Sample records for years numerous site-specific

  1. Expanding the scope of site-specific recombinases for genetic and metabolic engineering.

    PubMed

    Gaj, Thomas; Sirk, Shannon J; Barbas, Carlos F

    2014-01-01

    Site-specific recombinases are tremendously valuable tools for basic research and genetic engineering. By promoting high-fidelity DNA modifications, site-specific recombination systems have empowered researchers with unprecedented control over diverse biological functions, enabling countless insights into cellular structure and function. The rigid target specificities of many sites-specific recombinases, however, have limited their adoption in fields that require highly flexible recognition abilities. As a result, intense effort has been directed toward altering the properties of site-specific recombination systems by protein engineering. Here, we review key developments in the rational design and directed molecular evolution of site-specific recombinases, highlighting the numerous applications of these enzymes across diverse fields of study. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Expanding the Scope of Site-Specific Recombinases for Genetic and Metabolic Engineering

    PubMed Central

    Gaj, Thomas; Sirk, Shannon J.; Barbas, Carlos F.

    2014-01-01

    Site-specific recombinases are tremendously valuable tools for basic research and genetic engineering. By promoting high-fidelity DNA modifications, site-specific recombination systems have empowered researchers with unprecedented control over diverse biological functions, enabling countless insights into cellular structure and function. The rigid target specificities of many sites-specific recombinases, however, have limited their adoption in fields that require highly flexible recognition abilities. As a result, intense effort has been directed toward altering the properties of site-specific recombination systems by protein engineering. Here, we review key developments in the rational design and directed molecular evolution of site-specific recombinases, highlighting the numerous applications of these enzymes across diverse fields of study. PMID:23982993

  3. Influence of quasi-specific sites on kinetics of target DNA search by a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein.

    PubMed

    Kemme, Catherine A; Esadze, Alexandre; Iwahara, Junji

    2015-11-10

    Functions of transcription factors require formation of specific complexes at particular sites in cis-regulatory elements of genes. However, chromosomal DNA contains numerous sites that are similar to the target sequences recognized by transcription factors. The influence of such "quasi-specific" sites on functions of the transcription factors is not well understood at present by experimental means. In this work, using fluorescence methods, we have investigated the influence of quasi-specific DNA sites on the efficiency of target location by the zinc finger DNA-binding domain of the inducible transcription factor Egr-1, which recognizes a 9 bp sequence. By stopped-flow assays, we measured the kinetics of Egr-1's association with a target site on 143 bp DNA in the presence of various competitor DNAs, including nonspecific and quasi-specific sites. The presence of quasi-specific sites on competitor DNA significantly decelerated the target association by the Egr-1 protein. The impact of the quasi-specific sites depended strongly on their affinity, their concentration, and the degree of their binding to the protein. To quantitatively describe the kinetic impact of the quasi-specific sites, we derived an analytical form of the apparent kinetic rate constant for the target association and used it for fitting to the experimental data. Our kinetic data with calf thymus DNA as a competitor suggested that there are millions of high-affinity quasi-specific sites for Egr-1 among the 3 billion bp of genomic DNA. This study quantitatively demonstrates that naturally abundant quasi-specific sites on DNA can considerably impede the target search processes of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins.

  4. Influence of Quasi-Specific Sites on Kinetics of Target DNA Search by a Sequence-Specific DNA-Binding Protein

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Functions of transcription factors require formation of specific complexes at particular sites in cis-regulatory elements of genes. However, chromosomal DNA contains numerous sites that are similar to the target sequences recognized by transcription factors. The influence of such “quasi-specific” sites on functions of the transcription factors is not well understood at present by experimental means. In this work, using fluorescence methods, we have investigated the influence of quasi-specific DNA sites on the efficiency of target location by the zinc finger DNA-binding domain of the inducible transcription factor Egr-1, which recognizes a 9 bp sequence. By stopped-flow assays, we measured the kinetics of Egr-1’s association with a target site on 143 bp DNA in the presence of various competitor DNAs, including nonspecific and quasi-specific sites. The presence of quasi-specific sites on competitor DNA significantly decelerated the target association by the Egr-1 protein. The impact of the quasi-specific sites depended strongly on their affinity, their concentration, and the degree of their binding to the protein. To quantitatively describe the kinetic impact of the quasi-specific sites, we derived an analytical form of the apparent kinetic rate constant for the target association and used it for fitting to the experimental data. Our kinetic data with calf thymus DNA as a competitor suggested that there are millions of high-affinity quasi-specific sites for Egr-1 among the 3 billion bp of genomic DNA. This study quantitatively demonstrates that naturally abundant quasi-specific sites on DNA can considerably impede the target search processes of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. PMID:26502071

  5. A genome-wide map of hyper-edited RNA reveals numerous new sites.

    PubMed

    Porath, Hagit T; Carmi, Shai; Levanon, Erez Y

    2014-08-27

    Adenosine-to-inosine editing is one of the most frequent post-transcriptional modifications, manifested as A-to-G mismatches when comparing RNA sequences with their source DNA. Recently, a number of RNA-seq data sets have been screened for the presence of A-to-G editing, and hundreds of thousands of editing sites identified. Here we show that existing screens missed the majority of sites by ignoring reads with excessive ('hyper') editing that do not easily align to the genome. We show that careful alignment and examination of the unmapped reads in RNA-seq studies reveal numerous new sites, usually many more than originally discovered, and in precisely those regions that are most heavily edited. Specifically, we discover 327,096 new editing sites in the heavily studied Illumina Human BodyMap data and more than double the number of detected sites in several published screens. We also identify thousands of new sites in mouse, rat, opossum and fly. Our results establish that hyper-editing events account for the majority of editing sites.

  6. [Cause-specific mortality in an area of Campania with numerous waste disposal sites].

    PubMed

    Altavista, Pierluigi; Belli, Stefano; Bianchi, Fabrizio; Binazzi, Alessandra; Comba, Pietro; Del Giudice, Raffaele; Fazzo, Lucia; Felli, Angelo; Mastrantonio, Marina; Menegozzo, Massimo; Musmeci, Loredana; Pizzuti, Renato; Savarese, Anna; Trinca, Stefania; Uccelli, Raffaella

    2004-01-01

    To investigate cause-specific mortality in an area of Campania region, in the surroundings of Naples, characterized by many toxic waste dumping grounds sites and by widespread burning of urban wastes. The study area was characterized by examining the spatial distribution of waste disposal sites and toxic waste dumping grounds, using a geographic information system (GIS). Mortality (1986-2000) was studied in the three municipalities of Giugliano in Campania, Qualiano and Villaricca, encompassing a population of about 150,000 inhabitants. Mortality rates of the population resident in the Campania region were used in order to generate expected figures. Causes of death of a priori interest where those previously associated to residence in the neighbourhood of (toxic) waste sites, including lung cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia and liver cancer. Overall 39 waste sites, 27 of which characterized by the likely presence of toxic wastes, were identified in the area of interest. A good agreement was found between two independent surveys of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency and of the environmentalist association Legambiente. Cancer mortality was significantly increased, with special reference to malignant neoplasm of lung, pleura, larynx, bladder, liver and brain. Circulatory diseases were also significantly in excess and diabetes showed some increases. Mortality statistics provide preliminary evidence of the disease load in the area. Mapping waste dumping grounds provides information for defining high risk areas. Improvements in exposure assessment together with the use of a range of health data (hospital discharge cards, malformation notifications, observations of general practitioners) will contribute to second generation studies aimed at inferring causal relationships.

  7. Drought Prediction Site Specific and Regional up to Three Years in Advance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suhler, G.; O'Brien, D. P.

    2002-12-01

    Dynamic Predictables has developed proprietary software that analyzes and predicts future climatic behavior based on past data. The programs employ both a regional thermodynamic model together with a unique predictive algorithm to achieve a high degree of prediction accuracy up to 36 months. The thermodynamic model was developed initially to explain the results of a study on global circulation models done at SUNY-Stony Brook by S. Hameed, R.G. Currie, and H. LaGrone (Int. Jour. Climatology, 15, pp.852-871, 1995). The authors pointed out that on a time scale of 2-70 months the spectrum of sea level pressure is dominated by the harmonics and subharmonics of the seasonal cycle and their combination tones. These oscillations are fundamental to an understanding of climatic variations on a sub-regional to continental basis. The oscillatory nature of these variations allows them to be used as broad based climate predictors. In addition, they can be subtracted from the data to yield residuals. The residuals are then analyzed to determine components that are predictable. The program then combines both the thermodynamic model results (the primary predictive model) with those from the residual data (the secondary model) to yield an estimate of the future behavior of the climatic variable. Spatial resolution is site specific or aggregated regional based upon appropriate length (45 years or more monthly data) and reasonable quality weather observation records. Most climate analysis has been based on monthly time-step data, but time scales on the order of days can be used. Oregon Climate Division 1 (Coastal) precipitation provides an example relating DynaPred's method to nature's observed elements in the early 2000s. The prediction's leading dynamic factors are the strong seasonal in the primary model combined with high secondary model contributions from planet Earth's Chandler Wobble (near 15 months) and what has been called the Quasi-Triennial Oscillation (QTO, near 36 months

  8. Site-specific fab fragment biotinylation at the conserved nucleotide binding site for enhanced Ebola detection.

    PubMed

    Mustafaoglu, Nur; Alves, Nathan J; Bilgicer, Basar

    2015-07-01

    The nucleotide binding site (NBS) is a highly conserved region between the variable light and heavy chains at the Fab domains of all antibodies, and a small molecule that we identified, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), binds specifically to this site. Fab fragment, with its small size and simple production methods compared to intact antibody, is good candidate for use in miniaturized diagnostic devices and targeted therapeutic applications. However, commonly used modification techniques are not well suited for Fab fragments as they are often more delicate than intact antibodies. Fab fragments are of particular interest for sensor surface functionalization but immobilization results in damage to the antigen binding site and greatly reduced activity due to their truncated size that allows only a small area that can bind to surfaces without impeding antigen binding. In this study, we describe an NBS-UV photocrosslinking functionalization method (UV-NBS(Biotin) in which a Fab fragment is site-specifically biotinylated with an IBA-EG11-Biotin linker via UV energy exposure (1 J/cm(2)) without affecting its antigen binding activity. This study demonstrates successful immobilization of biotinylated Ebola detecting Fab fragment (KZ52 Fab fragment) via the UV-NBS(Biotin) method yielding 1031-fold and 2-fold better antigen detection sensitivity compared to commonly used immobilization methods: direct physical adsorption and NHS-Biotin functionalization, respectively. Utilization of the UV-NBS(Biotin) method for site-specific conjugation to Fab fragment represents a proof of concept use of Fab fragment for various diagnostic and therapeutic applications with numerous fluorescent probes, affinity molecules and peptides. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. LASIC: Light Activated Site-Specific Conjugation of Native IgGs.

