First Principles calculations within TB-mBJ approximation and Boltzmann equations under the constant relaxation time approximation for charge carriers. It is found out that, the calculated lattice parameters and the optical band gap of pure ZnO are close to the experimental values and in a good agreement with the other theoretical studies. It is also observed that, the incorporations of Al in ZnO increase the optical band edge absorption which leads to a blue shift and no deep impurities levels are induced in the band gap as well. More precisely, these incorporations create shallow donor states around Fermi level in the conduction band minimum from mainly Al-3s orbital. Beside this, it is found that, the transmittance is decreased in the visible and IR regions, while it is significantly improved in UV region. Finally, our calculations show that the electrical conductivity is enhanced as a result of Al doping and it reaches almost the saturation for high concentration of Al. These features make Al doped ZnO a transparent conducting electrode for optoelectronic device applications.

  2. Study of the 26Al(n,p)26Mg and 26Al(n,α)23Na reactions using the 27Al(p,p')27Al inelastic scattering reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benamara, S; De Séréville, N; Hammache, F; Stefan, I; Roussel, P; Ancelin, S; Assié, M; Guillot, J; Le Crom, B; Lefebvre, L; Adsley, P; Laird, A M; Barton, C; Diget, C; Fox, S; Coc, A; Deloncle, I; Hamadache, C; Kiener, J; Lefebfre-Schuhl, A

    2016-01-01

    26 Al was the first cosmic radioactivity ever detected in the galaxy as well as one of the first extinct radioactivity observed in refractory phases of meteorites. Its nucleosynthesis in massive stars is still uncertain mainly due to the lack of nuclear information concerning the 26 Al(n,p) 26 Mg and 26 Al(n,α) 23 Na reactions. We report on a single and coincidence measurement of the 27 Al(p,p') 27 Al(p) 26 Mg and 27 Al(p,p') 27 Al(α) 23 Na reactions performed at the Orsay TANDEM facility aiming at the spectroscopy study of 27 Al above the neutron threshold. Fourteen states are observed for the first time within 350 keV above the 26 Al+n threshold. (paper)

  3. AlN/Al dual protective coatings on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Jinlong; Mao Shoudong; Sun Kefei [Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Application Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China); Li Xiaomin [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Song Zhenlun [Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Application Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China)], E-mail: songzhenlun@nimte.ac.cn

    2009-11-15

    AlN/Al dual protective coatings were prepared on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering in a home-made industrial apparatus. Comparing with Al coating, AlN/Al coatings have a denser structure of an outmost AlN amorphous layer following an inner Al columnar crystal layer. The coatings and NdFeB substrate combine well, and moreover, there is occurrence of metallurgy bonding in the interface layer. Both Al and AlN/Al coatings have a good protective ability to NdFeB. Especially, the corrosion resistance of AlN/Al coated NdFeB is improved largely. AlN/Al and Al protective coatings not only do not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB, but contribute to their slight increase.

  4. AlN/Al dual protective coatings on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jinlong; Mao Shoudong; Sun Kefei; Li Xiaomin; Song Zhenlun

    2009-01-01

    AlN/Al dual protective coatings were prepared on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering in a home-made industrial apparatus. Comparing with Al coating, AlN/Al coatings have a denser structure of an outmost AlN amorphous layer following an inner Al columnar crystal layer. The coatings and NdFeB substrate combine well, and moreover, there is occurrence of metallurgy bonding in the interface layer. Both Al and AlN/Al coatings have a good protective ability to NdFeB. Especially, the corrosion resistance of AlN/Al coated NdFeB is improved largely. AlN/Al and Al protective coatings not only do not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB, but contribute to their slight increase.

  5. Serum Nogo-A levels are not elevated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harel, Noam Y; Cudkowicz, Merit E; Brown, Robert H; Strittmatter, Stephen M

    2009-09-01

    Improved biomarkers would facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Muscle content of the neuritic outgrowth inhibitor Nogo-A is increased in patients with ALS and other denervating conditions. Seeking a less invasive diagnostic method, we sought to determine whether or not Nogo increases in the serum of ALS patients. We developed a dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluorescent immunoassay (DELFIA) protocol to screen serum samples from 172 ALS patients and 172 healthy controls for Nogo-A immunoreactivity. Unexpectedly, there was a trend toward decreased levels of serum Nogo-A in ALS. Mean serum Nogo-A level in ALS patients was 0.71 nM (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42-1.00), as opposed to 1.15 nM (95% CI 0.72-1.59) in healthy controls. A significantly larger percentage of healthy control sera (11.0% vs 4.7%) displayed markedly elevated levels of Nogo-A. Additional study is required to determine the factors that lead to elevated Nogo-A levels in a subset of both ALS patients and healthy controls.

  6. Al-Si/Al2O3 in situ composite prepared by displacement reaction of CuO/Al system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Jing

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Al2O3 particle-reinforced ZL109 composite was prepared by in situ reaction between CuO and Al. The microstructure was observed by means of OM, SEM and TEM. The Al2O3 particles in sub-micron sizes distribute uniformly in the matrix, and the Cu displaced from the in situ reaction forms net-like alloy phases with other alloy elements. The hardness and the tensile strength of the composites at room temperature have a slight increase as compared to that of the matrix. However, the tensile strength at 350 ℃ has reached 90.23 MPa, or 16.92 MPa higher than that of the matrix. The mechanism of the reaction in the CuO/Al system was studied by using of differential scanning calorimetry(DSC and thermodynamic calculation. The reaction between CuO and Al involves two steps. First, CuO reacts with Al to form Cu2O and Al2O3 at the melting temperature of the matrix alloy, and second, Cu2O reacts with Al to form Cu and Al2O3 at a higher temperature. At ZL109 casting temperature of 750–780 ℃, the second step can also take place because of the effect of exothermic reaction of the first step.

  7. Altinoz et al., Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2014) 11(6):33-39

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    cadewumi

    The intensity of the pink color is in direct proportion to MDA concentration. MDA levels were .... hypolipemic effect and memory-improving effect (He et al. 2005; Sugiura et al. 1994; Zhang et al. 1994). .... Effect of oxidative stress on glutathione pathway in red blood cells from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

  8. AlGaN nanocolumns and AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN nanostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ristic, J.; Sanchez-Garcia, M.A.; Ulloa, J.M.; Calleja, E. [Departamento de Ingenieria Electronica, ETSI Telecomunicacion, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Sanchez-Paramo, J.; Calleja, J.M. [Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Jahn, U.; Trampert, A.; Ploog, K.H. [Paul-Drude-Institut fuer Festkoerperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin (Germany)

    2002-12-01

    This work reports on the characterization of hexagonal, single crystal AlGaN nanocolumns with diameters in the range of 30 to 100 nm grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si(111) substrates. The change of the flux ratio between the Al and the total III-element controls the alloy composition. The Al composition trend versus the Al flux is consistent both with the E{sub 2} phonon energy values measured by inelastic light scattering and the luminescence emission peaks position. High quality low dimensional AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN heterostructures with five GaN quantum discs, 2 and 4 nm thick, embedded into the AlGaN columns, were designed in order to study the quantum confinement effects. (Abstract Copyright [2002], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  9. Production of rhesus monkey cloned embryos expressing monomeric red fluorescent protein by interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Hai-Ying; Kang, Jin-Dan; Li, Suo; Jin, Jun-Xue; Hong, Yu; Jin, Long; Guo, Qing; Gao, Qing-Shan; Yan, Chang-Guo; Yin, Xi-Jun

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Rhesus monkey cells were electroporated with a plasmid containing mRFP1, and an mRFP1-expressing cell line was generated. • For the first time, mRFP1-expressing rhesus monkey cells were used as donor cells for iSCNT. • The effect of VPA on the development of embryos cloned using iSCNT was determined. - Abstract: Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) is a promising method to clone endangered animals from which oocytes are difficult to obtain. Monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 (mRFP1) is an excellent selection marker for transgenically modified cloned embryos during somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In this study, mRFP-expressing rhesus monkey cells or porcine cells were transferred into enucleated porcine oocytes to generate iSCNT and SCNT embryos, respectively. The development of these embryos was studied in vitro. The percentage of embryos that underwent cleavage did not significantly differ between iSCNT and SCNT embryos (P > 0.05; 71.53% vs. 80.30%). However, significantly fewer iSCNT embryos than SCNT embryos reached the blastocyst stage (2.04% vs. 10.19%, P < 0.05). Valproic acid was used in an attempt to increase the percentage of iSCNT embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage. However, the percentages of embryos that underwent cleavage and reached the blastocyst stage were similar between untreated iSCNT embryos and iSCNT embryos treated with 2 mM valproic acid for 24 h (72.12% vs. 70.83% and 2.67% vs. 2.35%, respectively). These data suggest that porcine-rhesus monkey interspecies embryos can be generated that efficiently express mRFP1. However, a significantly lower proportion of iSCNT embryos than SCNT embryos reach the blastocyst stage. Valproic acid does not increase the percentage of porcine-rhesus monkey iSCNT embryos that reach the blastocyst stage. The mechanisms underling nuclear reprogramming and epigenetic modifications in iSCNT need to be investigated further

  10. Production of rhesus monkey cloned embryos expressing monomeric red fluorescent protein by interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Hai-Ying; Kang, Jin-Dan; Li, Suo; Jin, Jun-Xue; Hong, Yu; Jin, Long; Guo, Qing; Gao, Qing-Shan; Yan, Chang-Guo; Yin, Xi-Jun, E-mail: yinxj33@msn.com

    2014-02-21

    Highlights: • Rhesus monkey cells were electroporated with a plasmid containing mRFP1, and an mRFP1-expressing cell line was generated. • For the first time, mRFP1-expressing rhesus monkey cells were used as donor cells for iSCNT. • The effect of VPA on the development of embryos cloned using iSCNT was determined. - Abstract: Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) is a promising method to clone endangered animals from which oocytes are difficult to obtain. Monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 (mRFP1) is an excellent selection marker for transgenically modified cloned embryos during somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In this study, mRFP-expressing rhesus monkey cells or porcine cells were transferred into enucleated porcine oocytes to generate iSCNT and SCNT embryos, respectively. The development of these embryos was studied in vitro. The percentage of embryos that underwent cleavage did not significantly differ between iSCNT and SCNT embryos (P > 0.05; 71.53% vs. 80.30%). However, significantly fewer iSCNT embryos than SCNT embryos reached the blastocyst stage (2.04% vs. 10.19%, P < 0.05). Valproic acid was used in an attempt to increase the percentage of iSCNT embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage. However, the percentages of embryos that underwent cleavage and reached the blastocyst stage were similar between untreated iSCNT embryos and iSCNT embryos treated with 2 mM valproic acid for 24 h (72.12% vs. 70.83% and 2.67% vs. 2.35%, respectively). These data suggest that porcine-rhesus monkey interspecies embryos can be generated that efficiently express mRFP1. However, a significantly lower proportion of iSCNT embryos than SCNT embryos reach the blastocyst stage. Valproic acid does not increase the percentage of porcine-rhesus monkey iSCNT embryos that reach the blastocyst stage. The mechanisms underling nuclear reprogramming and epigenetic modifications in iSCNT need to be investigated further.

  11. Dielectronic Recombination of Al-Like Ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdel-Naby, Shahin; Nikolic, Dragan; Gorczyca, Thomas W.; Badnell, Nigel R.; Savin, Daniel W.

    2008-05-01

    Accurate dielectronic recombination (DR) data are important for cosmic and laboratory plasma modeling. Over the past few years, our group has computed reliable DR data for all isoelectronic sequences up through Mg-like ions. Recently, we have focused our work on the complex third-row M-shell isoelectronic sequences, especially Al-like. Previous calculations for the DR rate coefficient for S^3+ were performed only within a non-relativistic LS-coupling approximation. Fe^13+ DR calculations, including semi-relativistic effects, have been completed and tested against the Heidelberg heavy-ion Test Storage Ring facility measurements. Here we present semi-relativistic DR rate coefficient calculations for a wide range of Al-like ions using AUTOSTRUCTURE, a level-resolved distorted-wave program package. The important effect of fine structure splitting in the Al-like ground state will be discussed. Finally, our results are fitted into a simple formula for use by astrophysical plasma modelers.This work was funded in part by NASA (APRA), NASA (SHP) SR&T, and UK PPARC grants.

  12. KONSEPSI AL-QURAN DAN AL-HADITS TENTANG OPERASIONAL BANK SYARIAH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Ardy Zaini

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Islam hadir dengan beberapa tujuan, diantaranya adalah terciptanya khoirul ummah dan rahmatan lil’alamin dengan al-Qur’an dan al-Hadits sebagai penuntun umat Islam demi tercapainya tujuan tersebut. Sebagai pedoman hidup, al-Qur’an dan al-Hadits memberikan berbagai petunjuk tentang keteraturan dan permasalahan hidup, termasuk didalamnya mengenai perbankan yang telah memenuhi hampir separuh sisi-sisi kehidupan manusia. Untuk memaksimal ajaran syariah secara kaffah, maka nilai-nilai yang terdapat dalam al-Quran harus mampu diturunkan pada tataran praktis. Salah satu usaha dan langkah dalam rangka menemukan formula perbankan masa depan, al-Quran dan Hadits memiliki konsepsi dalam kegiatan operasional Bank Syariah. Hal ini dilakukan untuk membentuk sikap mental atau watak yang terjabarkan dalam pola berpikir, cara berbicara, dan etika bertingkah laku, sebagai ekspresi jiwa dari manusia yang beriman dan bertakwa kepada Allah Swt. Agar umat Islam mampu menjadi umat yang unggul (khayr ummah.

  13. Synthesis of Dicyclopentadiene Oligomer Over Nanoporous Al-MCM-41 Catalysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Eunseo; Kim, Jinhan; Yim, Jin-Heong; Han, Jeongsik; Kwon, Tae Soo; Park, Y K; Jeon, Jong-Ki

    2016-05-01

    One step reaction composed of DCPD oligomerization and DCPD oligomer isomerization was investigated over nanoporous Al-MCM-41 catalysts. The effects of aluminum grafting over MCM-41 on the catalyst characteristics were studied with respect to the synthesis of TCPD isomer. Physical and chemical properties of the catalysts were analyzed by N2 adsorption, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, and infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine. The overall number of acid sites as well as the number of Lewis acid sites increased with increasing of aluminum content over MCM-41. When utilizing MCM-41 and Al-MCM-41 as the catalyst, DCPD oligomerization reaction activity greatly increased compared to the thermal reaction. The highest TCPD isomer selectivity over the Al-MCM-41 catalyst with the highest aluminum content could be ascribed to the largest amount of acid sites. This study showed an increased level of TCPD isomer selectivity by an increasing level of Lewis acid sites through aluminum addition over MCM-41.

  14. Fabrication of AlN-TiC/Al composites by gas injection processing

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    YU Huashun; CHEN Hongmei; MA Rendian; MIN Guanghui

    2006-01-01

    The fabrication of AlN-TiC/Al composites by carbon-and nitrogen-containing gas injection into Al-Mg-Ti melts was studied. It was shown that AlN and TiC particles could be formed by the in situ reaction of mixture gas (N2+C2H2+NH3) with Al-Mg-Ti melts. The condition for the formation of AlN was that the treatment temperature must be higher than 1373 K, and the amounts of AlN and TiC increased with the increase of the treatment temperature and the gas injection time.It was considered that AlN was formed by the direct reaction of Al with nitrogen-containing gas at the interface of the gas bubble and the melt. However, the mechanism of TiC formation is a combination mechanism of solution-precipitation and solid-liquid reaction.

  15. Construction and evaluation of multi-component Zn-Al based bearing alloys (Zn-Al-Si, Zn-Al-Cu)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shahmiri, M.; Shahin, K.

    2001-01-01

    Zn-Al based alloys, with excellent mechanical properties, are finding increasing applications in various industries, especially bearing and bushing fields. Observed dimensional instabilities, in their multicomponent systems, (e. g. Zn-Al-Si and, Zn-Al Si-Cu), is believed to be as the result of some kinds of phase transformation, due to the temperature variations, while in service. Profound understanding of the phase transformations due to the temperature variation, requires detailed evaluations of the isothermal sections of the multi-components phase diagrams of Zn-Al-Si and, Zn-Al-Si-Cu alloy systems. In the present article, the isothermal sections of the aforementioned ternary and quaternary systems in the solid state regions have been investigated and observed phase transitions have been critically evaluated

  16. Defective pyrite (100) surface: An ab initio study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stirling, Andras; Bernasconi, Marco; Parrinello, Michele

    2007-01-01

    The structural and electronic properties of sulfur monomeric defects at the FeS 2 (100) surface have been studied by periodic density-functional calculations. We have shown that for a monomeric sulfur bound to an originally fivefold coordinated surface Fe site, the defect core features a triplet electronic ground state with unpaired spins localized on the exposed Fe-S unit. At this site, the iron and sulfur ions have oxidation states +4 and -2, respectively. This defect can be seen as produced via heterolytic bond breaking of the S-S sulfur dimer followed by a Fe-S redox reaction. The calculated sulfur 2p core-level shifts of the monomeric defects are in good agreement with experimental photoemission spectra, which allow a compelling assignment of the different spectroscopic features. The effect of water on the stability of the defective surface has also been studied, and it has been shown that the triplet state is stable against the wetting of the surface. The most important implications of the presence of the monomeric sulfur defect on the reactivity are also discussed

  17. Influence of osmolarity of contrast medium and saline flush on computed tomography angiography: Comparison of monomeric and dimeric iodinated contrast media with different iodine concentrations at an identical iodine delivery rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishimoto, Miori; Doi, Shoko; Shimizu, Junichiro; Lee, Ki-Ja; Iwasaki, Toshiroh; Miyake, Yoh-Ichi; Yamada, Kazutaka

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the influence of osmolarity of iodinated contrast media and saline flush on the contrast effect in thoracic computed tomography angiography (CTA) at an identical iodine delivery rate (IDR). Materials and methods: Seven beagles were used in a cross-over experiment. The contrast media used were iohexol 350 mgI/ml (IOH350; osmolarity 844 mmol/kg) and iodixanol 320 mgI/ml (IDX320; osmolarity 290 mmol/kg). Each contrast medium was administered to groups with and without saline flush at 40.0 mgI/kg/s for all experiments. Dynamic CT scanning was performed at the ninth thoracic vertebra level. The peak value, area under the curve (AUC), and time to peak (TTP) were calculated from the time attenuation curves of the pulmonary artery and aorta. Results: There was no significant difference between IOH350 and IDX320 with or without saline flush in the peak values for the pulmonary artery and aorta. AUC was significantly higher in groups with saline flush for both contrast media and arteries (p < 0.05) with no significant difference between contrast media. TTP was significantly longer in groups with saline flush than without saline flush for both contrast media and arteries (p < 0.05), with no significant difference between contrast media. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in the contrast effects of monomeric IOH350 and dimeric IDX320 in thoracic CTA when used at an identical IDR. Moreover, saline flush prolonged the peak duration at 600 mgI/kg.

  18. The Existence of a Designer Al=Al Double Bond in the LiAl2 H4- Cluster Formed by Electronic Transmutation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundell, Katie A; Zhang, Xinxing; Boldyrev, Alexander I; Bowen, Kit H

    2017-12-22

    The Al=Al double bond is elusive in chemistry. Herein we report the results obtained via combined photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio studies of the LiAl 2 H 4 - cluster that confirm the formation of a conventional Al=Al double bond. Comprehensive searches for the most stable structures of the LiAl 2 H 4 - cluster have shown that the global minimum isomer I possesses a geometric structure which resembles that of Si 2 H 4 , demonstrating a successful example of the transmutation of Al atoms into Si atoms by electron donation. Theoretical simulations of the photoelectron spectrum discovered the coexistence of two isomers in the ion beam, including the one with the Al=Al double bond. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Effect of grain refinement on the microstructure and tensile properties of thin 319 Al castings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shabani, M.J.; Emamy, M.; Nemati, N.

    2011-01-01

    The structural examinations and tensile properties of thin-section Al castings (319 Al alloy) have been investigated by applying a pattern with different cross sections (2-12 mm). Al-5Ti-1B and Al-5Zr grain refiners were added to the molten Al alloy to produce different levels of Ti (0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.15%) and Zr (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5%) in the castings. From macrostructural studies, it was found that Al-5Zr is less effective in grain refining of 319 alloy in comparison with Al-5Ti-1B master alloy. The optimum levels of grain refiners were selected for determination of tensile properties. T6 heat treatment was applied for selected specimens before tensile testing. Further structural results also showed that thinner sections are less affected by grain refiners. This observation was found to be in a good agreement with tensile test results, where tensile properties of the base and grain refined alloys did not show considerable differences in thinner sections (<6 mm).

  20. Characterization of N-polar AlN in GaN/AlN/(Al,Ga)N heterostructures grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haoran; Mazumder, Baishakhi; Bonef, Bastien; Keller, Stacia; Wienecke, Steven; Speck, James S.; Denbaars, Steven P.; Mishra, Umesh K.

    2017-11-01

    In GaN/(Al,Ga)N high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT), AlN interlayer between GaN channel and AlGaN barrier suppresses alloy scattering and significantly improves the electron mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas. While high concentrations of gallium were previously observed in Al-polar AlN interlayers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, the N-polar AlN (Al x Ga1-x N) films examined by atom probe tomography in this study exhibited aluminum compositions (x) equal to or higher than 95% over a wide range of growth conditions. The also investigated AlN interlayer in a N-polar GaN/AlN/AlGaN/ S.I. GaN HEMT structure possessed a similarly high x content.

  1. KRITIK ATAS KRITIK EPISTEMOLOGI TAFSIR M. ABIED AL JABIRI: Studi Kritis atas Madkhal ila al Quran al Karim

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Fawaid

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper critically views the epistemology of Muhammad Abid al Jabiri’s interpretation in his book, Madkhal ila al Quran al Karim. His latest work is projected to make the Quran relevant to mankind today and with certainly critiquing classical Quranic studies that have been constructed by previous scholars. Starting from Arab criticism, which is expected to synergize the gap between Turath and modernity, al Jabiri tried out his theory in the realm of Quranic studies oriented to maintain its originality and interpretation from sectarian influence. Focusing on al Jabiri’s review on the Quran, this paper examines and associates some of the problems with the epistemology of critique in Arab reasoning. Finally, it is inferred that the epistemologic offer of al Jabiri used in Turath is not fully applicable in Quranic studies for several reasons. First, the Quranic studies existed within the chain of sanad in its formation. Secondly, at the application stage, al Jabri often overlooked the sanad and narrations from the companions.

  2. Lubrication performance and mechanisms of Mg/Al-, Zn/Al-, and Zn/Mg/Al-layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as lubricant additives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Shuo; Bhushan, Bharat

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Mg/Al-, Zn/Al- and Zn/Mg/Al-layered double hydroxide were synthesized. • Mg/Al-LDH had superior tribological performance compared to other LDHs. • The best thermal stability of Mg/Al-LDH was responsible for its friction property. - Abstract: Solid lubricant particles are commonly used as oil additives for low friction and wear. Mg/Al-, Zn/Al-, and Zn/Mg/Al-layered double hydroxides (LDH) were synthesized by coprecipitation method. The benefits of LDH nanoparticles are that they can be synthesized using chemical methods where size and shape can be controlled, and can be modified organically to allow dispersal in fluids. The LDH nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. A pin-on-disk friction and wear tester was used for evaluating the friction and wear properties of LDH nanoparticles as lubricant additives. LDH nanoparticles have friction-reducing and anti-wear properties compared to oil without LDHs. Mg/Al-LDH has the best lubrication, possibly due to better thermal stability in severe conditions.

