Studies on proteins of graminae: some of their chemical and physical properties and their relationship to genetical characteristics

1. A method of starch gel electrophoresis has been developed for the fractionation of wheat and related protein systems which allowed the resolution of up to 32 wheat protein components.2. By using this technique to separate wheat protein fractions obtained by column electrophoresis in a density gradient, and by examination of the effects of solvents of different dielectric constant, it has been possible to establish with some certainty the validity of the fractions as separate, but not necessarily unimolecular, species. The involvement of protein -protein complexing has been suggested from solubility data.3. Membrane filters and gel molecular sieves (Sephadex) have been used to obtain estimates of the molecular size of these protein components. A very wide molecular weight range was indicated.4. Examination of the solubility characteristics of wheat proteins has shown that a proper classification cannot readily be made on this basis. Protein solubility depended largely on the conditions of extraction and may possibly be influenced by the gluten complex formation.5. Starch gel electrophoresis has been used to study the effects of physical, chemical and biochemical factors on the wheat protein system.The proteins have been shown to possess considerable stability, being unaffected by heating, certain denaturing agents, ultrasonic treatment and δ- irradiation (8 K rad). Higher levels of s- irradiation (35.6 x 106 rad), however, led to extensive protein alteration.The inclusion of oxidising and reducing agents in doughs following industrial improving procedures, had no detectable effect on the protein system, while more prolonged treatment led to an apparent reduced solubility on oxidation and marked protein alteration on reduction.Rheological changes in gluten, brought about by lipid removal or phospholipase treatment were not reflected in terms of protein alteration, indicating the probable redox participation of lipids in gluten.Wheat proteins were readily degraded by papain attack, but were less sensitive to tryptic and peptic action. This may be due to the presence of inhibitors in the system.6. Examination of flours and glutens of different physical characteristics has shown distinct differences in protein composition, but these could not be correlated with rheological data.7. Wedge and adhering proteins isolated from wheat endosperm have been shown to contain a very different complement of protein components, indicating, with solubility data, probable protein - starch interactions. Air -classified flours similarly examined showed no distinct differences in protein composition.8. The changes in the wheat protein system during the life cycle of the plant have been followed using the starch gel electrophoresis technique.Fractions of low electrophoretic mobility were progressively degraded during germination and progressively synthesised towards the end of the ripening period, indicating their probable role as storage proteins of the endosperm. In contrast, fractions of higher mobility were less affected during germination and were utilised at a later stage. Similarly, these components were synthesised first during ripening and remained at a relatively constant level during the build -up of apparently high molecular weight material. On the information available it was not possible to determine whether the fast -moving fractions represented the enzymes of the system or were precursors of larger components.9. The endosperm proteins of various Graminae have been examined. Pronounced differences in protein composition were shown, the general distribution giving some indication of the relationship of the genus to wheat.10. A comparison of the endosperm proteins of different wheat species and closely related genera has shown that certain protein fractions probably reflect the genetical characteristics of the species. Certain similarities in protein composition have been correlated with available genetical history.11. A study of the endosperm proteins of several varieties of T. vulgare has shown distinct differences in the composition of fractions of low electrophoretic mobility. Although certain of these components may be typical of the variety, others may be influenced to some extent by environmental factors

Human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist is expressed in liver

AbstractUsing PCR and Northern blot analysis, an IL-1 receptor antagonist specific transcript was amplified from HepG2- and liver mRNA, cDNA clones coding for IL-1 receptor antagonist were isolated from a liver cDNA library and sequence comparison revealed complete identity with the secreted, monocytic form of IL-1 receptor antagonist