    PubMed

    Hui, James Z; Tamsen, Shereen; Song, Yang; Tsourkas, Andrew

    2015-08-19

    Numerous biological applications, from diagnostic assays to immunotherapies, rely on the use of antibody-conjugates. The efficacy of these conjugates can be significantly influenced by the site at which Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is modified. Current methods that provide control over the conjugation site, however, suffer from a number of shortfalls and often require large investments of time and cost. We have developed a novel adapter protein that, when activated by long wavelength UV light, can covalently and site-specifically label the Fc region of nearly any native, full-length IgG, including all human IgG subclasses. Labeling occurs with unprecedented efficiency and speed (>90% after 30 min), with no effect on IgG affinity. The adapter domain can be bacterially expressed and customized to contain a variety of moieties (e.g., biotin, azide, fluorophores), making reliable and efficient conjugation of antibodies widely accessible to researchers at large.

  10. Improving 1D Site Specific Velocity Profiles for the Kik-Net Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holt, James; Edwards, Benjamin; Pilz, Marco; Fäh, Donat; Rietbrock, Andreas

    2017-04-01

    Ground motion predication equations (GMPEs) form the cornerstone of modern seismic hazard assessments. When produced to a high standard they provide reliable estimates of ground motion/spectral acceleration for a given site and earthquake scenario. This information is crucial for engineers to optimise design and for regulators who enforce legal minimum safe design capacities. Classically, GMPEs were built upon the assumption that variability around the median model could be treated as aleatory. As understanding improved, it was noted that the propagation could be segregated into the response of the average path from the source and the response of the site. This is because the heterogeneity of the near-surface lithology is significantly different from that of the bulk path. It was then suggested that the semi-ergodic approach could be taken if the site response could be determined, moving uncertainty away from aleatory to epistemic. The determination of reliable site-specific response models is therefore becoming increasingly critical for ground motion models used in engineering practice. Today it is common practice to include proxies for site response within the scope of a GMPE, such as Vs30 or site classification, in an effort to reduce the overall uncertainty of the predication at a given site. However, these proxies are not always reliable enough to give confident ground motion estimates, due to the complexity of the near-surface. Other approaches of quantifying the response of the site include detailed numerical simulations (1/2/3D - linear, EQL, non-linear etc.). However, in order to be reliable, they require highly detailed and accurate velocity and, for non-linear analyses, material property models. It is possible to obtain this information through invasive methods, but is expensive, and not feasible for most projects. Here we propose an alternative method to derive reliable velocity profiles (and their uncertainty), calibrated using almost 20 years of

  11. Numerical capacities as domain-specific predictors beyond early mathematics learning: a longitudinal study.

    PubMed

    Reigosa-Crespo, Vivian; González-Alemañy, Eduardo; León, Teresa; Torres, Rosario; Mosquera, Raysil; Valdés-Sosa, Mitchell

    2013-01-01

    The first aim of the present study was to investigate whether numerical effects (Numerical Distance Effect, Counting Effect and Subitizing Effect) are domain-specific predictors of mathematics development at the end of elementary school by exploring whether they explain additional variance of later mathematics fluency after controlling for the effects of general cognitive skills, focused on nonnumerical aspects. The second aim was to address the same issues but applied to achievement in mathematics curriculum that requires solutions to fluency in calculation. These analyses assess whether the relationship found for fluency are generalized to mathematics content beyond fluency in calculation. As a third aim, the domain specificity of the numerical effects was examined by analyzing whether they contribute to the development of reading skills, such as decoding fluency and reading comprehension, after controlling for general cognitive skills and phonological processing. Basic numerical capacities were evaluated in children of 3(rd) and 4(th) grades (n=49). Mathematics and reading achievements were assessed in these children one year later. Results showed that the size of the Subitizing Effect was a significant domain-specific predictor of fluency in calculation and also in curricular mathematics achievement, but not in reading skills, assessed at the end of elementary school. Furthermore, the size of the Counting Effect also predicted fluency in calculation, although this association only approached significance. These findings contrast with proposals that the core numerical competencies measured by enumeration will bear little relationship to mathematics achievement. We conclude that basic numerical capacities constitute domain-specific predictors and that they are not exclusively "start-up" tools for the acquisition of Mathematics; but they continue modulating this learning at the end of elementary school.

  12. Minimal Data and Site Specific Approaches

    EPA Science Inventory

    As part of a workshop, Tools for Assessing Stream Dissolved Minerals, approaches and EPA tools are described for site specific development of water quality criteria based on observations from Arkansas streams using minimal data. Discussion topics will include site-specific appro...

  13. Adoption of site-specific variable rate sprinkler irrigation systems

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    More than twenty years of private and public research on site-specific variable-rate sprinkler irrigation (SS-VRI) technology has resulted in limited commercial adoption of the technology. Competing patents, liability and proprietary software have affected industry’s willingness to move into a new t...

  14. Numerical Capacities as Domain-Specific Predictors beyond Early Mathematics Learning: A Longitudinal Study

    PubMed Central

    Reigosa-Crespo, Vivian; González-Alemañy, Eduardo; León, Teresa; Torres, Rosario; Mosquera, Raysil; Valdés-Sosa, Mitchell

    2013-01-01

    The first aim of the present study was to investigate whether numerical effects (Numerical Distance Effect, Counting Effect and Subitizing Effect) are domain-specific predictors of mathematics development at the end of elementary school by exploring whether they explain additional variance of later mathematics fluency after controlling for the effects of general cognitive skills, focused on nonnumerical aspects. The second aim was to address the same issues but applied to achievement in mathematics curriculum that requires solutions to fluency in calculation. These analyses assess whether the relationship found for fluency are generalized to mathematics content beyond fluency in calculation. As a third aim, the domain specificity of the numerical effects was examined by analyzing whether they contribute to the development of reading skills, such as decoding fluency and reading comprehension, after controlling for general cognitive skills and phonological processing. Basic numerical capacities were evaluated in children of 3rd and 4th grades (n=49). Mathematics and reading achievements were assessed in these children one year later. Results showed that the size of the Subitizing Effect was a significant domain-specific predictor of fluency in calculation and also in curricular mathematics achievement, but not in reading skills, assessed at the end of elementary school. Furthermore, the size of the Counting Effect also predicted fluency in calculation, although this association only approached significance. These findings contrast with proposals that the core numerical competencies measured by enumeration will bear little relationship to mathematics achievement. We conclude that basic numerical capacities constitute domain-specific predictors and that they are not exclusively “start-up” tools for the acquisition of Mathematics; but they continue modulating this learning at the end of elementary school. PMID:24255710

  15. Hanford Site Groundwater Monitoring for Fiscal Year 2000

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hartman, Mary J.; Morasch, Launa F.; Webber, William D.

    2001-03-01

    This report presents the results of groundwater and vadose zone monitoring and remediation for fiscal year 2000 on the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site, Washington. The most extensive contaminant plumes are tritium, iodine-129, and nitrate, which all had multiple sources and are very mobile in groundwater. Carbon tetrachloride and associated organic constituents form a relatively large plume beneath the central part of the Site. Hexavalent chromium is present in smaller plumes beneath the reactor areas along the river and beneath the central part of the site. Strontium-90 exceeds standards beneath each of the reactor areas, and technetium-99 and uraniummore » are present in the 200 Areas. RCRA groundwater monitoring continued during fiscal year 2000. Vadose zone monitoring, characterization, remediation, and several technical demonstrations were conducted in fiscal year 2000. Soil gas monitoring at the 618-11 burial ground provided a preliminary indication of the location of tritium in the vadose zone and in groundwater. Groundwater modeling efforts focused on 1) identifying and characterizing major uncertainties in the current conceptual model and 2) performing a transient inverse calibration of the existing site-wide model. Specific model applications were conducted in support of the Hanford Site carbon tetrachloride Innovative Treatment Remediation Technology; to support the performance assessment of the Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Disposal Facility; and in development of the System Assessment Capability, which is intended to predict cumulative site-wide effects from all significant Hanford Site contaminants.« less

  16. Statistical and Economic Techniques for Site-specific Nematode Management.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zheng; Griffin, Terry; Kirkpatrick, Terrence L

    2014-03-01

    Recent advances in precision agriculture technologies and spatial statistics allow realistic, site-specific estimation of nematode damage to field crops and provide a platform for the site-specific delivery of nematicides within individual fields. This paper reviews the spatial statistical techniques that model correlations among neighboring observations and develop a spatial economic analysis to determine the potential of site-specific nematicide application. The spatial econometric methodology applied in the context of site-specific crop yield response contributes to closing the gap between data analysis and realistic site-specific nematicide recommendations and helps to provide a practical method of site-specifically controlling nematodes.