  3. Lubrication performance and mechanisms of Mg/Al-, Zn/Al-, and Zn/Mg/Al-layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as lubricant additives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Shuo [School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian Distract, Beijing 100083 (China); Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- & Nanotechnology and Biomimetics (NLBB), The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Avenue Columbus, OH 43210-1142 (United States); Bhushan, Bharat, E-mail: bhushan.2@osu.edu [Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- & Nanotechnology and Biomimetics (NLBB), The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Avenue Columbus, OH 43210-1142 (United States)

    2016-08-15

    Highlights: • Mg/Al-, Zn/Al- and Zn/Mg/Al-layered double hydroxide were synthesized. • Mg/Al-LDH had superior tribological performance compared to other LDHs. • The best thermal stability of Mg/Al-LDH was responsible for its friction property. - Abstract: Solid lubricant particles are commonly used as oil additives for low friction and wear. Mg/Al-, Zn/Al-, and Zn/Mg/Al-layered double hydroxides (LDH) were synthesized by coprecipitation method. The benefits of LDH nanoparticles are that they can be synthesized using chemical methods where size and shape can be controlled, and can be modified organically to allow dispersal in fluids. The LDH nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. A pin-on-disk friction and wear tester was used for evaluating the friction and wear properties of LDH nanoparticles as lubricant additives. LDH nanoparticles have friction-reducing and anti-wear properties compared to oil without LDHs. Mg/Al-LDH has the best lubrication, possibly due to better thermal stability in severe conditions.

  4. Dakwah Kultural Bayt al-Qur’an al-Akbar Ukiran Kayu Khas Melayu Palembang

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Pahlevi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Penelitian ini berusaha mengungkap berbagai fenomena yang menggambarkan serangkaian kegiatan dakwah kultural Bayt al-Qur’an al-Akbar Ukiran Khas Melayu Palembang. Sehingga dapat diperoleh sejumlah informasi mengenai berbagai upaya penerapan program yang dimaksud. Penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan, pertama kontribusi Bayt al-Qur’an al-Akbar Ukiran Khas Melayu Palembang terhadap perkembangan metode dakwah kultural adalah dakwah melalui seni. Kedua, Bayt al-Qur’an al-Akbar Ukiran Khas Melayu Palembang sebagai tempat Wisata Religi yang sangat signifikan.   This research tries to reveal the various phenomenon that describe a series of cultural propaganda activities Bayt al-Qur’an al-Akbar Ukiran Khas Melayu Palembang. In order to obtain some informations about the efforts of the implementation of the program in question. It can be concluded, the first contribution of Bayt al-Qur’an al-Akbar Ukiran Khas Melayu Palembang on the development of methods of cultural propaganda is propaganda through art. Second Bayt al-Qur’an al-Akbar Ukiran Khas Melayu Palembang as a very significant Religious Tourism.

  5. Optical phonon scattering on electronic mobility in Al2O3/AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, X. J.; Qu, Y.; Ban, S. L.; Wang, Z. P.

    2017-12-01

    Considering the built-in electric fields and the two-mode property of transverse optical phonons in AlGaN material, the electronic eigen-energies and wave functions are obtained by solving Schrödinger equation with the finite difference method. The dispersion relations and potentials of the optical phonons are given by the transfer matrix method. The mobility of the two dimensional electron gas influenced by the optical phonons in Al2O3/AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures is investigated based on the theory of Lei-Ting force balance equation. It is found that the scattering from the half-space phonons is the main factor affecting the electronic mobility, and the influence of the other phonons can be ignored. The results show that the mobility decreases with increasing the thicknesses of Al2O3 and AlN layers, but there is no definite relationship between the mobility and the thickness of AlGaN barrier. The mobility is obviously reduced by increasing Al component in AlGaN crystal to show that the effect of ternary mixed crystals is important. It is also found that the mobility increases first and then decreases as the increment of the fixed charges, but decreases always with increasing temperature. The heterostructures constructed here can be good candidates as metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility-transistors since they have higher electronic mobility due to the influence from interface phonons weakened by the AlN interlayer.

  6. Al2O3 adherence on CoCrAl alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kingsley, L.M.

    1980-04-01

    Adherence of protective oxides on NiCrAl and CoCrAl superalloys has been promoted by a dispersion of a highly oxygen reactive element or its oxide being produced within the protection system. Two aspects of this subject are investigated here: the use of Al 2 O 3 as both the dispersion and protective oxide; and the production of an HfO 2 dispersion while simultaneously aluminizing the alloy. It was found that an Al 2 O 3 dispersion will act to promote the adherence of an external scale of Al 2 O 3 to a degree comparable to previously tested dispersions and an HfO 2 dispersion comparable to that produced by a Rhines pack treatment is produced during aluminization

  7. Tracing Al Shabaab’s Decision to Cooperate with Al Qaeda in Somalia (2008

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adlini Ilma Ghaisany Sjah

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available 'Al Shabaab, a Somali insurgent with predominantly nationalistic causes (alongside transnational [global Jihad] and Islamic goals made the choice to fight on behalf of Al Qaeda in 2008. The decision to do so contrasted with Al Shabaab’s previous behaviour of actively denying cooperation and distancing itself from Al Qaeda. This study aims to uncover factors that contributed to Al Shabaab’s decision through the use of process-tracing. The results show that Al Shabaab’s declaration of cooperation with Al Qaeda in August 2008 was brought about by a series of events that traced back to four factors: public reactions to the implementation of a Salafi ideology, the shift to a radical leadership, Al Shabaab’s inability to maintain stability in areas under its control and its increasing attacks by Al Shabaab on the Somali public. Al Shabaab pursued cooperation with Al Qaeda after realizing that their nationalistic preference was no longer achievable in the near future.' ' '

  8. A highly sensitive, single selective, fluorescent sensor for Al3+ detection and its application in living cell imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye, Xing-Pei; Sun, Shao-bo; Li, Ying-dong; Zhi, Li-hua; Wu, Wei-na; Wang, Yuan

    2014-01-01

    A new o-aminophenol-based fluorogenic chemosensor methyl 3,5-bis((E)-(2-hydroxyphenylimino)methyl)-4-hydroxybenzoate 1 have been synthesized by Schiff base condensation of methyl 3,5-diformyl-4-hydroxybenzoate with o-aminophenol, which exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity toward Al 3+ . Fluorescence titration studies of receptors 1 with different metal cations in CH 3 OH medium showed highly selective and sensitive towards Al 3+ ions even in the presence of other commonly coexisting metal ions. The detection limit of Al 3+ ions is at the parts per billion level. Interestingly, the Al(III) complex of 1 offered a large Stokes shift (>120 nm), which can miximize the selfquenching effect. In addition, possible utilization of this receptor as bio-imaging fluorescent probe to detect Al 3+ in human cervical HeLa cancer cell lines was also investigated by confocal fluorescence microscopy. - Highlights: • A new Schiff base chemosensor is reported. • The sensor for Al 3+ offers large Stokes shift. • The detection limit of Al 3+ in CH 3 OH solution is at the parts per billion level. • The utilization of sensor for the monitoring of Al 3+ levels in living cells was examined

  9. Correlation of Creatine Kinase Levels with Clinical Features and Survival in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongfei Tai

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available ObjectiveTo evaluate serum creatine kinase (CK levels of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS patients and to explore the relationship between CK levels and the clinical characteristics and survival prognosis of ALS patients.MethodsWe analyzed the CK levels of 185 ALS patients who underwent long-term follow-up. The relationship between CK levels and clinical features including sex, age, disease duration, site of onset, body mass index (BMI, serum creatinine (Cr, and spontaneous electromyographic activity was analyzed by univariate analysis and multiple linear regression. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore whether CK levels were independently correlated with survival prognosis of ALS.ResultsBaseline serum CK was raised in 43% of participants. The median CK level was 160 U/L (range: 20–2,574 U/L, and 99% of patients had a baseline serum CK level less than 1,000 U/L. CK levels were significantly higher in male patients than in female patients [204 (169 versus 117 (111 U/L, p < 0.001] and in patients with limb onset ALS than with bulbar onset ALS (p < 0.001. CK levels were also correlated with serum Cr (p = 0.011 and the spontaneous potential score of electromyography (EMG (p = 0.037 but not correlated with age (p = 0.883, disease duration (p = 0.116, or BMI (p = 0.481. Log CK was independently correlated with survival of ALS patients (HR = 0.457, 95% confidence interval 0.221–0.947, p = 0.035 after adjusting for age, sex, site of onset, serum Cr, and BMI.ConclusionSerum CK levels of ALS patients were correlated with sex, site of onsite, serum Cr, and spontaneous activity in EMG. Serum CK could be an independent prognostic factor for survival of ALS patients.

  10. Modified embedded-atom method interatomic potential for the Fe-Al system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Eunkoo; Lee, Byeong-Joo

    2010-01-01

    An interatomic potential for the Fe-Al binary system has been developed based on the modified embedded-atom method (MEAM) potential formalism. The potential can describe various fundamental physical properties of Fe-Al binary alloys-structural, elastic and thermodynamic properties, defect formation behavior and interactions between defects-in reasonable agreement with experimental data or higher-level calculations. The applicability of the potential to atomistic investigations of various defect formation behaviors and their effects on the mechanical properties of high aluminum steels as well as Fe-Al binary alloys is demonstrated.

  11. Design of high-temperature high-strength Al-Ti-V-Zr alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, H.M.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports that it seems plausible to develop high-strength Al-base alloys useful up to 698K in view of the behavior of nickel base superalloys which resist degradation of mechanical properties to 75 pct of their absolute melting temperature. For high temperature Al alloys, the dispersed hardening phase must not undergo phase transformation to an undesirable phase during long time exposure at the temperature of interest. An additional factor to be considered is the stability of the hardening phase with respect to Ostwald ripening. This coarsening resistance is necessary so that the required strength level can be maintained after the long-time service at high temperatures. The equilibrium crystal structures of Al 3 Ti, Al 3 V and Al 3 Zr are tetragonal D0 22 , D0 22 and D0 23 , respectively. At the temperatures of interest, around 698K, vanadium and titanium are mutually substitutable in the form of Al 3 (Ti, V). Much of titanium and vanadium can be substituted for zirconium in the D0 23 - type Al 3 Zr compound, creating Al 3 (Ti, Zr) and Al 3 (V, Zr), respectively. In particular, it has been reported that fcc L1 2 -structured Al 3 M dispersoids form in the rapidly solidified Al-V-Zr and Al-Ti-Zr systems and both L1 2 and D0 23 -structured Al 3 M phases showed slow coarsening kinetics

  12. Temporal dynamics of the response to Al stress in Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus camaldulensis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berenice K. de Alcântara

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Lipid peroxidation and root elongation of Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus camaldulensis were studied under stress conditions in response to aluminum (Al, a metal known to limit agricultural productivity in acidic soils primarily due to reduced root elongation. In Brazil, the Grancam 1277 hybrid (E. grandis × E. camaldulensis has been planted in the "Cerrado", a region of the country with a wide occurrence of acidic soils. The present study demonstrated that the hybrid exhibited root growth reduction and increased levels of lipid peroxidation after 24h of treatment with 100 µM of Al, which was followed by a reduction in lipid peroxidation levels and the recovery of root elongation after 48h of Al exposure, suggesting a rapid response to the early stressful conditions induced by Al. The understanding of the temporal dynamics of Al tolerance may be useful for selecting more tolerant genotypes and for identifying genes of interest for applications in bioengineering.

  13. All About ALS

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Subscribe August 2015 Print this issue All About ALS Understanding a Devastating Disorder En español Send us ... Sports Concussions Wise Choices How Can I Help ALS Research? If you have ALS, join the National ...

  14. Methodology and Characteristics of Zad al-masir fi ‘ilm al-tafsirby AllamaIbn al-Jawzī (Urdu

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Muhammad Riaz al Azhari

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This article describes the methodology and characteristics of Zad al-masir fi ‘ilm al-tafsir. This is one the finest work of AllamaIbn al-Jawzī, a 6th century prominent Interpreter. Several editions of this Tafsir have been published. However, the edition of dar al-kitab al-‘arbi, Beirut published in four volumes is selected for this study. This exegesis is based on conventional narrations, authentic quotations from the Islamic Scholars and lingual & grammatical discussions. As a witness, causes of verses (asbabal-Nuz┴l,Makki and MadaniSurah’s (chapters, the abrogating and abrogated verses (al-nasikhwal-mans┴kh and Islamic jurisprudence have been discussed in it where needed. The quality of this translation which is admirable is that mostly authentic Ahadith from original sources, and references to well known basic books in relevant discussions have been described. `

  15. Phenotypic and genotypic studies of ALS cases in ALS-SMA families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcia, Philippe; Vourc'h, Patrick; Blasco, Helene; Couratier, Philippe; Dangoumau, Audrey; Bellance, Remi; Desnuelle, Claude; Viader, Fausto; Pautot, Vivien; Millecamps, Stephanie; Bakkouche, Salah; Salachas, FranÇois; Andres, Christian R; Meininger, Vincent; Camu, William

    2018-03-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are the most frequent motor neuron disorders in adulthood and infancy, respectively. There is a growing literature supporting common pathophysiological patterns between those disorders. One important clinical issue for that is the co-occurrence of both diseases within a family. To collect families in which ALS and SMA patients co-exist and describe the phenotype and the genotype of ALS patients. Nine families with co-occurrence of SMA and ALS have been gathered over the last 15 years. Epidemiological, phenotype and genetic status were collected. Out of the nine families, six corresponded to the criteria of familial ALS (FALS). Clinical data were available for 11 patients out of the 15 ALS cases. Mean age of onset was 58.5 years, site of onset was lower limbs in nine cases (81.8%), median duration was 22 months. Four ALS patients carried a mutation: three mutations in SOD1 gene (G147N in two cases and one with E121G) and one repeat expansion in the C9ORF72 gene. Three patients had abnormal SMN1 copy numbers. While the high proportion of familial history of ALS cases in these ALS-SMA pedigrees could have suggested that these familial clusters of the two most frequent MND rely on a genetic background, we failed to exclude that this occurred by chance.

  16. Different defect levels configurations between double layers of nanorods and film in ZnO grown on c-Al2O3 by MOCVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Bin; Zhang, Yuantao; Shi, Zhifeng; Li, Xiang; Cui, Xijun; Zhuang, Shiwei; Zhang, Baolin; Du, Guotong

    2014-01-01

    Epitaxial ZnO structures with inherent two layers of nanorods layer on film layer were fabricated on c-Al 2 O 3 by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and studied by photoluminescence. Specially, photoluminescence spectra for the film layer were obtained by rendering the excitation from the substrate side. Different defect levels configurations between nanorods and film were revealed. Zinc vacancies tend to form in top nanorods layer, whereas abundant zinc–oxygen divacancies accumulate in bottom film layer. An acceptor state with activation energy of ∼200 meV is exclusive to the film layer. The stacking fault related acceptor and Al introduced donor are present in both layers. Besides, two other defect related donors contained in the nanorods layer perhaps also exist within the film layer. - Highlights: • Inherent double layer ZnO of nanorods on film layer were studied by PL. • V Zn tend to form in the nanorods layer, and V ZnO accumulate in the film layer. • An acceptor with activation energy of ∼200 meV is exclusive to the film layer. • Pure NBE emission without DLE in RT PL spectrum does not mean good crystallinity

  17. Design and characterization of FeCrNiCoAlCu and FeCrNiCo(AlCu){sub 0,5} multicomponent alloys; Previsao e caracterizacao de ligas multicomponentes FeCrNiCoAlCu e FeCrNiCo(AlCu){sub 0,5}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Triveno Rios, Carlos; Artacho, Victor Falcao [Universidade Federal do ABC (CECS/UFABC), Santo Andre, SP (Brazil). Engenharia de Materiais

    2014-07-01

    High entropy alloys using multi-element main quasi-equivalent atomic proportions and generally forms single-phase solid solution and has the ability to enhance levels of strain hardening combined with high levels of plastic deformation at room temperature. In this work two high-entropy alloys with almost similar composition were studied and the factors influencing the formation of solid solution phases (δ atomic radius difference, ΔH{sub mix} mixing enthalpy, ΔS{sub mix} mixing entropy) were evaluated. The microstructure as-cast and the compositions of phases in the two alloys were analyzed by SEM and XRD. The mechanical characterization was realized by measurements of microhardness and cold compression test. The results showed that FeCrNiCo(AlCu){sub 0,5} and FeCrNiCoAlCu alloys with δ equal to 5,7 and 4,9, respectively, form alloys with solid solutions of high entropy. However, the presence of FC and BCCC structures greatly influence the mechanical properties. (author)

  18. Neural network potential for Al-Mg-Si alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Ryo; Giofré, Daniele; Junge, Till; Ceriotti, Michele; Curtin, William A.

    2017-10-01

    The 6000 series Al alloys, which include a few percent of Mg and Si, are important in automotive and aviation industries because of their low weight, as compared to steels, and the fact their strength can be greatly improved through engineered precipitation. To enable atomistic-level simulations of both the processing and performance of this important alloy system, a neural network (NN) potential for the ternary Al-Mg-Si has been created. Training of the NN uses an extensive database of properties computed using first-principles density functional theory, including complex precipitate phases in this alloy. The NN potential accurately reproduces most of the pure Al properties relevant to the mechanical behavior as well as heat of solution, solute-solute, and solute-vacancy interaction energies, and formation energies of small solute clusters and precipitates that are required for modeling the early stage of precipitation and mechanical strengthening. This success not only enables future detailed studies of Al-Mg-Si but also highlights the ability of NN methods to generate useful potentials in complex alloy systems.

  19. Eutectic microstructures of Al-ThA13 and Al-UA14 alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vieira, R.R.; Ambrozio Filho, F.

    1990-01-01

    This paper deals on the microstructures of systems Al-ThAl3 and Al-UAL4, which are composed by a non faceted phase (aluminium) and an intermetallic phase (ThAl3 or UAL4) which is normally faceted phase. (C.M.)

  20. Development of an efficient grain refiner for Al-7Si alloy and its modification with strontium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kori, S.A.; Murty, B.S.; Chakraborty, M. [Indian Inst. of Technol., Kharagpur (India). Dept. of Metall. and Mater. Eng.

    2000-05-15

    The grain refining response of Al and Al-7Si alloy has been studied with various Al-Ti, Al-B and Al-Ti-B master alloys at different addition levels. The results show that Al-B and B rich Al-Ti-B master alloys cannot grain refine Al, while they are efficient grain refiners to Al-7Si alloy. The level of grain refinement saturates after 0.03% of Ti or B for most of the master alloys studied both at short and long holding times. The grain refining efficiency of some elements other than Ti and B on Al-7Si alloy has also been studied. Interestingly, all the elements studied (B, Cr, Fe, Mg, Ni, Ti and Zr) have resulted in some grain refinement of Al-7Si alloy at short holding time and have shown fading/poisoning on long holding, which increased in the order of B (no poisoning), Ti, Cr, Ni, Fe, Mg, Zr. Sr (0.02%) has been found to provide complete modification of the eutectic in Al-7Si alloy within 2 min, which is not lost even after long holding up to 120 min. Significant improvements in the mechanical properties have been obtained by a combination of grain refinement and modification to an extent that was not possible by either of them alone. (orig.)

  1. Interface reactions in the Al-Si-SiC and Mg-Al-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} composite systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, P.K. [Commission of the European Communities, Petten (Netherlands). Inst. for Advanced Materials; Fazal-Ur-Rehman [Imperial Coll. of Science, Technology and Medicine, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Materials; Fox, S. [Imperial Coll. of Science, Technology and Medicine, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Materials; Flower, H.M. [Imperial Coll. of Science, Technology and Medicine, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Materials; West, D.R.F.

    1995-12-31

    Structural and compositional observations are reported on the influence of the interfaces on the mechanisms and kinetics of liquid metal-ceramic reactions in Al-SiC, Al-Si-SiC, Mg-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Mg-Al-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} composites. The aluminium based materials contained up to 20 vol% SiC in particulate form, and were produced by a spray casting process; subsequently the interface reactions were studied in samples heated to temperatures up to 1100 C. The reaction product was Al{sub 4}C{sub 3} in both Al-SiC and Al-Si-SiC composites. The influence of the crystallography and topology of the SiC particle surfaces on the nucleation of the Al{sub 4}C{sub 3} has been demonstrated; surface asperities play an important role. Growth of nuclei proceeds to form continuous reaction product layers which control the subsequent kinetics. The magnesium based composites contained 5 vol% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} fibres (3 {mu}m in diameter), and were produced by a liquid infiltration process. SD Safimax fibres with relatively low and high porosity, and also RF Saffil fibres, with a silica binder, were investigated. Fibre porosity plays a major role in accelerating the penetration of Mg into the fibres with reaction to form MgO. Silica binder on the fibre surface transforms to MgO. The reaction rate was reduced by the presence of aluminium in the matrix. The factors controlling the reactions in the aluminium and magnesium based composites are compared. (orig.)

  2. Novel DDR Processing of Corn Stover Achieves High Monomeric Sugar Concentrations from Enzymatic Hydrolysis (230 g/L) and High Ethanol Concentration (10% v/v) During Fermentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Xiaowen; Jennings, Ed; Shekiro, Joe; Kuhn, Erik M.; O' Brien, Marykate; Wang, Wei; Schell, Daniel J.; Himmel, Mike; Elander, Richard T.; Tucker, Melvin P.

    2015-04-03

    Distilling and purifying ethanol, butanol, and other products from second and later generation lignocellulosic biorefineries adds significant capital and operating cost for biofuels production. The energy costs associated with distillation affects plant gate and life cycle analysis costs. Lower titers in fermentation due to lower sugar concentrations from pretreatment increase both energy and production costs. In addition, higher titers decrease the volumes required for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation vessels. Therefore, increasing biofuels titers has been a research focus in renewable biofuels production for several decades. In this work, we achieved over 200 g/L of monomeric sugars after high solids enzymatic hydrolysis using the novel deacetylation and disc refining (DDR) process on corn stover. The high sugar concentrations and low chemical inhibitor concentrations from the DDR process allowed ethanol titers as high as 82 g/L in 22 hours, which translates into approximately 10 vol% ethanol. To our knowledge, this is the first time that 10 vol% ethanol in fermentation derived from corn stover without any sugar concentration or purification steps has been reported. Techno-economic analysis shows the higher titer ethanol achieved from the DDR process could significantly reduce the minimum ethanol selling price from cellulosic biomass.

