Reminiscence of phospholipase B in Penicillium notatum

Since the phospholipase B (PLB) was reported as a deacylase of both lecithin and lysolecithin yielding fatty acids and glycerophosphocholine (GPC), there was a question as to whether it is a single enzyme or a mixture of a phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) and a lysophospholipase (LPL). We purified the PLB in Penicillium notatum and showed that it catalyzed deacylation of sn-1 and sn-2 fatty acids of 1,2-diacylphospholipids and also sn-1 or sn-2 fatty acids of 1- or 2-monoacylphospholipids (lysophospholipids). Further, it also has a monoacyllipase activity. The purified PLB is a glycoprotein with m.w. of 91,300. The sugar moiety is M₉ only and the protein moiety consists of 603 amino acids. PLB, different from PLA₂, shows other enzymatic activities, such as transacylase, lipase and acylesterase. PLB activity is influenced by various substances, e.g. detergents, deoxycholate, diethylether, Fe³⁺, and endogenous protease. Therefore, PLB might have broader roles than PLA₂ in vivo. The database shows an extensive sequence similarity between P. notatum PLB and fungal PLB, cPLA₂ and patatin, suggesting a homologous relationship. The catalytic triad of cPLA₂, Ser, Asp and Arg, is also present in P. notatum PLB. Other related PLBs, PLB/Lipases are discussed.     

New compounds with incommensurate phases: Cs2CdI4 and Cs2ZnI4

Abstract

In this paper the results of birefringence studies and of optical observations in polarized light in a wide temperature region are presented for crystals Cs₂CdI₄ and Cs₂ZnI₄. There is the following sequence of phases: commensurate orthorhombic Pnma ? incommensurate ? monoclinic ferroelastic P2₁/n ? triclinic ferroelastic PT. A correlation was observed between the peculiarities of birefringence and NQR spectra temperature dependence. An assumption is made, that in Cs₂ZnI₄ crystal in a broad pre-transition region (T - T _i = 100 K) precursor clusters exist, which manifest themselves as coexistence of NQR spectra of two phases and as deviation of birefringence from the linear temperature dependence (“tail”).     

A New Two-Dimensional Pulse Sequence for T2* Measurements of Protons in C Isotopomers

A new two-dimensional pulse sequence for T₂* measurement of protons directly coupled to ¹³C spins is proposed. The sequence measures the tranverse relaxation time of heteronuclear proton single-quantum coherence under conditions of free precession and is therefore well suited to evaluate relaxation losses of proton magnetization during preparation delays of heteronuclear pulse experiments in analytical NMR. The relevant part of the pulse sequence can be inserted as a “building block” into any direct or inverse detecting H,C correlation pulse sequence if proton spin–spin relaxation is to be investigated. In this contribution, the building block is inserted into a HETCOR as well as into a HMQC pulse sequence. Experimental results for the HETCOR-based sequence are given.     

On the special points on the (P,T, x)-phase diagram for Sn2P2(Se x S1− x )6 crystals: acoustic studies of Sn2P2(Se0.28S0.72)6

On the basis of temperature dependences of the acoustic wave velocity and the acoustic attenuation in Sn₂P₂(Se_0.28S_0.72)₆ crystals under normal conditions and hydrostatic pressures, we show that increasing pressure causes these crystals to move away from the tricritical point and enter into the region of first-order phase transitions (PTs) in (P,?T,?x)-space. Still higher hydrostatic pressures lead to an increase in the attenuation of the acoustic wave with the velocity v ₂₂ and broadening of its anomaly in the PT region, thus hinting at splitting of the PT, with the appearance of an intermediate incommensurate phase approximately at P?=?3.3?kbar. We offer a (P,?T,?x)-phase diagram for the solid solutions Sn₂P₂(Se _x S_{1? x} )₆, which includes two special lines of PTs, tricritical and triple ones, which can intersect at the Lifshitz point at negative hydrostatic pressures. The variations of the surface of acoustic wave velocities occurring with changing temperature are obtained for Sn₂P₂(Se_0.28S_0.72)₆ crystals under the atmospheric pressure.     

