Incorporation of β-(1,6)-linked glucooligosaccharides (pustulooligosaccharides) into plant cell wall structures

Protein extract of germinating nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) seeds containing xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (xyloglucan xyloglucosyl transferase, EC 2.4.1.207, abbreviated XET) exhibited the heterotransglycosylating activity with donor/acceptor substrate pair xyloglucan/sulphorhodamine labelled pustulooligosaccharides (XG/PUOS-SR) in a dot blot assay. The heterotransglycosylating activity was confirmed by the substrate-product changes during transglycosylation by HPLC size-exclusion chromatography. Another donor substrate capable of being coupled with PUOS-SR was cellulose, probably owing to its structural similarity to xyloglucan. Surprisingly, microscopic comparison of the incorporation of the labelled xyloglucan nonasaccharide XGO9-SR (specific substrate for XET) and PUOS-SR into the cell wall structures clearly showed differences in their binding to specific cell structures: the primary cell wall and the plasma membrane. These findings indicate the existence in nasturtium of XETs with different localisation, substrate specificity and, probably, function.     

Distribution of risk elements in the organism of sheep after industrial intoxication with zinc

Abstract

Diagnostics of experimental zinc intoxication by industrial emission from the zinc and copper factory on the basis of accumulation and distribution of Zn, Cu, Fe, Mo, Se, As, Cd and Pb in the liver, kidneys, spleen, musculature, uterus, ovaries, chorioidea of eye and bones in seven experimental and five control sheep is described. A daily intake of Zn from industrial emission was 6158.07 mg/an experimental animal. The first animals died of zinc intoxication on d 42 and the last one on d 58 of the experiment. The highest concentration of zinc in experimental animals died of zinc intoxication was in the liver dry matter (1167.3 ± 314.1 mg.kg^?1) and in the kidneys (1049.5 ± 283.7 mg.kg^?). Significantly higher Zn content compared with the control sheep was confirmed in the experimental ones in the liver, kidneys, ovaries and eye chorioidea (p < 0.01). The liver, kidneys, uterus were the organs with the highest Cu accumulation. The highest Fe accumulation was found in the spleen, kidneys and liver. Distribution of Mo and Se in the organs analyzed in experimental and control animals was similar. The industrial emission intake from the copper and zinc factory manifested in statistically higher accumulation of As, Cd and Pb in the organism of experimental sheep than in control ones (p < 0.05; methallothionein within the process of resorption, retention and metabolic activity (Kojima et al., 1991). The negative interaction between Zn and Pb is, above all, within the process of absorption (Elsenhans et al., 1978). Comparison of cumulation and distribution of As, Cd and Pb in the organs of experimental and control sheep revealed that in experimental animals the significant differences reflected the intake of these elements from industrial emission. Possibility for interaction relations with Zn, regarding the presence of the other toxic elements, appeared to be secondary.     

Phase transitions in the generalized spin-one-half Falicov–Kimball model in two dimensions

The extrapolation of small-cluster exact-diagonalisation calculations and the Monte-Carlo method is used to study the spin-one-half Falicov–Kimball model extended by the spin-dependent Coulomb interaction (J) between the localized f and itinerant d electrons as well as the on-site Coulomb interaction (U _ff ) between the localized f electrons. It is shown that in the symmetric case the ground-state phase diagram of the model has an extremely simple structure that consists of only two phases, and namely, the charge-density-wave (CDW) phase and the spin-density-wave (SDW) phase. The nonzero temperature studies showed that these phases persist also at finite temperatures. The critical temperature T _c for a transition from the low-temperature ordered phases to the high-temperature disordered phase is calculated numerically for various values of J and U _ff .     