  3. {sup 26}Al incorporation into the tissues of suckling rats through maternal milk

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yumoto, S. E-mail: yumoto-s@viola.ocn.ne.jp; Nagai, H.; Kobayashi, K.; Tada, W.; Horikawa, T.; Matsuzaki, H

    2004-08-01

    Aluminium (Al) is highly neurotoxic and inhibits prenatal and postnatal development of the brain in humans and experimental animals. However, Al incorporation into the brain of sucklings through maternal milk has not yet been well clarified because Al lacks a suitable isotope for radioactive tracer experiments. Using {sup 26}Al as a tracer, we measured {sup 26}Al incorporation into the brain of suckling rats by accelerator mass spectrometry. Lactating rats were subcutaneously injected with {sup 26}AlCl{sub 3} from day 1 to day 20 postpartum. Suckling rats were weaned from day 21 postpartum. From day 5 to day 20 postpartum, the {sup 26}Al levels measured in the brain, liver, kidneys and bone of suckling rats increased significantly. After weaning, the amounts of {sup 26}Al in the liver and kidneys decreased remarkably. However, the {sup 26}Al amount in the brain had diminished only slightly up to 140 days after weaning.

  4. KONSTRUKSI FIQH BUKHARI DALAM KITAB AL-JAMI’ AL-SHAHIH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Sattar

    2011-06-01

    Popularitas Imam Bukhari sebagai penyusun kitab Hadits memiliki posisi yang tinggi di kalangan masyarakat muslim. Kitab Al-Jami ‘al-Shahih karya Imam  Bukhari dianggap sebagai koleksi hadits terbaik setelah Quran. Namun, tidak ada banyak informasi tentang kemampuannya di bidang Hukum Islam (fiqh. Ada beberapa pertanyaan yang dapat diajukan dalam hal tersebut;  pertama, apakah pemikiran Imam Bukhari dipengaruh salah satu dari empat fuqaha Sunni saat menulis al-Jami ‘al-Shahih?. Kedua, apa yang diupayakan Imam Bukhari untuk mengartikulasikan pemikirannya tentang hukum Islam? Dengan menggunakan pendekatan eksploratif, verifikatif dan hermenetical, artikel ini akan mengungkapkan bahwa Imam Bukhari tidak berada di bawah pengaruh madhab tertentu dalam mengartikulasikan pemikirannya tentang hukum Islam. Dia mengartikulasikan pandangannya dengan cara yang unik dan execelent berdasarkan kapasitasnya sebagai muhaddits.

  5. Asociación entre los niveles de estrés y depresión y la adhesión al tratamiento en personas seropositivas al VIH en Hermosillo, México Association between stress and depression levels and treatment adherence among HIV-positive individuals in Hermosillo, México

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julio Alfonso Piña López

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Evaluar la asociación entre las variables relacionadas con el estrés, los motivos y la depresión en personas seropositivas al VIH y la adhesión al tratamiento, y analizar su consistencia según un modelo psicológico teórico. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal con la participación de 25 mujeres y 39 hombres seropositivos al VIH atendidos en el Centro Ambulatorio para la Prevención y Atención a VIH/Sida e Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual, en Hermosillo, Sonora, México. Se exploraron las variables psicológicas y el grado de adhesión al tratamiento, las situaciones vinculadas con el estrés y el grado de depresión. Se elaboraron índices de las variables de interés asociadas con el estrés, los motivos y la depresión. La asociación entre las variables se determinó mediante regresión múltiple. RESULTADOS: En el mes previo al estudio, 65,6% de los 64 participantes informó haber seguido fielmente el tratamiento indicado, mientras 34,4% incumplieron el tratamiento en alguna medida (χ2 = 6,250; P = 0,012. Según el análisis de regresión se encontró que solamente la combinación de niveles intermedios de estrés vinculado con la tolerancia a la ambigüedad y niveles bajos de depresión presentó una asociación significativa (F [3,58] = 3,298; P = 0,027 con la adhesión al tratamiento; la combinación de ambas variables explicó 38,2% de la varianza total encontrada. CONCLUSIONES: La combinación de los niveles de estrés vinculado con la tolerancia a la ambigüedad y de depresión podría emplearse como factor de predicción del fiel cumplimiento de las indicaciones médicas prescritas. Se deben tener en cuenta estos resultados al diseñar intervenciones y programas dirigidos a promover la adhesión al tratamiento en personas seropositivas al VIH.OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between variables related to stress, reasons, and depression, and adherence to treatment in HIV-positive individuals, and to analyze the

  6. La "historia de los omeyas de al-Andalus" en los Masalik al-Absar

    OpenAIRE

    Molina, Luis

    2005-01-01

    [ES]Los Masalik al-absar de Ibn Fadl Allah al-`Umari incluyen un breve resumen de la Historia de los omeyas de al-Andalus. En este trabajo se analizan las relaciones textuales entre ese pasaje y el Muqtabis de Ibn Hayyan, crónica que resulta ser la fuente casi única utilizada por al-`Umari para redactar ese capítulo. [EN]The Masalik al-absar by Ibn Fadl Allah al-`Umari contains a brief summary of the Umayyad history in al-Andalus. In this article, the textual relationship between this p...

  7. Synthesis of High Crystalline Al-Doped ZnO Nanopowders from Al2O3 and ZnO by Radio-Frequency Thermal Plasma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min-Kyeong Song

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available High crystalline Al-doped ZnO (AZO nanopowders were prepared by in-flight treatment of ZnO and Al2O3 in Radio-Frequency (RF thermal plasma. Micron-sized (~1 μm ZnO and Al2O3 powders were mixed at Al/Zn ratios of 3.3 and 6.7 at.% and then injected into the RF thermal plasma torch along the centerline at a feeding rate of 6.6 g/min. The RF thermal plasma torch system was operated at the plate power level of ~140 kVA to evaporate the mixture oxides and the resultant vapor species were condensed into solid particles by the high flow rate of quenching gas (~7000 slpm. The FE-SEM images of the as-treated powders showed that the multipod shaped and the whisker type nanoparticles were mainly synthesized. In addition, these nanocrystalline structures were confirmed as the single phase AZO nanopowders with the hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure by the XRD patterns and FE-TEM results with the SAED image. However, the composition changes of 0.3 and 1.0 at.% were checked for the as-synthesized AZO nanopowders at Al/Zn ratios of 3.3 and 6.7 at.%, respectively, by the XRF data, which can require the adjustment of Al/Zn in the mixture precursors for the applications of high Al doping concentrations.

  8. Single site mutations in the hetero-oligomeric Mrp antiporter from alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 that affect Na+/H+ antiport activity, sodium exclusion, individual Mrp protein levels, or Mrp complex formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morino, Masato; Natsui, Shinsuke; Ono, Tomohiro; Swartz, Talia H; Krulwich, Terry A; Ito, Masahiro

    2010-10-01

    Mrp systems are widely distributed and structurally complex cation/proton antiporters. Antiport activity requires hetero-oligomeric complexes of all six or seven hydrophobic Mrp proteins (MrpA-MrpG). Here, a panel of site-directed mutants in conserved or proposed motif residues was made in the Mrp Na(+)(Li(+))/H(+) antiporter from an alkaliphilic Bacillus. The mutant operons were expressed in antiporter-deficient Escherichia coli KNabc and assessed for antiport properties, support of sodium resistance, membrane levels of each Mrp protein, and presence of monomeric and dimeric Mrp complexes. Antiport did not depend on a VFF motif or a conserved tyrosine pair, but a role for a conserved histidine in a potential quinone binding site of MrpA was supported. The importance of several acidic residues for antiport was confirmed, and the importance of additional residues was demonstrated (e.g. three lysine residues conserved across MrpA, MrpD, and membrane-bound respiratory Complex I subunits (NuoL/M/N)). The results extended indications that MrpE is required for normal membrane levels of other Mrp proteins and for complex formation. Moreover, mutations in several other Mrp proteins lead to greatly reduced membrane levels of MrpE. Thus, changes in either of the two Mrp modules, MrpA-MrpD and MrpE-MrpG, influence the other. Two mutants, MrpB-P37G and MrpC-Q70A, showed a normal phenotype but lacked the MrpA-MrpG monomeric complex while retaining the dimeric hetero-oligomeric complex. Finally, MrpG-P81A and MrpG-P81G mutants exhibited no antiport activity but supported sodium resistance and a low [Na(+)](in). Such mutants could be used to screen hypothesized but uncharacterized sodium efflux functions of Mrp apart from Na(+) (Li(+))/H(+) antiport.

  9. Cryptanalysis of Lin et al.'s Efficient Block-Cipher-Based Hash Function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Bozhong; Gong, Zheng; Chen, Xiaohong; Qiu, Weidong; Zheng, Dong

    2010-01-01

    Hash functions are widely used in authentication. In this paper, the security of Lin et al.'s efficient block-cipher-based hash function is reviewed. By using Joux's multicollisions and Kelsey et al.'s expandable message techniques, we find the scheme is vulnerable to collision, preimage and second

  10. Strobloy — The New Combined Grain Refiner and Modifier for Hypoeutectic AlSi Foundry Alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bondhus, Eivind; Sagstad, Trond

    Hydelko presents a new combination alloy for use in hypoeuctectic aluminium silicon foundry alloys. Strobloy simplifies today's addition practice of grain refiner and modifier by reducing the number of additions from two to one. Strobloy is a combination product between the well-established TiBloy, and strontium. The alloy contains nucleating particles in the form of the mixed boride (Al, Ti)B2, which is beneficial regarding settling and grain refining efficiency. Strontium is present as fast-dissolving AL4Sr particles. Trials carried out indicate that Strobloy shows very good performance compared to separate additions of TiBloy/AlTi5B1 and AlSr master alloy. The grain refining efficiency and modification level is the same or better. This paper displays results collected from tests done with different strontium levels in an A356 alloy. Comparisons to separate additions of TiBloy and AlSr are presented.

  11. Barium aluminides BaxAl5(x=3,3.5,4)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jehle, Michael; Scherer, Harald; Wendorff, Marco; Roehr, Caroline

    2009-01-01

    Three aluminides of the series Ba x Al 5 (x=3,3.5,4) were synthesized from stoichiometric ratios of the elements in Ta crucibles. The crystal structure of the new compound Ba 7 Al 10 was determined using single crystal X-ray data (space group R3-barm, a=604.23(9), c=4879.0(12)pm, Z=3, R1=0.0325). The compound exhibits Al Kagome (3.6.3.6.) nets in which half of the triangles form the basis of trigonal bipyramids Al 5 . The apical Al are thus three-bonded assuming a charge of -2 ( 27 Al-NMR chemical shift δ=660pm), whereas the Al atoms of the basal triangle (i.e. of the Kagome net) are four-bonded and thus of formal charge -1(δ=490ppm). The total charge of the anion is thus exactly compensated by the Ba cations, i.e. the compound can be interpreted as an electron precise Zintl phase, exhibiting a distinct pseudo-band gap at the Fermi level of the calculated tDOS. According to the total formula, the structure displays a combination the stacking sequences of Ba 3 Al 5 and Ba 4 Al 5 , the structures of which have been redetermined with current methods (both hexagonal with space group P6 3 /mmc; Ba 3 Al 5 : a=606.55(7), c=1461.8(2)pm, Z=2, R1=0.0239; Ba 4 Al 5 : a=609.21(7), c=1775.8(3)pm, Z=2, R1=0.0300). These three compounds with slightly different electron counts but similar polyanions allow to compare the bond lengths, the electronic structures and the overall bonding situation in dependence of positive or negative deviation of the electron count in relation to the novel formally electron precise Zintl compound Ba 7 Al 10 . - Al 5 layers of Kagome nets in the new binary electron precise Zintl compound Ba 3.5 Al 5 , also found in Ba 3 Al 5 and Ba 4 Al 5 .

  12. From Kitāb al-ḥadā’iq to Kitāb al-dawā’ir: Reconsidering Ibn al-Sīd al-Batalyawsī’s Philosophical Treatise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliyahu, Ayala

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The philosophical treatise known as Kitāb al-ḥadā’iq is generally ascribed to the 12th century Andalusian author Ibn al-Sīd al-Batalyawsī, although this attribution is sometimes contested. This paper offers a new interpretation of the title, textual history, authorship, sources, and literary genre of this treatise, on the basis of new textual evidence, a reexamination of known evidence, and a comparison between the treatise and Batalyawsī’s works. The conclusions of this study are first, that Kitāb al-ḥadā’iq was not the treatise’s original title, and therefore it should be renamed Kitāb al-dawā’ir; second, that Kitāb al-dawā’ir was originally part of (one of the versions of Batalyawsī’s Kitāb al-masā’il; and third, that the textual and stylistic similarities between this treatise and Batalyawsī’s other works prove the authenticity of the treatise’s attribution to Batalyawsī. In addition, new findings regarding Batalyawsī’s use of formulas from the Rasā’il Ikhwān al-Safā, in Kitāb al-dawā’ir and Kitāb al-masā’il provide further evidence for the deep impact of the Ikhwān on Batalyawsī’s thought, as well as for the close connection between Kitāb al-dawā’ir and Kitāb al-masā’il. This connection is further highlighted according to the attribution of both treatises to the genre of questions and answers in Arabic literature. The evidence gathered in this paper supports the claim that Batalyawsī’s Kitāb al-dawā’ir should be seen as an integral part of his literary oeuvre, as well as of Andalusian philosophical literature in general.Generalmente el tratado filosófico conocido como Kitāb al-ḥadā’iq se asocia al autor andalusí del siglo XII Ibn al-Sid al-Batalyawsī, aunque esta atribución ha sido discutida en ocasiones. Este artículo ofrece una nueva interpretación del título, la historia del texto, la autoría, las fuentes e incluso del género literario al que se

  13. Theory and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy for Aluminum Coordination Complexes – Al K-Edge Studies of Charge and Bonding in (BDI)Al, (BDI)AlR2, and (BDI)AlX2 Complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altman, Alison B; Pemmaraju, C D; Camp, Clément; Arnold, John; Minasian, Stefan G; Prendergast, David; Shuh, David K; Tyliszczak, Tolek

    2015-08-19

    Polarized aluminum K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and first-principles calculations were used to probe electronic structure in a series of (BDI)Al, (BDI)AlX2, and (BDI)AlR2 coordination compounds (X = F, Cl, I; R = H, Me; BDI = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl-β-diketiminate). Spectral interpretations were guided by examination of the calculated transition energies and polarization-dependent oscillator strengths, which agreed well with the XANES spectroscopy measurements. Pre-edge features were assigned to transitions associated with the Al 3p orbitals involved in metal-ligand bonding. Qualitative trends in Al 1s core energy and valence orbital occupation were established through a systematic comparison of excited states derived from Al 3p orbitals with similar symmetries in a molecular orbital framework. These trends suggested that the higher transition energies observed for (BDI)AlX2 systems with more electronegative X(1-) ligands could be ascribed to a decrease in electron density around the aluminum atom, which causes an increase in the attractive potential of the Al nucleus and concomitant increase in the binding energy of the Al 1s core orbitals. For (BDI)Al and (BDI)AlH2 the experimental Al K-edge XANES spectra and spectra calculated using the eXcited electron and Core-Hole (XCH) approach had nearly identical energies for transitions to final state orbitals of similar composition and symmetry. These results implied that the charge distributions about the aluminum atoms in (BDI)Al and (BDI)AlH2 are similar relative to the (BDI)AlX2 and (BDI)AlMe2 compounds, despite having different formal oxidation states of +1 and +3, respectively. However, (BDI)Al was unique in that it exhibited a low-energy feature that was attributed to transitions into a low-lying p-orbital of b1 symmetry that is localized on Al and orthogonal to the (BDI)Al plane. The presence of this low-energy unoccupied molecular orbital on electron-rich (BDI)Al distinguishes

  14. Elevated levels of ferritin in the cerebrospinal fluid of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Y; Gao, L; Wang, D; Zang, D

    2017-08-01

    The aim of the study was to detect changes in the levels of ferritin heavy chain (FHC), ferritin light chain (FLC), and transferrin in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and to analyze the correlations between the levels of these proteins and various clinical parameters. Cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples were obtained from 54 ALS patients and 46 non-inflammatory neurological disease control (non-INDC) patients. CSF and serum FHC, FLC, and transferring levels were measured via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent method using a commercial ELISA kit, and the times from onset (durations), ALS functional rating scale-revised (ALSFRS-r) scores, and disease progression rates (DPRs) were analyzed by registered neurologists. Statistical analysis was performed via Prism software. Compared with controls, ALS patients exhibited significantly increased FHC and FLC levels in CSF, which were positively correlated with DPR and negatively correlated with duration. Serum transferrin levels were significantly increased in ALS patients but were not correlated with disease progression. FHC and FLC in CSF rapidly increased as the disease worsened. This study demonstrated that the clinical measurement of FHC and FLC in CSF may be beneficial for disease differentiation and evaluating progression in patients with ALS. Compared with levels in serum, the levels of FHC and FLC in CSF might be more reliable for diagnosing and assessing the progression of ALS. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Suitability of Defector Operations Applied Against Al Qaeda

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-05-01

    in the Poso region of Sulawesi, Indonesia Jema’ah Islamiyah, Al Qaeda’s regional ally, intentionally stirred up local sectarian grievances to...require a defector with religious authority, rather any mid or low-level defector who could dissuade the droves of potential recruits surfing the

  16. Correlation of proton irradiation induced threshold voltage shifts to deep level traps in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Z.; Cardwell, D.; Sasikumar, A.; Kyle, E. C. H.; Chen, J.; Zhang, E. X.; Fleetwood, D. M.; Schrimpf, R. D.; Speck, J. S.; Arehart, A. R.; Ringel, S. A.

    2016-04-01

    The impact of proton irradiation on the threshold voltage (VT) of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures is systematically investigated to enhance the understanding of a primary component of the degradation of irradiated high electron mobility transistors. The value of VT was found to increase monotonically as a function of 1.8 MeV proton fluence in a sub-linear manner reaching 0.63 V at a fluence of 1 × 1014 cm-2. Silvaco Atlas simulations of VT shifts caused by GaN buffer traps using experimentally measured introduction rates, and energy levels closely match the experimental results. Different buffer designs lead to different VT dependences on proton irradiation, confirming that deep, acceptor-like defects in the GaN buffer are primarily responsible for the observed VT shifts. The proton irradiation induced VT shifts are found to depend on the barrier thickness in a linear fashion; thus, scaling the barrier thickness could be an effective way to reduce such degradation.

  17. Non-target-site resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in a Sagittaria trifolia L. population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Bochui; Fu, Danni; Yu, Yang; Huang, Chengtian; Yan, Kecheng; Li, Pingsheng; Shafi, Jamil; Zhu, He; Wei, Songhong; Ji, Mingshan

    2017-08-01

    Sagittaria trifolia L. is one of the most competitive weeds in rice fields in northeastern China. The continuous use of acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibitors has led to the evolution of herbicide resistant S. trifolia. A subpopulation BC1, which was derived from the L1 population, was analyzed using DNA sequencing and ALS enzyme activity assays and levels of resistance to five ALS-inhibiting herbicides was determined. DNA sequencing and ALS enzyme assays revealed no amino acid substitutions and no significant differences in enzyme sensitivity between susceptible and resistant populations. Whole-plant dose-response experiments showed that the BC1 population exhibited different levels of resistance (resistance ratios ranging from 2.14 to 51.53) to five ALS herbicides, and the addition of malathion (P450 inhibitor) to bensulfuron-methyl, penoxsulam and bispyribac-sodium strongly reduced the dry weight accumulation of the BC1 population compared with the effects of the three herbicides alone. The results of the present study demonstrated that the BC1 population has evolved non-target-site resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. 121_Ishaq et al.,_Muhammad Abdullahi Wase_SPATIAL AND ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user pc

    2017-12-02

    Dec 2, 2017 ... and adolescents in developing countries as a result of poor sanitation ... characterized by low river levels (Alajeely, et al., .... 99% confidence were generally observed in areas .... Malaysian Journal of Microbiology, 3(2): 19-.

  19. Thermodynamic properties of Al-Mn, Al-Cu, and Al-Fe-Cu melts and their relations to liquid and quasicrystal structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaitsev, A I; Zaitseva, N E; Shimko, R Yu; Arutyunyan, N A; Dunaev, S F; Kraposhin, V S; Lam, Ha Thanh

    2008-01-01

    Thermodynamic properties of molten Al-Mn, Al-Cu and Al-Fe-Cu alloys in a wide temperature range of 1123-1878 K and the whole range of concentrations have been studied using the integral effusion method and Knudsen mass spectrometry. Thermodynamic functions of melts were described by the associated solution model. The possibility of icosahedral quasicrystal (i-QC) precipitation from liquid Al-Mn and Al-Cu-Fe alloys was found to be a consequence of the existence in liquid associates (clusters). A geometric model is suggested for the structure of associates in liquid

  20. Telephone-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Screening for Frontotemporal Changes in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christodoulou, Georgia; Gennings, Chris; Hupf, Jonathan; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Murphy, Jennifer; Goetz, Raymond R.; Mitsumoto, Hiroshi

    2017-01-01

    Objective To establish a valid and reliable battery of measures to evaluate frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in patients with ALS over the phone. Methods Thirty-one subjects were administered either in-person or telephone-based screening followed by the opposite mode of testing two weeks later, using a modified version of the UCSF Cognitive Screening Battery. Results Equivalence testing was performed for in-person and telephone-based tests. The standard ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen (ALS-CBS) showed statistical equivalence at the 5% significance level when compared to a revised phone-version of the ALS-CBS. In addition, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) and Center for Neurologic Study-Lability Scale (CNS-LS) were also found to be equivalent at the 5% and 10% significance level respectively. Similarly, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the well-established Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) were also statistically equivalent. Equivalence could not be claimed for the ALS-Frontal Behavioral Inventory (ALS-FBI) caregiver interview and the Written Verbal Fluency Index (WVFI). Conclusions Our study suggests that telephone-based versions of the ALS-CBS, COWAT, and CNS-LS may offer clinicians valid tools to detect frontotemporal changes in the ALS population. Development of telephone-based cognitive testing for ALS could become an integral resource for population-based research in the future. PMID:27121545

  1. Telephone based cognitive-behavioral screening for frontotemporal changes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christodoulou, Georgia; Gennings, Chris; Hupf, Jonathan; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Murphy, Jennifer; Goetz, Raymond R; Mitsumoto, Hiroshi

    Our objective was to establish a valid and reliable battery of measures to evaluate frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in patients with ALS over the telephone. Thirty-one subjects were administered either in-person or by telephone-based screening followed by the opposite mode of testing two weeks later, using a modified version of the UCSF Cognitive Screening Battery. Equivalence testing was performed for in-person and telephone based tests. The standard ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen (ALS-CBS) showed statistical equivalence at the 5% significance level compared to a revised phone version of the ALS-CBS. In addition, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) and Center for Neurologic Study-Lability Scale (CNS-LS) were also found to be equivalent at the 5% and 10% significance level, respectively. Similarly, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the well-established Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) were also statistically equivalent. Equivalence could not be claimed for the ALS-Frontal Behavioral Inventory (ALS-FBI) caregiver interview and the Written Verbal Fluency Index (WVFI). In conclusion, our study suggests that telephone-based versions of the ALS-CBS, COWAT, and CNS-LS may offer clinicians valid tools to detect frontotemporal changes in the ALS population. Development of telephone based cognitive testing for ALS could become an integral resource for population based research in the future.

