La regola dei segni dall'enunciato di R. Descartes (1637) alla dimostrazione di C. F. Gauss (1828)

1993

Le dimostrazioni algebriche della regola, sia che riguardino il caso a radici reali o quello generale si fondano tutte su una proposizione che descrive il comportamento dei segni di un'equazione quando la si moltiplica per x − a oppure per x + a.

Purification of ATP synthase from beef heart mitochondria (FoF1) and co-reconstitution with monomeric bacteriorhodopsin into liposomes capable of lig…

1993

ATP synthase was isolated from beef heart mitochondria by extraction with N,N-bis-(3-D-gluconamidopropyl)deoxycholamide or by traditional cholate extraction. The enzyme was purified subsequently by ion-exchange and gel-permeation chromatographies in the presence of glycerol and the protease inhibitor diisopropylfluorophosphate. The ATP synthase consisted of 12–14 subunits and contained three tightly bound nucleotides. The co-reconstitution of crude or purified ATP synthase with monomeric bacteriorhodopsin by the method of detergent incubation of liposomes yielded proteoliposomes capable of light-driven ATP synthesis, as detected with a luciferase system for at least 30 min. The reaction was…

Laser-Induced Fluorescence Imaging of Paper Surfaces

1993

Laser-induced fluorescence imaging has been used to study the microstructure of paper surfaces. Pulses from a XeCl-excimer laser, 10 ns in duration at 308 nm, were used for excitation, and fluorescence was collected at 420 nm. The excitation spot diameter was approximately 20 µm, and the sampling interval 0.15 mm. Within an area of 5*5 mm2, 1023 sampling points were recorded to generate 3D fluorescence maps of paper surfaces. Papers containing fluorescence whitening agents (FWAs) gave the highest average fluorescence signals. Coated papers with no FW As show weaker signals than the base sheet. For some thirty different paper samples, an obvious correlation between the amount of coating and…

Simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine in pharmaceuticals by flow injection with fourier transform infrared detection.

1993

Abstract A fast quality control methodology has been developed for the simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and caffeine in pharmaceuticals by flow injection—Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry. The method is based on the solubilization of ASA and caffeine in CH2Cl2 and the use of a flow system to introduce samples and standards in the spectrometer. Two solutions, containing 90 and 110% of the reported concentration of the two active principles in the sample, were employed in order to control the extreme tolerance levels accepted by the International Pharmacopeia for the composition of formulations. A 300 μl volume of each solution was injected in turn, into a carrie…

Polymer-coated reversed-phase packings in high-performance liquid chromatography

1993

The synthesis and properties of polymer-coated RP stationary phases are reviewed. The sorbents are classified according to the method of synthesis. More flexibility in the tailoring of polymer-coated packings is noted. The impact of the polymer coating on the porosity of the oxides to be modified and their chromatographic properties is discussed.

SPATIAL MULTIFRACTALITY OF ELECTRONIC STATES AND THE METAL-INSULATOR TRANSITION IN DISORDERED SYSTEMS

1993

For the investigation of the spatial behavior of electronic wave functions in disordered systems, we employ the Anderson model of localization. The eigenstates of the corresponding Hamiltonian are calculated numerically by means of the Lanczos algorithm and are analyzed with respect to their spatial multifractal properties. We find that the wave functions show spatial multifractality for all parameter cases not too far away from the metal-insulator transition (MIT) which separates localized from extended states in this model. Exactly at the MIT, multifractality is expected to exist on all length scales larger than the lattice spacing. It is found that the corresponding singularity spectrum…

Studies of Components of the Thylakoid Membrane of Undamaged and Damaged Spruce Trees at Different Mountain Sites

1993

During a five-year period, components of the thylakoid membrane in needles of the second generation of undamaged and damaged trees of Norway spruce were studied at three different mountain sites in West Germany. Visible signs of damage at these sites are a yellowing of the light-exposed sides of the needles as well as the loss of needles. The goal of this study was to determine damage-induced alterations in composition and physiological reactions of the thylakoid membranes in spruce needles. In order to meet this purpose, contents of chlorophyll a and b, electron transport rate of photosystem II, contents of the D 1 protein, cytochrome f, as well as P-700 were measured. The chlorophyll cont…

Inhibition of fatty acid delta 6- and delta 5-desaturation by cyclopropene fatty acids in rat liver microsomes.