Sequence and Hot Transitions in the Co2 Molecule; Interference of Adjacent Lines Belonging to Different Transitions as a Function of Temperature

Carbon-dioxide spectra of some higher transitions in the 9-11μm region were studied. Spectra of the sequence ([10°1,02°1]_I,II - 00°2) and hot (01¹1 - 11¹0) bands were calculated as a function of temperature. the positions of the ro-vibrational transitions and their intensities were determined as a function of temperature. for lines in hot and sequence transitions whose positions are close to some of the regular lines ([l0⁰0,02⁰0]_I,II - 00°1)¹ absorption coefficients of adjacent lines were calculated as functions of line center distances and temperature. the resulting values of the absorption coefficient for conditions of constant pressure or constant volume were determined.     

Infrared absorption of iodomethylperoxy (syn-ICH2OO) radical generated upon photolysis of CH2I2 and O2 in solid para-H2

Irradiation of a para-hydrogen (p-H₂) matrix containing diiodomethane (CH₂I₂) and O₂ at 3.2 K with light at 280 ± 20 nm, followed by annealing of the matrix at 4.0 K, yielded infrared (IR) absorption lines at 2982.4, 1408.9, 1231.8, 1226.5/1225.6, 1085.6, 917.7, 841.6/841.1, 550.5, and 490.2 cm^?1 that are assigned to the syn-iodomethylperoxy (syn-ICH₂OO) radical. Further irradiation of the matrix at 365 nm diminished these features. Experiments with CH₂I₂ and ¹⁸O₂ yielded lines of syn-ICH₂¹⁸O¹⁸O at 1407.3, 1228.1/1227.7, 1217.7/1217.0, 1031.5, 899.9/899.4, 836.7/836.0, and 473.6 cm^?1. The assignments are based on the photolytic behaviour and comparisons of observed vibrational wavenumbers, IR intensities, and ¹⁸O-isotopic shifts with those predicted with the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ-pp method. The observation is consistent with a mechanism that, upon photolysis of CH₂I₂ at 280 nm, CH₂I was formed and subsequently reacted with O₂ to yield syn-ICH₂OO. Compared with the gaseous reaction CH₂I + O₂ → CH₂OO + I at low pressure, observation of ICH₂OO in a p-H₂ matrix instead of CH₂OO in the gaseous phase indicates that the excess energy of internally excited ICH₂OO, produced upon reaction of CH₂I + O₂, was rapidly quenched in the matrix so that ICH₂OO became readily stabilised without further decomposition to form CH₂OO + I.     

Fourier-transform microwave and submillimeter-wave spectroscopy of chloroiodomethane, CH2ICl

Guided by a previous microwave study (9–35 GHz), the rotational spectrum of both chlorine isotopologues of chloroiodomethane in its vibrational and electronic ground state has been re-investigated in the microwave region and extended to the millimeter/submillimeter-wave region. Weak a-type transitions have been recorded by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy below 20 GHz whilst strong b-type rotational transitions have been recorded between 15 and 646 GHz, corresponding to energy levels with J″ ≤ 108 and . Molecular constants including those describing the hyperfine structures owing to the two halogen atoms were accurately determined for both species from the least-squares analysis of a total of 1475 distinct transition frequencies (of which 906 belong to the CH₂I³⁵Cl isotopologue). The two sets of rotational constants allowed us to derive an r₀ structure of CH₂ICl.     