  17. Using a site-specific technical error to establish training responsiveness: a preliminary explorative study.

    PubMed

    Weatherwax, Ryan M; Harris, Nigel K; Kilding, Andrew E; Dalleck, Lance C

    2018-01-01

    Even though cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) training elicits numerous health benefits, not all individuals have positive training responses following a structured CRF intervention. It has been suggested that the technical error (TE), a combination of biological variability and measurement error, should be used to establish specific training responsiveness criteria to gain further insight on the effectiveness of the training program. To date, most training interventions use an absolute change or a TE from previous findings, which do not take into consideration the training site and equipment used to establish training outcomes or the specific cohort being evaluated. The purpose of this investigation was to retrospectively analyze training responsiveness of two CRF training interventions using two common criteria and a site-specific TE. Sixteen men and women completed two maximal graded exercise tests and verification bouts to identify maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2 max) and establish a site-specific TE. The TE was then used to retrospectively analyze training responsiveness in comparison to commonly used criteria: percent change of >0% and >+5.6% in VO 2 max. The TE was found to be 7.7% for relative VO 2 max. χ 2 testing showed significant differences in all training criteria for each intervention and pooled data from both interventions, except between %Δ >0 and %Δ >+7.7% in one of the investigations. Training nonresponsiveness ranged from 11.5% to 34.6%. Findings from the present study support the utility of site-specific TE criterion to quantify training responsiveness. A similar methodology of establishing a site-specific and even cohort specific TE should be considered to establish when true cardiorespiratory training adaptations occur.

  18. Improving Site-Specific Radiological Performance Assessments - 13431

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tauxe, John; Black, Paul; Catlett, Kate

    2013-07-01

    An improved approach is presented for conducting complete and defensible radiological site-specific performance assessments (PAs) to support radioactive waste disposal decisions. The basic tenets of PA were initiated some thirty years ago, focusing on geologic disposals and evaluating compliance with regulations. Some of these regulations were inherently probabilistic (i.e., addressing uncertainty in a quantitative fashion), such as the containment requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) 40 CFR 191, Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes, Chap. 191.13 [1]. Methods of analysis were developed to meet those requirements, butmore » at their core early PAs used 'conservative' parameter values and modeling approaches. This limited the utility of such PAs to compliance evaluation, and did little to inform decisions about optimizing disposal, closure and long-term monitoring and maintenance, or, in general, maintaining doses 'as low as reasonably achievable' (ALARA). This basic approach to PA development in the United States was employed essentially unchanged through the end of the 20. century, principally by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Performance assessments developed in support of private radioactive waste disposal operations, regulated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and its agreement states, were typically not as sophisticated. Discussion of new approaches to PA is timely, since at the time of this writing, the DOE is in the midst of revising its Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management [2], and the NRC is revising 10 CFR 61, Licensing Requirements for Land Disposal of Radioactive Waste [3]. Over the previous decade, theoretical developments and improved computational technology have provided the foundation for integrating decision analysis (DA) concepts and objective-focused thinking, plus a Bayesian approach to

  19. A grammar inference approach for predicting kinase specific phosphorylation sites.

    PubMed

    Datta, Sutapa; Mukhopadhyay, Subhasis

    2015-01-01

    Kinase mediated phosphorylation site detection is the key mechanism of post translational mechanism that plays an important role in regulating various cellular processes and phenotypes. Many diseases, like cancer are related with the signaling defects which are associated with protein phosphorylation. Characterizing the protein kinases and their substrates enhances our ability to understand the mechanism of protein phosphorylation and extends our knowledge of signaling network; thereby helping us to treat such diseases. Experimental methods for predicting phosphorylation sites are labour intensive and expensive. Also, manifold increase of protein sequences in the databanks over the years necessitates the improvement of high speed and accurate computational methods for predicting phosphorylation sites in protein sequences. Till date, a number of computational methods have been proposed by various researchers in predicting phosphorylation sites, but there remains much scope of improvement. In this communication, we present a simple and novel method based on Grammatical Inference (GI) approach to automate the prediction of kinase specific phosphorylation sites. In this regard, we have used a popular GI algorithm Alergia to infer Deterministic Stochastic Finite State Automata (DSFA) which equally represents the regular grammar corresponding to the phosphorylation sites. Extensive experiments on several datasets generated by us reveal that, our inferred grammar successfully predicts phosphorylation sites in a kinase specific manner. It performs significantly better when compared with the other existing phosphorylation site prediction methods. We have also compared our inferred DSFA with two other GI inference algorithms. The DSFA generated by our method performs superior which indicates that our method is robust and has a potential for predicting the phosphorylation sites in a kinase specific manner.

  20. SITE-SPECIFIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SOIL RADON POTENTIALS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report presents a theoretical basis for measuring site-specific radon potentials. However, the empirical measurements suggest that the precision of such measurements is marginal, leaving an uncertainty of about a factor of 2 in site-specific estimates. Although this may be us...

  1. Protein Arginine Methyltransferase Product Specificity Is Mediated by Distinct Active-site Architectures*

    PubMed Central

    Jain, Kanishk; Warmack, Rebeccah A.; Stavropoulos, Peter

    2016-01-01

    In the family of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) that predominantly generate either asymmetric or symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), PRMT7 is unique in producing solely monomethylarginine (MMA) products. The type of methylation on histones and other proteins dictates changes in gene expression, and numerous studies have linked altered profiles of methyl marks with disease phenotypes. Given the importance of specific inhibitor development, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms by which PRMT product specificity is conferred. We have focused our attention on active-site residues of PRMT7 from the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei. We have designed 26 single and double mutations in the active site, including residues in the Glu-Xaa8-Glu (double E) loop and the Met-Gln-Trp sequence of the canonical Thr-His-Trp (THW) loop known to interact with the methyl-accepting substrate arginine. Analysis of the reaction products by high resolution cation exchange chromatography combined with the knowledge of PRMT crystal structures suggests a model where the size of two distinct subregions in the active site determines PRMT7 product specificity. A dual mutation of Glu-181 to Asp in the double E loop and Gln-329 to Ala in the canonical THW loop enables the enzyme to produce SDMA. Consistent with our model, the mutation of Cys-431 to His in the THW loop of human PRMT9 shifts its product specificity from SDMA toward MMA. Together with previous results, these findings provide a structural basis and a general model for product specificity in PRMTs, which will be useful for the rational design of specific PRMT inhibitors. PMID:27387499

  2. Protein Arginine Methyltransferase Product Specificity Is Mediated by Distinct Active-site Architectures.

    PubMed

    Jain, Kanishk; Warmack, Rebeccah A; Debler, Erik W; Hadjikyriacou, Andrea; Stavropoulos, Peter; Clarke, Steven G

    2016-08-26

    In the family of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) that predominantly generate either asymmetric or symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), PRMT7 is unique in producing solely monomethylarginine (MMA) products. The type of methylation on histones and other proteins dictates changes in gene expression, and numerous studies have linked altered profiles of methyl marks with disease phenotypes. Given the importance of specific inhibitor development, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms by which PRMT product specificity is conferred. We have focused our attention on active-site residues of PRMT7 from the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei We have designed 26 single and double mutations in the active site, including residues in the Glu-Xaa8-Glu (double E) loop and the Met-Gln-Trp sequence of the canonical Thr-His-Trp (THW) loop known to interact with the methyl-accepting substrate arginine. Analysis of the reaction products by high resolution cation exchange chromatography combined with the knowledge of PRMT crystal structures suggests a model where the size of two distinct subregions in the active site determines PRMT7 product specificity. A dual mutation of Glu-181 to Asp in the double E loop and Gln-329 to Ala in the canonical THW loop enables the enzyme to produce SDMA. Consistent with our model, the mutation of Cys-431 to His in the THW loop of human PRMT9 shifts its product specificity from SDMA toward MMA. Together with previous results, these findings provide a structural basis and a general model for product specificity in PRMTs, which will be useful for the rational design of specific PRMT inhibitors. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  3. The λ Integrase Site-specific Recombination Pathway

    PubMed Central

    LANDY, ARTHUR

    2017-01-01

    The site-specific recombinase encoded by bacteriophage λ (Int) is responsible for integrating and excising the viral chromosome into and out of the chromosome of its Escherichia coli host. Int carries out a reaction that is highly directional, tightly regulated, and depends upon an ensemble of accessory DNA bending proteins acting on 240 bp of DNA encoding 16 protein binding sites. This additional complexity enables two pathways, integrative and excisive recombination, whose opposite, and effectively irreversible, directions are dictated by different physiological and environmental signals. Int recombinase is a heterobivalent DNA binding protein and each of the four Int protomers, within a multiprotein 400 kDa recombinogenic complex, is thought to bind and, with the aid of DNA bending proteins, bridge one arm- and one core-type DNA site. In the 12 years since the publication of the last review focused solely on the λ site-specific recombination pathway in Mobile DNA II, there has been a great deal of progress in elucidating the molecular details of this pathway. The most dramatic advances in our understanding of the reaction have been in the area of X-ray crystallography where protein-DNA structures have now been determined for of all of the DNA-protein interfaces driving the Int pathway. Building on this foundation of structures, it has been possible to derive models for the assembly of components that determine the regulatory apparatus in the P-arm, and for the overall architectures that define excisive and integrative recombinogenic complexes. The most fundamental additional mechanistic insights derive from the application of hexapeptide inhibitors and single molecule kinetics. PMID:26104711

  4. Site-Specific Rules for Risk Assessment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tucker, William; And Others

    1994-01-01

    This article examines the development of regulatory guidance upon which the technology of risk assessment has matured into a decision-making method of choice. It examines in particular the role of site-specific risk assessment at Superfund sites. (LZ)

  5. The Connectivity Between Site-Specific Life Cycle Impact Assessment and Site-Specific Weighting

    EPA Science Inventory

    The goal of many LCIAs is to come to a single score with all of the impacts from a wide variety of impact assessments weighted to form this single score. My past experiences with developing site-specific impact assessment methodologies and how this can change the valuation porti...

