Optimal unbiased estimation for maximal distribution

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>Unbiased estimation for parameters of maximal distribution is a fundamental problem in the statistical theory of sublinear expectations. In this paper, we proved that the maximum estimator is the largest unbiased estimator for the upper mean and the minimum estimator is the smallest unbiased estimator for the lower mean.</p>

Removing boron from metallurgical grade silicon by a high basic slag refining technique

A new purification method of removing boron from metallurgical grade silicon (MG-Si) using a high baisicity slag was developed in this paper. The typical impurities Al, Ca, Ti, B, P etc in MG-Si can be removed by the binary calcium sillicate slag and it is especially efficient for removing impurity Boron. It was found that the maximal distribution coefficient of boron between calcium sillicate slag and silicon reaches to 1.57 when the mass ratio of CaO/SiO2 was 1.5 and the composition was 60%CaO-40%SiO2. It showed that the oxidizability of calcium sillicate slag was affected and restricted by the basicity and the mass ratio of acid oxide SiO slag according to the thermodynamic relationship. The boron concentration in MG-Si can be reduced from 18x10-6 to 4.5x10-6 and 1.4x10-6, respectively, when using the ternary slags 40.5%CaO-49.5%SiO2-10%Li2O and 32CaO-38%SiO2-30%Li2O.

Phospholipase A2 from bovine seminal plasma is a platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase

The major phospholipase A2 activity from bovine seminal plasma was recently purified [Soubeyrand, Khadir, Brindle and Manjunath (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 222-227]. We here show that the 60 kDa enzyme is in fact a platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH). Sequences of the N-terminus as well as of internal fragments showed 100% identity with the cDNA-deduced sequences of bovine plasma PAF-AH. The enzyme has kinetic properties similar to those of the human serum PAF-AH. Although capable of hydrolysing long-chained phosphatidylcholine, it displayed a highly preferential activity towards PAF. The enzyme activity towards phosphatidylcholine, but not PAF, was Ca2+-dependent. Biochemical characterization revealed that the enzyme is extensively N-glycosylated and that it exists predominantly as a dimer in solution. Western blot analysis revealed that the enzyme is highly heterogeneous in charge, with a maximal distribution at an isoelectric point of approx. 5.7. The enzyme was expressed exclusively in the seminal vesicles and the ampulla. No association of the enzyme with either epididymal or ejaculated spermatozoa could be detected.

Concentrative uptake of alanine in hepatocytes from fed and fasted rats

The transport of alanine across the liver cell membrane was studied in hepatocytes isolated from fed and 48-h-fasted rats. Aminooxyacetate was used to render alanine nonmetabolizable. The steady-state intracellular-to-extracellular distribution ratio of alanine was maximal at extracellular concentrations below 0.5 mM and was increased from about 10 to about 20 by fasting. This increase was the net effect of a two- to threefold increase in the alanine influx and about a 50% increase in the rate constant of alanine efflux. The results suggest that alanine efflux occurred partly via the transport system mediating Na+-dependent alanine influx and partly by another pathway. The transmembrane Na+ electrochemical gradient remained unchanged by fasting and could apparently account for a maximal distribution ratio of alanine well above 20. In both nutritional states, the simplest kinetic model adequately describing the alanine influx implicated one saturable component besides a passive component. The apparent Vmax of the former was doubled by fasting while the apparent Km was insignificantly decreased. At low extracellular alanine concentrations, the rate of alanine consumption (aminooxyacetate absent) was only 40% of the alanine influx in the fed state but was increased at least fivefold by fasting and thereby balanced with the increased alanine influx. These results suggest a rate limitation at the transport level in the fasted state.