Facing Facts: Facial Injuries from Stand-up Electric Scooters

Background Stand-up electric scooters (SES) are a popular public transportation method. Numerous safety concerns have arisen since their recent introduction. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients presenting to the emergency departments in Indianapolis, who sustained SES-related injuries. Results A total of 89 patients were included in our study. The average patient age was 29 ± 12.9 years in a predominantly male cohort (65.2%). No patient was documented as wearing a helmet during the event of injury. Alcohol intoxication was noted in 14.6% of accidents. Falling constituted the leading trauma mechanism (46.1%). Injuries were most common on Saturday (24.7%) from 14h00 to 21h59 (55.1%). Injury types included: abrasions/contusions (33.7%), fractures (31.5%), lacerations (27.0%), or joint injuries (18.0%). The head and neck region (H&N) was the most frequently affected site (42.7%). Operative management under general anesthesia was necessary for 13.5% of injuries. Nonoperative management primarily included conservative orthopedic care (34.8%), pain management with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (34.8%) and/or opioids (4.5%), bedside laceration repairs (27.0%), and wound dressing (10.1%). Individuals sustaining head and neck injuries were more likely to be older (33.8 vs. 25.7 years, p=0.003), intoxicated by alcohol (29.0% vs. 3.9%, p=0.002), and requiring CT imaging (60.5% vs. 9.8%, p <0.001). Conclusion Although SESs provide a convenient transportation modality, unregulated use raises significant safety concerns. More data need to be collected to guide future safety regulations

Characterization of Stapes Anatomy: Investigation of Human and Guinea Pig

The accuracy of any stapes model relies on the accuracy of the anatomical information upon which it is based. In many previous models and measurements of the stapes, the shape of the stapes has been considered as symmetric with respect to the long and short axes of the footplate. Therefore, the reference frame has been built based upon this assumption. This study aimed to provide detailed anatomical information on the dimensions of the stapes, including its asymmetries. High-resolution microcomputed tomography data from 53 human stapes and 11 guinea pig stapes were collected, and their anatomical features were analyzed. Global dimensions of the stapes, such as the size of the footplate, height, and volume, were compared between human and guinea pig specimens, and asymmetric features of the stapes were quantitatively examined. Further, dependence of the stapes dimensions on demographic characteristics of the subjects was explored. The height of the stapes relative to the footplate size in the human stapes was found to be larger than the corresponding value in guinea pig. The stapes showed asymmetry of the footplate with respect to the long axis and offset of the stapes head from the centroid of the medial surface of the footplate for both humans and guinea pigs. The medial surface of the footplate was curved, and the longitudinal arches of the medial surface along the long axis of the footplate were shaped differently between humans and guinea pigs. The dimension of the footplate was gender-dependent, with the size greater in men than in wome

Synthetic Light Curves and Spectra from a Self-Consistent 2D Simulation of an Ultra-strippped Supernova

Spectroscopy is an important tool for providing insights into the structure of core-collapse supernova explosions. We use the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code ARTIS to compute synthetic spectra and light curves based on a two-dimensional explosion model of an ultra-stripped supernova. These calculations are designed both to identify observable fingerprints of ultra-stripped supernovae and as a proof-of-principle for using synthetic spectroscopy to constrain the nature of stripped-envelope supernovae more broadly. We predict very characteristic spectral and photometric features for our ultra-stripped explosion model, but find that these do not match observed ultra-stripped supernova candidates like SN 2005ek. With a peak bolometric luminosity of $6.8\times10^{41}\,\mathrm{erg}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$, a peak magnitude of $-15.9\,\mathrm{mag}$ in R-band, and $\Delta m_{15,\mathrm{R}}=3.50$, the model is even fainter and evolves even faster than SN 2005ek as the closest possible analogue in photometric properties. The predicted spectra are extremely unusual. The most prominent features are Mg II lines at 2,800 Angstrom and 4,500 Angstrom and the infrared Ca triplet at late times. The Mg lines are sensitive to the multi-dimensional structure of the model and are viewing-angle dependent. They disappear due to line blanketing by Fe group elements in a spherically averaged model with additional microscopic mixing. In future studies, multi-D radiative transfer calculations need to be applied to a broader range of models to elucidate the nature of observed Type Ib/c supernovae.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, submitted to MNRA