1993

delta 6-Desaturation of linoleic acid and delta 5-desaturation of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid were measured in liver microsomes from rats fed fresh Baobab seed oil containing cyclopropene fatty acids (malvalic acid and sterculic acid) or heated Baobab seed oil practically devoid of these fatty acids or control oil. The presence of cyclopropene fatty acids in the fresh Baobab oil diet highly depressed both desaturations, but delta 6- more than delta 5-desaturation. The decreased capacity of microsomes to desaturate was reflected in the lower arachidonic acid content in microsomal phospholipids from rats fed this oil. However it was also lower in rats fed heated oil although in vitro delta 6-…

Structure-dynamics-function relationships in Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) myoglobin. An optical spectroscopy and flash photolysis study on functi…

1993

In this work we report the thermal behavior (10–300 K) of the Soret band lineshape of deoxy and carbonmonoxy derivatives of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and horse myoglobins together with their carbon monoxide recombination kinetics after flash photolysis; the results are compared to analogous data relative to sperm whale myoglobin. The Soret band profile is modeled as a Voigt function that accounts for the coupling with high and low frequency vibrational modes, while inhomogeneous broadening is taken into account with suitable distributions of purely electronic transition frequencies. This analysis makes it possible to isolate the various contributions to the overall lineshape that; in…

Spectral invariance for algebras of pseudodifferential operators on besov-triebel-lizorkin spaces

1993

The algebra of pseudodifferential operators with symbols inS1,δ0, δ<1, is shown to be a spectrally invariant subalgebra of ℒ(bp,qs) and ℒ(Fp,qs).

Determination of pesticides in soil samples by solid phase extraction disks

1993

A systematic study comparing the methodology and analytical results obtained in an investigation of seven pesticide residues (Molinate, Atrazine, Carbofuran, Pirimicarb, Prometryn, Malathion and Tetrachlorvinphos) in soil samples is reported. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) using glass columns and 47 mm disks of octyl and octadecyl-bonded silica was used in the pesticide analysis. The best extraction efficiency and clearest extracts are obtained with C8 disks. The analyses were carried out by capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen and phosphorus detection. Recovery experiments were performed at ppb levels in spiked soil samples. The average recoveries of the compounds were 53–77%. Detectio…

Dielectric properties of water/lecithin/cyclohexane gels

1993

Dielectric relaxation measurements in the frequency range 0.1–15 GHz have been carried out on water/lecithin/cyclohexane gels using a time domain reflectometry method (TDR). Dielectric dispersions describable in terms of a power law typical of percolated systems, but with exponents significantly different from those characterizing statically or dynamically percolated systems are observed. The dielectric dispersions, attributed to water and/or lecithin head group rotational motions, indicate that these motions are characterized by a wide spectrum of relaxation times.

Solution properties of polyelectrolytes

1993

Abstract Aqueous size-exclusion chromatography was used to analyse the elution behaviour of several standard ionic polymers, including poly( l -glutamic acid), sodium poly(styrene sulphonate) and poly(acrylic acid), different in nature and chain flexibility, as a function of the pH and ionic strength of the eluent. Two organic-based hydrophilic packings, Spherogel TSK PW4000 and Ultrahydrogel 250, were tested in order to select the optimal conditions of macromolecular separation, and the results obtained for each column were compared. A set of calibration graphs for the above polyions as a function of eluent pH and ionic strength were obtained and compared with those obtained for uncharged …

BLOOD PARASITES AND MALE FITNESS IN THE PIED FLYCATCHER

1993

In vertebrates the effect of parasites on host ecology has almost been ignored. Recently the view that well-adapted parasites do not harm their hosts has been challenged and there is growing evidence that parasites do have a present-day effect on a great variety of host fitness components. The pied flycatcher is a small migratory passcrine bird. Any decrease in condition caused by disease should affect its ability to cope with physical demands of migration. Here we examine whether blood parasites have any effect on male arrival time. Males infected with Trypanosoma arrived on average 2 days later than males with no Trypanosoma infection. Infected males also had shorted tails and tended to h…

Transforming growth factor-β1, β2, and β3, urokinase and parathyroid hormone-related peptide expression in 8701-BC breast cancer cells and clones

1993

8701-BC is a recently characterized cell line isolated from a primary ductal infiltrating carcinoma of the breast (d.i.c.), showing some pleomorphism in cell microanatomy at an ultrastructural level. We have obtained different sublines of 8701-BC cells by cloning in soft agar at different concentrations (0.3% and 0.6%), and we have characterized the cloned lines by some morphological and growth parameters. 8701-BC cells and clones have been submitted to analysis by reverse transcriptase-linked polymerase chain reaction to detect mRNAs of various cytokines (transforming growth factor-beta s, tumour necrosis factors, interleukin 1s, interleukin 6, parathyroid hormone-related peptide, gamma in…