Control of susceptibility-related image contrast by spin-lock techniques

Macroscopic magnetic field inhomogeneities might lead to image distortions, while microscopic field inhomogeneities, due to susceptibility changes in tissues, cause spin dephasing and decreasing T₂ relaxation time. The latter effects are especially observed in the trabecular bone and in regions adjacent to air-containing cavities when gradient-echo sequences are applied. In conventional MRI, these susceptibility-related signal voids can be avoided by applying spin-echo (SE) techniques. In this study, an alternative method for the examination and control of susceptibility-related effects by spin-lock (SL) radiofrequency pulses is presented: SL pulses were applied in two different susceptibility-sensitive sequence types: (a) between the jump and return 90° pulses in a 90°_x−τ−90°_−x magnetization-prepared Fast Low Angle Shot (FLASH) sequence and (b) between the 90° pulse and the 180° pulse in an asymmetric SE sequence. The range of Larmor frequencies used for spin locking can be determined for different B₁ amplitudes of the SL pulses, allowing control of image contrast by the amplitude of the SL pulses.     

The effect of low intra-sublattice repulsion on phase diagram of YBa2Cu3O6+x : A Monte Carlo simulation study

We report the results of Monte Carlo simulation of the phase diagram and oxygen ordering in YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x for low intra-sublattice repulsion. At low temperatures, apart from tetragonal (T), orthorhombic (OI) and ‘double cell’ ortho II phases, there is evidence for two additional orthorhombic phases labelled here asOI andOIII. At high temperatures, there was no evidence for the decomposition of theOI phase into theT andOI phases. We find qualitative agreement with experimental observations and cluster-variation method results.     

Changes in wetting properties of silica surface treated with DPPC in the presence of phospholipase A2 enzyme

Wetting properties of silica plates contacted with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or DPPC/enzyme (phospholipase PLA₂) in NaCl solution were determined by thin layer wicking and with a help of Washburn equation. The wicking experiments were performed both for bare plates and the silica plates precontacted overnight with the probe liquid saturated vapors the silica plates, as well as untreated and DPPC (or DPPC/enzyme) treated. Adsorption of DPPC on original silica plates increases a bit hydrophobic character of silica surface in such a way that hydrocarbon chains are directed outwards and the polar part towards the silica surface. However, after the enzyme action the products of DPPC hydrolysis by PLA₂ (palmitic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine) increase again hydrophilic character of silica surface (an increase in acid-base interactions, ).The changes of silica surface wettability are evidently dependent on the time of enzyme contacting with DPPC in NaCl solution. Although, the changes of total surface free energy of silica after treatment with DPPC/enzyme solution are minor about 2-6 mJ/m², the changes of the electron-donor () and Lifshitz-van der Waals () component of the surface free energy are noticeable. Despite, these results are somehow preliminary, it seems that thin layer wicking method is an interesting tool for investigation of the effect of adsorbed DPPC on hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of silica surface and influence of enzyme PLA₂ action.     

CO-laser photoacoustic detection of phosgene (COCl2)

Detection of COCl₂, a highly toxic gas in chemical industry, using laser photoacoustic spectroscopy is presented. The spectrophone system used has a broad band LN₂ cooled CW CO laser as a source of radiation, which operates from 4.8–8.4 um in the mid-infrared. Using an extracavity open longitudinal resonant cell, absorption signals to about 30 CO laser lines in the 5.45 um region could be observed. detection sensitivity has been estimated to be ppb order.This work has been supported by the NSFC     

Study of the excitation properties of the Si3O2 cluster under an external electric field

The structure of the Si₃O_x (x=2, 3) cluster is investigated; we find that the geometry of Si₃O₂ is similar to that of Si₃O₃ except for the oxygen-deficient defect structure (Si-Si band) which exists only in the Si₃O₂ cluster. It is known that oxygen-deficient defects are used to explain visible luminescence (especially blue, purple and ultraviolet light) from silicon-based materials, which are directly bound up with the excited states of the molecules. Therefore the excitation properties of the two clusters are also studied. Our results show that the absorption spectrum of Si₃O₂ is concentrated in the visible light region. In contrast, the absorption spectrum of Si₃O₃ is mainly located in the ultraviolet light region. The calculations are perfectly consistent with experimental data and also support the theory of oxygen-deficient defects.     

