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Ophiopogon japonicus (Asparagaceae) is a perennial grass species which can be cultivated as an ornamental and medicinal plant. From April 2021 to September 2022, a serious leaf blight disease of O. japonicus was discovered in Rizhao City, Shandong Province, China. The initial disease symptoms were small yellow spots, finally developing as tip blight, often associated with many small, black, semi-immersed pycnidial conidiomata formed in lesions. To obtain isolates of the causal agent for this disease, samples were randomly collected from O. japonicus diseased leaves in Rizhao City. In total 97 Phyllosticta isolates were obtained from samples, and studied using morphological features and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses of a combined dataset using the internal transcribed spacers (ITS), the 28S large subunit of ribosomal RNA (LSU), and partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef), actin (act) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh) loci. Phylogenetically, these Phyllosticta isolates formed a clade in the P. concentrica species complex, and clustered with P. pilospora and P. spinarum. Morphologically, isolates in this clade differed from P. pilospora and P. spinarum by the size of conidiogenous cells and conidia, and the absence of an apical conidial appendage. As a result, these isolates were described as a novel species Phyllosticta rizhaoensis. Pathogenicity was confirmed using Koch’s postulates, which showed that P. rizhaoensis could induce leaf blight symptoms on O. japonicus in China.

Under ultraviolet (UV) excitation with photon energy larger than 4.5 eV, a charge-state conversion from negatively to neutrally charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV− to NV0) centers in diamond samples is realized. The UV-induced charge-state conversion is found to strongly depend on the N concentration in the sample and the irradiation fluence of the electron beam. For the samples with high N concentrations, low-fluence (2.5 × 1017 cm−2) 10-MeV electron beam irradiation usually leads to UV-induced charge-state conversion efficiency higher than that of the samples irradiated with high fluences (≥2.5 × 1018 cm−2). For the samples with a few ppm N, however, the charge-state conversion efficiency is relatively low in the cases of irradiation fluences in this work. Meanwhile, UV-induced NV0 luminescence exhibits temperature dependence different from that of visible-light excited NV0 or NV− centers; that is, the photoluminescence intensity does not reach saturation at temperatures lower than 135 K but decreases with the decrease in temperature. Based on the photoluminescence excitation spectra of NV0 centers in the UV region, the UV-induced charge-state conversion is suggested to involve free-hole generation, diffusion, and the capture by ground-state NV− centers.

The study aimed at investigating the value of systemic biopsy (sysPbx), magnetic resonance imaging/ultrasound fusion targeted biopsy (fusPbx) and fusPbx combined with sysPbx (comPbx) for prostate cancer (PCa) detection.Data from the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases were searched from inception until March 23, 2020. Prospective studies comparing the detection rates of sysPbx, fusPbx and comPbx were identified. We pooled the detection rates for all PCa, clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), and clinically insignificant prostate cancer (cinsPCa) of fusPbx, sysPbx, and comPbx. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated for the meta-analysis. Then, analyses were performed to identify the possible sources of heterogeneity.Seventeen studies, including 18 cohorts with 3035 men, were included. No patients had previous evidence of PCa. Each patient had one or more suspicious lesions found on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) and received both fusPbx and sysPbx. The results showed that fusPbx and sysPbx did not differ significantly in detecting all PCa (RR=1.00, 95% CI: 0.95-1.05, p0.05). However, fusPbx provided a higher detection rate for csPCa (RR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.14-1.34, p0.05) and a lower detection rate for cinsPCa (RR=0.68, 95% CI: 0.61-0.76, p0.05) than sysPbx. In addition, comPbx detected more PCa (RR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.16-1.29, p0.05) and csPCa cases (RR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.05-1.21, p0.05) than fusPbx.In men with positive mpMRI findings, compared to sysPbx, fusPbx had significantly increased the detection rates for csPCa and decreased those for cinsPCa. The combination of fusPbx with sysPbx outperformed fusPbx in detecting both overall PCa and csPCa.

For the first time, we demonstrate heterogeneous complementary FETs (hCFETs) with Ge and Si channels fabricated with a layer transfer technique. The 3D channel stacking integration particularly employs a low-temperature (200 °C) hetero-layers bonding technique (LT-HBT) realized by a surface activating chemical treatment at room temperature, enabling Ge channels bonded onto Si wafers. Furthermore, to obtain symmetric performance in n/p FETs, a multi-channel structure of two-channel Si and one-channel Ge is also implemented. Wafer-scale LT-HBT is demonstrated successfully, showing new opportunities for the ultimate device footprint scaling with heterogeneous integration.