  6. A neural network based methodology to predict site-specific spectral acceleration values

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamatchi, P.; Rajasankar, J.; Ramana, G. V.; Nagpal, A. K.

    2010-12-01

    A general neural network based methodology that has the potential to replace the computationally-intensive site-specific seismic analysis of structures is proposed in this paper. The basic framework of the methodology consists of a feed forward back propagation neural network algorithm with one hidden layer to represent the seismic potential of a region and soil amplification effects. The methodology is implemented and verified with parameters corresponding to Delhi city in India. For this purpose, strong ground motions are generated at bedrock level for a chosen site in Delhi due to earthquakes considered to originate from the central seismic gap of the Himalayan belt using necessary geological as well as geotechnical data. Surface level ground motions and corresponding site-specific response spectra are obtained by using a one-dimensional equivalent linear wave propagation model. Spectral acceleration values are considered as a target parameter to verify the performance of the methodology. Numerical studies carried out to validate the proposed methodology show that the errors in predicted spectral acceleration values are within acceptable limits for design purposes. The methodology is general in the sense that it can be applied to other seismically vulnerable regions and also can be updated by including more parameters depending on the state-of-the-art in the subject.

  7. Nanoparticles for Site Specific Genome Editing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McNeer, Nicole Ali

    Triplex-forming peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) can be used to coordinate the recombination of short 50-60 by "donor DNA" fragments into genomic DNA, resulting in site-specific correction of genetic mutations or the introduction of advantageous genetic modifications. Site-specific gene editing in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) could result in treatment or cure of inherited disorders of the blood such as beta-thalassemia. Gene editing in HSPCs and differentiated T cells could help combat HIV/AIDs by modifying receptors, such as CCR5, necessary for R5-tropic HIV entry. However, translation of genome modification technologies to clinical practice is limited by challenges in intracellular delivery, especially in difficult-to-transfect hematolymphoid cells. In vivo gene editing could also provide novel treatment for systemic monogenic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane receptor. Here, we have engineered biodegradable nanoparticles to deliver oligonucleotides for site-specific genome editing of disease-relevant genes in human cells, with high efficiency, low toxicity, and editing of clinically relevant cell types. We designed nanoparticles to edit the human beta-globin and CCR5 genes in hematopoietic cells. We show that poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles can delivery PNA and donor DNA for site-specific gene modification in human hematopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo in NOD-scid IL2rgammanull mice. Nanoparticles delivered by tail vein localized to hematopoietic compartments in the spleen and bone marrow of humanized mice, resulting in modification of the beta-globin and CCR5 genes. Modification frequencies ranged from 0.005 to 20% of cells depending on the organ and cell type, without detectable toxicity. This project developed highly versatile methods for delivery of therapeutics to hematolymphoid cells and hematopoietic stem cells, and will help to

  8. Pretargeted PET Imaging Using a Site-Specifically Labeled Immunoconjugate.

    PubMed

    Cook, Brendon E; Adumeau, Pierre; Membreno, Rosemery; Carnazza, Kathryn E; Brand, Christian; Reiner, Thomas; Agnew, Brian J; Lewis, Jason S; Zeglis, Brian M

    2016-08-17

    In recent years, both site-specific bioconjugation techniques and bioorthogonal pretargeting strategies have emerged as exciting technologies with the potential to improve the safety and efficacy of antibody-based nuclear imaging. In the work at hand, we have combined these two approaches to create a pretargeted PET imaging strategy based on the rapid and bioorthogonal inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction between a (64)Cu-labeled tetrazine radioligand ((64)Cu-Tz-SarAr) and a site-specifically modified huA33-trans-cyclooctene immunoconjugate ((ss)huA33-PEG12-TCO). A bioconjugation strategy that harnesses enzymatic transformations and strain-promoted azide-alkyne click chemistry was used to site-specifically append PEGylated TCO moieties to the heavy chain glycans of the colorectal cancer-targeting huA33 antibody. Preclinical in vivo validation studies were performed in athymic nude mice bearing A33 antigen-expressing SW1222 human colorectal carcinoma xenografts. To this end, mice were administered (ss)huA33-PEG12-TCO via tail vein injection and-following accumulation intervals of 24 or 48 h-(64)Cu-Tz-SarAr. PET imaging and biodistribution studies reveal that this strategy clearly delineates tumor tissue as early as 1 h post-injection (6.7 ± 1.7%ID/g at 1 h p.i.), producing images with excellent contrast and high tumor-to-background activity concentration ratios (tumor:muscle = 21.5 ± 5.6 at 24 h p.i.). Furthermore, dosimetric calculations illustrate that this pretargeting approach produces only a fraction of the overall effective dose (0.0214 mSv/MBq; 0.079 rem/mCi) of directly labeled radioimmunoconjugates. Ultimately, this method effectively facilitates the high contrast pretargeted PET imaging of colorectal carcinoma using a site-specifically modified immunoconjugate.

  9. Site-Specific Bioorthogonal Labeling for Fluorescence Imaging of Intracellular Proteins in Living Cells.

    PubMed

    Peng, Tao; Hang, Howard C

    2016-11-02

    Over the past years, fluorescent proteins (e.g., green fluorescent proteins) have been widely utilized to visualize recombinant protein expression and localization in live cells. Although powerful, fluorescent protein tags are limited by their relatively large sizes and potential perturbation to protein function. Alternatively, site-specific labeling of proteins with small-molecule organic fluorophores using bioorthogonal chemistry may provide a more precise and less perturbing method. This approach involves site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins via genetic code expansion, followed by bioorthogonal chemical labeling with small organic fluorophores in living cells. While this approach has been used to label extracellular proteins for live cell imaging studies, site-specific bioorthogonal labeling and fluorescence imaging of intracellular proteins in live cells is still challenging. Herein, we systematically evaluate site-specific incorporation of diastereomerically pure bioorthogonal UAAs bearing stained alkynes or alkenes into intracellular proteins for inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions with tetrazine-functionalized fluorophores for live cell labeling and imaging in mammalian cells. Our studies show that site-specific incorporation of axial diastereomer of trans-cyclooct-2-ene-lysine robustly affords highly efficient and specific bioorthogonal labeling with monosubstituted tetrazine fluorophores in live mammalian cells, which enabled us to image the intracellular localization and real-time dynamic trafficking of IFITM3, a small membrane-associated protein with only 137 amino acids, for the first time. Our optimized UAA incorporation and bioorthogonal labeling conditions also enabled efficient site-specific fluorescence labeling of other intracellular proteins for live cell imaging studies in mammalian cells.

  10. Site-Specific Infrared Probes of Proteins

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Jianqiang; Pazos, Ileana M.; Zhang, Wenkai; Culik, Robert M.; Gai, Feng

    2015-01-01

    Infrared spectroscopy has played an instrumental role in studying a wide variety of biological questions. However, in many cases it is impossible or difficult to rely on the intrinsic vibrational modes of biological molecules of interest, such as proteins, to reveal structural and/or environmental information in a site-specific manner. To overcome this limitation, many recent efforts have been dedicated to the development and application of various extrinsic vibrational probes that can be incorporated into biological molecules and used to site-specifically interrogate their structural and/or environmental properties. In this Review, we highlight some recent advancements of this rapidly growing research area. PMID:25580624

  11. 14. "SITE WORK, CIVIL, SITE PLAN." Test Area 1120. Specifications ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    14. "SITE WORK, CIVIL, SITE PLAN." Test Area 1-120. Specifications No. OC2-55-72; Drawing No. 60-09-12; sheet 7 of 148; file no. 1320/58, Rev. C. Stamped: RECORD DRAWING - AS CONSTRUCTED. Below stamp: Contract no. 4338 Rev. C, Date: 16 April 1957. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Leuhman Ridge near Highways 58 & 395, Boron, Kern County, CA

  12. Subsequent-year recaptures at winter sites in three species of shrubland sparrows (Emberizidae)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Knick, Steven T.; Leu, Matthias; Hanser, Steven E.

    2017-01-01

    The tendency by individual birds to return to winter sites in subsequent years can be important in assessing the potential influence of habitat changes during the nonbreeding period. We recaptured five Brewer's (Spizella breweri), seven sagebrush (Artemisiospiza nevadensis), and three black-throated (Amphispiza bilineata) sparrows from 1–3 subsequent years at the same winter location following their initial capture. Two Brewer's and one sagebrush sparrow returned to the same winter location at least 4 years after their initial capture. Levels of feather deuterium indicated that birds captured together on winter sites had different breeding ranges. Although individuals of these species returned to specific sites used in previous years, the low recapture rate suggests that wintering individuals may use an itinerant strategy adapted to seasonal food resources.