The infrared and laser Raman spectra of K2Zn(SO4)2 · 6H2O

The Raman spectra of the single crystal of K₂Zn(SO₄)₂·6H₂O belonging toC _2h ⁵ space group in the 40–1200 cm⁻¹ region in different scattering geometries and their spectra ofthe microcrystalline salt in the 1500-50 cm⁻¹ region have been reported. The dynamics of the crystal has been described in terms of 186 phonon modes under the unit cell approximation. The weak bands in the region 400–900 cm⁻¹ have been assigned to the libratory modes of H₂O molecules in contradiction to the assignments reported by Ananthanarayanan. The ambiguities existing in the literature about the assignments ofν ₂ ^c andν ₅ ^c modes of [Zn(H₂O)₆]²⁺ have also been removed. The translatory and libratory modes of different units of the crystal have been identified and assignments are made using farir and Raman data on various isomorphous tutton salts. It has been inferred that both SO ₄ ²⁻ tetrahedron and [Zn(H₂O)₆]²⁺ octahedron undergo linear as well as angular distortions from their free state symmetries in the crystal.     

Effective ionization coefficients and electron drift velocities in gasmixtures of CF3I with N2 and CO2 obtained from Boltzmannequation analysis

The electron swarm parameters including the density-normalized effective ionization coefficients (α-η)/N and the electron drift velocities V_e are calculated for the gas mixture of CF₃I with N₂ and CO₂ by solving the Boltzmann equation in the condition of steady-state Townsend (SST) experiment. The overall density-reduced electric field strength is from 100 Td to 1000 Td (1 Td=10^-17 V·cm²), while the CF₃I content k in the gas mixture can be varied over the range from 0% to 100%. From the variation of (α-η)/N with the CF₃I mixture ratio k, the limiting field strength (E/N)_lim for each CF₃I concentration is derived. It is found that for the mixtures with 70% CF₃I, the values of (E/N)_lim are essentially the same as that for pure SF₆. Additionally, the global warming potential (GWP) and the liquefaction temperature of the gas mixtures are also taken into account to evaluate the possibility of applying in the gas insulation of power equipment.     

Efficient heteronuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state NMR using frequency-swept SPINAL sequences

Aiming to improve heteronuclear spin decoupling efficiency in NMR spectroscopy of solids and liquid crystals, we have modified the original Small Phase Incremental ALteration (SPINAL) sequence by incorporating a frequency sweep into it. For the resulting sequence, termed SW_f-SPINAL, the decoupling performance of a large number of sweep variants was explored by both numerical simulations and NMR experiments. It is found that introducing a frequency sweep generally increases both the ‘on-resonance’ decoupling performance and the robustness towards parameter offsets compared to the original SPINAL sequence. This validates the concept of extending the range of efficient decoupling by introducing frequency sweeps, which was recently suggested in the context of the frequency-swept SW_f-TPPM method. The sequence found to be best performing among the SW_f-SPINAL variants consists of fully swept 16 pulse pairs and is designated (32)-SPINAL-32. Its good decoupling performance for rigid spin systems is confirmed by numerical simulations and also experimentally, by evaluating the CH₂ resonance of a powder sample of l-tyrosine under MAS. For moderate MAS frequencies, the new sequence matches the decoupling achieved with SW_f-TPPM, and outperforms all other tested sequences, including TPPM and SPINAL-64. (32)-SPINAL-32 also shows excellent decoupling characteristics for liquid crystalline systems, as exemplified by experiments on the 5CB liquid crystal.     