  2. Electronic structure of ClAlPc/pentacene/ITO interfaces studied by using soft X-ray spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Sangwan; Lee, Sangho; Kim, Minsoo; Heo, Nari; Lee, Geunjeong; Smith, Kevin E.

    2014-01-01

    The interfacial electronic structure of a bilayer of chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlPc) and pentacene grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) has been studied using synchrotron-radiation-excited photoelectron spectroscopy. The energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of the pentacene layer and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of the ClAlPc layer (E D HOMO - E A LUMO ) was determined and compared with that of C 60 / pentacene bilayers. The E D HOMO - E A LUMO of a heterojunction with ClAlPc was found to be 1.3 eV while that with C 60 was 0.9 eV. This difference is discussed in terms of the difference in the ionization energy of each acceptor materials. We also obtained the complete energy level diagrams of both ClAlPc/pentacene/ITO and C 60 /pentacene/ITO.

  3. On the assessment of shooting sounds : Loudness-level weightings versus A- and C-weighted sound exposure levels (L)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vos, J.; Geurtsen, F.W.M.

    2003-01-01

    As an alternative to the A-weighted sound exposure level (ASEL) Schomer et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 2390-2397 (2001)] used the equal-loudness level contours as a dynamic filter to determine the loudness-level-weighted sound exposure level (LLSEL). From their analyses they concluded that the

  4. Aluminum Level in Infants’ Powdered Milk Based Formulae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Abdel-Hameid Ahmed

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Aluminum level (Al in infant formula was determined to postulate its public health significance and suggesting recommendations to avoid such contamination. Hence, fifty random samples of infants powdered         milk based formulae were collected from different markets and pharmacies in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. These samples were digested and Al level was detected by using HR-CS (High Resolution Continum Source Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and compared with Maximum Permissible Limit (MPL. About 90% of examined infant formula samples containing Al with an average value of 0.145 mg/L and 8% of samples were above the MPL.

  5. Sintering Behavior of CNT Reinforced Al6061 and Al2124 Nanocomposites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nouari Saheb

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Ball milling and spark plasma sintering were successfully used to produce carbon nanotube reinforced Al6061 and Al2124 nanocomposites which have potential applications in the fields of aerospace, automotive, electronics, and high precision instrumentation. Al2124 and Al6061 nanocomposite powders containing 0.5 to 2 wt.% CNTs prepared through sonication and wet ball milling were spark plasma sintered at 400, 450, and 500°C for 20 minutes under a pressure of 35 MPa. CNTs were better dispersed, and less agglomerated and had good adhesion to the matrix in composites containing 1 wt.% CNTs. The increase of CNT content to 2 wt.% led to the formation of CNT clusters which resulted in less uniform and homogenous composite powders. Almost full densification of Al6061 reinforced with CNTs was achieved at 500°C. Also, CNTs reinforced Al2124 nanocomposites reached very high densities at 500°C. Composites reinforced with 1 wt.% CNTs displayed better densification compared to composites containing 2 wt.% CNTs. The increase of CNTs content from 0.5 to 1 wt.% increased the hardness of the Al6061 and Al2124 alloys to maximum values. Further increase of CNTs content to 2 wt.% decreased the hardness to values lower than that of the monolithic alloys.

  6. Oxidation resistance of TiN, CrN, TiAlN and CrAlN coatings deposited by lateral rotating cathode arc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chim, Y.C.; Ding, X.Z.; Zeng, X.T.; Zhang, S.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, four kinds of hard coatings, TiN, CrN, TiAlN and CrAlN (with Al/Ti or Al/Cr atomic ratio around 1:1), were deposited on stainless steel substrates by a lateral rotating cathode arc technique. The as-deposited coatings were annealed in ambient atmosphere at different temperatures (500-1000 o C) for 1 h. The evolution of chemical composition, microstructure, and microhardness of these coatings after annealing at different temperatures was systematically analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nanoindentation experiments. The oxidation behaviour and its influence on overall hardness of these four coatings were compared. It was found that the ternary TiAlN and CrAlN coatings have better oxidation resistance than their binary counterparts, TiN and CrN coatings. The Cr-based coatings (CrN and CrAlN) exhibited evidently better oxidation resistance than the Ti-based coatings (TiN and TiAlN). TiN coating started to oxidize at 500 o C. After annealing at 700 o C no N could be detected by EDX, indicating that the coating was almost fully oxidized. After annealed at 800 o C, the coating completely delaminated from the substrate. TiAlN started to oxidize at 600 o C. It was nearly fully oxidized (with little residual nitrogen detected in the coating by EDX) and partially delaminated at 1000 o C. Both CrN and CrAlN started to oxidize at 700 o C. CrN was almost fully oxidized (with little residual nitrogen detected in the coating by EDX) and partially delaminated at 900 o C. The oxidation rate of the CrAlN coating is quite slow. After annealing at 1000 o C, only about 19 at.% oxygen was detected and the coating showed no delamination. The Ti-based (TiN and TiAlN) coatings were not able to retain their hardness at higher temperatures (≥ 700 o C). On the other hand, the hardness of CrAlN was stable at a high level between 33 and 35 GPa up to an annealing temperature of 800 o C and still kept at a comparative high value of

  7. Annealing Behavior of Al-Implantation-Induced Disorder in 4H-SiC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yanwen; Weber, William J.; Jiang, Weilin; Shutthanandan, V.; Thevuthasan, Suntharampillai; Janson, Martin; Hallen, Anders

    2004-01-01

    Single crystal 4H-SiC films were implanted at 150 K with 1.1 MeV Al 2 2+ and subsequently annealed at elevated temperatures. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) results indicate that the relative Si disorder at the damage peak recovers significantly as the annealing temperature increases. However, the residual Si disorder is more resistant to high-temperature annealing in the region of the implanted Al. The maximum concentration of Al profile measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) is a factor of 1000 lower than the level of the residual Si disorder at the same region. Analysis of these results indicates that the excess residual Si disorder around the implanted Al projected range cannot be accounted for by just the Al interstitials; instead, it appears that each implanted Al stabilizes or inhibits recovery for an equivalent of a few hundred Si interstitials under the current experimental conditions

  8. Tetragonal phase in Al-rich region of U-Fe-Al system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meshi, L.; Zenou, V.; Ezersky, V.; Munitz, A.; Talianker, M.

    2005-01-01

    A new ternary aluminide U 2 FeAl 20 with the approximate composition Al-4.2at% Fe-8.5at% U was observed in the Al-rich corner of the U-Al-Fe system. Transmission electron microscopy and electron microdiffraction technique were used for characterization of the structure of this phase. It has a tetragonal unit cell with the parameters a=12.4A and c=10.3A and can be described by the space group I4-bar 2m

  9. Optimization of energy and fluence of N{sub 2}{sup +} ions in the conversion of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface into AlN at room temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Praveen, E-mail: praiitr@gmail.com [Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014 (India); Devi, Pooja [Central Scientific Instruments Organization, Sector-30 C, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Kumar, Mahesh [Physics of Energy and Harvesting group, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi 110012 (India); Shivaprasad, S.M. [Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064 (India)

    2016-01-15

    Graphical abstract: We present a systematic study of energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions (0.1–5 keV) interaction with clean c-plane Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface in situ in a UHV system equipped with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy at room temperature. Results show that maximum thickness of surface is nitride by 5 keV N{sub 2}{sup +} ion with an optimal fluence of 1.5 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. This modified surface can be used as a template for low defect III-nitrides growth, with enhanced lattice matching than on bare c-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. - Highlights: • A mechanism for the formation of AlN on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • Investigation of optimal energy and fluence for energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions. • AlN formation at room temperature on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. - Abstract: The work presents a systematic study of energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ion interaction with the clean Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface at room temperature. Energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions with energies ranging from 0.1 to 5 keV were bombarded onto the c-plane Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface in situ in a UHV system equipped with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Survey scans and core level spectra of Al(2p), O(1s), N(1s) were recorded as a function of ion fluence. Survey scans of XPS are used for the compositional analysis, while deconvoluted core level spectra are used to identify the evolution of the chemical bonding. Energetic dependence of N{sub 2}{sup +} ions occupying interstitial and substitutional sites in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} lattice are probed to follow the surface evolution. Results show that maximum thickness of surface is nitride by 5 keV N{sub 2}{sup +} ion with an optimal fluence of 1.5 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. This modified surface can be used as a template for low defect III-nitrides growth, with enhanced lattice matching than on bare c-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}.

  10. Ilhaq al-Masa'il bi Nazairiha dan Penerapannya dalam Bahth al-Masa'il

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luthfi Hadi Aminuddin

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Ilh}a>q al-Masa>’il bi Naz}a>iriha is one of the methods used by Nahdlatul Ulama in resisting the opinion based on (manhaji analytical concept of Islamic jurisprudence (the solution for complex social problems as the main purpose of Islamic shari’ah. As known that, up to now, ilh}a>q has been understood as a process of answering a new case by the way of equating to the old one which is written in the book called al-mu’tabarah. Such ilh}a>q has got many criticisms both from the definitions, procedures and its epistemogical footing. This paper is about to reveal how the NU clerics of Islam understand the concept of Ilh}a>q}, what its epistemological footing was and how the concept was applied in discussing many cases (bah}th al-masa>’il. Based on the writer’s study to several documents of decision results of NU that Ilh}a>q did not only simplify to equate the new cases with the old ones that have been freely discussed in the books of al-mu’tabarah, but both cases should have similar legal substance, that is, both should be under the decrees of laws of al-qawa> ‘id al-fiqhi>yah. Thus, Ilh}a>q is actually answering the problem by applying al-qawa>‘id al-fiqhi>yah, whereas the formulation al-qawa>‘id al-fiqhi>yah itself was set off from the examination of a number of furu>’ generated by qiya> s. This paper also found three variations of the implementation of Ilh}a>q in bah}th al-masa>’il. First, the application of Ilh}a>q was without mentioning al-qawa> ‘id al-fiqhi>yah which covered new cases (mulh}aq and the old case law that has been known in the books of fiqh (mulh}aq bih/attached to. Second, the application of Ilh}a>q was accompanied by mentioning mulh}aq bih and al-qawa> ‘id al-fiqhi>yah. Third, the application of Ilh}a>q, was only by the mentioning al-qawa> ‘id al-fiqhi>yah.

  11. Electrical characterization of CdTe pixel detectors with Al Schottky anode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turturici, A.A.; Abbene, L.; Gerardi, G.; Principato, F.

    2014-01-01

    Pixelated Schottky Al/p-CdTe/Pt detectors are very attractive devices for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic imaging, even though they suffer from bias-induced time instability (polarization). In this work, we present the results of the electrical characterization of a (4×4) pixelated Schottky Al/p-CdTe/Pt detector. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics and current transients were investigated at different temperatures. The results show deep levels that play a dominant role in the charge transport mechanism. The conduction mechanism is dominated by the space charge limited current (SCLC) both under forward bias and at high reverse bias. Schottky barrier height of the Al/CdTe contact was estimated by using the thermionic-field emission model at low reverse bias voltages. Activation energy of the deep levels was measured through the analysis of the reverse current transients at different temperatures. Finally, we employed an analytical method to determine the density and the energy distribution of the traps from SCLC current–voltage characteristics

  12. Nanoindentation studies of ex situ AlN/Al metal matrix nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fale, Sandeep; Likhite, Ajay; Bhatt, Jatin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Formation of in-situ phases nucleated on AlN particles strengthens the matrix. • Formation of in-situ phases increases with AlN content in nanocomposites. • Stronger in-situ phases results in increased hardness and modulus of elasticity. - Abstract: Nanocrystalline Aluminium nitride (AlN) powder is dispersed in different weight ratio in Aluminum matrix to fabricate metal matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) using ex situ melt metallurgy process. The synthesized Al–AlN nanocomposites are studied for phase analysis using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and for hardness behavior using microindentation and nanoindentation tests. Quantitative analysis of the oxide phases is calculated from thermodynamic data and mass balance equation using elemental data obtained from energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results. Role of oxide phases in association with AlN particles is investigated to understand the mechanical behavior of composites using nanoindentation tester. Load–displacement profile obtained from nanoindentation test reveals distribution of oxide phases along with AlN particle and their effect on indent penetration

  13. Photoluminescence of a single InAs/AlAs quantum dot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shamirzaev, T.S.; Zhuravlev, K.S.; Larsson, M.; Holtz, P.O.

    2008-01-01

    Micro-photoluminescence (μ-PL) of a simple InAs/AlAs quantum dot (QD) has been studied. It has been found that the μ-PL emission related to the recombination in a single QD is strongly broadened probably due to spectral diffusion. Emissions related to the recombination of biexcitons and excitons occupying excited levels of the QD are observed in μ-PL spectra at high excitation power densities. A red shift of the μ-PL emissions related to recombination of excitons in the ground and excited levels of the QD with increasing excitation power gives clear evidence for type I alignment of the InAs/AlAs QD. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  14. Isothermal cross-sections of Sr-Al-Ge and Ba-Al-Ge systems at 673 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kutsenok, N.L.; Yanson, T.I.

    1987-01-01

    X-ray and microstructural analyses are used to study phase equilibria in Sr-Al-Ge and Ba-Al-Ge systems. Existence of SrAl 2 Ge 2 , Sr(Al, Ge) 2 Ba(Al, Ge) 2 , Sr 3 Al 2 Ge 2 , Ba 3 Al 2 Ge 2 ternary compounds is confirmed, a new BaGe 4 binary compound and also new ternary compounds of approximate composition Sr 57 Al 30 Ge 13 and Ba 20 Al 40 Ge 40 , which crystal structure is unknown, are detected. Aluminium solubility in SrAl 4 and BaAl 4 binary compounds (0.05 atomic fraction) is determined. Ba(Al, Ge) 2 compound homogeneity region is defined more exactly (aluminium content varies from 0.27 to 0.51 at. fractions)

  15. Low level laser therapy (GaAlInP 660 nm) in healing of a chronic venous ulcer: a case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Botaro, C A; Faria, L A; Oliveira, R G; Bruno, R X; Rocha, C A Q C; Paiva-Oliveira, E L

    2015-01-01

    The venous ulcer represents approximately 70% to 90% of inferior member ulcers, and the most common etiological factor is venous insufficiency, triggered by venous hypertension. Currently in Brazil there are several types of lasers used in physiotherapy, which benefit biological potential, emitting low power radiation, with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, healing and circulatory effects. This study aimed at the analysis of low level laser therapy effects (LLLT) on the process of tissue repair in chronic venous ulcers. We conducted a case study of a patient with a venous ulcer in the lateral region of the right inferior member. The patient underwent LLLT, which used a GaAlInP diode laser, with a wavelength of 660 nm and energy density of 4 J cm −2 applied punctually at the edges of the wound, with an average distance of 1 cm between the points with a pen-laser perpendicular wrapped in paper and a plastic wrap, keeping contact with the tissue. After four months of therapy and a total of 21 sessions, an improvement was noticeable in the gross appearance of the wound, but after a month and a half without therapy, the dimensions of the wound increased in length and width. Analyzing the results of this case study allows us to conclude that the LLLT GaAlInP (660 nm) with an energy density of 4 J cm −2 , was not successful in the healing of venous ulcers. (paper)

  16. Low level laser therapy (GaAlInP 660 nm) in healing of a chronic venous ulcer: a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botaro, C. A.; Faria, L. A.; Oliveira, R. G.; Bruno, R. X.; Rocha, C. A. Q. C.; Paiva-Oliveira, E. L.

    2015-07-01

    The venous ulcer represents approximately 70% to 90% of inferior member ulcers, and the most common etiological factor is venous insufficiency, triggered by venous hypertension. Currently in Brazil there are several types of lasers used in physiotherapy, which benefit biological potential, emitting low power radiation, with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, healing and circulatory effects. This study aimed at the analysis of low level laser therapy effects (LLLT) on the process of tissue repair in chronic venous ulcers. We conducted a case study of a patient with a venous ulcer in the lateral region of the right inferior member. The patient underwent LLLT, which used a GaAlInP diode laser, with a wavelength of 660 nm and energy density of 4 J cm-2 applied punctually at the edges of the wound, with an average distance of 1 cm between the points with a pen-laser perpendicular wrapped in paper and a plastic wrap, keeping contact with the tissue. After four months of therapy and a total of 21 sessions, an improvement was noticeable in the gross appearance of the wound, but after a month and a half without therapy, the dimensions of the wound increased in length and width. Analyzing the results of this case study allows us to conclude that the LLLT GaAlInP (660 nm) with an energy density of 4 J cm-2, was not successful in the healing of venous ulcers.

  17. Petrographic al and mineralogical study of the sands of Al-Areen wildlife Sanctuary in the state of Bahrain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abu-Hussain, A. A

    1998-01-01

    Eileen sand covers about (8%) of Bahrain Island, and is concentrated in the western and southwestern regions of the Island as a thin s rip between the western coast and the cap rock, forming a distinguished ge morphologic feature on the Island. In the last few years, the area have suffered from sand from sand drifts which affected some of the important places in Bahrain as Al-Reen Wildlife sanctuary, alerting the spread of dentifrice's processes in new parts of the Island. The results showed that Al-Areen sand is composed mainly of quarts (68%) with lesser amounts of carbonates (15%) gypsum (12%), and heavy minerals. The compassion of Al-Areen sand with the surface sediments and rock exposure sin Bahrain, revealed that these sands have been drifting throughout the Quatenary period from the northwestern part of the Arabian peninsula peninsula by the northern wind (Shamal), prevailing at that time, transporting the quartzitic sand southeasted toward Bahrain. The influx of quartzitic sand to Bahrain was eliminated about 7000 year B.P. due to the ecstatic change of sea level in the Arabian Gulf which formed a natural water counter between Bahrain and the Arabian peninsula. Accordingly the sand drifts in Al-Areen Widife sanctuary is a result of diffraction's affecting the Island of Bahrain, this requires further studies to combat it. . (author). 25 refs., 5 figs. 2 tab

  18. Effect of Al and N on the toughness of heavy section steel plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikutake, Tetsuo; Tokunaga, Yoshikuni; Nakao, Hitoji; Ito, Kametaro; Takaishi, Shogo.

    1988-01-01

    The effect of Al and N on the notch toughness and tensile strength of heavy section pressure vessel steel plates is investigated. Notch toughness of steel A533B (Mn-Mo-Ni), which has mixed microstructure of ferrite and bainite, is drastically changed by the ratio of sol.N/sol.Al. With metallurgical observations, it is revealed that AlN morphology is influenced by the ratio of sol.N/sol.Al through the level of solute Al(C Al ). At the heat treatment of heavy section steel plate, AlN shows OSTWALD ripening and its speed depends upon C Al . When Al is added (Al ≥ 0.010%) in steel and sol.N/sol.Al ≤ 0.5, C Al remains low. This prevents AlN ripening, and brings fine austenite grain size and high toughness. On the other hand, when sol.N/sol.Al Al becomes high and this gives poor toughness through coarse AlN precipitates and coarse austenite grain. Therefore, controll of sol.N/sol.Al over 0.5 is favorable to keep high toughness in A533B steel. In steel A387-22 (Cr-Mo) which has full bainitic microstructure, too fine austenite grain brings about poor hardenability, and polygonal ferrite, which brings about both poor strength and tughness, appears in microstructure. Then sol.N/sol.Al < 0.5 is better to give high hardenability in steel A387-22. (author)

  19. Chromogranin A levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verde, Federico; Steinacker, Petra; Oeckl, Patrick; Weishaupt, Jochen H; Rosenbohm, Angela; Silani, Vincenzo; Ludolph, Albert C; Otto, Markus

    2018-07-01

    Chromogranin A (CgA) is a protein found in large dense-core vesicles of neuroendocrine cells and neurons and regulating secretion. A relevance to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was suggested as its overexpression accelerates disease onset in model systems and it interacts with mutant forms of SOD1. Recently, increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CgA levels have been reported in ALS patients relative to controls. With the aim of confirming this finding, we measured CgA and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH), an established ALS biomarker, in the CSF of 32 ALS patients and 32 disease controls. ALS patients had clearly increased pNFH levels (p < 0.0001), while CgA levels were only modestly lower relative to controls (p = 0.0265), with wide value overlap and consequently poor discriminative performance. CgA did not correlate with any disease parameters among ALS patients. Our findings suggest that CgA is not a promising clinical biomarker for ALS. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Komponen Kebutuhan Hidup Dalam Regulasi Upah Minimum Perspektif Maqasid Al-Shariah

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adin Fadilah

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: The provisions of minimum wage in Indonesia have been changing four times in the last few decades in line with the changes in the components of life needs referred. In fact, there are many life needs that previously were considered as trivial but they have now become important and should be referred to in setting the minimum wage. In Islam there are five sectors of human needs as established in the discourse of maqasid al-sharī'ah. Each sector is ranked into three levels, namely ḍarūrīyah, ḥajīyah, and taḥsīnīyah. This study examines how the components of life needs have been referred by the regulation of the minimum wage from the viewpoint of maqasid al-sharī'ah. This study came to the conclusion that the development of life needs used as guidelines in determining minimum wage levels has met the demands of life needs as intended by maqasid al-sharī’ah. Most of the components of decent living (KHL occupy levels of ḍarūrīyah and ḥajīyah, and very few are classified as taḥsīnīyah. The enhancement of quantity and quality of the components proven the attention to the level of life needs sequentially from ḍarūrīyah level, the ḥajīyah, then the taḥsīnīyah level. These changes indicate the change of law in accordance with the demands of the circumstances. Abstrak: Komponen kebutuhan hidup yang dijadikan acuan dalam penetapan upah minimum  di Indonesia telah mengalami perubahan sebanyak 4 kali. Perubahan ini terjadi karena menyesuaikan perkembangan kebutuhan dahulu dianggap sepele namun kini menjadi penting. Dalam Islam ada 5 unsur pokok kebutuhan manusia yang harus dipenuhi atau yang dikenal dengan istilah maqasid al-sharī’ah. Kelima unsur pokok maqasid al-sharī’ah ini terbagi mejadi 3 kategori yakni ḍarūrīyah, ḥajīyah, dan taḥsīnīyah. Penelitian ini mengkaji bagaimana komponen kebutuhan hidup dalam regulasi upah minimum perspektif maqasid al-sharī’ah. Penelitian ini memberi

  1. 143 - 148_Makeri et al.

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    2015-06-01

    Jun 1, 2015 ... Yuan et al., 2003), antimicrobial activity (Sundarrao et al., 1993; Betancur-Galvis et al., 1999; Takashi et al., 2006), anti-parasitic, anti-malarial activities (Alali et al., 1998; Jaramillo et al., 2000; Luna et al.,. 2005). This study evaluates the antibacterial activity of extract of stem –bark and leaf extracts of Annona.