For the first time, CMOS inverters and 6T-SRAM cells based on vertically stacked gate-all-around complementary FETs (CFETs) are experimentally demonstrated. Manufacturing difficulties of vertically stacked source and drain electrodes of the CFETs have been overcome by using junctionless transistors, thereby reducing the number of lithographic steps required. Furthermore, with post metallization treatments, both the voltage transfer characteristics (VTCs) of CMOS inverters and butterfly curves of SRAM show significant improvements due to the symmetry of nMOS and pMOS threshold voltages. Simulation shows that 3-dimensional CFET inverters have lower input parasitic capacitance than standard 2-dimensional CMOS, leading to reduced gate delay and lower power consumption.

Reacting hydrazones of arylaldehydes with Togni's CF3 -benziodoxolone reagent, in the presence of potassium hydroxide and cesium fluoride, induces a denitrogenative hydrotrifluoromethylation event to produce (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)arenes. This novel reaction was tolerant to many electronically-diverse functional groups and substitution patterns, as well as naphthyl- and heteroaryl-derived substrates. Advantages of this process include the easy access to hydrazone precursors on a large scale, speed and operational simplicity, and being transition metal-free.

In cases on compensation for personal injury, the issue of medical expense compensation involves the vital interests of the compensation obligor, the injured party and the medical institution. The rationality of medical expenses is likely to be controversial, however, there is no unified standard and stipulation for the medical expense rationality identification in forensic clinical identification at present, therefore, in the practice of judicial expertise, expert opinions easily become confused, and the legitimate rights of the parties could be infringed, which affects the impartiality and authority of judicial expertise. This article starts with the concept of medical expense and the rationality of medical expense and the reasons for disputes over the rationality of medical expense, to put forward the basic principles that should be followed in the identification of rationality of medical expenses, for peer reference.医疗费合理性的法医学鉴定探讨.在人身损害赔偿案件中，医疗费赔偿问题涉及赔偿义务人、受害方及医疗机构三方的切身利益，医疗费合理性问题较易产生争议，但法医临床学鉴定中的医疗费合理性鉴定目前并无统一的标准和规范，故在司法鉴定实践中容易出现鉴定意见的混乱，并可能侵犯当事人的合法权益，从而影响司法鉴定的公正性及权威性。本文主要从医疗费及医疗费合理性的概念以及医疗费合理性争议产生的原因入手，提出进行医疗费合理性鉴定应该遵循的基本原则，以供同行参考。.法医学；司法鉴定；费用，医疗；合理用药；补偿和赔偿.

$\Omega$ -gated negative capacitance (NC) FinFETs, CMOS inverters and SRAM are fabricated and analyzed. Forming gas annealing (FGA) is performed and found to not only enhance ferroelectricity (FE) but also the NCFET electrostatics, in terms of higher $\mathrm{I}_{\mathrm{ON}}$ , smaller hysteresis and subthreshold slop (SS). The SS is less than 60 mV/dec for both N-FinFET and P-FinFET in this work. Moreover, the CMOS inverter shows more symmetric and larger voltage gain after FGA.

Single-crystal films are at the foundation of a number of advanced technologies, such as for devices related to microelectronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, and superconducting electronics. In this study, high-temperature annealing was used to rehabilitate the MgO(001) surface to improve the crystallinity of highly epitaxial LaBaCo2O5+δ (LBCO) films, which have demonstrated potential for applications in fast gas sensors. In comparison with the LBCO film grown on the as-received substrate, solid evidence is presented to support that the rehabbed substrates facilitate deposition of single-crystal LBCO films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at the optimized conditions. Thus, substrate annealing is demonstrated to be a practical and effective method for rehabbing the damaged surface of a substrate induced by manufacture and surface milling and is promising for a range of important applications based on the growth of single-crystal films.

