CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE THEORY OF GLASS FORMATION AND THE GLASSY STATE*

An attempt has been made to assimilate the most important results of recent glass research into a theory of glass formation and the glassy state and to discuss it in relation to present knowledge of physics, chemistry, and colloidal chemistry. The formation of glass from the liquid state, in contrast to crystallization, is a continuous path from the liquid, through the viscous (supercooled) to the brittle state. The transformation point (Tjp) represents the boundary temperature between viscous and brittle glass, at which boundary the property-temperature coefficients more or less suddenly change. Property values are influenced by thermal history which can not be explained by mechanical strains. Therefore, while a melt is cooled, an inner change of state, dynamic aggregation, is assumed which takes more and more time as the transformation point is approached and is completely checked at lower temperatures. The question of the thermodynamic stability of the glassy state thus becomes a problem. The difference between “unchecked” (lasting) and “checked” displacements of state is explained with respect to a series of properties. From measurements of the viscosity and of the electric conductivity at temperatures from 1300 down to 300°C, it is shown that the liquid or viscous state follows a simple hyperbolic law, according to which these properties can only continue down to a lower limiting temperature (7V) above the absolute zcro point. The brittle state begins at the transformation point and follows a new law, knowledge of which is made more difficult by sooner or later “checking” the displacements of state. From the previous two different laws, it follows that brittle glass is something other than a supercooled liquid. The transformation point can not be thermodynamically explained. Molecular kinetic considerations make it appear to be that temperature at which densest packing with a cessation of free molecular kinetic motion of the particles is reached. Changes in the brittle state are explained from an atom-kinetic point of view (shrinking of particle volumes) provided no changes in the state of aggregation occur. Dynamic aggregation takes place by the formation of primary and secondary particles. The structure of secondary particles is compared to a roll of coins and this picture is used to explain negative expansion under pressure, peculiarities in expansion curves, and the beginning of brittleness. According to colloidal chemical considerations, the glassy or viscous states represent a solution of secondary particles as the disperse phase in a dispersing medium of primary particles and individual molecules, and the transformation point represents the boundary temperature between viscous and brittle glass paralleled by the gelatinizing temperature characteristic of the change from a sol to a gel. Support for the colloidal-chemical conception is obtained from observations on rapidly cooled glass melts and from reaction kinetic. Changes of property in the brittle and viscous states are proportional to the logarithm of the time, z, a law which is also found in elastic after-working, in isothermal dissociation of carbonates, and in some other instances. This law can he deduced from v. Smoluchowski's theory of coagulation. The disappearance of, double refraction of chilled glasses due to annealing (cooling) can also be linked to the log Z law.     

Lipoxygenase Products in the Urine Correlate with Renal Function and Body Temperature but not with Acute Transplant Rejection

Acute transplant rejection is the leading cause of graft loss in the first months after kidney transplantation. Lipoxygenase products mediate pro- and anti-inflammatory actions and thus we aimed to correlate the histological reports of renal transplant biopsies with urinary lipoxygenase products concentrations to evaluate their role as a diagnostic marker. This study included a total of 34 kidney transplant recipients: 17 with an acute transplant rejection and 17 controls. LTE4, LTB4, 12-HETE and 15-HETE concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Urinary lipoxygenase product concentrations were not significantly changed during an acute allograft rejection. Nevertheless, LTB4 concentrations correlated significantly with the body temperature (P ≤ 0.05) 3 months after transplantation, and 12- and 15-HETE concentrations correlated significantly with renal function (P ≤ 0.05) 2 weeks after transplantation. In conclusion, our data show a correlation for LTB4 with the body temperature 3 months after transplantation and urinary 12- and 15-HETE concentrations correlate positively with elevated serum creatinine concentrations but do not predict acute allograft rejection.     

New developments in endoscopy

Beside the developments of new imaging modalities in endoscopy, efforts have been made to improve therapeutical possibilities of endoscopic interventions. In addition to the improvement or even development of new instruments for flexible and rigid endoscopy, the potentials of the new technique of argon-plasma-coagulation in ENT are only hardly discovered. This innovative method is based on high-frequency (HF) electric current for non contact tissue coagulation via ionized argon gas. It leads to a homogeneous coagulation and desiccation zone with a limited and controlled tissue penetration. In addition a multifunctional instrument is presented for the resection of tumors in the upper aero-digestive tract which is able to cut and coagulate tissue on an HF basis and is provided with a channel for suction and irrigation. Additional instruments are offered for the laser surgical resection of tumors through the microlaryngoscope. These instruments are equipped with a cable connection for HF current and are helpful for controlling and managing large bleeding tumor masses. The increasing significance of the flexible endoscopy in ENT surgery is being taken into consideration by the development of additional instruments to remove all kind of foreign bodies in the esophagus or tracheo bronchial system. Through the creation of new materials it is also possible to perform an endoscopic dilatation of esophageal or hypopharyngeal stenoses with a reduced risk of perforations.     

Generative lexicon principles for machine translation: A case for meta-lexical structure

This paper addresses two types of mismatches in the translation of reported speech between German and English. The first mismatch is between the repeated use of the reported speech construction in English and the use of subjunctive in German used to indicate continued attribution. The second mismatch concerns the difference in usage of metonymic extensions in the subject position of reported speech. Examples show the different styles of reporting the utterances of somebody else. A well-structured lexicon is presented as one step to the solution of the problems presented. One key feature of the proposed lexicon is a meta-lexical organization of basic word entries, which is shown to facilitate the translation process. We contrast our notions of lexical structure with different recent proposals in machine translation.     