  13. Site-specific nutrient management systems

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Site-specific nutrient management systems were created to manage for spatial and temporal variability in biophysical factors that determine the availability and demand of crop nutrients. These systems differ among geographical regions in the information utilized and way they operate to accomplish th...

  14. Long-period amplification in deep alluvial basins and consequences for site-specific probabilistic seismic-hazard: the case of Castelleone in the Po Plain (Northern Italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barani, S.; Mascandola, C.; Massa, M.; Spallarossa, D.

    2017-12-01

    The recent Emilia seismic sequence (Northern Italy) occurred at the end of the first half of 2012 with main shock of Mw6.1 highlighted the importance of studying site effects in the Po Plain, the larger and deeper sedimentary basin in Italy. As has long been known, long-period amplification related to deep sedimentary basins can significantly affect the characteristics of the ground-motion induced by strong earthquakes. It follows that the effects of deep sedimentary deposits on ground shaking require special attention during the definition of the design seismic action. The work presented here analyzes the impact of deep-soil discontinuities on ground-motion amplification, with particular focus on long-period probabilistic seismic-hazard assessment. The study focuses on the site of Castelleone, where a seismic station of the Italian National Seismic Network has been recording since 2009. Our study includes both experimental and numerical site response analyses. Specifically, extensive active and passive geophysical measurements were carried out in order to define a detailed shear-wave velocity (VS) model to be used in the numerical analyses. These latter are needed to assess the site-specific ground-motion hazard. Besides classical seismic refraction profiles and multichannel analysis of surface waves, we analyzed ambient vibration measurements in both single and array configurations. The VS profile was determined via joint inversion of the experimental phase-velocity dispersion curve with the ellipticity curve derived from horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios. The profile shows two main discontinuities at depths of around 160 and 1350 m, respectively. The probabilistic site-specific hazard was assessed in terms of both spectral acceleration and displacement. A partially non-ergodic approach was adopted. We have found that the spectral acceleration hazard is barely sensitive to long-period (up to 10 s) amplification related to the deeper discontinuity whereas the

  15. Probing numerical Laplace inversion methods for two and three-site molecular exchange between interconnected pore structures.

    PubMed

    Silletta, Emilia V; Franzoni, María B; Monti, Gustavo A; Acosta, Rodolfo H

    2018-01-01

    Two-dimension (2D) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance relaxometry experiments are a powerful tool extensively used to probe the interaction among different pore structures, mostly in inorganic systems. The analysis of the collected experimental data generally consists of a 2D numerical inversion of time-domain data where T 2 -T 2 maps are generated. Through the years, different algorithms for the numerical inversion have been proposed. In this paper, two different algorithms for numerical inversion are tested and compared under different conditions of exchange dynamics; the method based on Butler-Reeds-Dawson (BRD) algorithm and the fast-iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm (FISTA) method. By constructing a theoretical model, the algorithms were tested for a two- and three-site porous media, varying the exchange rates parameters, the pore sizes and the signal to noise ratio. In order to test the methods under realistic experimental conditions, a challenging organic system was chosen. The molecular exchange rates of water confined in hierarchical porous polymeric networks were obtained, for a two- and three-site porous media. Data processed with the BRD method was found to be accurate only under certain conditions of the exchange parameters, while data processed with the FISTA method is precise for all the studied parameters, except when SNR conditions are extreme. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. 78 FR 14088 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-04

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  17. Idaho's surface-water-quality monitoring program: results from five sites sampled during water years 1990-93

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1994-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Environmental Quality, implemented a statewide water-quality monitoring program in response to Idaho's antidegradation policy as required by the Clean Water Act. The program objective is to provide water-quality managers with a coordinated statewide network to detect trends in surface-water quality. The monitoring program includes the collection and analysis of samples from 56 sites on the Bear, Clearwater, Kootenai, Pend Oreille, Salmon, Snake, and Spokane Rivers and their tributaries (fig. 1). Samples are collected every year at 5 sites (annual sites) in drainage basins where long-term water-quality management is practiced, every other year at 19 sites (biennial sites) in basins where land and water uses change slowly, and every third year at 32 sites (triennial sites) where future development may affect water quality. Each year, 25 of the 56 sites are sampled. This report discusses results of sampling at five annual sites. During water years 1990-93 (October 1, 1989, through September 30, 1993), samples were collected six times per year at the five annual sites (fig. 1). Onsite analyses were made for discharge, specific conductance, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, bacteria (fecal coliform and fecal streptococci), and alkalinity. Laboratory analyses were made for major ions, nutrients, trace elements, and suspended sediment. Suspended sediment, nitrate, fecal coliform, trace elements, and specific conductance were used to characterize surface-water quality. Because concentrations of all trace elements except zinc were near detection limits, only zinc is discussed.

  18. 75 FR 65310 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-22

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada Test Site. The Federal Advisory... Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration...

  19. Hemoglobin Cleavage Site-Specificity of the Plasmodium falciparum Cysteine Proteases Falcipain-2 and Falcipain-3

    PubMed Central

    Subramanian, Shoba; Hardt, Markus; Choe, Youngchool; Niles, Richard K.; Johansen, Eric B.; Legac, Jennifer; Gut, Jiri; Kerr, Iain D.; Craik, Charles S.; Rosenthal, Philip J.

    2009-01-01

    The Plasmodium falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 degrade host hemoglobin to provide free amino acids for parasite protein synthesis. Hemoglobin hydrolysis has been described as an ordered process initiated by aspartic proteases, but cysteine protease inhibitors completely block the process, suggesting that cysteine proteases can also initiate hemoglobin hydrolysis. To characterize the specific roles of falcipains, we used three approaches. First, using random P1 – P4 amino acid substrate libraries, falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 demonstrated strong preference for cleavage sites with Leu at the P2 position. Second, with overlapping peptides spanning α and β globin and proteolysis-dependent 18O labeling, hydrolysis was seen at many cleavage sites. Third, with intact hemoglobin, numerous cleavage products were identified. Our results suggest that hemoglobin hydrolysis by malaria parasites is not a highly ordered process, but rather proceeds with rapid cleavage by falcipains at multiple sites. However, falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 show strong specificity for P2 Leu in small peptide substrates, in agreement with the specificity in optimized small molecule inhibitors that was identified previously. These results are consistent with a principal role of falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 in the hydrolysis of hemoglobin by P. falciparum and with the possibility of developing small molecule inhibitors with optimized specificity as antimalarial agents. PMID:19357776

  20. TU-A-201-02: Treatment Site-Specific Considerations for Clinical IGRT

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wijesooriya, K.

    2016-06-15

    Recent years have seen a widespread proliferation of available in-room image guidance systems for radiation therapy target localization with many centers having multiple in-room options. In this session, available imaging systems for in-room IGRT will be reviewed highlighting the main differences in workflow efficiency, targeting accuracy and image quality as it relates to target visualization. Decision-making strategies for integrating these tools into clinical image guidance protocols that are tailored to specific disease sites like H&N, lung, pelvis, and spine SBRT will be discussed. Learning Objectives: Major system characteristics of a wide range of available in-room imaging systems for IGRT. Advantagesmore » / disadvantages of different systems for site-specific IGRT considerations. Concepts of targeting accuracy and time efficiency in designing clinical imaging protocols.« less

  1. Site effects in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) from the analysis of spectral ratio and numerical simulations.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    St. Fleur, Sadrac; Bertrand, Etienne; Courboulex, Francoise; Mercier de Lépinay, Bernard; Deschamps, Anne; Hough, Susan E.; Cultrera, Giovanna; Boisson, Dominique; Prepetit, Claude

    2016-01-01

    To provide better insight into seismic ground motion in the Port‐au‐Prince metropolitan area, we investigate site effects at 12 seismological stations by analyzing 78 earthquakes with magnitude smaller than 5 that occurred between 2010 and 2013. Horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratio on earthquake recordings and a standard spectral ratio were applied to the seismic data. We also propose a simplified lithostratigraphic map and use available geotechnical and geophysical data to construct representative soil columns in the vicinity of each station that allow us to compute numerical transfer functions using 1D simulations. At most of the studied sites, spectral ratios are characterized by weak‐motion amplification at frequencies above 5 Hz, in good agreement with the numerical transfer functions. A mismatch between the observed amplifications and simulated response at lower frequencies shows that the considered soil columns could be missing a deeper velocity contrast. Furthermore, strong amplification between 2 and 10 Hz linked to local topographic features is found at one station located in the south of the city, and substantial amplification below 5 Hz is detected near the coastline, which we attribute to deep and soft sediments as well as the presence of surface waves. We conclude that for most investigated sites in Port‐au‐Prince, seismic amplifications due to site effects are highly variable but seem not to be important at high frequencies. At some specific locations, however, they could strongly enhance the low‐frequency content of the seismic ground shaking. Although our analysis does not consider nonlinear effects, we thus conclude that, apart from sites close to the coast, sediment‐induced amplification probably had only a minor impact on the level of strong ground motion, and was not the main reason for the high level of damage in Port‐au‐Prince.

  2. Site-Specific Carbon Isotopes in Organics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piasecki, A.; Eiler, J. M.