Standard Design for Nebraska County Bridges

Many county-owned bridges in Nebraska need replacement due to their structural deficiency. Most of the bridges needing replacement are in the 40 to 60 ft range. This span range lacks a standard design that fits Nebraska county practices in terms of speed and simplicity of construction. The current systems being used are (a) Precast 1 by 2 ft planks which can span up to 30 ft, (b) Cast-in-place slab bridges which can span up to 50 ft but require extensive field formwork, concrete placing, and curing, and are best when constructed in three-span units, and (c) Inverted tees which can span 40 to 80 ft, but require cast-in-place decks. The objective of this research project is to develop and evaluate a cross section that can be easily configured for optimal structural efficiency across a range of spans from 40 to 60 feet, while reducing the number of shear keys, and retaining the ease of construction presented by the plank design. To achieve this objective, four phases of research were conducted. The first phase included evaluating various sections for spans up to 60 ft. This phase was completed through an extensive literature review and a, new type of cross- section was proposed in this study. The second phase of the research evaluated a new type of transverse connection to connect adjacent units of the proposed cross section for the proposed state county bridge system through small-scale testing on ten slab specimens. The third phase of the research includes testing five sets of full-scale bridge specimens to evaluate the system behavior, including the performance of the proposed transverse connection that included the new type of mechanical connection, staggered rebar splice joints with a commercial high-performance concrete used for the shear key, and full-scale specimen with the staggered splice joint filled with three different types of high performance. Finally, the last phase of the research conducted a design review of various proposed sections and generated span charts that could be implemented for Nebraska County bridge design. Test results indicated that the new type of mechanical joint system (transverse connection of adjacent precast beam bridges) can resist an experimental joint moment of 38 ft-kip on average, provided that the maximum spacing between mechanical joints along the bridge span does not exceed 4 ft. It was also noted that the high-performance concrete can carry a joint moment of 17.5 kip-ft per foot length which is 2.5 times larger than the equivalent moment carried by the mechanical joint system with self-consolidating concrete grout. Other possible designs that were not tested through the small scale or full-scale experimental program were proposed by a local engineering firm in Omaha and reviewed in this research. The final standard design and design span charts are proposed for Nebraska County Bridges based on literature review, small scale testing, full-scale testing, and engineering calculations

Complex Stapes Motions in Human Ears

It has been reported that the physiological motion of the stapes in human and several animals in response to acoustic stimulation is mainly piston-like at low frequencies. At higher frequencies, the pattern includes rocking motions around the long and short axes of the footplate in human and animal ears. Measurements of such extended stapes motions are highly sensitive to the exact angulation of the stapes in relation to the measurement devices and to measurement errors. In this study, velocity in a specific direction was measured at multiple points on the footplates of human temporal bones using a Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer (SLDV) system, and the elementary components of the stapes motions, which were the piston-like motion and the rocking motions about the short and long axes of the footplate, were calculated from the measurements. The angular position of a laser beam with respect to the stapes and coordinates of the measurement points on the footplate plane were calculated by correlation between the SLDV measurement frame and the footplate-fixed frame, which was obtained from micro-CT images. The ratios of the rocking motions relative to the piston-like motion increased with frequency and reached a maximum around 7kHz. A novel method for quantitatively assessing measurements of complex stapes motions and error boundaries of the motion components is presented. In the frequency range of 0.5 to 8kHz, the magnitudes of the piston-like and two rocking motions were larger than estimated values of the corresponding upper error bound

Performance evaluation of a novel piezoelectric subcutaneous bone conduction device

Objectives Evaluation of the transfer function efficiency of a newly-developed piezo-electric actuator for active subcutaneous bone conduction hearing aid. Methods The experiments were conducted on four Thiel embalmed whole head cadaver specimens. A novel actuator based on piezo-electric transduction (PZTA), part of a subcutaneous bone conduction hearing aid device, was sequentially implanted on three locations: 1) Immediately posterior to pinna; 2) 50–60 mm posterior to pinna, approximately the same distance as between the BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) location and the ear canal, but the same horizontal level as location 1; 3) the traditional BAHA location. Using a single point 3-dimensional laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) system, three types of motion measurements were performed at the cochlear promontory for each stimulation location: 1) ipsilateral side, 2) contralateral side, 3) measurements 1 and 2 were repeated after mastoidectomy on the ipsilateral side. Results On average, stimulation at locations 1 and 2 show a trend for higher promontory motion relative to location 3 (BAHA location) above 1 kHz. Stimulation at location 1 had an average improvement of 1–6 dB at 2–4 kHz, and 1–18 dB at 6–8 kHz. The spatial composition of the motion showed significant contributions from both in-plane and out-of-plane (along ear canal) motion components, with in-plane components being dominant at mid and high frequencies for locations 2 and 3. Stimulation at locations 1 and 3 produced similar transcranial attenuation at mid frequencies (0.6–4 kHz), with a potential trend of higher attenuation (seen in 3 or the 4 samples) for location 1 at higher frequencies (>4 kHz). The mastoidectomy affected negatively mostly the high frequencies (6–8 kHz) for stimulation at location 1, with no significant change for location 3. Conclusion The sound transfer function efficacy of a novel subcutaneous bone conduction device has been quantified, and the influence of stimulation location and mastoidectomy have been analyzed based on promontory motion in Thiel-preserved cadaver heads