In this paper, the effects of Z-pin diameter and Z-pin length on the tensile properties of carbon fiber reinforced laminates were studied. A new Z-pin insertion technique which causes less microdamage damage than the original method was developed. Experimental testing reveals that the in-plane tensile strength of Z-pin specimens is 96.98%-105.32% of the control group. The best performance of in-plane tensile properties is TF18 group which pinned by full-depth Φ0.18mm diameter. The tensile strength increases by 5.32%, and the Young’s modulus increases by 4.71% relative to the control group. Compared with the group of large diameter Z-pin, the in-plane performance of the ultra-fine diameter group is better due to the less in-plane damage. In the half-depth group, delamination occurred between the middle Z-pin sublayer and the upper and lower layers, thus reducing the in-plane tensile property. The Poisson’s ratio increases in both full depth and half depth after Z-pinned and it is only related to insertion depth.

In order to improve the performance of the multi-legged robot, the impact of foot-terrain is an important target to measure the performance of the robot. In order to ensure the compliance contact of foot-terrain for the legged robot, it is essential to add passive spring between the calf and foot. The mechanical structure makes the leg of hexapod robot retractable passive elastic structure. For multi-legged robots with passive elastic legs, the foot-terrain impact model is presented to measure the dynamic performance and provide theoretical support for the low impact force motion planning. The traditional planning method will cause additional impact for the switching case between the swing and stance phase. This paper presents a motion planning method that considers the deformable leg structure and impact performance. The experiments have been carried out, and the results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the foot terrain impact model and motion planning method in comparison with a conventional method.

Biofouling seriously affects the properties and service life of metal materials. A number of studies have shown that the initial bacterial attachment to the metal surface and the subsequent formation of biofilm are dependent on the surface characteristics of the substratum, including metal surface free energy, roughness and metallurgical features. In this study, a novel recombinant fusion protein, which consists of receptor binding domain protein (RBD), truncated protein fragment of MrpF and alkaline phosphatase (PhoA) domains, has been constructed in an attempt to increase the surface contact angle of stainless steel. It has been confirmed that RBD has a strong affinity to 304 stainless steel; the truncated protein fragment of MrpF has high hydrophobicity and anchoring features, which can improve the contact angle of the material surface, whilst PhoA is an effective detection tool to monitor the expression and secretion of fusion protein. Multiple assays including FTIR, XPS, SEM-EDS and contact angle measurement revealed the existence of nitrogen and sulfur elements, binding energy shifts of nitrogen, carbon and oxygen atoms, and new FTIR peaks in treated stainless steel samples with increased contact angles at about 50°, confirming that a new organic steel material has been produced responding to these surface property changes. Using novel recombinant peptides to react with steel could become a new technique to increase the surface contact angle of the stainless steel for diverse applications.

This chapter is devoted to thermal denaturation and coagulation of food proteins and reviews the mechanisms of thermal denaturation and the factors that affect thermal denaturation as they relate to protein coagulation. The denaturation of food protein is a prerequisite in the exhibition of any functional property. The extent to which proteins unfold when denatured and the conformation they assume upon denaturation affect the functional and nutritional quality of foods during processing. It is important, therefore, that the interrelationship between protein denaturation and protein functionality be firmly established. The denaturation of egg albumin by urea proceeds in two stages: aggregation of the molecules, which makes the protein insoluble, and splitting of the molecules, which makes them soluble. Denaturation of food proteins has been defined as a process in which the spatial arrangement of polypeptide chains within the molecule is changed from that typical of the native protein to a more disordered arrangement.

This study investigated the effects of immune complexes (ICs) on tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and B cell-activating factor (BAFF) production from U937 cells and further explored the mechanism.U937 cells were incubated with necrosis supernatant or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera alone, or their combination. The expression of TNF-α and BAFF was determined by Real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. High mobility group box protein 1(HMGB1) A-box was produced by gene recombination. HMGB1 A-box and anti-receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) antibody were adopted in the blocking experiments. The importance of DNA for cytokine induction was investigated by DNase treatment.The combination of necrosis supernatant and SLE sera induced the expression of TNF-α and BAFF significantly increased compared to necrosis supernatant or SLE sera alone. Recombinant HMGB1 A-box protein was purified, and TNF-α and BAFF production, which were induced by this combination, was blocked via HMGB1 A-box and anti-RAGE antibody. Moreover, we found that DNA component is important for the immunostimulatory activity of this combination.ICs containing DNA can promote TNF-α and BAFF production in U937 cells, and this process can be mediated by HMGB1 and RAGE. One possible mechanism of increasing BAFF production in SLE is proposed in this study whereby B cell activation, antibody production and ICs stimulated monocytes may create a vicious cycle that leads to B cell hyperactivity, which can be of importance for SLE etiopathogenesis.