  2. Phase relationships in the Al-rich region of the Al-Cu-Er system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Ligang; Masset, Patrick J.; Cao Fuyong; Meng Fangui; Liu Libin; Jin Zhanpeng

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → One ternary phase τ 1 -Al 8 Cu 4 Er in Al-rich region with a composition of 59.4-60.4 at.% Al, 32.2-33.8 at.% Cu, and 6.4-7.7 at.% Er is observed in both as-cast and annealed alloys. At 673 K, the binary Al 3 Er phase dissolves about 3.51 at.% Cu. → The calculated solidification paths (based on the CALPHAD method) of as-cast alloys are in agreement with the experimental results. → It can be found that the resultant thermodynamic database can be applied to case studies of as-cast alloys, showing that the literature thermodynamic description of the Al-Cu-Er system is reliable as a working basis for computer-assisted alloy design. - Abstract: The Al-rich region of the ternary Al-Cu-Er system is investigated using the method of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Phase equilibria in the Al-rich region of the Al-Cu-Er system at 673 K have been obtained, and the microstructures of as-cast alloys in the Al-rich region are also investigated. One ternary phase τ 1 -Al 8 Cu 4 Er with a composition of 59.4-60.4 at.% Al, 32.2-33.8 at.% Cu, and 6.4-7.7 at.% Er is observed in both as-cast and annealed alloys. At 673 K, the binary Al 3 Er phase dissolves about 3.51 at.% Cu. The calculated solidification paths (based on the CALPHAD method) of as-cast alloys are in agreement with the experimental results.

  3. Creep behaviour of a casting titanium carbide reinforced AlSi12CuNiMg piston alloy at elevated temperatures; Hochtemperaturkriechverhalten der schmelzmetallurgisch hergestellten dispersionsverstaerkten Kolbenlegierung AlSi12CuNiMg

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Michel, S.; Scholz, A. [Zentrum fuer Konstruktionswerkstoffe, TU Darmstadt (Germany); Tonn, B. [Institut fuer Metallurgie, TU Clausthal (Germany); Zak, H.

    2012-03-15

    This paper deals with the creep behaviour of the titanium carbide reinforced AlSi12CuNiMg piston alloy at 350 C and its comparison to the conventional AlSi12Cu4Ni2MgTiZr piston alloy. With only 0,02 vol-% TiC reinforcement the creep strength and creep rupture strength of the AlSi12CuNiMg piston alloy are significantly improved and reach the level of the expensive AlSi12Cu4Ni2MgTiZr alloy. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  4. Levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and V in marine sediments in the vicinity of the Single Buoy Moorings (SBM3) at Mina Al Fahal in the Sultanate of Oman

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Husaini, Issa; Abdul-Wahab, Sabah; Ahamad, Rahmalan; Chan, Keziah

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Assessed metal contamination in the SBM3 marine sediments of Mina Al Fahal, Oman. • Examined heavy metal concentration levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and V. • Mean concentration in the sediments, from highest to lowest, is V > Cu > Pb > Cd. • Highest concentration of V due to waste discharges from nearby heavy tanker traffic. • ICP-OES found low concentrations of all four heavy metals; SMB3 region in good quality. - Abstract: Recently in the Sultanate of Oman, there has been a rapid surge of coastal developments. These developments cause metal contamination, which may affect the habitats and communities at and near the coastal region. As a result, a study was conducted to assess the level of metal contamination and its impact on the marine sediments in the vicinity of the Single Buoy Moorings 3 (SBM3) at Mina Al Fahal in the Sultanate of Oman. Marine subtidal sediment samples were collected from six different stations of the SBM3 for the period ranging from June 2009 to April 2010. These samples were then analyzed for their level and distribution of the heavy metals of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and vanadium (V). Overall, low concentrations of all four heavy metals were measured from the marine sediments, indicating that the marine at SBM3 is of good quality

  5. Mechanical properties and deformation behavior of Al/Al7075, two-phase material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherafat, Z.; Paydar, M.H.; Ebrahimi, R.; Sohrabi, S.

    2010-01-01

    In the present study, mechanical properties and deformation behavior of Al/Al7075, two-phase material were investigated. The two-phase materials were fabricated by mixing commercially pure Al powder with Al7075 chips and consolidating the mixture through hot extrusion process at 500 o C. Mechanical properties and deformation behavior of the fabricated samples were evaluated using tensile and compression tests. A scanning electron microscope was used to study the fracture surface of the samples including different amount of Al powder, after they were fractured in tensile test. The results of the tensile and compression tests showed that with decreasing the amount of Al powder, the strength increases and ductility decreases. Calculation of work hardening exponent (n) indicated that deformation behavior does not follow a regular trend. In a way that the n value was approved to be variable and a strong function of strain and Al powder wt% of the sample. The results of the fractography studies indicate that the type of fracture happened changes from completely ductile to nearly brittle by decreasing the wt% of Al powder from 90% to 40%.

  6. Influence of microstructure on the formability of Al-Mg6.8 alloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minov Boris G.

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Formability of Al-Mg6.8 alloy has been evaluated experimentally in uniaxial tension and biaxial stretching. Three different structures developed after cold rolling and annealing in the range of temperature from 265 to 320 °C: (I recovered dual (a + β phase, (II recrystallized (a + β dual phase, and (III recrystallized a-Al single phase structure, were tested. Samples with recovered structure have shown a lower formability level than the samples with fully recrystallized structure. Formability level assessed through FLD and LDH value, has been a result of complex interaction between work hardening ability and strain rate sensitivity.

  7. A Scholar from Saray: Mawlana Zada al-Sarayi (754/1353–791/1389 in the Biographical Dictionary of Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi (766/1365–845/1441 “Kitab al-Muqaffa al-Kabir” (The Great Rhymed Book

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D.R. Zaynuddinov

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Research objective: to introduce into academic circulation previously unknown source on the Golden Horde history. Research materials: biographical dictionary of Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi (766/1365 – 845/1441 “Kitab al-Muqaffa al-Kabir” (The Great Rhymed Book. Results and novelty of the research: This article contains materials from the works of historians engaged in the narrative biography, which V.G. Tiesenhausen did not include in his “Collection of Materials on the Golden Horde history (extract from Arab writings”, although their writings contain very valuable information about the Golden Horde History. Research novelty consists in the fact that the author of this article presents one paragraph from biographical dictionary of Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi, whose article number 421 provides information about a scholar from Saray – Mawlana Zada al-Sarayi. The author provides its translation and commentary referring to the more than ten medieval Arab sources. After receiving basic education at home, Mawlana Zada al-Sarayi traveled to many Eastern countries in search of knowledge and after having received high recognition he settled in Cairo as a teacher of Sharia Sciences. Despite the fact that his life was interrupted at an early age (36 years, he left a deep mark in science. His son Muhibbu al-Din (Cairo, 791/1389 – Mecca, Friday, the 3rd of Dhu al-Hijjah 859/13 November 1455 also became a great scholar as well as an imam of Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay himself and other sultans after him. Nisba al-Sarayi sounded on the lips of the Ulema of the East as a symbol of learnedness and high temper. As a result of research it must be said that the study of life of Mawlana Zada al-Sarayi (754/1353 – 791/1389 and the number of migrants from Desht-i Kipchak in Egypt will help researchers in a deeper and more detailed study of the Golden Horde history.

  8. Improved AlGaN/GaN HEMTs Grown on Si Substrates Using Stacked AlGaN/AlN Interlayer by MOCVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yong; Yu Nai-Sen; Li Ming; Lau Kei-May

    2011-01-01

    AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are grown on 2-inch Si (111) substrates by MOCVD. The stacked AlGaN/AlN interlayer with different AlGaN thickness and indium surfactant doped is designed and optimized to relieve the tensile stress during GaN epitaxial growth. The top 1.0μm GaN buffer layer grown on the optimized AlGaN/AlN interlayer shows a crack-free and shining surface. The XRD results show that GaN(002) FWHM is 480 arcsec and GaN(102) FWHM is 900 arcsec. The AGaN/GaN HEMTs with optimized and non-optimized AlGaN/AlN interlayer are grown and processed for comparison and the dc and rf characteristics are characterized. For the dc characteristics of the device with optimized AlGaN/AlN interlayer, maximum drain current density I dss of 737mA/mm, peak transconductance G m of 185mS/mm, drain leakage current density I ds of 1.7μA/mm, gate leakage current density I gs of 24.8 μA/mm and off-state breakdown voltage V BR of 67 V are achieved with L g /W g /L gs /L gd = 1/10/1/1 μm. For the small signal rf characteristics of the device with optimized AlGaN/AlN interlayer, current gain cutoff frequency f T of 8.3 GHz and power gain cutoff frequency f max of 19.9 GHz are achieved with L g /W g /L gs /L gd = 1/100/1/1 μm. Furthermore, the best rf performance with f T of 14.5 GHz and f max of 37.3 GHz is achieved with a reduced gate length of 0.7μm. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  9. The physical metallurgy of mechanically-alloyed, dispersion-strengthened Al-Li-Mg and Al-Li-Cu alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilman, P. S.

    1984-01-01

    Powder processing of Al-Li-Mg and Al-Li-Cu alloys by mechanical alloying (MA) is described, with a discussion of physical and mechanical properties of early experimental alloys of these compositions. The experimental samples were mechanically alloyed in a Szegvari attritor, extruded at 343 and 427 C, and some were solution-treated at 520 and 566 C and naturally, as well as artificially, aged at 170, 190, and 210 C for times of up to 1000 hours. All alloys exhibited maximum hardness after being aged at 170 C; lower hardness corresponds to the solution treatment at 566 C than to that at 520 C. A comparison with ingot metallurgy alloys of the same composition shows the MA material to be stronger and more ductile. It is also noted that properly aged MA alloys can develop a better combination of yield strength and notched toughness at lower alloying levels.

  10. Abuelgassim and Al-Showayman Afr J Tradit Complement Altern ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AJTCAM

    C reactive protein (CRP) levels in serum were determined by the sandwich ELISA ... of diluted samples was assayed by Biuret method (Gornall et al., 1949). ... The data presented in this investigation are expressed as means ± standard error ...

  11. Konsepsi Ibnu Jarir Al-Tabari Tentang Al-Qur’an, Tafsir Dan Ta’wil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.M Ismatulloh

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research is to describe the concept of Ibnu Jarir al-Tabari about al-Qur’an, tafsir and ta’wil. Ibn Jarir al-Tabari is an outstanding expert in the classic Islamic tradition. His knowledge in hadits, fiqh, lughah, history, and tafseer is unquestionable. This study uses an analytical descriptive design. The findings show that: Firstly, in defining al-Qur’an, al-Tabari focused on the al-Qur’an as an Arabic language text, not in other language. Secondly, al-Qur’an is written in sab’ah ahruf. It means that there are 7 different kinds of language with the same meaning. Thirdly, al-Qur’an comes from seven heaven’s door. Fourthly, there is no different word between tafseer and ta’wil. They have same meaning. These concepts are different to other concepts proposed by other ulama.

  12. Electronic Structure of ClAlPc/pentacene/ITO Interfaces Studied by Using Soft X-ray Spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Sang Wan [Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea); Lee, Sangho [Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea); Kim, Minsoo [Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea); Heo, Nari [Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea); Lee, Geunjeong [Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea); Smith, Kevin E. [Boston Univ., MA (United States)

    2014-12-06

    The interfacial electronic structure of a bilayer of chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlPc) and pentacene grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) has been studied using synchrotron-radiation-excited photoelectron spectroscopy. The energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of the pentacene layer and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of the ClAlPc layer (E HOMO D - E LUMO A ) was determined and compared with that of C60/pentacene bilayers. The E HOMO D - E LUMO A of a heterojunction with ClAlPc was found to be 1.3 eV while that with C60 was 0.9 eV. This difference is discussed in terms of the difference in the ionization energy of each acceptor materials. We also obtained the complete energy level diagrams of both ClAlPc/pentacene/ITO and C60/pentacene/ITO.

  13. Electronic structure of ClAlPc/pentacene/ITO interfaces studied by using soft X-ray spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Sangwan; Lee, Sangho; Kim, Minsoo; Heo, Nari; Lee, Geunjeong [Yonsei University, Wonju (Korea, Republic of); Smith, Kevin E. [Boston University, Boston, MA (United States)

    2014-11-15

    The interfacial electronic structure of a bilayer of chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlPc) and pentacene grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) has been studied using synchrotron-radiation-excited photoelectron spectroscopy. The energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of the pentacene layer and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of the ClAlPc layer (E{sup D}{sub HOMO} - E{sup A}{sub LUMO}) was determined and compared with that of C{sub 60}/ pentacene bilayers. The E{sup D}{sub HOMO} - E{sup A}{sub LUMO} of a heterojunction with ClAlPc was found to be 1.3 eV while that with C{sub 60} was 0.9 eV. This difference is discussed in terms of the difference in the ionization energy of each acceptor materials. We also obtained the complete energy level diagrams of both ClAlPc/pentacene/ITO and C{sub 60}/pentacene/ITO.

  14. Ca(AlH4)2, CaAlH5, and CaH2+6LiBH4 : Calculated dehydrogenation enthalpy, including zero point energy, and the structure of the phonon spectra

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marashdeh, A.; Frankcombe, T.J.

    2008-01-01

    The dehydrogenation enthalpies of Ca(AlH4)2, CaAlH5, and CaH2+6LiBH4 have been calculated using density functional theory calculations at the generalized gradient approximation level. Harmonic phonon zero point energy (ZPE) corrections have been included using Parlinski’s direct method. The

  15. Al-doped MgB_2 materials studied using electron paramagnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bateni, Ali; Somer, Mehmet; Erdem, Emre; Repp, Sergej; Weber, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    Undoped and aluminum (Al) doped magnesium diboride (MgB_2) samples were synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state synthesis method. The microscopic defect structures of Al-doped MgB_2 samples were systematically investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance. It was found that Mg-vacancies are responsible for defect-induced peculiarities in MgB_2. Above a certain level of Al doping, enhanced conductive properties of MgB_2 disappear due to filling of vacancies or trapping of Al in Mg-related vacancy sites.

  16. Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, D.N.; Xiang, J.Y.; Lang, P.L.; Li, J.Q.; Che, G.C.; Zhao, Z.W.; Wen, H.H.; Tian, H.Y.; Ni, Y.M.; Zhao, Z.X.

    2004-01-01

    A series of Al-doped Mg 1-x Al x B 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2 , measurements on the superconducting transition temperature T c , irreversible field B irr and critical current density J c were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration

  17. Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, D. N.; Xiang, J. Y.; Lang, P. L.; Li, J. Q.; Che, G. C.; Zhao, Z. W.; Wen, H. H.; Tian, H. Y.; Ni, Y. M.; Zhao, Z. X.

    2004-08-01

    A series of Al-doped Mg 1- xAl xB 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2, measurements on the superconducting transition temperature Tc, irreversible field Birr and critical current density Jc were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration.

  18. Predicting glass-forming compositions in the Al-La and Al-La-Ni systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gargarella, P.; de Oliveira, M.F.; Kiminami, C.S.; Pauly, S.; Kuehn, U.; Bolfarini, C.; Botta, W.J.; Eckert, J.

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → The glass-forming ability of the Al-La and Al-La-Ni systems was studied using the λ* and the λ.Δe criteria. → Both criteria predicted with just 1% at. of error the best glass-former verified so far in the Al-La system. → Four new glass-former compositions could be predicted in the Al-La-Ni system using the λ.Δe criterion. → The best glass-former reported so far in the Al-La-Ni system was found. - Abstract: In this work, a criterion considering the topological instability (λ) and the differences in the electronegativity of the constituent elements (Δe) was applied to the Al-La and Al-Ni-La systems in order to predict the best glass-forming compositions. The results were compared with literature data and with our own experimental data for the Al-La-Ni system. The alloy described in the literature as the best glass former in the Al-La system is located near the point with local maximum for the λ.Δe criterion. A good agreement was found between the predictions of the λ.Δe criterion and literature data in the Al-La-Ni system, with the region of the best glass-forming ability (GFA) and largest supercooled liquid region (ΔT x ) coinciding with the best compositional region for amorphization indicated by the λ.Δe criterion. Four new glassy compositions were found in the Al-La-Ni system, with the best predicted composition presenting the best glass-forming ability observed so far for this system. Although the λ.Δe criterion needs further refinements for completely describe the glass-forming ability in the Al-La and Al-La-Ni systems, the results demonstrated that this criterion is a good tool to predict new glass-forming compositions.

  19. Electronic structure of Ni/sub 3/Al and Ni/sub 3/Ga alloys

    CERN Document Server

    Pong, W F; Chang, Y K; Tsai, M H; Hsieh, H H; Pieh, J Y; Tseng, P K; Lee, J F; Hsu, L S

    1999-01-01

    This work investigates the charge transfer and Al(Ga) p-Ni d hybridization effects in the intermetallic Ni/sub 3/Al(Ni/sub 3/Ga) alloy using the NiL/sub 3.2/- and K-edge and Al(Ga)K X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements. We find that the intensity of white-line features at the NiL/sub 3.2/-edge in the Ni/sub 3/Al(Ni /sub 3/Ga) alloy decreased in comparison with that of pure Ni, which can be attributed to the enhancement of Ni3d states filling and the depletion of the density of Ni 3d unoccupied states in the Ni/sub 3 /Al(Ni/sub 3/Ga) alloy. Two clear features are also observed in the Ni/sub 3/Al(Ni/sub 3/Ga) XANES spectrum at the Al(Ga) K-edge, which can be assigned to the Al(Ga) unoccupied 3p (4p) states and their hybridized states with the Ni 3d/4sp states above the Fermi level in Ni/sub 3/Al(Ni/sub 3/Ga). The threshold at Al K-edge XANES for Ni/sub 3/Al clearly shifts towards higher photon energies relative to that of pure Al, indicating that Al loses charges upon forming Ni/sub 3 /Al. ...

  20. Clinical Perspective of Oxidative Stress in Sporadic ALS

    Science.gov (United States)

    D’Amico, Emanuele; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Santella, Regina M.; Mitsumoto, Hiroshi

    2013-01-01

    Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) is one of the most devastating neurological diseases; most patients die within 3 to 4 years after symptom onset. Oxidative stress is a disturbance in the pro-oxidative/anti-oxidative balance favoring the pro-oxidative state. Autopsy and laboratory studies in ALS indicate that oxidative stress plays a major role in motor neuron degeneration and astrocyte dysfunction. Oxidative stress biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, and urine, are elevated, suggesting that abnormal oxidative stress is generated outside of the central nervous system. Our review indicates that agricultural chemicals, heavy metals, military service, professional sports, excessive physical exertion, chronic head trauma, and certain foods might be modestly associated with ALS risk, with a stronger association between risk and smoking. At the cellular level, these factors are all involved in generating oxidative stress. Experimental studies indicate that a combination of insults that induce modest oxidative stress can exert additive deleterious effects on motor neurons, suggesting multiple exposures in real-world environments are important. As the disease progresses, nutritional deficiency, cachexia, psychological stress, and impending respiratory failure may further increase oxidative stress. Moreover, accumulating evidence suggests that ALS is possibly a systemic disease. Laboratory, pathologic, and epidemiologic evidence clearly support the hypothesis that oxidative stress is central in the pathogenic process, particularly in genetically susceptive individuals. If we are to improve ALS treatment, well-designed biochemical and genetic epidemiological studies, combined with a multidisciplinary research approach, are needed and will provide knowledge crucial to our understanding of ALS etiology, pathophysiology, and prognosis. PMID:23797033

  1. Als and Ftd: Insights into the disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liscic, Rajka M

    2017-12-15

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are neurodegenerative disorders, related by signs of deteriorating motor and cognitive functions, and short survival. The causes are still largely unknown and no effective treatment currently exists. It has been shown that FTLD may coexist with ALS. The overlap between ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the clinical syndrome associated with FTLD, occurs at clinical, genetic, and pathological levels. The hallmark proteins of the pathognomonic inclusions are SOD-1, TDP-43 or FUS, rarely the disease is caused by mutations in the respective genes. Frontotemporal lobar degenerations (FTLD) is genetically, neuropathologically and clinically heterogeneous and may present with behavioural, language and occasionally motor disorder, respectively. Almost all cases of ALS, as well as tau-negative FTLD share a common neuropathology, neuronal and glial inclusion bodies containing abnormal TDP-43 protein, collectively called TDP-43 proteinopathy. Recent discoveries in genetics (e.g. C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansion) and the subsequent neuropathological characterization have revealed remarkable overlap between ALS and FTLD-TDP indicating common pathways in pathogenesis. For ALS, an anti-glutamate agent riluzole may be offered to slow disease progression (Level A), and a promising molecule, arimoclomol, is currently in clinical trials. Other compounds, however, are being trailed and some have shown encouraging results. As new therapeutic approaches continue to emerge by targeting SOD1, TDP-43, or GRN, we present some advances that are being made in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of these diseases, which together with gene and stem cell therapies may translate into new treatment options. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Catalytic Depolymerization of Lignin and Woody Biomass in Supercritical Ethanol: Influence of Reaction Temperature and Feedstock.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xiaoming; Atay, Ceylanpinar; Zhu, Jiadong; Palstra, Sanne W L; Korányi, Tamás I; Boot, Michael D; Hensen, Emiel J M

    2017-11-06

    The one-step ethanolysis approach to upgrade lignin to monomeric aromatics using a CuMgAl mixed oxide catalyst is studied in detail. The influence of reaction temperature (200-420 °C) on the product distribution is investigated. At low temperature (200-250 °C), recondensation is dominant, while char-forming reactions become significant at high reaction temperature (>380 °C). At preferred intermediate temperatures (300-340 °C), char-forming reactions are effectively suppressed by alkylation and Guerbet and esterification reactions. This shifts the reaction toward depolymerization, explaining high monomeric aromatics yield. Carbon-14 dating analysis of the lignin residue revealed that a substantial amount of the carbon in the lignin residue originates from reactions of lignin with ethanol. Recycling tests show that the activity of the regenerated catalyst was strongly decreased due to a loss of basic sites due to hydrolysis of the MgO function and a loss of surface area due to spinel oxide formation of the Cu and Al components. The utility of this one-step approach for upgrading woody biomass was also demonstrated. An important observation is that conversion of the native lignin contained in the lignocellulosic matrix is much easier than the conversion of technical lignin.

  3. Electric quadrupole moments of neutron-rich nuclei {sup 32}Al and {sup 31}Al

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kameda, D., E-mail: kameda@ribf.riken.jp; Ueno, H. [RIKEN Nishina Center (Japan); Asahi, K.; Nagae, D.; Takemura, M.; Shimada, K. [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Department of Physics (Japan); Yoshimi, A.; Nagatomo, T.; Sugimoto, T. [RIKEN Nishina Center (Japan); Uchida, M.; Arai, T.; Takase, K.; Suda, S.; Inoue, T. [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Department of Physics (Japan); Murata, J.; Kawamura, H. [Rikkyo University, Department of Physics (Japan); Watanabe, H. [Australian National University, Department of Nuclear Physics (Australia); Kobayashi, Y.; Ishihara, M. [RIKEN Nishina Center (Japan)

    2007-11-15

    The electric quadrupole moments for the ground states of {sup 32}Al and {sup 31}Al have been measured by the {beta} ray-detected nuclear quadrupole resonance method. Spin-polarized {sup 32}Al and {sup 31}Al nuclei were obtained from the fragmentation of {sup 40}Ar projectiles at E/A = 95 MeV/nucleon, and were implanted in a single crystal {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} stopper. The measured Q moment of {sup 32}Al, |Q({sup 32}Al)| = 24(2) mb, is in good agreement with a conventional shell-model calculation with a full sd model space and empirical effective charges, while that of {sup 31}Al is considerably smaller than the sd calculations.

