PRESSURE-VELOCITY EQUILIBRIUM HYDRODYNAMIC MODELS

This article describes mathematical models for phase separated mixtures of materials that are in pressure and velocity equilibrium but not necessarily temperature equilibrium. General conditions for constitutive models for such mixtures that exhibit a single mixture sound speed are discussed and specific examples are described.     

Porphyromonas gingivalis gingipains: the molecular teeth of a microbial vampire

The gingipains are cell surface Arg- and Lys-specific proteinases of the bacterium Porphyromons gingivalis, which has been associated with periodontitis, a disease that results in the destruction of the teeth-s supporting tissues. The proteinases are encoded by three genes designated rgpA, rgpB and kgp. Arg-specific proteolytic activity is encoded by rgpA/B and the Lys-specific activity by kgp. RgpA and Kgp are polyproteins comprising proteinases with C-terminal adhesin domains that are proteolytically processed. After processing, the domains remain non-covalently associated as complexes on the cell surface. RgpB is also a cell surface proteinase but does not associate with adhesin domains. Using gene knockout P. gingivalis mutants, the proteolytic processing of the gingipain domains has been shown to involve the gingipains themselves as well as C-terminal processing by a carboxypeptidase. A motif in the C-terminal domain of each protein/polyprotein has been identified that is suggested to be involved in attachment to LPS on the cell surface. RgpB lacks a C-terminal adhesin binding motif found in the catalytic domains of RgpA and Kgp. This adhesin binding motif is proposed to be responsible for the non-covalent association of the RgpA and Kgp catalytic domains into the cell surface complexes with the processed adhesin domains. The RgpA-Kgp proteinase-adhesin complexes, through the adhesin domains A1 and A3, have been implicated in colonization of P. gingivalis by binding to other bacteria in subgingival plaque and also binding to crevicular epithelial cells. The RgpA-Kgp complexes also bind to fibrinogen, laminin, collagen type V, fibronectin and hemoglobin. Amino acid sequences likely to be involved in binding to these host proteins have been identified in adhesin domains A1 and A3. It is proposed that these adhesins target the proteolytic activity to host cell surface matrix proteins and receptors. The continual cycle of binding and degradation of the surface proteins/receptors on epithelial, fibroblast and endothelial cells by the RgpA-Kgp complexes in the gingival tissue leading to cell death would contribute to inflammation, tissue destruction and vascular disruption (bleeding). P. gingivalis has an obligate growth requirement for iron and protoporphyrin IX, which it preferentially utilizes in the form of hemoglobin. Kgp proteolytic activity is essential for rapid hydrolysis of hemoglobin and it is suggested therefore that a major role of the RgpA-Kgp complexes is in vascular disruption and the binding and rapid degradation of hemoglobin for heme assimilation by P. gingivalis. The RgpA-Kgp complexes also have a major role in the evasion and dysregulation of the host-s immune response. It is proposed that host pro-inflammatory cytokines and cellular receptors close to the infection site may be rapidly and efficiently degraded by the gingipains while the proteinases at lower concentrations distally could result in the promotion of an inflammatory response through activation of proteinase-activated receptors and cytokine release. The culmination of this dysregulation would be tissue destruction and bone resorption. In animal models of disease the RgpA-Kgp complex when used as a vaccine to produce a high titre antibody response protects against challenge with P. gingivalis. Using recombinant domains of RgpA and Kgp as vaccines, it has been demonstrated that the A1 and A3 domains confer protection.     

Correlation between biological activity and energies of electronic transitions in benzodiazepines. Negative ion mass spectrometry and ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy study of some derivatives

A correlation between the energies of electronic singlet transitions in benzodiazepines and their biological activity, which was revealed earlier by means of negative ion mass spectrometry with resonance electron capture, has been verified with a UV absorption spectroscopy investigation. Also, it has been noted that the energies of electronic singlet transitions in benzodiazepines are close in value to the ionization energies of atoms Cs, Rb, K, Na, Li and Tl, the cations of which are known to play an important role in nerve cell excitation processes. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gas-phase deprotonation of arylalkylamines. A collision-induced dissociation study

The collision-induced dissociation (CID) of deprotonated arylalkylamines of general formula R(1)C(6)H(4)CHR(2)CH(2)NR(3)(2) (where R(1) = H, OH, F or NO(2); R(2) = H or OH; R(3) = H or CH(3)) generated by negative chemical ionization with H(2)O and D(2)O as ionizing reagents, is discussed. The negative chemical ionization mass spectra show that, in the absence of a hydroxy group in the aromatic ring, deprotonation takes place at the benzylic position whereas the proton is lost from the OH group when present. The nitro compound forms only M(-.) ions. The CID spectra of the deprotonated molecules show that fragmentations are strongly dependent on the structural features of the molecules, namely the presence or absence of substituents in the aromatic ring or aliphatic chain. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Purification and Characterization of Agarase from Marine Bacteria <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acinetobacter</Emphasis> sp. PS12B and Its Use for Preparing Bioactive Hydrolysate from Agarophyte Red Seaweed <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gracilaria verrucosa</Emphasis>

Acinetobacter strain PS12B was isolated from marine sediment and was found to be a good candidate to degrade agar and produce agarase enzyme. The extracellular agarase enzyme from strain PS12B was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by DEAE-cellulose ion-exchange chromatography. The specific activity of the crude enzyme which was 1.52 U increased to 45.76 U, after two-stage purification, with an enzyme yield of 9.76%. Purified enzyme had a molecular mass of 24 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature for activity of purified agarase were found to be 8.0 and 40 °C, respectively. The K_m and V_max values for agarase were 4.69 mg/ml and 0.5 μmol/min, respectively. Treatment with EDTA reduced the agarase activity by 58% at 5 mM concentration. The enzyme activity was stimulated by the presence of Fe²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Ca2⁺ ions while reducing reagents (β-mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol, DTT) enhanced its activity by 30–40%. The purified agarase exhibited tolerance to both detergents and organic solvents. Major hydrolysis products of agar were DP4 and also a mixture of longer oligosaccharides DP6 and DP7. The enzyme hydrolysed seaweed (Gracilaria verrucosa) exhibited strong antioxidant activity in vitro. Successful hydrolysis of seaweed indicates the potential use of the enzyme to produce seaweed hydrolysate having health benefits as well as the industrial application like the production of biofuels.     

Computer extended series solution for unsteady flow in a contracting or expanding pipe

Unsteady flow in a semi-infinite contracting or expanding pipeis reinvestigated using long series analysis. The proposed seriesmethod is useful in analysing the problem for a moderately largeconstant ( = aa/, where a = a(t), the radius of the pipe isa function of time, a(t) is the velocity of the wall, and iskinematic viscosity). For positive values of (expansion ofthe pipe) accuracy of the series representing shear stress andpressure gradient is increased from = 2.89 to = 6.0 by extractingthe singularity followed by completion of the series. For negativevalues of (contraction of the pipe), we revert the series whichresults into the increase of the region of validity of the transposedseries from = -25.0 to = -2.89. Later we use Padé approximantsfor summing them. Also, the asymptotic solution for large valuesof is obtained and it agrees closely with pure numerical valuesof shear stress at the wall and pressure gradient.