To analyze the expression of profilin-1 in endothelial cells of rats with acute myocardial infarction.Twenty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the myocardial infarction (model) group (n=10) and sham-operation (control) group (n=10). The expression of profilin-1 and phosphorylated extracellular signal kinase (pERK1/2) in aortic endothelial cells, indexes of endothelial injury [levels of endothelial microparticles (EMPs) and nitric oxide (NO)], indexes of myocardial injury [cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB)], and mRNA levels of myocardial apoptotic factors (P53, Fas, Bax, and Bcl-2) in rats between the two groups were compared.The expression of profilin-1 and pERK1/2 in aortic endothelial cells of rats in the model group was higher than in the control group (p0.05), the levels of EMPs were increased, and NO levels were lower (p0.05); cTnT and CK-MB in myocardial tissue, and mRNA of pro-apoptotic factors (P53, Fas, and Bax) were increased, whereas Bcl-2 mRNA was decreased (p0.05). The protein expression of profilin-1 and pERK1 was positively correlated with the levels of cTnT, CK-MB, EMP, P53, Fas, and Bax, and negatively correlated with the levels of NO and Bcl-2 (p0.05).The high expression of profilin-1 is an important mechanism of acute myocardial infarction, and is expected to become a new target for the treatment of myocardial infarction.

The structure, optical and PL characteristics of La2Hf2O7 (LHO) films deposited by rf sputtering and subsequently annealed at 800-950°C are studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV/VIS spectrophotometry, and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Structural studies indicate that LHO films with 37% atomic ratio of La/(La+Hf) have shown high crystallization temperature higher than 900°C. The scaling behaviors of AFM topographical profiles were analysed using one-dimensional power spectral density analysis (1DPSD). For as-grown films, only one growth exponent α is evidenced. For annealed films two different slopes α1 and α2 were observed, indicating distinct growth dynamic in LHO films. The estimated optical band gap was found to be in the range of 5.18-5.55 eV. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of LHO films in visible light range (i.e., at 412~435 nm and 468 nm, respectively) can be attributed to localized states at the band tails and oxygen vacancies, respectively. This PL can be diminished or decreased by adjusting structural properties i.e. the amount of oxygen vacancies or some other kind of structure defects in the films by thermal annealing processing.

Whether natural product drug discovery programs should rely on wild plants collected "randomly" from the natural environment, or whether they should also include plants collected on the basis of use in traditional medicine remains an open question.This study analyzes whether plants with ethnomedical uses from Vietnam and Laos have a higher hit rate in bioassay testing than plants collected from a national park in Vietnam with the goal of maximizing taxonomic diversity ("random" collection).All plants were extracted and subjected to bioassay in the same laboratories. Results of assays of plant collections and plant parts (samples) were scored as active or inactive based on whether any extracts had a positive result in a bioassay. Contingency tables were analyzed using χ(2) statistics.Random collections had a higher hit rate than ethnomedical collections, but for samples, ethnomedical plants were more likely to be active. Ethnomedical collections and samples had higher hit rates for tuberculosis, while samples, but not collections, had a higher hit rate for malaria. Little evidence was found to support an advantage for ethnomedical plants in HIV, chemoprevention and cancer bioassays. Plants whose ethnomedical uses directly correlated to a bioassay did not have a significantly higher hit rate than random plants.Plants with ethnomedical uses generally had a higher rate of activity in some drug discovery bioassays, but the assays did not directly confirm specific uses.Ethnomedical uses may contribute to a higher rate of activity in drug discovery screening.

According to the complementary nature of different power supplies, we proposed an optimal control system model based on model predictive control (MPC) in existing automatic generation control (AGC) framework to support effective operation of the AGC with the considerations of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and controllable loads, to achieve full utilization of renewable energy sources, and to reduce the imbalance between supply and demand in the grid as far as possible. According to dynamics and update rate of power supplies at different time scales, as well as their actual power and energy constraints, MPC load distributor can find a solution of the MPC programming problem to well control the reserve capacities from the conventional generators, PEVs and controllable loads so that the tracking error of area control error (ACE) can be minimized. Massive simulation studies were performed under various control elements, such as different power combinations, different control reserve capacities, different ramp rates and different input control update rates. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The low cycle fatigue behaviour of the hot extruded Al–4Mg–1Nd alloy has been investigated under those total strain amplitudes ranged from 0·3 to 1·2% at room temperature. The results of the low cycle fatigue experiments show that during the fatigue deformation, the significant cyclic strain hardening and stable cyclic stress response can be noted for the hot extruded Al–4Mg–1Nd alloy. The relationship between elastic and plastic strain amplitudes with reversals to failure shows a monotonic linear behaviour, and can be described by the Basquin and Coffin–Manson equations respectively. It is also observed that at the higher total strain amplitudes of 0·8 to 1·2%, the so called dynamic strain aging takes place during the fatigue deformation of hot extruded Al–4Mg–1Nd alloy. In addition, the observations on the fracture surfaces reveal that under the low cycle fatigue loading condition, the fatigue cracks initiate transgranularly at the free surface of fatigue specimens and propagate in a transgranul...