    2012-12-01

    Natural organic molecules exhibit a wide range of internal site-specific isotope variation (i.e., molecules with same isotopic substitution type but different site). Such variations are generally unconstrained by bulk isotopic measurements. If known, site-specific variations might constrain temperatures of equilibrium, mechanisms of formation or consumption reactions, and possibly other details. For example, lipids can exhibit carbon isotope differences of up to 30‰ between adjacent carbon sites as a result of fractionations arising during decarboxylation of pyruvate and other steps in lipid biosynthesis(1). We present a method for site-specific carbon isotope analysis of propane, based on high-resolution, multi-collector gas source mass spectrometry, using a novel prototype instrument - the Thermo MAT 253 Ultra. This machine has an inlet system and electron bombardment ion source resembling those in conventional stable isotope gas source mass spectrometers, and the energy filter, magnet, and detector array resembling those in multi-collector ICPMS and TIMS. The detector array has 7 detector positions, 6 of which are movable, and each of which can collect ions with either a faraday cup (read through amplifiers ranging from 107-1012 ohms) or an SEM. High mass resolving power (up to 27,000, MRP = M/dM definition) is achieved through a narrow entrance slit, adjustable from 250 to 5 μm. Such resolution can cleanly separate isobaric interferences between isotopologues of organic molecules having the same cardinal mass (e.g., 13CH3 and 12CH2D). We use this technology to analyze the isotopologues and fragments of propane, and use such data to solve for the site-specific carbon isotope fractionation. By measuring isotopologues of both the one-carbon (13CH3) and the two-carbon (13C12CH4) fragment ion, we can solve for both bulk δ13C and the difference in δ13C between the terminal and central carbon position. We tested this method by analyzing mixtures between natural

  3. Quantifying site-specific physical heterogeneity within an estuarine seascape

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kennedy, Cristina G.; Mather, Martha E.; Smith, Joseph M.

    2017-01-01

    Quantifying physical heterogeneity is essential for meaningful ecological research and effective resource management. Spatial patterns of multiple, co-occurring physical features are rarely quantified across a seascape because of methodological challenges. Here, we identified approaches that measured total site-specific heterogeneity, an often overlooked aspect of estuarine ecosystems. Specifically, we examined 23 metrics that quantified four types of common physical features: (1) river and creek confluences, (2) bathymetric variation including underwater drop-offs, (3) land features such as islands/sandbars, and (4) major underwater channel networks. Our research at 40 sites throughout Plum Island Estuary (PIE) provided solutions to two problems. The first problem was that individual metrics that measured heterogeneity of a single physical feature showed different regional patterns. We solved this first problem by combining multiple metrics for a single feature using a within-physical feature cluster analysis. With this approach, we identified sites with four different types of confluences and three different types of underwater drop-offs. The second problem was that when multiple physical features co-occurred, new patterns of total site-specific heterogeneity were created across the seascape. This pattern of total heterogeneity has potential ecological relevance to structure-oriented predators. To address this second problem, we identified sites with similar types of total physical heterogeneity using an across-physical feature cluster analysis. Then, we calculated an additive heterogeneity index, which integrated all physical features at a site. Finally, we tested if site-specific additive heterogeneity index values differed for across-physical feature clusters. In PIE, the sites with the highest additive heterogeneity index values were clustered together and corresponded to sites where a fish predator, adult striped bass (Morone saxatilis), aggregated in a

  4. Specific conductance and water temperature data for San Francisco Bay, California, for Water Year 2003

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buchanan, P.A.

    2004-01-01

    This article presents time-series graphs of specific-conductance and water-temperature data collected in San Francisco Bay during water year 2003 (October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003). Specific-conductance and water-temperature data were recorded at 15-minute intervals at the following US Geological Survey (USGS) locations (Figure 1): • Suisun Bay at Benicia Bridge, near Benicia, CA. (BEN) (site # 11455780) • Carquinez Strait at Carquinez Bridge, near Crockett, CA. (CARQ) (site # 11455820) • Napa River at Mare Island Causeway, near Vallejo, CA. (NAP) (site # 11458370) • San Pablo Strait at Point San Pablo, CA. (PSP) (site # 11181360) • San Pablo Bay at Petaluma River Channel Marker 9, CA. (SPB) (site # 380519122262901) • San Francisco Bay at Presidio Military Reservation, CA. (PRES) (site # 11162690) • San Francisco Bay at San Mateo Bridge, near Foster City, CA. (SMB) (site # 11162765) Suspended-sediment-concentration data also were collected at most of these sites during water year 2003. Specific-conductance and water-temperature data from PSP, PRES, and SMB were recorded by the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) before 1988, by the USGS National Research Program from 1988 to 1989, and by the USGS-DWR cooperative program since 1990. BEN, CARQ, NAP, and SPB were established in 1998 by USGS. The monitoring station at PRES was discontinued on November 12, 2002, due to shoaling at the site.

  5. 77 FR 71287 - CNMI-Only Transitional Worker Numerical Limitation for Fiscal Year 2013

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-30

    ...-ZB15 CNMI-Only Transitional Worker Numerical Limitation for Fiscal Year 2013 AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS. ACTION: Notification of numerical limitation. SUMMARY: The Secretary of Homeland Security announces that the numerical limitation for the annual fiscal year numerical limitation...

  6. 77 FR 60688 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-04

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  7. 78 FR 26005 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-03

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  8. 77 FR 53193 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-31

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  9. 77 FR 13104 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-05

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  10. 77 FR 39235 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-02

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  11. 78 FR 65979 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-04

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  12. 78 FR 716 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-04

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  13. 78 FR 54461 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-04

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  14. 77 FR 24695 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-25

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. . 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  15. 76 FR 81487 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-28

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  16. Task-specific performance effects with different numeric keypad layouts.

    PubMed

    Armand, Jenny T; Redick, Thomas S; Poulsen, Joan R

    2014-07-01

    Two commonly used keypad arrangements are the telephone and calculator layouts. The purpose of this study was to determine if entering different types of numeric information was quicker and more accurate with the telephone or the calculator layout on a computer keyboard numeric keypad. Fifty-seven participants saw a 10-digit numeric stimulus to type with a computer number keypad as quickly and as accurately as possible. Stimuli were presented in either a numerical [1,234,567,890] or phone [(123) 456-7890] format. The results indicated that participants' memory of the layout for the arrangement of keys on a telephone was significantly better than the layout of a calculator. In addition, the results showed that participants were more accurate when entering stimuli using the calculator keypad layout. Critically, participants' response times showed an interaction of stimulus format and keypad layout: participants were specifically slowed when entering numeric stimuli using a telephone keypad layout. Responses made using the middle row of keys were faster and more accurate than responses using the top and bottom row of keys. Implications for keypad design and cell phone usage are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  17. 78 FR 16260 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-14

    ...On March 4, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of open meeting announcing a meeting on March 25-26, 2013 of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site (78 FR 14088). This document makes a correction to that notice.

  18. 78 FR 40130 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-03

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  19. 78 FR 59012 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) Chairs. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related...

  20. 77 FR 59598 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  1. 75 FR 9404 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  2. 75 FR 61711 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  3. 75 FR 56526 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Initiative Workshop of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  4. 75 FR 66074 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  5. 75 FR 54600 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  6. 76 FR 5147 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  7. 75 FR 24686 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management and...

  8. Creating prescription maps from satellite imagery for site-specific management of cotton root rot

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton root rot is a century-old cotton disease that can now be controlled with Topguard Terra Fungicide. However, as this disease tends to occur in the same general areas within fields year after year, site-specific treatment can be more effective and economical. The objective of this study was to ...

  9. Site-specific management of cotton root rot using historical remote sensing imagery

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton root rot can now be effectively controlled with Topguard Terra Fungicide, but site-specific application of the fungicide can greatly reduce treatment cost as only portions of the field are infested with the disease. The overall goal of this three-year project was to demonstrate how to use his...

  10. Numerical Modeling Tools for the Prediction of Solution Migration Applicable to Mining Site

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Martell, M.; Vaughn, P.

    1999-01-06

    Mining has always had an important influence on cultures and traditions of communities around the globe and throughout history. Today, because mining legislation places heavy emphasis on environmental protection, there is great interest in having a comprehensive understanding of ancient mining and mining sites. Multi-disciplinary approaches (i.e., Pb isotopes as tracers) are being used to explore the distribution of metals in natural environments. Another successful approach is to model solution migration numerically. A proven method to simulate solution migration in natural rock salt has been applied to project through time for 10,000 years the system performance and solution concentrations surroundingmore » a proposed nuclear waste repository. This capability is readily adaptable to simulate solution migration around mining.« less

  11. 77 FR 4027 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and...

  12. 76 FR 80354 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and...

  13. 78 FR 20311 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) Chairs. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration...

  14. 75 FR 82004 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and...

  15. 77 FR 12044 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-28

    ... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY...