  4. The constitution of alloys in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markoli, B.; Spaic, S.; Zupanic, F.

    2001-01-01

    The constitution of alloys and the liquidus surface in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system were determined by the examination of controlled heated and cooled specimens, as well as heat-treated specimens by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system comprises five regions of primary crystallisation (α Al , β Si , Al 3 Sm, Al 2 Si 2 Sm and AlSiSm) with following characteristic invariant reaction sequences: ternary eutectic reaction L → α Al + β Si + Al 2 Si 2 Sm, and two liquidus transition reactions, i. e., L + Al 3 Sm → α Al + AlSiSm, and L + AlSiSm → α Al + Al 2 Si 2 Sm. Along with the position of ternary eutectic and both interstitial points in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system, the temperatures for each reaction were determined. (orig.)

  5. Radio frequency plasma nitriding of aluminium at higher power levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gredelj, Sabina; Kumar, Sunil; Gerson, Andrea R.; Cavallaro, Giuseppe P.

    2006-01-01

    Nitriding of aluminium 2011 using a radio frequency plasma at higher power levels (500 and 700 W) and lower substrate temperature (500 deg. C) resulted in higher AlN/Al 2 O 3 ratios than obtained at 100 W and 575 deg. C. AlN/Al 2 O 3 ratios derived from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis (and corroborated by heavy ion elastic recoil time of flight spectrometry) for treatments preformed at 100 (575 deg. C), 500 (500 deg. C) and 700 W (500 deg. C) were 1.0, 1.5 and 3.3, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that plasma nitrided surfaces obtained at higher power levels exhibited much finer nodular morphology than obtained at 100 W

  6. Data for Brown et al MEA Developmental Neurotoxicity Screening Manuscript

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — These data are the individual parameter and well-level data that were support the conclusions in Brown et al. Note: the parameters CVtime and CVnetwork were not...

  7. Disordered crystal structure of 20H-AlON, Al10O3N8

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banno, Hiroki; Funahashi, Shiro; Asaka, Toru; Hirosaki, Naoto; Fukuda, Koichiro

    2015-01-01

    The disordered crystal structure of 20H-AlON (Al 10 O 3 N 8 ) was determined by combined use of X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The title compound is hexagonal with space group P6 3 /mmc (Z=2) and the unit-cell dimensions are a=0.307082(5) nm, c=5.29447(8) nm and V=0.432376(12) nm 3 . The structural model showed the positional disordering of three of the six Al sites in the unit cell. The reliability indices calculated from the Rietveld method were R wp =6.97%, S (=R wp /R e )=1.68, R p =5.45%, R B =5.13% and R F =4.56%. We interpreted the disordered structure of 20H-AlON as a statistical average of six different types of ordered structural configurations, which are composed of an octahedral [Al(O, N) 6 ] layer and tetrahedral [Al(O, N) 4 ] layers. We demonstrated the high correlations between the hexagonal unit-cell dimensions and the octahedral layer concentrations for AlON and SiAlON polytypoids. - Graphical abstract: Variations of a and c/(n O +n T ) with n O /(n O +n T ). The a and c are the hexagonal unit-cell dimensions of AlON, SiAlON and AlN. The n O and n T are, respectively, the numbers of octahedral and tetrahedral layers in the unit cells. The unit-cell dimensions in literature are plotted in black plus for AlON and black cross for SiAlON. The unit-cell dimensions of AlN are a=0.3110 nm and c=0.4980 nm. - Highlights: • Crystal structure of Al10O3N8 is determined by laboratory X-ray powder diffraction. • The atom arrangements are represented by the split-atom model. • Six types of ordered atom arrangements are derived from the disordered structure. • Hexagonal unit-cell dimensions changed systematically for AlON and SiAlON compounds

  8. Prinsip Pendidikan Karakter dalam Islam: Studi Komparasi Pemikiran Al-Ghazali dan Burhanuddin Al-Zarnuji

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agus Setiawan

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The impelemtantion of character education that is done by the Indonesian government recently has been provoked by al-Ghazali and Burhanuddin al-Zarnuji long ago. It was proven by some written thoughts of al-Ghazali and Burhanuddin al-Zarnuji. They were very famous scientists in their era and widely welknown as educational experts who produced some phenomenal thoughts many people use today. Al-Ghazali and Burhanuddin al-Zarnuji lived in the era of Bani Abbasiyah monarchy, but Both of them lived in different era. Al-Ghazali was born first, then Burhanuddin al-Zarnuji. They had different mazhab, al-Ghazali went to the traditional principle of mazhab Syafi’I and Burhanuddin al-Zarnuji went to the modern principle of mazhab Hanafi. The differences, of course, would create a different thought. Still, they might have a similar principle of Islamic character education. The thoughts of character education of al-Ghazali have been poured in the “Ayyuha Walad” focusing to the students’ character building characterized by religiously obedient, skillfull of general and religious knowledge, socially helpful, affectionate, generous, good citizen, and coloring the society. Some applicable thoughts of character education of Ayyuha al-Walad of al-Gazhali to the contemporary education are: the balance of the happiness purposes of the recent life and the life after death, qana’ah and tawakal, affectionate, caring other, patience, honesty, philanthrophy, social works, generousity, democratic, peace makers, and patriotic. Those characters are also directed in the islamic character education nowdays. So that, the thoughts of al-Ghazali positively and responsively are absorbed by the Indonesian government to build the national character widely implementing in the national curriculum based on the local wisdom and the Islamic values. In the end, the students are able to live happily based on the Islamic rules by implementing the good behavior. Similar to the al

  9. Comparison of trap characteristics between AlGaN/GaN and AlGaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure by frequency dependent conductance measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chakraborty, Apurba; Biswas, Dhrubes

    2015-01-01

    Frequency dependent conductance measurement is carried out to observe the trapping effect in AlGaN/InGaN/GaN double heterostructure and compared that with conventional AlGaN/GaN single heterostructure. It is found that the AlGaN/InGaN/GaN diode structure does not show any trapping effect, whereas single heterostructure AlGaN/GaN diode suffers from two kinds of trap energy states in near depletion to higher negative voltage bias region. This conductance behaviour of AlGaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure is owing to more Fermi energy level shift from trap energy states at AlGaN/InGaN junction compare to single AlGaN/GaN heterostructure and eliminates the trapping effects. Analysis yielded interface trap energy state in AlGaN/GaN is to be with time constant of (33.8–76.5) μs and trap density of (2.38–0.656) × 10 12  eV −1  cm −2 in −3.2 to −4.8 V bias region, whereas for AlGaN/InGaN/GaN structure no interface energy states are found and the extracted surface trap energy concentrations and time constants are (5.87–4.39) ×10 10  eV −1  cm −2 and (17.8–11.3) μs, respectively, in bias range of −0.8–0.0 V

  10. FRACTIONAL RECRYSTALLIZATION KINETICS IN DIRECTLY COLD ROLLED Al-Mg, Al-Mg-Sc AND Al-Mg-Sc-Zr ALLOY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. S. Kaiser

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The evaluation of texture as a function of recrystallization has been characterized for directly cold rolled Al-6Mg, Al-6Mg-0.4Sc and Al-6Mg-0.4Sc-0.2Zr alloys. Samples were annealed isothermally at 400 °C for 1 to 240 minutes to allow recrystallization. Recrystallization kinetics of the alloys is analyzed from the micro-hardness variation. Isothermally annealed samples of aluminum alloys were also studied using JMAK type analysis to see if there exists any correlation between the methods. Recrystallization fraction behavior between two methods the scandium added alloys show the higher variation due to precipitation hardening and higher recrystallization behavior. The scandium and zirconium as a combined shows the more variation due to formation of Al3(Sc, Zr precipitate. From the microstructure it is also observed that the base Al-Mg alloy attained almost fully re-crystallized state after annealing at 400 °C for 60 minutes

  11. Chemical failure modes of AlQ3-based OLEDs: AlQ3 hydrolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knox, John E; Halls, Mathew D; Hratchian, Hrant P; Schlegel, H Bernhard

    2006-03-28

    Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III), AlQ3, is used in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as an electron-transport material and emitting layer. The reaction of AlQ3 with trace H2O has been implicated as a major failure pathway for AlQ3-based OLEDs. Hybrid density functional calculations have been carried out to characterize the hydrolysis of AlQ3. The thermochemical and atomistic details for this important reaction are reported for both the neutral and oxidized AlQ3/AlQ3+ systems. In support of experimental conclusions, the neutral hydrolysis reaction pathway is found to be a thermally activated process, having a classical barrier height of 24.2 kcal mol(-1). First-principles infrared and electronic absorption spectra are compared to further characterize AlQ3 and the hydrolysis pathway product, AlQ2OH. The activation energy for the cationic AlQ3 hydrolysis pathway is found to be 8.5 kcal mol(-1) lower than for the neutral reaction, which is significant since it suggests a role for charge imbalance in promoting chemical failure modes in OLED devices.

  12. Study on Mg/Al Weld Seam Based on Zn–Mg–Al Ternary Alloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liming Liu

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Based on the idea of alloying welding seams, a series of Zn–xAl filler metals was calculated and designed for joining Mg/Al dissimilar metals by gas tungsten arc (GTA welding. An infrared thermography system was used to measure the temperature of the welding pool during the welding process to investigate the solidification process. It was found that the mechanical properties of the welded joints were improved with the increasing of the Al content in the Zn–xAl filler metals, and when Zn–30Al was used as the filler metal, the ultimate tensile strength could reach a maximum of 120 MPa. The reason for the average tensile strength of the joint increasing was that the weak zone of the joint using Zn–30Al filler metal was generated primarily by α-Al instead of MgZn2. When Zn–40Al was used as the filler metal, a new transition zone, about 20 μm-wide, appeared in the edge of the fusion zone near the Mg base metal. Due to the transition zones consisting of MgZn2- and Al-based solid solution, the mechanical property of the joints was deteriorated.

  13. A highly sensitive, single selective, fluorescent sensor for Al{sup 3+} detection and its application in living cell imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye, Xing-Pei [Department of Physics and Chemistry, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000 (China); Sun, Shao-bo; Li, Ying-dong [Institute of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Zhi, Li-hua [Department of Physics and Chemistry, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000 (China); Wu, Wei-na, E-mail: wuwn08@hpu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Chemistry, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000 (China); Wang, Yuan, E-mail: wangyuan08@hpu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Chemistry, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000 (China)

    2014-11-15

    A new o-aminophenol-based fluorogenic chemosensor methyl 3,5-bis((E)-(2-hydroxyphenylimino)methyl)-4-hydroxybenzoate 1 have been synthesized by Schiff base condensation of methyl 3,5-diformyl-4-hydroxybenzoate with o-aminophenol, which exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity toward Al{sup 3+}. Fluorescence titration studies of receptors 1 with different metal cations in CH{sub 3}OH medium showed highly selective and sensitive towards Al{sup 3+} ions even in the presence of other commonly coexisting metal ions. The detection limit of Al{sup 3+} ions is at the parts per billion level. Interestingly, the Al(III) complex of 1 offered a large Stokes shift (>120 nm), which can miximize the selfquenching effect. In addition, possible utilization of this receptor as bio-imaging fluorescent probe to detect Al{sup 3+} in human cervical HeLa cancer cell lines was also investigated by confocal fluorescence microscopy. - Highlights: • A new Schiff base chemosensor is reported. • The sensor for Al{sup 3+} offers large Stokes shift. • The detection limit of Al{sup 3+} in CH{sub 3}OH solution is at the parts per billion level. • The utilization of sensor for the monitoring of Al{sup 3+} levels in living cells was examined.

  14. Optical, structural, and nuclear scientific studies of AlGaN with high Al composition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Tse Yang; Chung, Yee Ling; Li, Lin; Yao, Shude; Lee, Y. C.; Feng, Zhe Chuan; Ferguson, Ian T.; Lu, Weijie

    2010-08-01

    AlGaN epilayers with higher Al-compositions were grown by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) on (0001) sapphire. Trimethylgallium (TMGa), trimethylaluminium (TMAl) and NH3 were used as the source precursors for Ga, Al, and N, respectively. A 25 nm AlN nucleation layer was first grown at low-temperature of 590 °C at 300 Torr. Followed, AlxGa1-xN layers were grown at 1080 °C on low-temperature AlN nucleation layers. The heterostructures were characterized by a series of techniques, including x-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman scattering. Precise Al compositions were determined through XRD, RBS, and SEM combined measurements. Room Temperature Raman Scattering spectra shows three major bands from AlGaN alloys, which are AlN-like, A1 longitudinal optical (LO) phonon modes, and E2 transverse optical (TO) band, respectively, plus several peak comes from the substrate. Raman spectral line shape analysis lead to an optical determination of the electrical property free carrier concentration of AlGaN. The optical properties of AlGaN with high Al composition were presented here.

  15. Ion-beam mixing and thermal annealing of Al--Nb and Al--Ta thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rai, A.K.; Bhattacharya, R.S.; Mendiratta, M.G.; Subramanian, P.R.; Dimiduk, D.M.

    1988-01-01

    Ion-beam mixing and thermal annealing of thin, alternating layers of Al and Nb, as well as Al and Ta, were investigated by selected area diffraction and Rutherford backscattering. The individual layer thicknesses were adjusted to obtain the overall compositions as Al 3 Nb and Al 3 Ta. The films were ion mixed with 1 MeV Au + ions at a dose of 1 x 10 16 ions cm/sup -2/ . Uniform mixing and amorphization were achieved for both Al--Nb and Al--Ta systems. Equilibrium crystalline Al 3 Nb and Al 3 Ta phases were formed after annealing of ion mixed amorphous films at 400 0 C for 6 h. Unmixed films, however, remained unreacted at 400 0 C for 1 h. Partial reaction was observed in the unmixed film of Al--Nb at 400 0 C for 6 h. After annealing at 500 0 C for 1 h, a complete reaction and formation of Al 3 Nb and Al 3 Ta phases in the respective films were observed. The influence of thermodynamics on the phase formation by ion mixing and thermal annealing is discussed

  16. Pembuatan Katalis Asam (Ni/γ-Al2O3 dan Katalis Basa (Mg/γ-Al2O3 untuk Aplikasi Pembuatan Biodiesel dari Bahan Baku Minyak Jelantah

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    . Savitri

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Biodiesel is an alternative energy fuel a substitute for diesel oil produced from vegetable oil or animal fat which have the advantage easily used, they are biodegradable, not toxic and sulfur free. This research aims to do process of prosucing biodiesel using acid catalysts (Ni/γ-Al2O3 for a esterification process and base catalyst (Mg/γ-Al2O3 for transesterification  process with the variation of catalyst concentration Ni/γ-Al2O3 (0.5%; 0.75%; 1% and 2% and the time (60 minutes, 120 minutes, and 180 minutes. Research of methodology starting to the process impregnation Ni and Mg metal into a buffer γ-Al2O3, characterization a catalyst with XRD, FTIR, and the SAA, and the esterification process to lower levels of FFA and transesterification process for making it biodiesel. The characterization with X-RD does not appear a new peak, only just occurred a shift peak, and declines intensity of Ni/γ-Al2O3 and Mg/γ-Al2O3. The analysis result of the SAA, a decline in the surface area (the decline in active side of catalyst suspected the process impregnation not run perfect because Ni and Mg metal only distributed on the surface of buffer pore. The results of the FTIR analysis does not occur the addition of acidity and alkalinity. The steady of catalyst concentration from esterification process is 1% within 120 minutes produce levels of FFA 6.85%.  Keywords: Biodiesel, esterification, impregnation, used cooking oil, transesterificationDOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/jkv.v2i1.3104

  17. The Effect of Advertising Signs on the Urban Scene of Cities Centers (Al Bab Al Sharqi – Al Tahrir Square Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Inaam Albazzaz

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The research represents an applied study to the urban scene of Baghdad city center within the area of (Al Bab Al Sharqi – Al Tahrir Square through studying and identifying the levels of the reciprocal correlation of advertising signs impact on urban scene , then finding out the indicators and potential values which have made advertising signs as positive value by achieving the mechanisms of visual quality or a negative value by achieving mechanisms of visual pollution. And then examining the resulted visual perception defect reforming mechanism from it and identify the basic elements represented of the laws and legislation known worldwide. When presenting the problem, The research depends on: (Lack of clear perception about the definition of advertising signs concept and their design characteristics (Semantic impact on achieving the relationship of perceptual contact with the individual (recipient in addition to its contribution in enhancing the visual quality and reducing the visual pollution situation on urban scene of the cities centers. In order to solve the research problem, the objective outlined as follows: (Reaching to building up an integrated theoretical model, by which the foundations and mechanisms of the main act of advertising signs are determined as communication and perception act between the individual (recipient and urban scene , and their impact level on the scene in accordance with the concept of visual quality and visual pollution. The research hypothesis is as follows: (Lack of harmony in the advertising signs' design characteristics (Semantic affects the efficiency of their performance as a communicational and perceptual act, and on diminishing the visual quality and increasing the visual pollution situation in urban scene of cities centers. The research reached to a number of conclusions, mainly: Baghdad city center (represented by study area suffers visual pollution caused by misuse of advertising signs as a result of

  18. Information of “Nukhbat al-dahr fi ‘aja’ib al-barr wa-al-bahr” by ad-Dimashqi about the Turkic Tribes of Dasht-i Kipchak »

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z.S. Ilyasova

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article introduced into academic circulation information of such a historical source as “Nukhbat al-dahr fi ‘aja’ib al-barr wa-al-bahr” (Excerpts of Time on the Marvels of the Land and Sea on Kipchak clans and Turkic tribes of Dasht-i Kipchak. The material of the study is drawn from this source. Main scientific result of this work was the source’s translation into Russian accompanied by scientific comments. Sheikh Shams al-Din Abu Abdallah Muhammad Abu Talib al-Ansari al-Sufi al-Dimashqi was the author of this work. Some scholars have mistakenly confuse him with another chronicler named Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Yahya Ibn Fadlallah al-Omari al-Dimashqi. There is a widespread misconception that while writing on Kipchak clans and Turkic tribes al-Dimashqi used the data of such an author as Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Yahya al-Ansari al-Qutub al-Warraq al-Vatvat, also known as Ahmad al-Tini. After had studying the manuscripts of al-Tini and al-Dimashqi, we did not notice the connection between these two authors regarding their information about Kipchak clans and Turkic tribes of Dasht-i Kipchak. After had studying the information about Kipchak clans and Turkic tribes of Dasht-i Kipchak, we put forward the theory that 16 ethnonyms previously identified as Kipchak clans, are actually the etnonyms of eight Kipchak clans and eight Turkic tribes. The article also contains the extraction from “Nukhbat al-dahr fi ‘aja’ib al-barr wa-al-bahr” regarding the geography of Dasht-i Kipchak and the countries inhabited by the Turks. The following data are unique in this source: 1. The text describes such rivers as Ceyhun (Amu Darya, Seyhun (Syr Darya, Itil (Volga, as well as Khorezm and Khazar Seas (Aral and Caspian Seas. 2. Additionally, this text lists the following Turkic peoples: al-Kharlukhiya (Karluks, al-Khirgaziya (Kyrgyz, al-Kaymakiya (Kimaks, al-Guzziya (Oguz, al-Bazhanakiya (Pechenegs, al-Tuguzguziya (Uighurs, al-Khulkhiya (?, al

  19. Studies on SiC(p) reinforced Al-Al sub 3 Ni eutectic matrix composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masrom, A.K.; Foo, L.C.; Ismail, A.B.

    1996-01-01

    An investigation on processing of Al-5.69wt% Ni eutectic with SiC particulate composites is reported. The intermetallic composites are prepared by elemental powder metallurgy route and sintered at two different temperatures, i.e., 600 degree C and 620 degree C. Results show that the metal matrix was Al-Al sub 3 Ni eutectic. The phase analysis by XRD identified the presence of Al sub 3 Ni and Al as dominant phases together with silicon and Al sub 4 C sub 3 phase as minor phases. The Al sub 4 C sub 3 and Si phases are formed during sintering due to SiC-Al interface reaction. SEM micrographs also reveal the formation of microvoid surrounding the SiC particle

  20. Sensitivity of on-resistance and threshold voltage to buffer-related deep level defects in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armstrong, Andrew M; Allerman, Andrew A; Baca, Albert G; Sanchez, Carlos A

    2013-01-01

    The influence of deep levels defects located in highly resistive GaN:C buffers on the on-resistance (R ON ) and threshold voltage (V th ) of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) power devices was studied by a combined photocapacitance deep level optical spectroscopy (C-DLOS) and photoconductance deep level optical spectroscopy (G-DLOS) methodology as a function of electrical stress. Two carbon-related deep levels at 1.8 and 2.85 eV below the conduction band energy minimum were identified from C-DLOS measurements under the gate electrode. It was found that buffer-related defects under the gate shifted V th positively by approximately 10%, corresponding to a net areal density of occupied defects of 8 × 10 12 cm −2 . The effect of on-state drain stress and off-state gate stress on buffer deep level occupancy and R ON was also investigated via G-DLOS. It was found that the same carbon-related deep levels observed under the gate were also active in the access region. Off-state gate stress produced significantly more trapping and degradation of R ON (∼140%) compared to on-state drain stress (∼75%). Greater sensitivity of R ON to gate stress was explained by a more sharply peaked lateral distribution of occupied deep levels between the gate and drain compared to drain stress. The overall greater sensitivity of R ON compared to V th to buffer defects suggests that electron trapping is significantly greater in the access region compared to under the gate, likely due to the larger electric fields in the latter region. (invited paper)

  1. The constitution of alloys in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Markoli, B.; Spaic, S. [Ljubljana Univ. (Slovenia). Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering; Zupanic, F. [Maribor Univ. (Slovenia). Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

    2001-09-01

    The constitution of alloys and the liquidus surface in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system were determined by the examination of controlled heated and cooled specimens, as well as heat-treated specimens by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system comprises five regions of primary crystallisation ({alpha}{sub Al}, {beta}{sub Si}, Al{sub 3}Sm, Al{sub 2}Si{sub 2}Sm and AlSiSm) with following characteristic invariant reaction sequences: ternary eutectic reaction L {yields} {alpha}{sub Al} + {beta}{sub Si} + Al{sub 2}Si{sub 2}Sm, and two liquidus transition reactions, i. e., L + Al{sub 3}Sm {yields} {alpha}{sub Al} + AlSiSm, and L + AlSiSm {yields} {alpha}{sub Al} + Al{sub 2}Si{sub 2}Sm. Along with the position of ternary eutectic and both interstitial points in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system, the temperatures for each reaction were determined. (orig.)

  2. Electronic Structures and Bonding Properties of Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    MIN Xinmin; REN Yi

    2007-01-01

    The relation among electronic structure, chemical bond and property of Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2 and doping Si into Ti2AlC was studied by density function and the discrete variation (DFT-DVM) method. After adding Si into Ti2AlC, the interaction between Si and Ti is weaker than that between Al and Ti, and the strengths of ionic and covalent bonds decrease both. The ionic and covalent bonds in Ti3AlC2, especially in Ti-Al, are stronger than those in Ti2AlC. Therefore, in synthesis of Ti2AlC, the addition of Si enhances the Ti3AlC2 content instead of Ti2AlC. The density of state (DOS) shows that there is mixed conductor characteristic in Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2. The DOS of Ti3AlC2 is much like that of Ti2AlC. Ti2SixAl1-x C has more obvious tendency to form a semiconductor than Ti2AlC, which is seen from the obvious difference of partial DOS between Si and Al3p.