Der Rigaer Deutsch-Baltische Mathematiker Piers Bohl (1865–1921)

1993

Vor kurzem jahrte sich zum 125. Male der Geburtstag und zum 70. Male der Todestag eines der bedeutendsten, vielleicht sogar des bedeutendsten Mathematikers Lettlands, Piers Bohls. Er lebte unter wechselnden politischen Regimen, aber verstand es stets, sich seiner Arbeit zu widmen. Piers Bohl wurde am 23. Oktober 1865 als Spros einer deutschen Kaufmannsfamilie im Stadtchen Walk (an der Grenze Lettlands und Estlands) geboren. Uber seine fruhe Kindheit scheint nichts bekannt zu sein. Ersten Unterricht erhielt er durch Privatlehrer, er besuchte dann die stadtische Elementarschule zu Walk sowie das livlandische ritterschaftliche Landesgymnasium in Fellin, dem heutigen estnischen Wiland. Fast gle…

Antibodies to proteinase 3 increase adhesion of neutrophils to human endothelial cells

1993

SUMMARY The detection of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), especially those with specificity for proteinase 3, is important in the diagnosis and in monitoring disease activity of Wegener's granulomatosis and related vasculitides. An ubiquitous feature of all ANCA-associated acute vascular injury is lytic necrosis. Adhesion of neutrophils to endothelium is a fundamental early step of the inflammatory response. Recently we were able to show that ANCA recognize their target antigen (proteinase 3) translocated into the membrane of human endothelial cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ANCA on the adhesion of neutrophils to human endothelial cells. Incubatio…

Bacterial Contamination of Anterior Chamber Fluid Following Non-complicated Cataract Surgery

1993

Objective: To study the anterior chamber contamination during non-complicated cataract surgery and its relationship with normal conjuctival organisms. Setting: Ophthalmology Department, La Fe Hospital, University of Valencia. Patients: Forty patients who had undergone cataract extraction using either ECCE, phacoemulsification or nucleus fracture methods. Results: Positive cultures of aqueous humour were obtained in 32.5% of cases. The most commonly isolated organism was Staphylococcus coagulase-negative. Only in 7.7% of cases was the microorganism found in the conjunctiva the same as that found in the anterior chamber. The inoculum size ranged between 20 and 160 colonies/ml. One of the case…

Ingestion, digestion, and egestion in Spongilla lacustris (Porifera, Spongillidae) after pulse feeding with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Volvocales)

1993

The route followed by food particles in Spongilla lacustris was clarified by light and electron microscopic examination of sponges fed with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The algal cells are phagocytosed by prosendopinacocytes and choanocytes. After some time they are transferred to archaeocytes, amoebocytes, and lophocytes. Changes in algal structure during digestion were observed and the egestion of algal remnants was documented in life for the first time. In light micrographs, digestion of the algal cells is manifest first in shrinkage of the cells, then in disintegration to form several spherical green fragments 2–3 μm in diameter, and finally, after 12–18 h, in a reddish brown discoloratio…

Reproducibility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children

1993

Immunolocalization of integrins in the normal and neoplastic colonic epithelium.

1993

Cryosections of normal colon (NC), tubular and villous adenomas (TA, VA), and variably differentiated colon adenocarcinomas (CA) were immunostained with monoclonal antibodies to alpha 1-6 and alpha v, and beta 1-4 integrin subunits; select samples were stained for cytokeratin (Ck) 20 and villin. In NC, alpha 2 staining was strongest in crypt cells; alpha 1,3 and alpha v, and beta 1,3 and beta 4, and Ck 20 and villin predominated in superficial enterocytes. In TA and VA, monolayered glands showed integrin, Ck 20 and villin patterns that differed slightly from both crypt and superficial enterocytes. Complex glands in VA showed decreased integrin staining and basal polarization; Ck 20 and vill…

Groups are not always the same

1993

The idea of supporting group meetings at the same time and at the same place by computer raises the problem of how salient features of group behaviors are understood in meetings. In this paper we take a critical look at several beliefs about group behaviors in research dealing with electronic meeting systems (EMS). The paper argues based on an empirical study that the concept of a small, cohesive business team, so widely held, in all EMS research is not necessarily a valid starting point in thinking of meeting support. In particular, the paper critically evaluates a number of beliefs of user aspects, group features such as composition, structure and protocols, and task characteristics such …

Light scattering - diagnostic methods for colloidal dispersions

1993

Abstract The increasing demand from the colloid research community for quick and noninvasive experimental techniques as well as the rapid progress of modern optics and electronics have led to a considerable expansion in the field of light scattering. This review introduces the basic concepts with some emphasis on novel approaches like the study of interacting particle systems, multiple scattering techniques, and non ergodic samples. Particular attention is then devoted to recent experimental progress towards more compact and rugged instruments.