The methods of POD isoenzyme extraction and electrophoresis were optimized. The result showed that 3 to 6 month young leaf was suitable for POD isoenzyme. The extraction buffer contains 0.05 mol/L phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) and 0.1 % TritonX-100. POD isoenzyme was separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The zymogram of POD isoenzyme increased from 8 to 17 using improved POD extraction and electrophoresis methods. The zymogram was divided into 4 regions. Region I and III were active regions. The zymograms in these regions were active and conserved. Region II and IV were weak regions, and the zymograms were weak. It was concluded that the second and third bands were distinct bands.

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to monitor changes in the secondary structure and thermal stability of vicilin from Dolichos lablab (DLV) and Phaseolus calcaratus (PCV) under different environmental conditions. The IR spectra of DLV and PCV in the amide I′ region (1700–1600 cm−1) showed that β-sheets and β-turns were the major secondary structures. Highly acidic and alkaline pH conditions induced changes in the secondary structure. DSC thermograms showed that raising pH from near neutrality decreased denaturation temperature (Td) and enthalpy of denaturation (ΔH). Chaotropic salts (1.0 M) caused a transition from β-sheet to random coil structures, and their effects on thermal stability followed the lyotropic series of anions. Addition of several protein structure perturbants caused changes in IR band intensities and DSC thermal characteristics, indicating protein denaturation.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a primary animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS predominantly presents with evidence of lesions in the subcortical periventricular white matter regions of the brain. Research into the pathogenesis of the demyelinating lesions in the brain has been hampered by the fact that conventional models of EAE present with progressive ascending paralysis which recapitulates mainly the spinal cord lesions of multiple sclerosis. There is little evidence of brain involvement. Systemic administration of pertussis toxin (PTx) has been shown to induce the proinflammatory cascade of TGF-beta, IL-6, and Th17 in the central nervous system, which recently has been identified as essential in the development of EAE. To determine whether intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of PTx would result in subcortical periventricular demyelinating lesions in the brain, we examined the effect in a MOG induced EAE model. We found that icv PTx induced subcortical periventricular brain lesions that resemble the pathologic demyelinating lesions of MS. Moreover, icv PTx induced Th17 infiltration and increased expression of cytokines IL-6 and TGF-beta. We thus generated a highly reproducible model with remarkable histological similarities to the predominant demyelinating brain lesions seen in MS.

Soy proteins are used in many foods. Traditional soy-based foods include soy milk, tofu, and soy sauce. 'Fabricated foods' involve the use of soy-protein isolates to produce meat analogs, frozen desserts, beverages, coffee whiteners, soups and sauces, pizza toppings, and various bakery products. Soybeans contain some anti-nutritional factors, but these difficulties can largely be overcome by heat treatment.

Biofouling on metal surfaces is one of the main reasons for increased ship drag. Many methods have already been used to reduce or remove it with moderate success. In this study, a synthetic peptide has been utilized to react with 304 stainless steel aiming to generate a bioorganic stainless steel using a facile technique. After the reaction, white matter was found on the surface of the treated stainless steel via SEM, whilst the nontreated stainless steel had none. Elemental analysis confirmed that excessive N existed on the surface of the treated samples using an integrated SEM-EDS instrument, implying the presence of peptides binding on the surface of the bioorganic stainless steel. The FTIR spectra showed amide A and II peaks on the surface of the bioorganic stainless steel suggesting that either the peptides grafted onto the steel surface or the polypeptide composition accumulated on the steel samples. XPS analysis of the treated steel demonstrated that there was nitrogen bonding on the surface and it was a chemical bond via a previously unreported chemical interaction. The treated steel has a markedly increased contact angle (water contact angle of 65.7 ± 4.7° for nontreated steel in comparison to treated, 96.4 ± 2.1°), which supported the observation of the wettability change of the surface, i.e. the decrease of the surface energy value after peptide treatment. The changes of the surface parameters (such as, Sa, Sq, Ssk and Sku) of the treated steel by surface analysis were observed.