Experimental investigation of promontory motion and intracranial pressure following bone conduction: Stimulation site and coupling type dependence

Objective Investigation of bone conduction sound propagation by osseous and non-osseous pathways and their interactions based upon the stimulation site and coupling method of the actuator from a bone conduction hearing aid (BCHA). Methods Experiments were conducted on five Thiel embalmed whole head cadaver specimens. The electromagnetic actuator from a commercial bone conduction hearing aid (BCHA) (Baha® Cordelle II) was used to provide a stepped sine stimulus in the range of 0.1–10 kHz. Osseous pathways (direct bone stimulation or transcutaneous stimulation) were sequentially activated by stimulation at the mastoid or the BAHA side using several methods including a percutaneously implanted screw, Baha® Attract transcutaneous magnet and a 5-N (5-N) steel headband. Non-osseous pathways (only soft tissue or intra-cranial contents) were activated by actuator stimulation on the eye or neck via attachment to a 5-N steel headband, and were compared with stimulation via equivalent attachment on the mastoid and forehead. The response of the skull was measured as motions of the ipsi- and contralateral promontory and intracranial pressure (ICP) in the central, anterior, posterior, ipsilateral and contralateral temporal regions of the cranial space. Promontory motion was monitored using a 3-dimensional Laser Doppler vibrometer (3D LDV) system. Results The promontory undergoes spatially complex motion with similar contributions from all motion components, regardless of stimulation mode. Combined 3D promontory motion provided lower inter-sample variability than did any individual component. Transcranial transmission showed gain for the low frequencies and attenuation above 1 kHz, independent of stimulation mode This effect was not only for the magnitude but also its spatial composition such that contralateral promontory motion did not follow the direction of ipsilateral stimulation above 0.5 kHz. Non-osseous stimulation on the neck and eye induced comparable ICP relative to percutaneous (via screw) mastoid stimulation. Corresponding phase data indicated lower phase delays for ICP when stimulation was via non-osseous means (i.e., to the eye) versus osseous means (i.e., to the mastoid or forehead). Sound propagation due to skull stimulation passes through the thicker bony sections first before activating the CSF. Conclusion Utilization of 3D promontory motion measurements provides more precise (lower inter-sample variability) information about bone vibrations than does any individual component. It also provides a more detailed description of transcranial attenuation. A comprehensive combination of motion and pressures measurements across the head, combined with a variation of the stimulation condition, could reveal details about sound transmission within the skull

Wind Tunnel Results of the B-52B with the X-43A Stack

A low-speed wind-tunnel test was performed with a three-percent-scale model of a booster rocket mated to an X-43A research vehicle, a combination referred to as the Hyper-X launch vehicle. The test was conducted both in free-stream air and in the presence of a partial model of the B-52B airplane. The objectives of the test were to obtain force and moment data to generate structural loads affecting the pylon of the B-52B airplane and to determine the aerodynamic influence of the B-52B airplane on the Hyper-X launch vehicle to evaluate launch separation characteristics. The wind-tunnel test was conducted at a low-speed wind tunnel in Hampton, Virginia. All moments and forces reported are based either on the aerodynamic influence of the B-52B airplane or are for the Hyper-X launch vehicle in free-stream air. Overall, the test showed that the B-52B airplane imparts a strong downwash onto the Hyper-X launch vehicle, reducing the net lift of the Hyper-X launch vehicle. Also, pitching and rolling moments are imparted onto the booster and are a strong function of the launch-drop angle of attack