Exploring regression structure with graphics

1993

We investigate the extent to which it may be possible to carry out a regression analysis using graphics alone, an idea that we refer to asgraphical regression. The limitations of this idea are explored. It is shown that graphical regression is theoretically possible with essentially no constraints on the conditional distribution of the response given the predictors, but with some conditions on marginal distribution of the predictors. Dimension reduction subspaces and added variable plots play a central role in the development. The possibility of useful methodology is explored through two examples.

CHLOROPHYLL a AGGREGATES IN HYDROCARBON SOLUTION, A PICOSECOND SPECTROSCOPY AND MOLECULAR MODELING STUDY

1993

Chlorophyll a aggregates in 3-methylpentane solution have been studied by using picosecond absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Chlorophyll a aggregates give rise to reversible temperature changes in the absorption and fluorescence spectra. Time-dependent anisotropies were used to estimate rotational correlation times of the aggregates. These were indicative of the sizes of the aggregates. The rotational diffusion of the monomer and the two identified aggregates was hydrodynamic over the viscosity range studied (0.29–1.8 cP). Molecular mechanics calculations were used to predict the minimum energy structures of several chlorophyll a dimers suggested earlier in th…

Synergistic Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Viral (HIV-1) Effect of the Immunomodulator Ampligen (Mismatched Double-Stranded RNA) with Inhibitors of Reve…

1993

The potent antiviral effect of double stranded RNA, such as the mismatched poly(l)·poly(C12U) [Ampligen], 2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-fluorothymidine (FddThd) and antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) has been established in in vitro systems using cells infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). We report here that the immunomodulator poly(l)·poly(C12U) interacts synergistically with (1) the reverse transcriptase inhibitor FddThd (FIC value: 0.43), (2) the modified (5′- and 3′-end capped thioates) antisense ODN-4 directed against the splice acceptor site of the HIV-1/ tat gene (FIC value: 0.66) and (3) also with pyronin Y, a compound which prevents binding of HIV-1 Rev protein to t…

Bioconcentration and metabolism of 3,4-dichloroaniline in different life stages of guppy and zebrafish

1993

Abstract Bioconcentration factors (BCF) and metabolism of 3,4-dichloroaniline in different life stages of guppy (Poecilia reticulata Peters ) and zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio Hamilton-Buchanan ) were investigated. The results prove that embryos of zebrafish, four-day-old yolk sac larvae, 17-day-old larvae and adult zebrafish are able to transform the chemical to 3,4-dichloroacetanilide. Bioconcentration factors in these life stages are between 30 and 42, exept yolk sac larvae showing a BCF of 86. 3,4-Dichloroacetanilide was also detected in extracts of newborn and adult guppies, but they are able to form an additional, yet unknown metabolite. The BCF varies from 34 in six-month-old guppies …

Retrobulbar adipocytes and humoral immunity in Graves' ophthalmopathy

1993

As CT and MR-imaging revealed an enlargement of retrobulbar fat tissue in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy, the role of the retrobulbar adipocytes in the pathogenesis of this disorder remains to be elucidated. To evaluate the in vitro influence of humoral immunity on retrobulbar adipose tissue, the effects of IgG and sera from 56 euthyroid ophthalmopathy patients and 53 controls on both porcine and human (patients' and controls') retrobulbar adipocytes were measured by means of several assays: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to reveal specific binding of antibodies to the adipocytes. Metabolic activity was determined by means of a colorimetric dimethyl thiazolium-diphe…

Preparation and karyotype analysis of mitotic chromosomes of the freshwater sponge Spongilla lacustris.

1993

The present study documents for the first time the karyotype and mitotic chromosomes of a sponge. For the studies the freshwater sponge Spongilla lacustris (Lin. 1758) was used. Its karyotype comprises nine different chromosome pairs ranging in size from 2.1 to < or = 0.7 microns. Changes in size and shape of the chromosomes during the progression of mitosis are documented both light and electron microscopically. The data reveal that the lowest multicellular eukaryotes, the sponges, have already reached a high level of evolution of the mitotic mechanism.