  3. Electronic and atomic structure of complex defects in Al- and Ga-highly doped ZnO films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menéndez-Proupin, Eduardo [Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 780-0003 Ñuñoa, Santiago (Chile); Palacios, Pablo, E-mail: pablo.palacios@upm.es [Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Dpt. FAIAN, E.T.S.I. Aeronáutica y del Espacio, UPM, Pz. Cardenal Cisneros 3, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Wahnón, Perla [Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Dpt. TFO, E.T.S.I. Telecomunicación, UPM, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2015-06-15

    Point defects in Ga- and Al-doped ZnO thin films are studied by means of first principles electronic structure calculations. Candidate defects are identified to explain recently observed differences in electrical and spectroscopic behavior of both systems. Substitutional doping in Ga–ZnO explain the metallic behavior of the electrical properties. Complexes of interstitial oxygen with substitutional Ga can behave as acceptor and cause partial compensation, as well as gap states below the conduction band minimum as observed in photoemission experiments. Zn vacancies can also act as compensating acceptors. On the other hand, the semiconducting behavior of Al–ZnO and the small variation in the optical gap compared with pure ZnO, can be explained by almost complete compensation between acceptor Zn vacancies and substitutional Al donors. Interstitial Al can also be donor levels and can be the origin of the small band observed in photoemission experiments below the Fermi level. Combinations of substitutional Al with interstitial oxygen can act simultaneously as compensating acceptor and generator of the mentioned photoemission band. The theoretical calculations have been done using density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation with on-site Coulomb interaction. In selected cases, DFT calculations with semilocal-exact exchange hybrid functionals have been performed. Results explain photoelectron spectra of Ga–ZnO and Al–ZnO at the corresponding doping levels. - Highlights: • Defects in Ga- and Al-heavy-doped ZnO films are studied by quantum calculations. • Defects compatible with electrical, optical, and HAXPES spectra are proposed. • Doping efficiency is reduced by Zn vacancies and O interstitials. • HAXPES bands near the Fermi level are induced by Al{sub i}, and complexes Ga{sub Zn}-O{sub i}, and Al{sub Zn}-O{sub i}.

  4. Mind the level: problems with two recent nation-level analyses in psychology

    OpenAIRE

    Kuppens, Toon; Pollet, Thomas V.

    2014-01-01

    Two recent articles (both published in Psychological Science) rely on nation-level data to address questions about psychological processes: Oishi and Diener (2014), referred to here as “OD,” and Hershfield et al. (2014), referred to as “HBW.” In our opinion, both articles contain problems with regard to the use and interpretation of nation-level data. The problems are (1) the failure to account for the statistical dependence of countries within regions, (2) the use of nation-level data with q...

  5. Pornographie als Metapher

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Schubarth

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available In diesem Artikel werden unterschiedliche metaphorische Verwendungen des Pornografiebegriffs und deren Implikationen untersucht. Während die Existenz von Pornografie der feministischen Anti-Porno-Bewegung als Erklärung für die anhaltende Diskriminierung von Frauen in westlichen Gesellschaften dient, nutzen rechtskonservative Kräfte den Pornografievorwurf als Rechtfertigung für die Zensur von als deviant empfundenen Identitäten und sexuellen Praktiken.

  6. Structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnS and ZnS:Al films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurma, T.

    2018-06-01

    ZnS and ZnS:Al films have been deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method. Three different atomic ratios of aluminium were used as the dopant element. The effects of aluminum incorporation on structural and optical properties of the ZnS films have been investigated. The XRD analysis showed that the cubic structure of the ZnS was not much affected by Al doping. The crystal size of the films decreased, as the Al ratio increased. Al incorporation caused an increase in the intensity of ZnS films' peaks observed in Raman spectra and nearly symmetrical peaks were observed. Al doping caused a small decrease in optical band gap of the ZnS film. The coating of ZnS:Al films on the surface was quite good and there were not any deformation in their crystallization levels. Reflectance values of films are about 5% in the visible region but a little decrease is seen with aluminum doping. We can say that Al doping tends to improve the optical properties of the ZnS:Al films when compared with the undoped ZnS.

  7. Deletion of ALS5, ALS6 or ALS7 increases adhesion of Candida albicans to human vascular endothelial and buccal epithelial cells

    OpenAIRE

    ZHAO, XIAOMIN; OH, SOON-HWAN; HOYER, LOIS L.

    2007-01-01

    C. albicans yeast forms deleted for ALS5, ALS6 or ALS7 are more adherent than a relevant control strain to human vascular endothelial cell monolayers and buccal epithelial cells. In the buccal and vaginal reconstituted human epithelium (RHE) disease models, however, mutant and control strains caused a similar degree of tissue destruction. Deletion of ALS5 or ALS6 significantly slowed growth of the mutant strain; this phenotype was not affected by addition of excess uridine to the culture medi...

  8. The monomeric GTPase RabA2 is required for progression and maintenance of membrane integrity of infection threads during root nodule symbiosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalla Via, Virginia; Traubenik, Soledad; Rivero, Claudio; Aguilar, O Mario; Zanetti, María Eugenia; Blanco, Flavio Antonio

    2017-04-01

    Progression of the infection canal that conducts rhizobia to the nodule primordium requires a functional Rab GTPase located in Golgi/trans-Golgi that also participate in root hair polar growth. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) symbiotically associates with its partner Rhizobium etli, resulting in the formation of root nitrogen-fixing nodules. Compatible bacteria can reach cortical cells in a tightly regulated infection process, in which the specific recognition of signal molecules is a key step to select the symbiotic partner. In this work, we show that RabA2, a monomeric GTPase from common bean, is required for the progression of the infection canal, referred to as the infection thread (IT), toward the cortical cells. Expression of miss-regulated mutant variants of RabA2 resulted in an increased number of abortive infection events, including bursting of ITs and a reduction in the number of nodules. Nodules formed in these plants were small and contained infected cells with disrupted symbiosome membranes, indicating either early senescence of these cells or defects in the formation of the symbiosome membrane during bacterial release. RabA2 localized to mobile vesicles around the IT, but mutations that affect GTP hydrolysis or GTP/GDP exchange modified this localization. Colocalization of RabA2 with ArfA1 and a Golgi marker indicates that RabA2 localizes in Golgi stacks and the trans-Golgi network. Our results suggest that RabA2 is part of the vesicle transport events required to maintain the integrity of the membrane during IT progression.

  9. Alpha and beta stabilizer character of Al in Zr-Nb-Al alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peruzzi Bardella, A.; Bolcich, J.C.

    1987-01-01

    The T β/α+β of Zr5Nb and Zr5Nb2Al (weight %) were determined in order to observe the alpha-stabilizer character of Al in ternary Zr-Nb-Al alloys. Techniques employed were change of resistivity with temperature in dynamic experiences, and metallography of samples quenched to room temperature after isothermal annealings. The T β/α+β of the ternary resulted 17 ± 8 deg C higher than that of the binary alloy. In addition, taking into account the results of previous investigations of the transformation of beta on quenching Zr-Nb-Al alloys from the beta field to room temperature, it is concluded that the beta-stabilizer character of Nb is stronger than the alpha-stabilizer character of Al in these Zr alloys, and that the Al can have important influence on the mechanical properties by the appearance of TRIP effect. (Author) [es

  10. Development of ODS-Fe{sub 3}Al alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wright, I.G.; Pint, B.A.; Tortorelli, P.F.; McKamey, C.G. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1997-12-01

    The overall goal of this program is to develop an oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) version of Fe{sub 3}Al that has sufficient creep strength and resistance to oxidation at temperatures in the range 1000 to 1200 C to be suitable for application as heat exchanger tubing in advanced power generation cycles. The main areas being addressed are: (a) alloy processing to achieve the desired alloy grain size and shape, and (b) optimization of the oxidation behavior to provide increased service life compared to semi-commercial ODS-FeCrAl alloys intended for the same applications. The recent studies have focused on mechanically-alloyed powder from a commercial alloy vendor. These starting alloy powders were very clean in terms of oxygen content compared to ORNL-produced powders, but contained similar levels of carbon picked up during the milling process. The specific environment used in milling the powder appears to exert a considerable influence on the post-consolidation recrystallization behavior of the alloy. A milling environment which produced powder particles having a high surface carbon content resulted in a consolidated alloy which readily recrystallized, whereas powder with a low surface carbon level after milling resulted in no recrystallization even at 1380 C. A feature of these alloys was the appearance of voids or porosity after the recrystallization anneal, as had been found with ORNL-produced alloys. Adjustment of the recrystallization parameters did not reveal any range of conditions where recrystallization could be accomplished without the formation of voids. Initial creep tests of specimens of the recrystallized alloys indicated a significant increase in creep strength compared to cast or wrought Fe{sub 3}Al, but the specimens failed prematurely by a mechanism that involved brittle fracture of one of the two grains in the test cross section, followed by ductile fracture of the remaining grain. The reasons for this behavior are not yet understood. The

  11. Insulator-semiconductor interface fixed charges in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor devices with Al2O3 or AlTiO gate dielectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Son Phuong; Nguyen, Duong Dai; Suzuki, Toshi-kazu

    2018-01-01

    We have investigated insulator-semiconductor interface fixed charges in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices with Al2O3 or AlTiO (an alloy of Al2O3 and TiO2) gate dielectrics obtained by atomic layer deposition on AlGaN. Analyzing insulator-thickness dependences of threshold voltages for the MIS devices, we evaluated positive interface fixed charges, whose density at the AlTiO/AlGaN interface is significantly lower than that at the Al2O3/AlGaN interface. This and a higher dielectric constant of AlTiO lead to rather shallower threshold voltages for the AlTiO gate dielectric than for Al2O3. The lower interface fixed charge density also leads to the fact that the two-dimensional electron concentration is a decreasing function of the insulator thickness for AlTiO, whereas being an increasing function for Al2O3. Moreover, we discuss the relationship between the interface fixed charges and interface states. From the conductance method, it is shown that the interface state densities are very similar at the Al2O3/AlGaN and AlTiO/AlGaN interfaces. Therefore, we consider that the lower AlTiO/AlGaN interface fixed charge density is not owing to electrons trapped at deep interface states compensating the positive fixed charges and can be attributed to a lower density of oxygen-related interface donors.

  12. Controlled catalytic and thermal sequential pyrolysis and hydrolysis of phenolic resin containing waste streams to sequentially recover monomers and chemicals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chum, H.L.; Evans, R.J.

    1992-08-04

    A process is described for using fast pyrolysis in a carrier gas to convert a waste phenolic resin containing feedstreams in a manner such that pyrolysis of said resins and a given high value monomeric constituent occurs prior to pyrolyses of the resins in other monomeric components therein comprising: selecting a first temperature program range to cause pyrolysis of said resin and a given high value monomeric constituent prior to a temperature range that causes pyrolysis of other monomeric components; selecting, if desired, a catalyst and a support and treating said feedstreams with said catalyst to effect acid or basic catalyzed reaction pathways to maximize yield or enhance separation of said high value monomeric constituent in said first temperature program range to utilize reactive gases such as oxygen and steam in the pyrolysis process to drive the production of specific products; differentially heating said feedstreams at a heat rate within the first temperature program range to provide differential pyrolysis for selective recovery of optimum quantity of said high value monomeric constituent prior to pyrolysis of other monomeric components therein; separating said high value monomeric constituent; selecting a second higher temperature program range to cause pyrolysis of a different high value monomeric constituent of said phenolic resins waste and differentially heating said feedstreams at said higher temperature program range to cause pyrolysis of said different high value monomeric constituent; and separating said different high value monomeric constituent. 11 figs.

  13. Cu-doped AlN: A possible spinaligner at room-temperature grown by molecular beam epitaxy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganz, P. R.; Schaadt, D. M.

    2011-12-01

    Cu-doped AlN was prepared by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on C-plane sapphire substrates. The growth conditions were investigated for different Cu to Al flux ratios from 1.0% to 4.0%. The formation of Cu-Al alloys on the surface was observed for all doping level. In contrast to Cu-doped GaN, all samples showed diamagnetic behavior determined by SQUID measurements.

  14. Fracture toughness of Ti-Al3Ti-Al-Al3Ti laminate composites under static and cyclic loading conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patselov, A. M.; Gladkovskii, S. V.; Lavrikov, R. D.; Kamantsev, I. S.

    2015-10-01

    The static and cyclic fracture toughnesses of a Ti-Al3Ti-Al-Al3Ti laminate composite material containing at most 15 vol % intermetallic compound are studied. Composite specimens are prepared by terminating reaction sintering of titanium and aluminum foils under pressure. The fracture of the titanium layers is quasi-cleavage during cyclic crack growth and is ductile during subsequent static loading.

  15. Microstructural studies on chemical interactions in U-Mo with Al

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martins, Ilson Carlos

    2010-01-01

    This research refers to the study of U-Mo alloy as an alternative material for producing nuclear fuel elements with high density of uranium, for research reactors of high performance. The international non-proliferation of nuclear weapons has enrichment level limited to 20% U 23 '5. U-Mo alloys with 6-10 wt% Mo can lead to a density up to 9 gU/cm 3 , inside the fuel core. The MTR fuel element plates are made from briquettes (U-Mo powder + Al) encapsulated in Al plates, then welded and rolled However, the U-Mo alloy is very reactive in the presence of Al. The reaction products of this interaction are undesirable from the standpoint of nuclear usage, since they cause a chemical interaction layer (IL) formed during thermal cycling and exposure to nuclear fission neutrons. As the IL has low thermal conductivity, they may cause structural failure in the fuel element during operation. The present study provides a new preparation technique for interdiffusion pairs made by hot rolling. The U-Mo alloy, in tablet format, is involved by matrix Al-plates, which is sealed and then hot rolled. This way to prepare the diffusion couples is an ideal condition to avoid the oxidation at the contact interface at U-Mo/Al. The hot rolling preparation also simulates the first reduction pass during MTR fuel plate manufacture. We chose to work with a Mo content of 10 wt% in U-Mo alloy to ensure greater phase formation, since this level favors a greater chemical stability in this phase. The Al alloy matrix was used as the AA1050 since it contains small impurity amounts. The interdiffusion couples U-10Mo/AA1050 were thermally treated in two temperature ranges (1500C and 5500C) and three soaking times (5h, 40h and 80h) to simulate the interdiffusion process and formation of chemical interaction layer. The analysis of the interaction layer U-10Mo/AA1050 was made by SEM/EDS and X-ray diffraction. It revealed a general trend of low interdiffusion of Al (about 8 atomic %) inside U-Mo. There was

  16. Data supporting Al-Abed et al., Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2016,

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Data files representing each of the Figures and Tables published in Al-Abed et al., Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2016, 3, 593. The data file names identify the Figure or...

  17. Ti, Al

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In the present study, authors report on the effect that substrate bias voltage has on the microstructure and mechanical properties of (Ti, Al)N hard coatings deposited with cathodic arc evaporation (CAE) technique. The coatings were deposited from a Ti0.5Al0.5 powder metallurgical target in a reactive nitrogen atmosphere at ...

  18. Kinetic studies of oxidation of MgAlON and a comparison of the oxidation behaviour of AlON, MgAlON, O'SiAlON-ZrO{sub 2}, and BN-ZCM ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Xidong; Seetharaman, S. [Div. of Metallurgy, Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden); Li Wenchao [Dept. of Physical Chemistry, Univ. of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), Beijing, BJ (China)

    2002-06-01

    The kinetics and morphology of the oxidation process of magnesium-aluminium oxynitride (MgAlON), aluminium oxynitride (AlON), O'SiAlON-ZrO{sub 2}, and BN-ZCM have been studied in the temperature range 1373-1773 K (ZCM=30 wt% ZrO{sub 2}, 52 wt% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and 18 wt% 3 Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}.2 SiO{sub 2}). Oxidation experiments with powder and plate samples of the above materials have been carried out in air. MgAlON shows the best resistance to oxidation at lower temperatures (< 1473 K), whereas at higher temperatures ({proportional_to} 773 K), AlON shows the best resistance. O'SiAlON-ZrO{sub 2} shows very good oxidation resistance up to 1673 K. But its oxidation rate increases strongly above 1673 K, presumably due to the formation of liquid phase. BN-ZCM has the poorest oxidation resistance due to the evaporation of B{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The activation energies for the chemical oxidation reaction of AlON, MgAlON, and O'SiAlON-ZrO{sub 2} are 214, 330 and 260 kJ/mol, respectively. The overall diffusion activation energies for AlON, MgAlON, O'SiAlON-ZrO{sub 2} and BN-ZCM are 227, 573, 367 and 289 kJ/mol, respectively. (orig.)

  19. Deformation and energy absorption properties of powder-metallurgy produced Al foams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michailidis, N.; Stergioudi, F.; Tsouknidas, A.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Porous Al fabricated via a dissolution and sintering method using raw cane sugar. → Different deformation mode depending on the relative density of the foams. → Enhanced energy absorption by reducing pore size and relative density of the foam. → Pore size uniformity and sintering temperature affect energy absorption. - Abstract: Al-foams with relative densities ranging from 0.30 to 0.60 and mean pore sizes of 0.35, 0.70 and 1.35 mm were manufactured by a powder metallurgy technology, based on raw cane sugar as a space-holder material. Compressive tests were carried out to investigate the deformation and energy absorbing characteristics and mechanisms of the produced Al-foams. The deformation mode of low density Al-foams is dominated by the bending and buckling of cell walls and the formation of macroscopic deformation bands whereas that of high density Al-foams is predominantly attributed to plastic yielding. The energy absorbing capacity of Al-foams rises for increased relative density and compressive strength. The sintering temperature of Al-foams having similar relative densities has a marked influence on both, energy absorbing efficiency and capacity. Pore size has a marginal effect on energy efficiency aside from Al-foams with mean pore size of 0.35 which exhibit enhanced energy absorption as a result of increased friction during deformation at lower strain levels.

  20. Grain refining mechanism of Al-containing Mg alloys with the addition of Mn-Al alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin, Gaowu W.; Ren Yuping; Huang Wei; Li Song; Pei Wenli

    2010-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Research highlights: The ε-AlMn phase acts as the heterogeneous nucleus of α-Mg phase during the solidification of the AZ31 Mg alloy, not the γ-Al 8 Mn 5 phase. The grain refinement effect is very clear with the addition of only 0.5 wt% Mn-28Al alloy (pure ε-AlMn). The grain refinement does not deteriorate up to the holding time of 60 min at 740 o C. - Abstract: The effect of manganese on grain refinement of Al-containing AZ31 Mg alloy has been investigated by designing a series of Mn-Al alloys composed of either pure ε-AlMn, γ 2 -Al 8 Mn 5 or both of them using optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It is experimentally clarified that the grain refinement of the AZ31 Mg alloy is due to the existence of the ε-AlMn phase in the Mn-Al alloys, not the γ 2 -Al 8 Mn 5 phase. The grain size of AZ31 Mg alloy is about 91 μm without any addition of Mn-Al alloys, but remarkably decreases to ∼55 μm with the addition of either Mn-34 wt% Al or Mn-28 wt% Al. With a minor addition of 0.5 wt% Mn-28Al alloy, the grain size of AZ31 alloy decreases to ∼53 μm, and the Mn-28Al alloy can be active as grain refiner for holding time up to 60 min for the melt AZ31 alloy at 750 o C.

  1. Ibn Qutayba en al-Andalus. La préface à I 'Adab al-Kātib dans le commentaire d'Ibn al-Sīd al-Baṭalyawsī

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soravia, Bruna

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Ibn Qutayba's preface to his Adab al-kātib has been considered for centuries the most important section of this work and it has been the object of many commentaries, both in the Muslim East and West. This paper deals with Ibn al-Sīd al-Baṭalyawsī´s commentary al-Iqtiḍāb, trying to show the peculiar way in which Ibn al-Sīd develops his own critique of Ibn Qutayba's controversial thesis on the relation between orthodoxy, falsafa and kalām. At the same time, the Andalusi author works out his own conception of adab, deeply influenced by his biographical experience. Finally a full translation of Ibn Qutayba's preface is proposed, half a century after G. Lecomte's partial one.

    El prefacio de Ibn Qutayba a su Adab al-Kātib ha sido considerado durante siglos como el fragmento más importante de su obra, y ha sido objeto de muchos comentarios, tanto orientales como occidentales. Este artículo trata del comentario que Ibn al-Sīd al-Baṭalyawsī hizo de ese texto de Ibn Qutayba, e intenta mostrar la forma peculiar en que Ibn al-Sīd desarrolla su propia crítica a la polémica tesis de Ibn Qutayba sobre la relación entre ortodoxia, falsafa y kalām. Al mismo tiempo, el autor andalusí elabora su propia concepción del adab, profundamente influida por su experiencia biográfica. Para concluir, se presenta una traducción completa del prefacio de Ibn Qutayba, medio siglo después de la parcial realizada por G. Lecomte.

  2. Complex Inflammation mRNA-Related Response in ALS Is Region Dependent

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Berjaoui

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Inflammatory changes are analyzed in the anterior spinal cord and frontal cortex area 8 in typical spinal-predominant ALS cases. Increased numbers of astrocytes and activated microglia are found in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and pyramidal tracts. Significant increased expression of TLR7, CTSS, and CTSC mRNA and a trend to increased expression of IL10RA, TGFB1, and TGFB2 are found in the anterior lumbar spinal cord in ALS cases compared to control cases, whereas C1QTNF7 and TNFRSF1A mRNA expression levels are significantly decreased. IL6 is significantly upregulated and IL1B shows a nonsignificant increased expression in frontal cortex area 8 in ALS cases. IL-6 immunoreactivity is found in scattered monocyte-derived macrophages/microglia and TNF-α in a few cells of unknown origin in ALS cases. Increased expression and abnormal distribution of IL-1β occurred in motor neurons of the lumbar spinal cord in ALS. Strong IL-10 immunoreactivity colocalizes with TDP-43-positive inclusions in motor neurons in ALS cases. The present observations show a complex participation of cytokines and mediators of the inflammatory response in ALS consistent with increased proinflammatory cytokines and sequestration of anti-inflammatory IL-10 in affected neurons.