Role of sialoglycan structures for the function of the epidermal growth factor receptor and the in vitro proliferation of head and neck cancer

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck have been found to show a high expression of the receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGF). This overexpression of the receptor has been associated with malignant transformation of cells, although there is still debate as to what extent this receptor takes part in the proliferation of malignant cells and which function it fulfills. The factors which determine receptor-ligand interaction are also not clearly defined. That the extracellular domain of the EGF receptor carries carbohydrate or sialoglycan structures might be important for function of the receptor. Since tumor specific enzymes can possibly alter such structures, it was the aim of our study to investigate the role of these structures on the EGF receptor during the proliferation of head and neck carcinomas. We used the human laryngeal squamous carcinoma cell line HLaC 79 and altered, for the first time, specific glycan structures with sialidase alpha-2,3 and alpha-2,6, causing desialylation. Changes were also produced by endo-beta-galactosidase and sialyltransferase. Findings were monitored by labeling with bromo-deoxyuridine. To determine receptor affinity, 125I-labeled EGF was employed. Results showed that both cell proliferation and receptor affinity depended on the level of sialylation of the receptor carbohydrate side chains. Desialylation led to a statistically significant reduction of tumor cell proliferation to 65 +/- 33% (P < 0.01), while receptor affinity decreased to 70 +/- 26% (P < 0.01). The importance of EGF receptor for the proliferation of malignant cells seems to depend on the level of sialylation of glycan structures on receptor protein. A release of enzymes by tumor cells may then produce auto-control of tumor proliferation on its own.     

Structural Features of a Full-Length Ubiquitin Ligase Responsible for the Formation of Patches at the Plasma Membrane

Plant U-box armadillo repeat (PUB-ARM) ubiquitin (Ub) ligases have important functions in plant defense through the ubiquitination of target proteins. Defense against pathogens involves vesicle trafficking and the formation of extracellular vesicles. The PUB-ARM protein SENESCENCE ASSOCIATED UBIQUITIN E3 LIGASE1 (SAUL1) can form patches at the plasma membrane related to tethering multi-vesicular bodies (MVBs) to the plasma membrane. We uncovered the structure of a full-length plant ubiquitin ligase and the structural requirements of SAUL1, which are crucial for its function in patch formation. We resolved the structure of SAUL1 monomers by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAUL1 model showed that SAUL1 consists of two domains: a domain containing the N-terminal U-box and armadillo (ARM) repeats and the C-terminal ARM repeat domain, which includes a positively charged groove. We showed that all C-terminal ARM repeats are essential for patch formation and that this function requires arginine residue at position 736. By applying SAXS to polydisperse SAUL1 systems, the oligomerization of SAUL1 is detectable, with SAUL1 tetramers being the most prominent oligomers at higher concentrations. The oligomerization domain consists of the N-terminal U-box and some N-terminal ARM repeats. Deleting the U-box resulted in the promotion of the SAUL1 tethering function. Our findings indicate that structural changes in SAUL1 may be fundamental to its function in forming patches at the plasma membrane.     

On-line recording of solar cooker use rate by a novel metering device: Prototype description and experimental verification of output data

A metering device for the determination of solar cooker use rate is presented. The device records food temperature, ambient temperature and irradiance. Automatic data evaluation yields the number of cooking cycles, cooking time, food “thermal mass”, as well as the impact on fuel consumption and GHG emission compared to other cooking techniques. Metering results are compared with actual conditions for box-type and concentrating solar cookers and found to be in agreement.     

Oximetry for amniotic fluid embolism detection in mini-pigs: tail or snout?

The continuous, non-invasive real-time monitoring of arterial oxygenation (pulse oximetry) has become a standard of care in both human and veterinary medicine. It allows reliable, simple and inexpensive assessment of the arterial oxygenation status. In pigs, commonly used sites for oximetry-probe placement are the ear, snout or tongue, while more recently the 'pig-tail oximetry' has been suggested. In a study regarding the coagulation system during amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) in mini-pigs, we compared tail and snout for oximetry-probe placement and compared them with the 'gold standard': blood-gas analysis (BGA). In both the AFE group and the control group, the tail measurements were slightly lower and the snout measurements were slightly higher than the BGA results. In the experimental model used, both tail and snout measurements were able to detect a temporary desaturation immediately after amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). Blood-gas analysis (BGA) performed on blood drawn from a large artery missed the event. Clinically, there is no significant difference between snout and tail as oximetry-probe placement sites: both are reliable oximetry sites in mini-pigs.     

The influence of an arterial and venous air embolism on the hearing level in laboratory mini pigs

During a previous study, we noted that the distension and strain of the femoral artery were relatively low when the bladder was full, a situation normally necessary for transabdominal echography. Therefore, in the present study we investigated the influence of bladder filling, if any, on wall properties of the common femoral artery. The results obtained were compared with those obtained in the common carotid artery. The study was performed on the right common carotid and right common femoral arteries of normotensive young (18-35 y) female volunteers (n = 24). Using a specially designed ultrasonic wall-tracking device and automatic brachial artery cuff blood pressure measurements, arterial distension (absolute change in diameter during the cardiac cycle; deltaD), strain (deltaD/D), and cross-sectional distensibility (DC) and compliance (CC) were determined before and after voiding. Distension and strain of the common femoral artery were significantly lower for a full than for an empty bladder. DC and CC were lower when the bladder was filled, but these differences did not reach the level of significance. Blood pressure as measured at the level of the brachial artery and heart rate were not statistically significantly different during a full or an empty bladder. It is concluded that bladder filling affects femoral artery wall properties, an observation that should be kept in mind when performing studies on artery wall properties at this level of the circulation.