Lipschitz classes and the Hardy-Littlewood property

1993

We study the geometry of plane domains and the uniform Holder continuity properties of analytic functions.

Staphylococcal alpha-toxin kills human keratinocytes by permeabilizing the plasma membrane for monovalent ions

1993

Incubation of human keratinocytes with nanomolar concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin leads to irreversible depletion of cellular ATP. The toxin forms hexamers in the target cell membranes, and rapid transmembrane flux of K+, Na+, and 86Rb+ is observed. Unexpectedly, pores formed in keratinocytes through application of low but lethal doses of alpha-toxin appeared to be considerably smaller than those formed in erythrocyte membranes. They permitted neither rapid influx of Ca2+ or propidium iodide, nor efflux of carboxyfluorescein. Larger pores allowing flux of all three markers did form when the toxin was applied at high concentrations. Flux of monovalent ions and reduction in…

Hyperfine structure in 5s 4d 3 D ?5snf transitions of87Sr

1993

The hyperfine spectra of the 5s4d3D1-5s20f, 5s4d3D2-5s23f, and 5s 4d3D3-5s32f transitions of87Sr (I=9/2) have been measured by collinear fast beam laser spectroscopy. The structure in the upper configurations is highly perturbed by fine structure splitting that is of comparable size to the hyperfine interaction energy. These perturbations can be adequately treated with conventional matrix diagonalization methods, using the 5s-electron magnetic dipole interaction terma5s and the unperturbed fine structure splittings as input parameters. Additionally, hyperfine constants for the lower 5s4d3D configurations, including theA- andB-factors and a separation of the individuals- andd-electron contri…

Enantioselective transport of amino acid through supported chiral liquid membranes

1993

Abstract Two chiral alcohols, nopol and (2S)-(−)-methyl-1-butanol, immobilized in the pores of a polyethylene film were used for the anantioselective transport of amino acid hydrochloride. The degree of stereoselectivity of the permeation process varied from 0.39 to 1.52 depending on both the type of the chiral membrane phase and the properties of the amino acid. The evaluation of the membrane ability to separate stereoisomers was performed by the step-by-step analysis by considering the effect of amino acids' hydrophobicity, polarity and degree of chirality. For the purpose of this paper, the chirality measure was introduced. It was demonstrated that the enantioselectivity was affected mai…

Toxicity of the extracellular products ofVibrio damsela isolated from diseased fish

1993

In this work we analyzed the pathogenic in vivo and in vitro activities for both fish and mammals of extracellular products (ECP) of several isolates of Vibrio damsela implicated in disease problems in marine culture. The ECP from all the strains were strongly lethal for fish (LD50 ranging from 0.06 to 3.7 μg protein/g fish) and mice (LD50 ranging from 0.02 to 0.43 μg protein/g mouse), causing death between 4 and 72 h after inoculation. These ECP samples possessed low proteolytic activity without production of caseinase, gelatinase, or elastase. However, most of them showed remarkable phospholipase and hemolytic activity for sheep, human, and turbot red blood cells. In addition, all the ECP…

Positronium spectroscopy at a LINAC-based slow positron source

1993

The slow positron facility TEPOS at the Giessen electron LINAC (36 MeV, 120 µA) has been used to produce an intense beam of moderated positrons which is magnetically guided over a distance of 9 m. At a transportation energy of 100 eV about 106 slow e+/s could be extracted out of the magnetic field (0.01 T) and have been electrostatically focussed inside a microwave guide. A small fraction of the positrons form positronium in the excited staten=2. The spontaneous emission of Lyman-α photons (λ=243 nm) from the 2P-states is observed by a photomultiplier. Microwave induced fine-structure transitions 23S1©23P2,1,0 have been observed at 8617(2), 13010(3) and 18494(2) MHz by an increase of the Ly…

Operation conditions and stability of a degenerate two-photon laser

1993

Abstract The presence of a far off-resonant intermediate level in a degenerate three-level two-photon laser model manifests through a steady pump-dependent and a dynamic frequency shift on the laser equations. The steady shift strongly affects the pump threshold necessary for emission, preventing it in certain cases. The dynamic shift makes the frequency pulling/pushing to be intensity-dependent and substantially modify the domains of existence and stability of the lasing solution permitting stable operation for large cavity losses in certain cases.