Poly(silylene-p-phenylene)s bearing an anthrylethynyl, pyrenylethynyl, or terthienyl group as the pendant were obtained in moderate yield, by substitution reactions of ...polyethoxy(methyl)silylene-p-phenylene with the corresponding organolithium reagents in THF. The polymers exhibited photoluminescent (PL) properties in solutions as well as in the films. They were photoactive and irradiation of the films in air with a low-pressure mercury lamp led to a decrease of PL efficiencies, being applicable to PL imaging of the films. The present polymers can be used also as hole-transporting materials in double-layer electroluminescent (EL) devices and the devices with the structure of ITO/polymer film/Alq3/Mg−Ag emitted a green EL arising from Alq3 emission.
By utilizing circular and linear dichroism, the binding mode of meso-tetrakis(n-N-methylpyridiniumyl)porphyrin (n = 2, 3, 4) to various DNAs was studied in this work. ...2-N-(methylpyridiniumyl)porphyrin(o-TMPyP), in which rotation of the periphery pyridinium ring is prevented, exhibits similar spectral properties when bound to DNA, polyd(G-C)(2) and polyd(A-T)(2), suggesting a similar binding mode. Close analysis of the spectral properties led us to conclude that o-TMPyP sits in the major groove. However, both 3-N- and 4-N-(methylpyridiniumyl)porphyrin (m- and p-TMPyP), of which the periphery pyridinium ring is free to rotate, intercalate between the basepairs of DNA and polyd(G-C)(2). In the presence of polyd(A-T)(2), m-TMPyP exhibits a typical bisignate excitonic CD spectrum in the Soret band, while p-TMPyP shows two positive CD bands. The excitonic CD spectrum of the m-TMPyP-polyd(A-T)(2) complex and the positive CD band of the o-TMPyP-polyd(A-T)(2) complex were not affected by the presence of the minor groove binding drug, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), indicating that this porphyrin is bound in the major groove. In contrast, two positive CD bands of the p-TMPyP-polyd(A-T)(2) complex altered in the presence of DAPI. From the changes in CD spectrum and other spectral properties, a few possible binding modes for p-TMPyP to polyd(A-T)(2) are suggested.
To evaluate the antithrombotic activities of puerarin and daidzin from the rhizome of Pueraria lobata, in vitro and ex vivo inhibitory activities of these compounds and their metabolite, daidzein, ...were measured. These compounds inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Daidzein was the most potent. However, when puerarin and daidzin were intraperitoneally administered, their antiaggregation activities were weaker than when these compounds were administered orally. When in vivo antithrombotic activities of these compounds against collagen and epinephrine were measured, these compounds showed significant protection from death due to pulmonary thrombosis in mice. To evaluate the antiallergic activity of puerarin, daidzin, and daidzein, their inhibitory effects on the release of β-hexosaminidase from RBL 2H3 cells and on the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction in mice were examined. Daidzein exhibited potent inhibitory activity on the β-hexosaminidase release induced by DNP-BSA and potently inhibited the PCA reaction in rats. Daidzein administered intraperitoneally showed the strongest inhibitory activity and significantly inhibited the PCA reaction at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg with inhibitory activity of 37 and 73%, respectively. The inhibitory activity of intraperitoneally administered daidzein was stronger than those of intraperitoneally and orally administered puerarin and daidzin. Therefore we believe that puerarin and daidzin in the rhizome of Pueraria lobata are prodrugs, which have antiallergic and antithrombotic activities, produced by intestinal microflora.
This is a retrospective review of 33 charts of patients with ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric neuralgias who underwent a neurectomy at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center between 1967 ...and 2000. Operations associated with neuralgias and postoperative pain outcomes were analyzed.
There were 23 ilioinguinal and 10 combined ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric neuralgias, and the side of the lesion and sex of the patient were found to be evenly distributed in this group. Nerve blocks must have resulted in a complete or substantial decrease in pain before a neurectomy was recommended. Twenty-nine (88%) of 33 neuralgia patients had injuries from iatrogenic causes, and 4 (12%) injuries were caused by blunt trauma. In the 23 isolated ilioinguinal neuralgias, the operation associated with neuralgias in 13 (57%) of 23 patients was a herniorrhaphy. This was followed by 4 (17%) neuralgias after an appendectomy and 3 (13%) after a hysterectomy. Three (13%) patients had neuralgias resulting from blunt trauma. Nine (90%) of 10 ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric lesions were caused by iatrogenic causes, and 1 (10%) neuralgia resulted from blunt trauma. A neurectomy was performed in all patients.
