Stability and persistence in plankton models with distributed delays

In this paper a model with two independent distributed delays is proposed to describe a population of microorganism feeding on a limiting nutrient which is supplied at a constant rate and is recycled after the death of the species by decomposer action. We obtain sufficient conditions for local and global stability of the positive equilibrium of the model. A fairly general function for nutrient uptake is considered. Stability changes of the positive equilibrium as the nutrient supply increases are studied by the Hopf bifurcation theorem.     

The role of Rho GTPases in the regulation of the rearrangement of actin cytoskeleton and cell movement

The rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton has been shown to play a critical role in the development of transformation and malignant phenotype of cancer cells. Rho family GTPases regulate the arrangement of the actin cytoskeleton. By wound-healing assay, we have found that NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells move towards the wound- gaps by extending filopodial and lamellipdial structures at the leading edge of the moving cells. We have inactivated the function of Rho GTPases of v-Ras transformed NIH 3T3 cells by overexpressing Rho GTPase-activating (RhoGAP) domain of RhoGAP of p190. We have observed that inactivation of Rho, Rac and Cdc42 GTPases by overexpressing RHG causes inhibition of: (i) polymerization of actin to form filaments, (ii) formation of lamellipodia, filopodia and stress fibres, (iii) cell motility, (iv) cell spreading and (v) cell-to-cell adhesions. These results further strengthen the current knowledge on the role of Rho, Rac and Cdc42 GTPases in the regulation of the rearrangement of actin cytoskeleton. Our results, for the first time, demonstrate that RhoGAP domain of RhoGAP could be used to study the molecular mechanism of Ras-mediated signalling in growth, differentiation and carcinogenesis.     

Trace element composition of blood in adult population in Bangladesh

The trace element composition of whole blood has been investigated in adult population in Bangladesh. The population was formed of one hundred individuals randomly selected from a working community of five hundred adults. The blood samples were freeze dried and analyzed using the external beam PIXE method. In this analysis, proton beams of 2 MeV energy and about 30 nA current were used for characteristic X-ray excitation. The concentration of eight elements, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb and Pb were determined by comparison with a calibration obtained from NBS orchard leaves. The frequency distributions of all the elements measured are presented and the results are compared with available data. This work was supported in part by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.     

The morphology and thermal properties of liquid natural rubber (LNR)-compatibilized 60/40 NR/LLDPE blends

The effects of LNR as a compatibilizer in binary blends of 60/40 NR/LLDPE have been investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Special emphasis was given to the role of LNR in inducing interactions between NR and LLDPE. It has been observed that increasing LNR content decreases T_m and ΔH_f which are indicators of the crystalline part of the blends. The decrease reflects a reduction in the degree of crystallinity which is due to the interference in the form of NR dissolution into the LLDPE phase. The phenomenon leads to a shift in T_g of the amorphous part of LLDPE to higher temperatures as observed by DMA thermograms. The dissolution effect creates better interactions between the phases leading to improvements in the compatibility of the blends. Further confirmation was obtained through SEM examination.     

Liquid natural rubber (LNR) as a compatibiliser in NR/LLDPE blends—II: the effects of electron-beam (EB) irradiation

Electron-beam (EB) irradiation technique has been used to improve the properties of 60/40 blends of NR/LLDPE in the presence of compatibilisers such as LNR-6 and LNR-16. Improvement in the physical properties of the blend correspond with the increase in the interactions created by EB irradiation as measured by gel content. For this blend ratio, the radiation dose of 200 kGy is found to be optimum. While LNR-6 shows some complimentary effects when it is used together with EB irradiation technique; LNR-16, however, causes an imperfection effect in the blend. The crosslinking process that takes place as a result of EB irradiation occurs at the expense of crystalline arrangement of the semi-crystalline LLDPE. For the morphological fixation purposes EB irradiation technique is found to be very effective.     

Fluorescence assays for high-throughput screening of protein kinases

Protein kinases comprise one of the most important group of targets for drug discovery research today. Methods to identify novel kinase inhibitors by high-throughput screening have evolved rapidly in recent years. An important aspect is the availability of fluorescent probes that can be applied in a homogeneous, or mix-and-measure, assay format. Here, we illustrate the application of fluorescence read-out technologies for kinase targets in light of our own experiences in assay development and high-throughput screening.     

Crystal engineering using anilic acids and dipyridyl compounds through a new supramolecular synthon

The anilic acids, 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (1a), 2,5-dibromo-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (bromanilic acid; 1b), 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (chloranilic acid; 1c), and 2,5-dicyano-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (cyananilic acid; 1d), were cocrystallized with rigid organic ligands containing two pyridine rings, 2,4-bipyridine (2a), 4,4'-bipyridine (2b), 1,2-bis(2-pyridyl)ethylene (3a), 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (3b), 2,2'-dipyridylacetylene (4a), 3,3'-dipyridylacetylene (4b), and 4,4'-dipyridylacetylene (4c). Fourteen complexes 5-18 were obtained as single crystals, and their crystal structures were successfully determined by X-ray analysis. All complexes except those with 2a are 1:1 and are composed of an infinite linear or zigzag tape structure, the formation of which is ascribed to intermolecular O-H...N, N(+)-H...O, or N(+)-H...O(-) hydrogen bonds or a combination of these between the anilic acids and the dipyridyl compounds. In the complexes 5 and 6, no infinite tape structure is observed although the molecular units connected by a similar hydrogen-bonding pattern are formed. For the 1:1 complexes, we have found two types of stacking arrangements, segregated stacks (7, 9, 12-15, 18) and alternated ones (8, 10, 11, 16, 17). In the complexes of 1c with the series of dipyridylacetylenes 4 (14, 15, 17), the neutral, dication, and monocaction states are formed depending on the nitrogen positions, which can be attributed to the different basicity of the pyridyl groups.