NdNi2Ge2化合物的结构和电磁输运性质

利用非自耗真空电弧熔炼法制备了NdNi₂Ge₂化合物样品,采用X射线粉末衍射技术和Rietveld全谱拟合分析方法测定了其晶体结构. 结果显示该化合物的空间群为I4/mmm,点阵参数为:a=4.120(1),c=9.835(0),Z=2,Nd原子占据2a晶位,Ni原子占据4d晶位,Ge原子占据4e晶位. NdNi₂Ge₂化合物呈现顺磁性,应用居里-外斯定律拟合计算得到居里-外斯常数为25.8,居里-外斯温度为6.24 K. 有效势磁矩为3.69μ_B,这与理论计算Nd³⁺的磁矩相符,表明磁矩主要源于Nd³⁺. 电阻率变化范围为0.3 Ω ·μm^-1-1 Ω ·μm,电阻曲线拟合显示NdNi₂Ge₂呈半金属性. 关键词： 2Ge₂')" href="#">NdNi₂Ge₂ Rietveld结构精修 电磁输运     

CH3I分子的光解离的自旋-轨道从头计算

采用从头计算二阶自旋-轨道多组态准简并微扰理论计算了碘代甲烷CH₃I分子与基态²I⁰_3/2和激发态²I^0*_1/2原子解离极限相关联的势能曲线. 计算了CH₃I分子的吸收谱,分析了CH₃I分子的光解离过程,并估计了激发态碘原子²I^0*_3/2的量子产额. 计算结果表明,该方法可用以解释光解离实验结果. 关键词： 3I分子')" href="#">CH₃I分子 自旋-轨道耦合 量子产额 光解离     

Vortex states in mesoscopic single crystals Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ in high magnetic fields

The c-axis resistivity measurements were performed in the vicinity of the ab-plane in order to investigate the interaction between Josephson vortices and pancake vortices in Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ mesoscopic single crystals. It was found that the angular dependence of the c-axis resistivity drastically changes in high magnetic field regime. The vortex lock-in transition becomes considerably broad in high magnetic fields, while the angular dependence of resistance exhibits the sharp lock-in features in low magnetic field region.     

Silica Nanoparticles Induced Embryonic Dysplasia and Apoptosis Via Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Zebrafish(Danio Rerio)

The possible detrimental effects of nanomaterials on organisms have become a public concern because of the wide applications of nanomaterials in modern society. This study investigates the effects of silica nanoparticles (nano-SiO₂) on zebrafish development. Fluorescent nano-SiO₂ (FITC-nano-SiO₂) is synthesized with an emission wavelength of 517 nm. Due to similar hydrodynamic size, FITC-nano-SiO₂ is used to simulate the distribution of nano-SiO₂ in zebrafish. Nano-SiO₂ regulated col2a1a, col9a2, lect1, and her12 to delay liver development and regulated prox, wnt2bb, mypt1, and hhex caused spinal curvature. The hand2, mef2a, nkx2.5, and atp1a2a are significantly down-regulated. The whole embryo in situ hybridization revealed amhc and flk1 are also down-regulated. This suggests that nano-SiO₂ affected heart and blood vessels development of zebrafish. Furthermore, it is found that cell apoptosis occurred in the heart. The proapoptotic genes (bax, bid) are upregulated, and the antiapoptotic genes (bcl-2, mcl-1b) are down-regulated. Nano-SiO₂ increases the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related genes (chop, bip, perk, elF2α), indicating that the ER stress is involved in cell apoptosis. This study provides a toxicological basis for evaluating the possible hazards of nano-SiO₂ to aquatic organisms.     

Er0.3Gd0.7VO4晶体红外量子剪裁效应及其在太阳能电池应用上的研究

研究了高浓度的Er_0.3Gd_0.7VO₄晶体材料的红外量子剪裁现象,结果发现光激发²H_11/2能级和⁴G_11/2能级的⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2荧光跃迁的近似的量子剪裁效率η’已达约178.55%和177.61% 关键词： 红外的量子剪裁 太阳能电池 0.3Gd_0.7VO₄晶体材料')" href="#">Er_0.3Gd_0.7VO₄晶体材料