The neurectomy resulted in considerable pain relief in 21 (91%) of 23 patients with ilioinguinal lesions and 9 (90%) of 10 patients with ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric lesions. Postoperative side effects were persistent numbness below the resected nerve and loss of the cremasteric reflex. Minor postoperative complications consisted of two superficial skin infections.
Ilioinguinal and ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric neuralgias are infrequent conditions; however, 33 patients from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center were accrued and analyzed in this study, and most had significant pain relief after neurectomy.
Capsaicin (CAP), a neurotoxin, has been reported to activate a nonselective cation current in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In this paper, we identify and describe the properties of ...CAP-activated single channels in cultured neonatal rat DRG neurons. We first identified CAP-sensitive whole-cell currents that reversed near 0 mV in physiological solution. In solution containing 140 mM Na+, extracellular application of CAP to outside-out patches caused activation of an ion channel in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 1.1 microM). The channel was blocked by the CAP antagonist capsazepine (10 microM). The channel was also activated by 2-10 nM resiniferatoxin, a potent analog of CAP. In symmetrical 140 mM Na+, the single-channel slope conductances were 45.3 +/- 1.0 and 80.0 +/- 4.2 pS at -60 and +60 mV, respectively, showing outward rectification (n = 9). The reversal potential did not shift significantly when Na+ was replaced by K+, Cs+, Rb+, or Li+, showing that the channel discriminated poorly among cations. The channel was also permeable to Ca2+. Although acid (pH < 6.2) was suggested to be an endogenous activator of the CAP receptor, an acid solution (pH 5.9-6.0) failed to activate the channels in outside-out patches. This is the first clear demonstration of the presence of the CAP-activated ion channel in DRG neuron. Opening of these ligand-gated, cation-selective channels gives rise to the whole-cell CAP-activated current in DRG neurons and may underlie the neurotoxic effects of CAP.
A novel material updating scheme, which does not require intermediate states of a material used, is presented for source distribution optimization problems. A mutation factor to determine a degree of ...topological change in the next design stage on the basis of a current layout accelerates the convergence of an objective function. Easy implementation and fast convergence of the scheme are verified using two MRI design problems where current and permanent magnet distributions have been optimized, respectively.
Kulicke & Soffa’s Flip Chip Division (formerly Flip Chip Technologies), the market leader of wafer level packaging (WLP) technology, has developed a new WLP technology-the Spheron WLP™. Spheron WLP™ ...was developed with bump-on-polymer structure to decrease the input capacitance for high-speed applications.
During development of the Spheron WLP™ technology, a new polymer dielectric material was carefully selected from seven (7) materials that were tested in terms of reliability and manufacturability. The polymer selected demonstrated not only the best reliability but also provided exceptional manufacturability. The favorable mechanical toughness, high elongation, and excellent adhesion to organic and inorganic materials provided excellent performance in reliability tests.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Echinacea angustifolia is a widespread species distributed throughout the Great Plains region of North America. Genetic differentiation among populations was investigated along a ...1500 km north-south climatic gradient in North America, a region with no major geographical barriers. The objective of the study was to determine if genetic differentiation of populations could be explained by an isolation-by-distance model or by associations with climatic parameters known to affect plant growth and survival. METHODS: Historical climatic data were used to define the nature of the climatic gradient and AFLP markers were used to establish patterns of population genetic differentiation among ten Echinacea populations collected from North Dakota to Oklahoma. A total of 1290 fragments were scored using six EcoRI/MseI and three PstI/MseI primer combinations. Assessment of the correlation between climatic, genetic and geographic distances was assessed by Mantel and partial Mantel tests. KEY RESULTS: PstI/MseI combinations produced significantly fewer fragments, but a larger percentage was unique compared with EcoRI/MseI markers. Using estimates of Fsubscript ST, populations in Oklahoma and southern Kansas were identified as the most divergent from the other populations. Both the neighbour-joining tree and principal co-ordinate analysis clustered the populations in a north-south spatial orientation. About 60 % of the genetic variation was found within populations, 20 % among populations and the remaining 20 % was partitioned among groups that were defined by the topology of the neighbour-joining tree. Significant support was found for the isolation-by-distance model independent of the effects of annual mean precipitation, but not from annual mean temperature and freeze-free days. CONCLUSIONS: Echinacea angustifolia populations exhibit genetic divergence along a north-south climatic gradient. The data support an isolation-by-distance restriction in gene flow that is independent of annual mean precipitation.
PDF