  16. Site-specific seismic probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis: performances and potential applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tonini, Roberto; Volpe, Manuela; Lorito, Stefano; Selva, Jacopo; Orefice, Simone; Graziani, Laura; Brizuela, Beatriz; Smedile, Alessandra; Romano, Fabrizio; De Martini, Paolo Marco; Maramai, Alessandra; Piatanesi, Alessio; Pantosti, Daniela

    2017-04-01

    Seismic Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Analysis (SPTHA) provides probabilities to exceed different thresholds of tsunami hazard intensity, at a specific site or region and in a given time span, for tsunamis caused by seismic sources. Results obtained by SPTHA (i.e., probabilistic hazard curves and inundation maps) represent a very important input to risk analyses and land use planning. However, the large variability of source parameters implies the definition of a huge number of potential tsunami scenarios, whose omission could lead to a biased analysis. Moreover, tsunami propagation from source to target requires the use of very expensive numerical simulations. At regional scale, the computational cost can be reduced using assumptions on the tsunami modeling (i.e., neglecting non-linear effects, using coarse topo-bathymetric meshes, empirically extrapolating maximum wave heights on the coast). On the other hand, moving to local scale, a much higher resolution is required and such assumptions drop out, since detailed inundation maps require significantly greater computational resources. In this work we apply a multi-step method to perform a site-specific SPTHA which can be summarized in the following steps: i) to perform a regional hazard assessment to account for both the aleatory and epistemic uncertainties of the seismic source, by combining the use of an event tree and an ensemble modeling technique; ii) to apply a filtering procedure which use a cluster analysis to define a significantly reduced number of representative scenarios contributing to the hazard of a specific target site; iii) to perform high resolution numerical simulations only for these representative scenarios and for a subset of near field sources placed in very shallow waters and/or whose coseismic displacements induce ground uplift or subsidence at the target. The method is applied to three target areas in the Mediterranean located around the cities of Milazzo (Italy), Thessaloniki (Greece) and

  17. Impairments in Site-Specific AS160 Phosphorylation and Effects of Exercise Training

    PubMed Central

    Consitt, Leslie A.; Van Meter, Jessica; Newton, Christopher A.; Collier, David N.; Dar, Moahad S.; Wojtaszewski, Jørgen F.P.; Treebak, Jonas T.; Tanner, Charles J.; Houmard, Joseph A.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine if site-specific phosphorylation at the level of Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160) is altered in skeletal muscle from sedentary humans across a wide range of the adult life span (18–84 years of age) and if endurance- and/or strength-oriented exercise training could rescue decrements in insulin action and skeletal muscle AS160 phosphorylation. A euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp and skeletal muscle biopsies were performed in 73 individuals encompassing a wide age range (18–84 years of age), and insulin-stimulated AS160 phosphorylation was determined. Decrements in whole-body insulin action were associated with impairments in insulin-induced phosphorylation of skeletal muscle AS160 on sites Ser-588, Thr-642, Ser-666, and phospho-Akt substrate, but not Ser-318 or Ser-751. Twelve weeks of endurance- or strength-oriented exercise training increased whole-body insulin action and reversed impairments in AS160 phosphorylation evident in insulin-resistant aged individuals. These findings suggest that a dampening of insulin-induced phosphorylation of AS160 on specific sites in skeletal muscle contributes to the insulin resistance evident in a sedentary aging population and that exercise training is an effective intervention for treating these impairments. PMID:23801578

  18. 76 FR 21878 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of...

  19. 75 FR 65615 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the...

  20. 75 FR 82003 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the...

  1. 77 FR 75626 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act...: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in...

  2. 77 FR 37390 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of...

  3. 77 FR 2283 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of...

  4. TSAPA: identification of tissue-specific alternative polyadenylation sites in plants.

    PubMed

    Ji, Guoli; Chen, Moliang; Ye, Wenbin; Zhu, Sheng; Ye, Congting; Su, Yaru; Peng, Haonan; Wu, Xiaohui

    2018-06-15

    Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is now emerging as a widespread mechanism modulated tissue-specifically, which highlights the need to define tissue-specific poly(A) sites for profiling APA dynamics across tissues. We have developed an R package called TSAPA based on the machine learning model for identifying tissue-specific poly(A) sites in plants. A feature space including more than 200 features was assembled to specifically characterize poly(A) sites in plants. The classification model in TSAPA can be customized by selecting desirable features or classifiers. TSAPA is also capable of predicting tissue-specific poly(A) sites in unannotated intergenic regions. TSAPA will be a valuable addition to the community for studying dynamics of APA in plants. https://github.com/BMILAB/TSAPA. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  5. Site Specific Probable Maximum Precipitation Estimates and Professional Judgement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayes, B. D.; Kao, S. C.; Kanney, J. F.; Quinlan, K. R.; DeNeale, S. T.

    2015-12-01

    interpolating 100-year dew point values rather than a more gauge-based approach. Site specific reviews demonstrated that both issues had potential for lowering the PMP estimate significantly by affecting the in-place and transposed moisture maximization value and, in turn, the final controlling storm for a given basin size and PMP estimate.

  6. Efficient Site-Specific Labeling of Proteins via Cysteines

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Younggyu; Ho, Sam O.; Gassman, Natalie R.; Korlann, You; Landorf, Elizabeth V.; Collart, Frank R.; Weiss, Shimon

    2011-01-01

    Methods for chemical modifications of proteins have been crucial for the advancement of proteomics. In particular, site-specific covalent labeling of proteins with fluorophores and other moieties has permitted the development of a multitude of assays for proteome analysis. A common approach for such a modification is solvent-accessible cysteine labeling using thiol-reactive dyes. Cysteine is very attractive for site-specific conjugation due to its relative rarity throughout the proteome and the ease of its introduction into a specific site along the protein's amino acid chain. This is achieved by site-directed mutagenesis, most often without perturbing the protein's function. Bottlenecks in this reaction, however, include the maintenance of reactive thiol groups without oxidation before the reaction, and the effective removal of unreacted molecules prior to fluorescence studies. Here, we describe an efficient, specific, and rapid procedure for cysteine labeling starting from well-reduced proteins in the solid state. The efficacy and specificity of the improved procedure are estimated using a variety of single-cysteine proteins and thiol-reactive dyes. Based on UV/vis absorbance spectra, coupling efficiencies are typically in the range 70–90%, and specificities are better than ~95%. The labeled proteins are evaluated using fluorescence assays, proving that the covalent modification does not alter their function. In addition to maleimide-based conjugation, this improved procedure may be used for other thiol-reactive conjugations such as haloacetyl, alkyl halide, and disulfide interchange derivatives. This facile and rapid procedure is well suited for high throughput proteome analysis. PMID:18275130

  7. Efficient site-specific labeling of proteins via cysteines.

    PubMed

    Kim, Younggyu; Ho, Sam O; Gassman, Natalie R; Korlann, You; Landorf, Elizabeth V; Collart, Frank R; Weiss, Shimon

    2008-03-01

    Methods for chemical modifications of proteins have been crucial for the advancement of proteomics. In particular, site-specific covalent labeling of proteins with fluorophores and other moieties has permitted the development of a multitude of assays for proteome analysis. A common approach for such a modification is solvent-accessible cysteine labeling using thiol-reactive dyes. Cysteine is very attractive for site-specific conjugation due to its relative rarity throughout the proteome and the ease of its introduction into a specific site along the protein's amino acid chain. This is achieved by site-directed mutagenesis, most often without perturbing the protein's function. Bottlenecks in this reaction, however, include the maintenance of reactive thiol groups without oxidation before the reaction, and the effective removal of unreacted molecules prior to fluorescence studies. Here, we describe an efficient, specific, and rapid procedure for cysteine labeling starting from well-reduced proteins in the solid state. The efficacy and specificity of the improved procedure are estimated using a variety of single-cysteine proteins and thiol-reactive dyes. Based on UV/vis absorbance spectra, coupling efficiencies are typically in the range 70-90%, and specificities are better than approximately 95%. The labeled proteins are evaluated using fluorescence assays, proving that the covalent modification does not alter their function. In addition to maleimide-based conjugation, this improved procedure may be used for other thiol-reactive conjugations such as haloacetyl, alkyl halide, and disulfide interchange derivatives. This facile and rapid procedure is well suited for high throughput proteome analysis.

  8. Developmental dyscalculia and basic numerical capacities: a study of 8-9-year-old students.

    PubMed

    Landerl, Karin; Bevan, Anna; Butterworth, Brian

    2004-09-01

    Thirty-one 8- and 9-year-old children selected for dyscalculia, reading difficulties or both, were compared to controls on a range of basic number processing tasks. Children with dyscalculia only had impaired performance on the tasks despite high-average performance on tests of IQ, vocabulary and working memory tasks. Children with reading disability were mildly impaired only on tasks that involved articulation, while children with both disorders showed a pattern of numerical disability similar to that of the dyscalculic group, with no special features consequent on their reading or language deficits. We conclude that dyscalculia is the result of specific disabilities in basic numerical processing, rather than the consequence of deficits in other cognitive abilities.

  9. Site- and species-specific hydrolysis rates of heroin.

    PubMed

    Szöcs, Levente; Orgován, Gábor; Tóth, Gergő; Kraszni, Márta; Gergó, Lajos; Hosztafi, Sándor; Noszál, Béla

    2016-06-30

    The hydroxide-catalyzed non-enzymatic, simultaneous and consecutive hydrolyses of diacetylmorphine (DAM, heroin) are quantified in terms of 10 site- and species-specific rate constants in connection with also 10 site- and species-specific acid-base equilibrium constants, comprising all the 12 coexisting species in solution. This characterization involves the major and minor decomposition pathways via 6-acetylmorphine and 3-acetylmorphine, respectively, and morphine, the final product. Hydrolysis has been found to be 18-120 times faster at site 3 than at site 6, depending on the status of the amino group and the rest of the molecule. Nitrogen protonation accelerates the hydrolysis 5-6 times at site 3 and slightly less at site 6. Hydrolysis rate constants are interpreted in terms of intramolecular inductive effects and the concomitant local electron densities. Hydrolysis fraction, a new physico-chemical parameter is introduced and determined to quantify the contribution of the individual microspecies to the overall hydrolysis. Hydrolysis fractions are depicted as a function of pH. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Site-specific genetic recombination: hops, flips, and flops.