  3. Interview als Text vs. Interview als Interaktion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arnulf Deppermann

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Das Interview ist nach wie vor das beliebteste sozialwissenschaftliche Verfahren des Datengewinns. Ökonomie der Erhebung, Vergleichbarkeit und die Möglichkeit, Einsicht in Praxisbereiche und historisch-biografische Dimensionen zu erhalten, die der direkten Beobachtung kaum zugänglich sind, machen seine Attraktivität aus. Zugleich mehren sich Kritiken, die seine Leistungsfähigkeit problematisieren, indem sie auf die begrenzte Reichweite der Explikationsfähigkeiten der Befragten, die Reaktivität der Erhebung oder die Differenz zwischen Handeln und dem Bericht über Handeln verweisen. Im Beitrag wird zwischen Ansätzen, die das Interview als Text, und solchen, die es als Interaktion verstehen, unterschieden. Nach dem Text-Verständnis werden Interviews unter inhaltlichen Gesichtspunkten analysiert und als Zugang zu einer vorgängigen sozialen oder psychischen Wirklichkeit angesehen. Das Interaktions-Verständnis versteht Interviews dagegen als situierte Praxis, in welcher im Hier und Jetzt von InterviewerInnen und Befragten gemeinsam soziale Sinnstrukturen hergestellt werden. Anhand ubiquitärer Phänomene der Interviewinteraktion – Fragen, Antworten und die Selbstpositionierung von InterviewerInnen und Befragten – werden Praktiken des interaktiv-performativen Handelns im Interview dargestellt. Ihre Relevanz für die Interviewkonstitution und ihre Erkenntnispotenziale für die Interviewauswertung werden aufgezeigt. Es wird dafür plädiert, die interaktive Konstitutionsweise von Interviews empirisch zu erforschen und methodisch konsequent zu berücksichtigen. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1303131

  4. Ozturk et al., Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2015) 12(5):63 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Proff.Adewunmi

    antioxidant capacity (Velioglu et al., 1998). Pear fruits contain a low level of protein and fat, while vitamin C, E and B complex vitamin contents are high. Pears are an extraordinary source of dietary fiber when the skin is eaten along with the flesh (Jackson, 2003; Ozcagiran et al., 2004). Vitamin C is one of the most important ...

  5. Ambient Air Quality Assessment of Al-Mansoriah Residential Area in the State of Kuwait

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.M. Al-Salem

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Air quality data (ground level ozone (O3 , non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC, methane (CH4 , nitrogen oxide (NO, nitrogen dioxide (NO2 , carbon monoxide (CO, hydrogen sulfide (H2 S and sulfur dioxide (SO2 of a Kuwaiti residential area, Al-Mansoriah, were analyzed to evaluate and determine: (a the exceedances of air quality from permissible limits set by the Kuwait Environment Public Authority (KUEPA, (b the diurnal patterns of air pollutants, (c the predominant sources of airborne pollutants in the surrounding area, and (d the ''weekend effect'' on ozone levels. The dataset covered the period of five consecutive years, from January 2000 to December 2004. High levels of ozone were witnessed; recording a number of exceedances. Inhabitants of Al-Mansoriah were exposed, during the period of study, to acute and chronic levels of SO2 . Concerning NMHC, the permissible limit (0.24 ppm- rolling average between 6-9 am, was violated in each of the monitoring years. NO diurnal pattern showed two distinct strong peaks during the months from October to March, in which the low solar radiation does not cause intense photochemical reactions, which lead to NO destruction. A clear H2 S source (considered as a primary one was witnessed from Kuwait city (Sharq district. The backed up sewage lines and maintenance work coinciding with study period clearly affected Al- Mansoriah. A clear "weekend effect", in terms of difference in levels occurring during midweek and weekends, was ascertained. The analysis suggests that Al-Mansoriah residential area should be considered a NOx sensitive region of Kuwait.

  6. Structure and phase composition of Al-Ce-Cu system alloys in range of quasi-binary Al-Al8CeCu4 section

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belov, N.A.; Khvan, A.V.

    2007-01-01

    The phase diagram of the Al-Cu-Ce system in the quasibinary section area of Al-Al 8 CeCu 4 has been investigated by metallographic, thermal, micro-X-ray spectral and X-ray structural analyses. The parameters of the eutectic reaction L→(Al)+CeCu 4 Al 8 : T=610 Deg C were found out; the composition was 14% Cu and 7% Ce. This eutectics is of a disperse structure and the ternary compound contained is capable of fragmentation and spheroidizing in the heating process (starting from 540 Deg C). It was demonstrated that the area of optimal (Al)+CeCu 4 Al 8 eutectics-based alloy compositions was within the narrow limits. That is related to the fact that at a comparatively little variation of the Cu:Ce=2 ratio solidus sharply decreases and, as a result, the crystallization interval considerably extends [ru

  7. Correlation of proton irradiation induced threshold voltage shifts to deep level traps in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Z.; Cardwell, D.; Sasikumar, A.; Arehart, A. R.; Ringel, S. A., E-mail: ringel.5@osu.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States); Kyle, E. C. H.; Speck, J. S. [Department of Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5050 (United States); Chen, J.; Zhang, E. X.; Fleetwood, D. M.; Schrimpf, R. D. [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235 (United States)

    2016-04-28

    The impact of proton irradiation on the threshold voltage (V{sub T}) of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures is systematically investigated to enhance the understanding of a primary component of the degradation of irradiated high electron mobility transistors. The value of V{sub T} was found to increase monotonically as a function of 1.8 MeV proton fluence in a sub-linear manner reaching 0.63 V at a fluence of 1 × 10{sup 14} cm{sup −2}. Silvaco Atlas simulations of V{sub T} shifts caused by GaN buffer traps using experimentally measured introduction rates, and energy levels closely match the experimental results. Different buffer designs lead to different V{sub T} dependences on proton irradiation, confirming that deep, acceptor-like defects in the GaN buffer are primarily responsible for the observed V{sub T} shifts. The proton irradiation induced V{sub T} shifts are found to depend on the barrier thickness in a linear fashion; thus, scaling the barrier thickness could be an effective way to reduce such degradation.

  8. Correlation of proton irradiation induced threshold voltage shifts to deep level traps in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Z.; Cardwell, D.; Sasikumar, A.; Arehart, A. R.; Ringel, S. A.; Kyle, E. C. H.; Speck, J. S.; Chen, J.; Zhang, E. X.; Fleetwood, D. M.; Schrimpf, R. D.

    2016-01-01

    The impact of proton irradiation on the threshold voltage (V T ) of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures is systematically investigated to enhance the understanding of a primary component of the degradation of irradiated high electron mobility transistors. The value of V T was found to increase monotonically as a function of 1.8 MeV proton fluence in a sub-linear manner reaching 0.63 V at a fluence of 1 × 10 14  cm −2 . Silvaco Atlas simulations of V T shifts caused by GaN buffer traps using experimentally measured introduction rates, and energy levels closely match the experimental results. Different buffer designs lead to different V T dependences on proton irradiation, confirming that deep, acceptor-like defects in the GaN buffer are primarily responsible for the observed V T shifts. The proton irradiation induced V T shifts are found to depend on the barrier thickness in a linear fashion; thus, scaling the barrier thickness could be an effective way to reduce such degradation.

  9. Application of a grain refiner and modifier to an Al-12 Si cast alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haro R, Sergio; Goytia R, Rafael E; Santos B, Audel; Dwivedi, D.K

    2008-01-01

    The refining and modification of an alloy of cast aluminum Al-12Si was studied, using sample alloys of Al-5Ti-1B as a refiner and Al-10Sr as a modifier. Two levels of each one were tested and added separately. The results show that the addition of titanium as well as of strontium favored the improvement of the tension properties of the cast Al-12Si alloy, by modifying the microstructure. But the addition of 0.06% Sr in the form of a master alloy produced a more adequate microstructure and presented the best combination of mechanical properties (au)

  10. The Role of the Temple Mount / Al-Haram Al-Sharif in the Deterioration of Muslim–Jewish Relations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moshe Ma'oz

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available For both Jews and Muslims the Temple Mount and the Old City of Jerusalem constitute highly important religious, cultural, political and national centres. For centuries Jews in the diaspora prayed in the direction of Jerusalem, vowed never to forget it (‘If I forget thee Jerusalem, may my right arm wither’; and blessed one another ‘Next year in Jerusalem’. The Zionist-Jewish movement (since the 1880s – although predominantly secular – has considered Jerusalem (Zion as the political and cultural centre of the Jewish people.By comparison, the Palestinian-Arab national movement has, since the 1920s established its national and political-cultural centre in East Jerusalem, while the Haram al Sharif, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque, has continued to be a top religious shrine for Muslims. They termed it Awla Al-Qiblatayn (the first prayer direction before Mecca; Thani Masjidayn (the second mosque after Mecca; a place where Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven (Isra’ and Mi’raj.This article will examine the changes in Muslim–Jewish mutual relations, especially since 1967, at both government and public levels. Special attention will be given to the development of both Islamic Judeophobia and Jewish Islamophobia, which have been associated with the dispute over the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem.

  11. Structural and electrical characterization of AuPtAlTi ohmic contacts to AlGaN/GaN with varying annealing temperature and Al content

    OpenAIRE

    Fay, Mike W.; Han, Y.; Brown, Paul D.; Harrison, Ian; Hilton, K.P.; Munday, A.; Wallis, D.; Balmer, R.S.; Uren, M.J.; Martin, T.

    2008-01-01

    The effect of varying annealing temperature and Al layer thickness on the structural and electrical characteristics of AuPtAlTi/AlGaN/GaN ohmic contact structures has been systematically investigated. The relationship between annealing temperature, Al content, interfacial microstructure, surface planarity and contact resistance is\\ud examined. In particular, the presence of a detrimental low temperature Pt-Al reaction is identified. This is implicated in both the requirement for a higher Al:T...

  12. Threshold states in /sup 26/Al. Pt. 1. Experimental investigations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Champagne, A E; Howard, A J; Parker, P D [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (USA). Wright Nuclear Structure Lab.

    1983-06-20

    States in /sup 26/Al near the /sup 25/Mg + p threshold have been investigated using the /sup 25/Mg(/sup 3/He,d)/sup 26/Al reaction in order to locate levels which may serve as s-wave /sup 25/Mg + p resonances in the energy region characteristic of stellar hydrogen burning. One such state, with Jsup(..pi..)=(2,3)/sup +/, has been observed at an excitation energy Esub(x)=6343 keV, corresponding to a proton resonant energy of Esub(c.m.)=37.2 keV. Studies on the /sup 25/Mg(d,p)/sup 26/Mg reaction indicate that the 6125 keV state in /sup 26/Mg is the isobaric analog to this /sup 26/Al state, and a spin-parity Jsup(..pi..)=3/sup +/ is deduced for the 6125 keV state in /sup 26/Mg, through measurements of the /sup 26/Mg(..cap alpha..,..cap alpha..')/sup 26/Mg reaction. The ..gamma..-ray branching ratios for the 6343 keV state in /sup 26/Al have been measured using the /sup 27/Al(/sup 3/He,..cap alpha gamma..)/sup 26/Al reaction, and it has been established that the decay of this state ultimately populates the ground state 57% of the time. Similarly, the decay of the 6400 keV state in /sup 26/Al, studied via the /sup 24/Mg(/sup 3/He,p,..gamma..)/sup 26/Al reaction, has been found to populate the ground state approximately 80% of the time.

  13. Construal levels and moral judgment: Some complications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han Gong

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Eyal, T., Liberman, N., and Trope, Y., (2008. Judging near and distant virtue and vice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 1204-1209, explored how psychological distance influences moral judgment and found that more extreme moral appraisals were given to distal behaviors rather than proximal behaviors. Contrary to Eyal et al., the current paper presents converging evidence showing that moral judgments become more extreme at lower-level construals compared to higher-level construals. In four experiments using two different priming techniques, we manipulated construal levels and assessed their effects on moral judgment. High-level consturals elicited less moral outrage toward transgressions and less positive ratings of virtuous behaviors than low-level construals. A replication study was also conducted to reconcile the inconsistencies between the current results and those of Eyal et al. Possible explanations for the different results between two studies are discussed.

  14. Grain refining mechanism of Al-containing Mg alloys with the addition of Mn-Al alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qin, Gaowu W., E-mail: qingw@smm.neu.edu.c [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Wenhu Road 3-11, Heping District, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province (China); Ren Yuping; Huang Wei; Li Song; Pei Wenli [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Wenhu Road 3-11, Heping District, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province (China)

    2010-10-08

    Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Research highlights: The {epsilon}-AlMn phase acts as the heterogeneous nucleus of {alpha}-Mg phase during the solidification of the AZ31 Mg alloy, not the {gamma}-Al{sub 8}Mn{sub 5} phase. The grain refinement effect is very clear with the addition of only 0.5 wt% Mn-28Al alloy (pure {epsilon}-AlMn). The grain refinement does not deteriorate up to the holding time of 60 min at 740 {sup o}C. - Abstract: The effect of manganese on grain refinement of Al-containing AZ31 Mg alloy has been investigated by designing a series of Mn-Al alloys composed of either pure {epsilon}-AlMn, {gamma}{sub 2}-Al{sub 8}Mn{sub 5} or both of them using optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It is experimentally clarified that the grain refinement of the AZ31 Mg alloy is due to the existence of the {epsilon}-AlMn phase in the Mn-Al alloys, not the {gamma}{sub 2}-Al{sub 8}Mn{sub 5} phase. The grain size of AZ31 Mg alloy is about 91 {mu}m without any addition of Mn-Al alloys, but remarkably decreases to {approx}55 {mu}m with the addition of either Mn-34 wt% Al or Mn-28 wt% Al. With a minor addition of 0.5 wt% Mn-28Al alloy, the grain size of AZ31 alloy decreases to {approx}53 {mu}m, and the Mn-28Al alloy can be active as grain refiner for holding time up to 60 min for the melt AZ31 alloy at 750 {sup o}C.

  15. AYAT-AYAT WAH}DAT AL-WUJUd dalam Kitab Tanbi>h al-Ma>shi Karya ‘Abdurrauf al-Sinkili

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asep Nahrul Musadad

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: One of the key moments in discussing the history of Indonesian Islam is a polemic related to the negotiation on the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud that occured in Aceh in 17th century between the followers of Hamzah al-Fansuri and Nuruddin al-Raniri. This article focuses on analyzing several Qur’anic verses used by ‘Abdurrauf as the confirmation of his argument. In the polemical context, Abdurrauf al-Sinkili appeared to be an actor of reconciliation between two opposite sides. He tried to respond to the disputed issues through his book called “Tanbi>h al-Mashi”. As an exponent of the so-called moderate sufism (mysticism, he built the argument concerning wah}dat al-wujud based on the Quranic text. After making a thematic classification chronologically, his interpretation on these verses is analyzed by using Hussain al-Dhahaby’s theory of sufistic exegesis. In conclusion, it shows that ‘Abdurrauf’s commentary is “sufi-nazari type”, featured by his exegeses pattern. This, of course, represents his attitude as a reconciler who then needs to seek confirmation to the Qur’anic verses in evaluating wah}dat al-wujud doctrine, through which such a polemical issues occurred at that time. الملخص: إن من المرحلة الأساسية التي مرّ بها تاريخ الإسلام في اندونيسيا الجدل و النزاع حول عقيدة وحدة الوجود فى أتشيه (Aceh حول قرن السابع عشر بين أتباع حمزة الفنسوري و نور الدين الرانيري. ففي ذلك الخطاب النزاعي جاء عبد الرؤوف السنكيلي مصلحا بين الجانبين المعاكسين. وعلى مقتضى الظروف، كتب كتاب " تنبيه الماشي" الذي تطرّق فيه طريق التوسّط، ممثّلا للتصوّف المعتدل. اعتمد عبد الرؤوف على النصوص القرآنية فى تحقيق آراءه حول ت

  16. Application of Nuclear Radiation to Textile Materials and Processes. Radiation-induced graft copolymerization of vinyl monomers and fibrous polymers; Applications des rayonnements aux textiles. Formation radiochimique de copolymeres ''greffes'' par l'action de monomeres vinyliques sur des polymeres en fibre; Primenenie yadernogo izlucheniya v tekstil'noj promyshlennosti. Obrazovanie privitykh sopolimerov iz vinilovykh monomerov i voloknistykh polimerov pod dejstviem izlucheniya; Aplicaciones de las radiaciones nucleares a los procesos y materiales textiles. Copolimerizacion por injerto radioinducida de monomeros vinilicos y de polimeros fibrosos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Armstrong, Jr., A. A.; Rutherford, H. A. [University of North Carolina at Raleigh, NC (United States)

    1963-11-15

    materials is not good enough for commercial acceptance. The strength of cellulose acetate yam, as well as the modulus, can be materially increased by the addition of polyacrylonitrile. Other monomers do not behave in this manner. There is some indication that the fibre may be improved with one compound, especially with respect to its behaviour in the wet state. Fibre modification by the procedure described might be practical commercially if techniques that will increase the rate of diffusion of the monomer into the fibre structure can be developed. (author) [French] Les auteurs ont mis au point une methode qui permet de realiser par les rayonnements un greffage homogene de monomeres vinyliques volatils sur des polymeres en fibres. Elle consiste a ajouter le compose organique en phase vapeur; on procede, soit par irradiation de l'ensemble, soit par irradiation prealable des polymeres, aux rayons du cobalt-60. Les auteurs ont etudie des systemes qui accelerent la formation des copolymeres ''greffes''; ils ont constate qu'il est possible d'ajouter des quantites significatives de plusieurs des monomeres sans qu'il en resulte de dommages radioinduits dans le substrat fibreux. Les polymeres en fibres relativement instables en presence des rayonnements sont ceux qui fixent le plus facilement les composes vinyliques. C'est le cas des matieres cellulosiques, des esters de cellulose, des polyamides et du polypropylene. Le monomere s'ajoute au substrat fibreux par un mecanisme de radicaux libres, et, comme on l'a indique plus haut, on peut irradier d'abord les polymeres et ensuite provoquer le greffage par exposition de la matiere irradiee S la vapeur du monomere. On a tente de determiner la duree de vie des radicaux libres; il est difficile de donner des chiffres exacts, mais on a demontre qu'ils peuvent subsister dans certaines fibres 15 a 20 heures apres l'irradiation, meme a la temperature ambiante. Des resultats experimentaux preliminaires donnent egalement a penser que le temps

  17. Reviewing Medical Education in KamelAl-Senaat Al-Tebieh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahla Moradi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: Among the human sciences, medicine is superior to all other sciences. One of the effective factors in education, especially in medical education is using appropriate textbooks. This study aims to consider a classic book of medical education and find its relevance to modern medicine. Materials and Methods: Reviewing and analyzing parts of Kamel Al-Senaat Al-Tebieh medical textbook. Results: This book has about four hundred thousand words and it was divided into twenty articles, each consisting of several chapters, first ten topics of which are about theoretical medicine, and others are information related to practical medicine. Conclusion: One of the most important obligations of every nation is to protect and preserve written and unwritten cultural and scientific resources Kamel Al-Senaat Al-Tebieh was written in one of the glorious periods of Iranian Medical History by Ali Ibn Abbas. It has a dignified position because of its recording method. This method is one of the best methods that is used after Ahvazi. Even today it is a valuable source of medical education.

  18. Controlled High Filler Loading of Functionalized Al2O3-Filled Epoxy Composites for LED Thermal Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Permal, Anithambigai; Devarajan, Mutharasu; Hung, Huong Ling; Zahner, Thomas; Lacey, David; Ibrahim, Kamarulazizi

    2018-03-01

    Thermal management in light-emitting diode (LED) has been extensively researched recently. This study is intended to develop an effective thermally conductive epoxy composite as thermal interface material (TIM) for headlamp LEDs. Silane-functionalized aluminum oxide (Al2O3) powder of different average particle sizes (44 and 10 µm) was studied for its feasibility as filler at its maximum loading. A detailed comparison of three different methods of particle dispersions, hand-mix, speed-mix and calendaring process (3-roll mill), has been reported. The dispersion of Al2O3 particles, the thermal conductivity and thermal degradation characteristics of the composites were investigated and explained in detail. At 75 wt.% filler loading, 10 and 44 µm Al2O3 achieved composite thermal conductivities of 1.13 and 2.08 W/mK, respectively, which is approximately 528 and 1055% of enhancement with respect to neat epoxy. The package-level thermal performance of the LED employing the Al2O3-filled TIMs was carried out using thermal transient analysis. The experimental junction-to-ambient thermal resistances ( R thJ-A) achieved were 6.65, 7.24, and 8.63 K/W for Al2O3_44µm, Al2O3_10µm and neat epoxy, respectively. The results revealed that the Al2O3_44µm fillers-filled composite performed better in both material-level and package-level thermal characteristics.

  19. Epitaxial AlN layers on sapphire and diamond; Epitaktische AlN-Schichten auf Saphir und Diamant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hermann, Martin

    2009-04-27

    In this work, epitaxial AlN layers deposited by molecular beam epitaxy on sapphire and diamond substrates were investigated. Starting from this AlN, the dopant silicon was added. The influence of the silicon doping on the structural properties of the host AlN crystal was investigated using high resolution X-ray diffraction. Once the silicon concentration exceeds 1 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}, a significant change of the AlN:Si crystal can be observed: increasing the silicon concentration up to 5 x 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3} results in a decrease of the a lattice parameter by approximately 1.2 pm and an increase of the c lattice parameter by about 1.0 pm. The crystal is stressed additionally by adding silicon resulting in a increase of the biaxial compressive stress of up to 2.0 GPa. Further increase of the silicon concentration leads to lattice relaxation. This result from X-ray diffraction was independently confirmed by Raman spectroscopy investigations. Further increase of the silicon concentration leads to the generation of polycrystalline phases within the epitaxial layer. XTEM measurements detected these polycrystalline phases. In addition, XTEM investigations confirmed also the increase of the lateral crystal size with increasing silicon concentration, as well as a great reduction of the screw dislocation density by more than one order of magnitude as found by X-ray diffraction: in undoped, nitrogen rich grown AlN layers the screw dislocation density is about 3 x 10{sup 8} cm{sup -2}, while AlN layers with a silicon concentration of 5 x 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3} show a screw dislocation density of only 1 x 10{sup 7} cm{sup -2}. In low-doped AlN:Si ([Si]{approx}2 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}) the activation energy of the electronic conductivity is about 250 meV. Increasing the silicon concentration to about 1 x 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} leads to an increase of the activation energy up to more than 500 meV in the now much more stressed AlN:Si epilayer. Studies of the absorption

  20. Do oral aluminium phosphate binders cause accumulation of aluminium to toxic levels?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberts Norman B

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Aluminium (Al toxicity was frequent in the 1980s in patients ingesting Al containing phosphate binders (Alucaps whilst having HD using water potentially contaminated with Al. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of Al toxicity in HD patients receiving Alucaps but never exposed to contaminated dialysate water. Methods HD patients only treated with Reverse Osmosis(RO treated dialysis water with either current or past exposure to Alucaps were given standardised DFO tests. Post-DFO serum Al level > 3.0 μmol/L was defined to indicate toxic loads based on previous bone biopsy studies. Results 39 patients (34 anuric were studied. Mean dose of Alucap was 3.5 capsules/d over 23.0 months. Pre-DFO Al levels were > 1.0 μmol/L in only 2 patients and none were > 3.0 μmol/L. No patients had a post DFO Al levels > 3.0 μmol/L. There were no correlations between the serum Al concentrations (pre-, post- or the incremental rise after DFO administration and the total amount of Al ingested. No patients had unexplained EPO resistance or biochemical evidence of adynamic bone. Conclusions Although this is a small study, oral aluminium exposure was considerable. Yet no patients undergoing HD with RO treated water had evidence of Al toxicity despite doses equivalent to 3.5 capsules of Alucap for 2 years. The relationship between the DFO-Al results and the total amount of Al ingested was weak (R2 = 0.07 and not statistically significant. In an era of financial prudence, and in view of the recognised risk of excess calcium loading in dialysis patients, perhaps we should re-evaluate the risk of using Al-based phosphate binders in HD patients who remain uric.