Thermal Study on Adducts of Urea with n-Alkanes and n-l-Alkanols

Crystalline adducts of urea with n-alkanes (C(8)~C(20)) and n-l-alkanols (C(12)~C(18)) were prepared. From thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction study on the adducts, we found that the composition of adducts and the heat of decomposition can be obtained easily from the thermogram of adducts

Identification of an isoform with an extremely large Cys-rich region of PC6, a Kex2-like processing endoprotease

AbstractIn the previous study [1993, J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 113, 132-135] we identified PC6, a member of the Kex2 family of processing endoproteases. In this study, we identified another cDNA encoding an isoform of PC6, and designated it as PC6B and redesignated the originally identified PC6 as PC6A. PC6B had a very large Cys-rich region consisting of 22-times repeats of a Cys-rich motif, and a putative transmembrane domain which is not present in PC6A. A PC6B transcript was found mainly in the intestine, while PC6A transcripts were in various tissues. These results suggest distinct roles of PC6A and PC6B in endoproteolytic processing of precursor proteins

Electrical and Optical Properties of Te doped GaSb

To examine the property of impurity states in n- and p-type GaSb, the crystals were prepared by doping it with Te. The Hall and resistivity measurements were made and, simultaneously, the free carrier absorption was measured. The undoped crystals were always p-type. The perfect compensation was found to occur at the 0.003 at% amount of Te added to the melt. In the p-type GaSb, it was found that the acceptor level, which results from vacancies in Sb sub-lattice site, is located at 0.021 eV. In the n-type GaSb, the donor concentration changed from 0.5 to 10 x10¹⁸cm⁻³ by increasing the Te amount. It was suggested that the acceptor introduced into the n-type crystal corresponds to the deeper acceptor level, which was observed in the highly compensated p-type sample. The concentration of its acceptor was found to be fairly larger than that of the native acceptor

Localization of Kex2-like processing endoproteases, furin and PC4, within mouse testis by in situ hybridization

AbstractBy in situ hybridization analysis, we show here the localization of furin and PC4, which are both members of a growing family of endoproteases structurally related to the yeast precursor processing protease Kex2, within mouse testis. Furin transcript was detected in both germ and somatic cells, while PC4 transcript was found only in round spermatids. Proenkephalin transcript was also localized in round spermatids. These observations suggest that, within testis, PC4 is involved in processing of peptide precursors such as proenkephalin and may play a role in regulation of sperm maturation. while furin may serve as a more general processing endoprotease

Crystal growth of electrolytic cu foil

Electrolytic copper deposited on (100)(Cu) single crystals forms pyramidal crystals that grow parallel to the substrate at low current density without stirring. With stirring and higher current density, slanting platelet crystals with (111)(Cu) orientation are formed. Chloride and gelatin are typical additives for electrolytic copper foils and the electrolytic copper foils are formed on a titanium substrate with a stirring rate and high current density. With gelatin, triangular pyramidal crystals form with (111)(Cu) orientation. The triangle-shaped side planes of the crystals are the (100)(Cu), and platelet crystals exist along the (100)(Cu). With chloride and gelatin, triangular columnar crystals with the (110)(Cu) orientation are formed. The triangle-shaped side planes of the crystals are the (100)(Cu) and the platelet crystals again exist along the (100)(Cu). These platelet crystals are bound by macrosteps, and they are the growth sites. The morphology of electrolytic copper foils on the titanium substrate does not change with higher current densities and stirring rates. It was also found that chloride changes deposit orientations in the concentration range of less than 10 ppm. (C) 2004 The Electrochemical Society. </p

Is Adenosine Deaminase in Pleural Fluid a Useful Marker for Differentiating Tuberculosis from Lung Cancer or Mesothelioma in Japan, a Country with Intermediate Incidence of Tuberculosis?

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of the determination of adenosine deaminase (ADA) level in pleural fluid for the differential diagnosis between tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) and malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in Japan, a country with intermediate incidence of tuberculosis (TB). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 435 patients with pleural effusion and investigated their pleural ADA levels as determined by an auto analyzer. ROC analysis was also performed. The study included patients with MPE (n＝188), TPE (n＝124), benign nontuberculous pleural effusion (n＝94), and pleural effusion of unknown etiology (n＝29). The median ADA level in the TPE group was 70.8U/L, which was significantly higher than that in any other groups (p＜0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) in ROC analysis was 0.895. With a cut-off level for ADA of 36U/L, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 85.5%, 86.5%, 69.7%, and 93.6%, respectively. As many as 9% of patients with lung cancer and 15% of those with mesothelioma were false-positive with this ADA cutoff setting. Although the ADA activity in pleural fluid can help in the diagnosis of TPE, it should be noted that some cases of lung cancer or mesothelioma show high ADA activity in geographical regions with intermediate incidence of TB, in contrast to high prevalence areas