Several high temperature polyimides, as model polymers with various chain rigidities and chain orders, were synthesized through the polycondensation of p-phenylene diamine (PDA) with five different aromatic dianhydrides [i.e., pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), and 4,4′-hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalic anhydride (6F)], and investigated in terms of structure and properties. Both fully rodlike PMDA-PDA and ether-linked ODPA-PDA polyimides showed excellent orientation and poor ordering of chain in x-ray diffraction patterns, whereas both biphenyl-linked (BPDA-PDA) and carbonyl-linked (BTDA-PDA) polyimides exhibited excellent orientation and high ordering of chain. However, hexafluoroisopropylidene-linked 6F-PDA polyimide is structureless. The coherence length along the chain axis, which is a measure of chain rigidity and ordering, was estimated from (00l) peaks of x-ray diffraction patters: 6F-PDA (could not be measured) <ODPA-PDA (95 Å)<BTDA-PDA (98 Å)<BPDA-PDA (104 Å)<PMDA-PDA (130 Å). In films prepared on substrates, all polyimides were preferentially oriented in the film plane. However, the degree of molecular in-plane orientation strongly depended on the coherence length. Higher coherence length, i.e., higher chain rigidity and ordering, caused higher in-plane orientation of chains. However, the chain rigidity is more critically responsible for molecular in-plane orientation, in comparison to the chain ordering. Higher in-plane orientation of chains led to larger anisotropies of refractive indices and dielectric constants, higher in-plane modulus, lower in-plane thermal expansion coefficient, and lower residual stress.

In atrial myocytes immunocytochemistry has shown two groups of ryanodine receptors (RyRs): those at the periphery colocalized with dihydropyridine receptors (DHPRs) and those at the cell interior not associated with DHPRs. The extent to which the two sets of RyRs are controlled by Ca2+ current (ICa) or Ca2+ diffusion remains to be determined. Here, using rapid (240 Hz) two‐dimensional confocal Ca2+ imaging in rat atrial myocytes, we examine directly the role of ICa on the two‐dimensional patterns of local and focal Ca2+ releases. ICa evoked peripheral Ca2+ release within 1–4 ms, causing a rapid monophasic local rise of Ca2+, which then propagated into the cell interior along sarcomeric lines (∼2 μm) with a velocity of ∼230 μm s−1, even though we found no evidence for organized t‐tubules using di‐8‐ANEPPS staining. ICa‐triggered Ca2+ release in the cell centre, on the other hand, had both a rapid (≤12 ms) and slower delayed components (12–50 ms). The voltage dependence of peripheral Ca2+ release and the two components of central release was bell shaped, and the magnitude of each release component was linearly related to ICa. Premature termination (2–10 ms) of ICa was equally effective in abbreviating both the peripheral and slow central Ca2+ release. High concentration of Ca2+ buffers (2–5 mm EGTA plus 1 mm fluo‐3) completely abolished the ICa‐gated propagation wave and the slow delayed component of Ca2+ release, but had little or no effect on the rapid component of central release. The efficacy of ICa to trigger Ca2+ release in periphery of the myocyte was ∼5 times higher than in the centre, consistent with the smaller measured central Ca2+ release. The quantification of central Ca2+ release as a function of peripheral release suggests a cooperative gating mechanism(s) for central release. These findings indicate that both ICa and diffusion of Ca2+ from the peripheral sites contribute to the gating of Ca2+ release from central SR. How in fact the ICa‐dependent fast component of central release is activated remains to be determined.

An ethanol extract of Psoralea corylifolia caused strong DNA polymerase inhibition in a whole cell bioassay specific for inhibitors of DNA replication enzymes. Bioassay-directed purification of the active compounds led to the isolation of the new compound corylifolin (1) and the known compound bakuchiol (2) as DNA polymerase inhibitors. On the basis of the structures of 1 and 2, resveratrol (3) was tested and found to be active as a DNA polymerase inhibitor in this bioassay. Neobavaisoflavone (4) was isolated as a DNA polymerase inhibitor, daidzein (5) as a DNA polymerase and topoisomerase II inhibitor, and bakuchicin (6) as a topoisomerase II inhibitor.

In this study, a comparison in the precipitation extremes as exhibited by the seven reference datasets is made to ascertain whether the inferences based on these datasets agree or they differ. These seven datasets, roughly grouped in three categories i.e. rain-gauge based (APHRODITE, CPC-UNI), satellite-based (TRMM, GPCP1DD) and reanalysis based (ERA-Interim, MERRA, and JRA55), having a common data period 1998-2007 are considered. Focus is to examine precipitation extremes in the summer monsoon rainfall over South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia. Measures of extreme precipitation include the percentile thresholds, frequency of extreme precipitation events and other quantities. Results reveal that the differences in displaying extremes among the datasets are small over South Asia and East Asia but large differences among the datasets are displayed over the Southeast Asian region including the maritime continent. Furthermore, precipitation data appear to be more consistent over East Asia among the seven datasets. Decadal trends in extreme precipitation are consistent with known results over South and East Asia. No trends in extreme precipitation events are exhibited over Southeast Asia. Outputs of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) simulation data are categorized as high, medium and lowresolution models. The regions displaying maximum intensity of extreme precipitation appear to be dependent on model resolution. High-resolution models simulate maximum intensity of extreme precipitation over the Indian sub-continent, medium-resolution models over northeast India and South China and the low-resolution models over Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand. In summary, there are differences in displaying extreme precipitation statistics among the seven datasets considered here and among the 29 CMIP5 model data outputs.

Dysregulated bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) may contribute to the development and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Herein, we report that BMP-6 promotes the growth of RCC by interleukin (IL)-10-mediated M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). BMP-6-mediated IL-10 expression in macrophages required Smad5 and STAT3. In human RCC specimens, the three-marker signature BMP-6/IL-10/CD68 was associated with a poor prognosis. Furthermore, patients with elevated IL-10 serum levels had worse outcome after surgery. Together, our results suggest that BMP-6/macrophage/IL-10 regulates M2 polarization of TAMs in RCC.