Electronic phase transitions in the spinless falicov-kimball model with correlated hopping

The extrapolation of small-cluster exact-diagonalization calculations is used to examine the influence of correlated hopping on valence and metal-insulator transitions in the one-dimensional Falicov-Kimball model. It is shown that in the half-filled band case the ground-state phase diagram as well as the picture of valence and metal-insulator transitions found for the conventional Falicov-Kimball model (without correlated hopping) are strongly changed when the correlated hopping term is added. The effect of correlated hopping is so strong that it can induce the insulator-metal transition. Outside half-filling correlated hopping stabilizes the segregated phase in the ground-state, however, the nature of the ground-state remains qualitatively unchanged.     

Revealing the mechanisms behind SnO2 nanoparticle formation and growth during hydrothermal synthesis: an in situ total scattering study

The formation and growth mechanisms in the hydrothermal synthesis of SnO(2) nanoparticles from aqueous solutions of SnCl(4)·5H(2)O have been elucidated by means of in situ X-ray total scattering (PDF) measurements. The analysis of the data reveals that when the tin(IV) chloride precursor is dissolved, chloride ions and water coordinate octahedrally to tin(IV), forming aquachlorotin(IV) complexes of the form [SnCl(x)(H(2)O)(6-x)]((4-x)+) as well as hexaaquatin(IV) complexes [Sn(H(2)O)(6-y)(OH)(y)]((4-y)+). Upon heating, ellipsoidal SnO(2) nanoparticles are formed uniquely from hexaaquatin(IV). The nanoparticle size and morphology (aspect ratio) are dependent on both the reaction temperature and the precursor concentration, and particles as small as ~2 nm can be synthesized. Analysis of the growth curves shows that Ostwald ripening only takes place above 200 °C, and in general the growth is limited by diffusion of precursor species to the growing particle. The c-parameter in the tetragonal lattice is observed to expand up to 0.5% for particle sizes down to 2-3 nm as compared to the bulk value. SnO(2) nanoparticles below 3-4 nm do not form in the bulk rutile structure, but as an orthorhombic structural modification, which previously has only been reported at pressures above 5 GPa. Thus, adjustment of the synthesis temperature and precursor concentration not only allows control over nanoparticle size and morphology but also the structure.     

Random generation of coherent solitary waves from incoherent waves

The random generation of coherent solitary waves from incoherent waves in a medium with an instantaneous nonlinearity has been observed. One excites a propagating incoherent spin wave packet in a magnetic film strip and observes the random appearance of solitary wave pulses. These pulses are as coherent as traditional solitary waves, but with random timing and a random peak amplitude.     

List Homomorphisms and Circular Arc Graphs

G , H, and lists , a list homomorphism of G to H with respect to the lists L is a mapping , such that for all , and for all . The list homomorphism problem for a fixed graph H asks whether or not an input graph G together with lists , , admits a list homomorphism with respect to L. We have introduced the list homomorphism problem in an earlier paper, and proved there that for reflexive graphs H (that is, for graphs H in which every vertex has a loop), the problem is polynomial time solvable if H is an interval graph, and is NP-complete otherwise. Here we consider graphs H without loops, and find that the problem is closely related to circular arc graphs. We show that the list homomorphism problem is polynomial time solvable if the complement of H is a circular arc graph of clique covering number two, and is NP-complete otherwise. For the purposes of the proof we give a new characterization of circular arc graphs of clique covering number two, by the absence of a structure analogous to Gallai's asteroids. Both results point to a surprising similarity between interval graphs and the complements of circular arc graphs of clique covering number two. Received: July 22, 1996/Revised: Revised June 10, 1998     

Blends of polyvinylalcohol with collagen hydrolysate: thermal degradation and processing properties

The blends of polyvinylalcohol with collagen hydrolysate were studied from the point of view of the effect of collagen hydrolysate on thermal degradation and processing properties. Elimination of deliberated acetic acid in reaction with NH₂ groups of CH can protect PVA against acidic catalysis of degradation. Using talc instead of silica can eliminate the crossliking effect in PVA‐CH‐silica blend when silica is used as antiblock agent. The obtained results make possible to use PVA/CH blends for blowing of biodegradable films with CH content up to 30 wt.%.