Salt-soluble globulin was extracted from common buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) seeds. The protein content of buckwheat globulin (BWG) was over 90%. Anion-exchange chromatography (with stepwise salt gradient elution) was used to obtain two fractions of BWG, corresponding to the basic and acidic polypeptides, respectively, at a ratio of approximately 1:2. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the acidic and basic polypeptides were linked by disulfide bonds. The basic polypeptide has an estimated molecular weight of 23–25 kDa, an isoelectric point in slightly alkaline region (pH 8–9), and showed a high degree of homology with other legumin-like proteins. Disulfide and sulfhydryl contents in BWG were estimated as 36.4 and 3.20 μM/g of protein, respectively. BWG exhibited beneficial functional properties such as high solubility, emulsifying activity and emulsion stability, while the foaming properties were relatively poor. BWG had lower water holding capacity and comparable fat binding capacity when compared to a commercial soy protein product.

Three food proteins, soy protein isolates, spray-dried egg white, and whey protein isolates, were acetylated to varying levels, and the extent of modification was determined by wet chemistry methods. Raman spectra of the modified proteins were obtained. A new C=O stretching vibration was observed at 1737cm-1 and was attributed to ester carbonyl groups appended to the proteins during acetylation. Calibration curves were obtained by plotting the intensity ratio of this Raman band to the 1003cm-1 phenylalanine stretching band against the extent of substituted hydroxyl groups. Linear fits were obtained with correlation coefficient r> 0.9979. The Raman spectral data were also analyzed to study the effect of acetylation on the conformation of the 3 proteins. Marked conformational changes were observed in the modified proteins.

The conformation of rice globulin was studied by Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopy as influenced by different buffer environments and heat treatments. The Raman spectrum of the native protein showed a predominance of α-helical structures as indicated by major amide I and III bands at 1657 and 1270 cm −1 , respectively. Highly acidic and alkaline pH conditions induced band shifts and intensity changes in amide I, amide III, and C–H (bending and stretching) vibrations, indicating protein denaturation. Addition of dithiothreitol and β-mercaptoethanol led to changes in S–S stretching vibration, whereas ethylene glycol and urea caused marked changes in tryptophan, tyrosine Fermi doublet and C–H band intensities. Heating at 100 °C resulted in progressive denaturation as indicated by band shifts and intensity changes of major spectral regions. Our results revealed that hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds play a major role in stabilizing the conformation and in thermal aggregation of rice globulin.

We have investigated how the non-zwitterionic and zwitterionic structures of aliphatic-only tripeptides affect the formation and dissociation of peptide radical cations in the gas phase. The non-zwitterionic forms of the aliphatic-only peptides in their metal complexes play an important role in determining whether the electron transfer pathway predominates. We extended this study by synthesizing permanent non-zwitterionic and zwitterionic forms of aliphatic-only peptide radical cations and exploring their reactivities in the gas phase. Collision-induced dissociation spectra demonstrated the feasibility of generating both non-zwitterionic and zwitterionic forms. Radical cations in zwitterionic forms may indeed mediate the beta and gamma carbon-carbon bond cleavages of leucine and isoleucine side chains from the GlyGlyXle radical peptides; this feature allows leucine and isoleucine residues to be distinguished unambiguously.

This paper considers the characteristics of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) traffic. We start by constructing a WAP traffic model by analysing the behaviour of users accessing public WAP sites via a monitoring system. A wide range of different traffic scenarios were considered, but most of these scenarios resolve to one of two basic types. The paper then uses this traffic model to consider the effects of large quantities of WAP traffic on the core network. One traffic characteristic which is of particular interest in network dimensioning is the degree of self-similarity, so the paper looks at the characteristics of aggregated traffic with WAP, Web and packet speech components to estimate its self-similarity. The results indicate that, while WAP traffic alone does not exhibit a significant degree of self-similarity, a combined load from various traffic sources retains almost the same degree of self-similarity as the most self-similar individual source.