    PubMed

    Sadowski, P D

    1993-06-01

    Genetic recombination plays a key role in the life of organisms as diverse as bacteriophages and humans. Contrary to our idea that chromosomes are stable structures, studies of recombination over the past few decades have shown that in fact DNA replicons are remarkably plastic, undergoing frequent recombination-induced rearrangements. This review summarizes our recent knowledge of the biochemistry of the two major classes of site-specific recombination: 1) transpositional recombination, and 2) conservative site-specific recombination.

  11. 25 Years of Self-organized Criticality: Numerical Detection Methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McAteer, R. T. James; Aschwanden, Markus J.; Dimitropoulou, Michaila; Georgoulis, Manolis K.; Pruessner, Gunnar; Morales, Laura; Ireland, Jack; Abramenko, Valentyna

    2016-01-01

    The detection and characterization of self-organized criticality (SOC), in both real and simulated data, has undergone many significant revisions over the past 25 years. The explosive advances in the many numerical methods available for detecting, discriminating, and ultimately testing, SOC have played a critical role in developing our understanding of how systems experience and exhibit SOC. In this article, methods of detecting SOC are reviewed; from correlations to complexity to critical quantities. A description of the basic autocorrelation method leads into a detailed analysis of application-oriented methods developed in the last 25 years. In the second half of this manuscript space-based, time-based and spatial-temporal methods are reviewed and the prevalence of power laws in nature is described, with an emphasis on event detection and characterization. The search for numerical methods to clearly and unambiguously detect SOC in data often leads us outside the comfort zone of our own disciplines—the answers to these questions are often obtained by studying the advances made in other fields of study. In addition, numerical detection methods often provide the optimum link between simulations and experiments in scientific research. We seek to explore this boundary where the rubber meets the road, to review this expanding field of research of numerical detection of SOC systems over the past 25 years, and to iterate forwards so as to provide some foresight and guidance into developing breakthroughs in this subject over the next quarter of a century.

  12. Special Year on Numerical Linear Algebra

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-09-01

    ORNL) Worley, Pat (ORNL) A special acknowledgement should go to Mary Drake (UT) and Mitzy Denson (ORNL) who carried the burden of making the innumerable...a time step appropriate for the regular cells with no stability restriction. Entrance to Y-12 requires a pass. Contact Mitzy Denson (615) 574-3125 to...requires a pass. Contact Mitzy Denson (615) 574-3125 to obtain one. ’This seminar is part of the Special Year on Numerical Linear Algebra sponsored by the

  13. Effect of site-specific modification on restriction endonucleases and DNA modification methyltransferases.

    PubMed Central

    McClelland, M; Nelson, M; Raschke, E

    1994-01-01

    Restriction endonucleases have site-specific interactions with DNA that can often be inhibited by site-specific DNA methylation and other site-specific DNA modifications. However, such inhibition cannot generally be predicted. The empirically acquired data on these effects are tabulated for over 320 restriction endonucleases. In addition, a table of known site-specific DNA modification methyltransferases and their specificities is presented along with EMBL database accession numbers for cloned genes. PMID:7937074

  14. 76 FR 55370 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY...-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Committee of the Environmental Management Site- Specific... the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Purpose of the...

  15. 76 FR 57981 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... environmental restoration, waste management and related activities. Tentative Agenda Call to Order...

  16. 77 FR 29997 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... environmental restoration, waste management and related activities. Tentative Agenda Call to Order...

  17. 76 FR 50204 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada AGENCY...-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Committee of the Environmental Management Site- Specific... management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Purpose of...

  18. 76 FR 78909 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda...

  19. 76 FR 36100 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... environmental restoration, waste management and related activities. Tentative Agenda Call to Order...

  20. 77 FR 51789 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-27

    ... management and related activities. Tentative Agenda Call to Order, Introductions, Review of Agenda... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act...

  1. 75 FR 19379 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-14

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... areas of environmental restoration, waste management and related activities. Tentative Agenda Call to...

  2. 75 FR 7577 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-22

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act... areas of environmental restoration, waste management and related activities. Tentative Agenda: Call to...

  3. 76 FR 17118 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) Chairs. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda Topics...

  4. 76 FR 62054 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-06

    ... environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda Topics [cir] EM Program... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs AGENCY... of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) Chairs. The Federal Advisory...

  5. SUPPORTING THE REDEVELOPMENT OF BROWNFIELD SITES USING SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS (SMART)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Site-Specific Management Approaches and Redevelopment Tools (SMART) provides potential solutions for facilitating the redevelopment of brownfield sites. The term "brownfield site" refers to previously developed property whose reuse may be complicated by the presence of hazar...

  6. 77 FR 55813 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) Chairs. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub... environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda Topics Tuesday, October 2...

  7. 75 FR 64718 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act.... ADDRESSES: Red Lion Hanford House, 802 George Washington Way, Richland, Washington. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

  8. 75 FR 8051 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford AGENCY... the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford (known locally as the Hanford Advisory Board [HAB]), River and Plateau, Tank Waste, Public Involvement, Health Safety and...

  9. 76 FR 4645 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act.... ADDRESSES: Red Lion Hanford House, 802 George Washington Way, Richland, Washington 99352. FOR FURTHER...

  10. Site Specific Management of Cotton Production in the United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Site-specific management or precision agriculture, as it is evolving in large-scale crop production, offers promising new methods for managing cotton production for optimized yields, maximized profitability, and minimized environmental pollution. However, adaptation of site-specific theory and meth...

  11. 77 FR 11516 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-27

    ... materials; excess facilities; future land use and long-term stewardship; risk assessment and management; and... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act...

  12. 77 FR 2282 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah AGENCY... the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah. This notice announces the... scheduling conflicts by members. The next regular meeting will be held on February 16, 2012. DATES: The...

  13. 75 FR 8050 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act...: The meeting is open to the public. The EM SSAB, Hanford, welcomes the attendance of the public at its...

  14. 76 FR 20651 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs AGENCY... a meeting on April 13-14, 2011 of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs... R. Butler, Acting Deputy Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 2011-8970 Filed 4-8-11; 4:15 pm...

  15. FLP recombinase-mediated site-specific recombination in silkworm, Bombyx mori

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A comprehensive understanding of gene function and the production of site-specific genetically modified mutants are two major goals of genetic engineering in the post-genomic era. Although site-specific recombination systems have been powerful tools for genome manipulation of many organisms, they h...

  16. Nitric oxide-based protein modification: formation and site-specificity of protein S-nitrosylation

    PubMed Central

    Kovacs, Izabella; Lindermayr, Christian

    2013-01-01

    Nitric oxide (NO) is a reactive free radical with pleiotropic functions that participates in diverse biological processes in plants, such as germination, root development, stomatal closing, abiotic stress, and defense responses. It acts mainly through redox-based modification of cysteine residue(s) of target proteins, called protein S-nitrosylation.In this way NO regulates numerous cellular functions and signaling events in plants. Identification of S-nitrosylated substrates and their exact target cysteine residue(s) is very important to reveal the molecular mechanisms and regulatory roles of S-nitrosylation. In addition to the necessity of protein–protein interaction for trans-nitrosylation and denitrosylation reactions, the cellular redox environment and cysteine thiol micro-environment have been proposed important factors for the specificity of protein S-nitrosylation. Several methods have recently been developed for the proteomic identification of target proteins. However, the specificity of NO-based cysteine modification is still less defined. In this review, we discuss formation and specificity of S-nitrosylation. Special focus will be on potential S-nitrosylation motifs, site-specific proteomic analyses, computational predictions using different algorithms, and on structural analysis of cysteine S-nitrosylation. PMID:23717319

  17. 40 CFR 228.6 - Specific criteria for site selection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Specific criteria for site selection... selection. (a) In the selection of disposal sites, in addition to other necessary or appropriate factors...) Existence at or in close proximity to the site of any significant natural or cultural features of historical...

  18. Dancing in Place: Site-Specific Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metal-Corbin, Josie

    2012-01-01

    In her lecture the 2012 NDA Scholar/Artist, Josie Metal-Corbin, chronicles four decades of working with artists, educators, librarians, and scientists. The kinetic language of dance and the visual impact of specific environments provide provocative opportunities for collaboration, wherein the site becomes the framework or map for the dance design.…

  19. Finger-Based Numerical Skills Link Fine Motor Skills to Numerical Development in Preschoolers.

    PubMed

    Suggate, Sebastian; Stoeger, Heidrun; Fischer, Ursula

    2017-12-01

    Previous studies investigating the association between fine-motor skills (FMS) and mathematical skills have lacked specificity. In this study, we test whether an FMS link to numerical skills is due to the involvement of finger representations in early mathematics. We gave 81 pre-schoolers (mean age of 4 years, 9 months) a set of FMS measures and numerical tasks with and without a specific finger focus. Additionally, we used receptive vocabulary and chronological age as control measures. FMS linked more closely to finger-based than to nonfinger-based numerical skills even after accounting for the control variables. Moreover, the relationship between FMS and numerical skill was entirely mediated by finger-based numerical skills. We concluded that FMS are closely related to early numerical skill development through finger-based numerical counting that aids the acquisition of mathematical mental representations.

  20. Cre recombinase-mediated site-specific recombination between plant chromosomes.

    PubMed Central

    Qin, M; Bayley, C; Stockton, T; Ow, D W

    1994-01-01

    We report the use of the bacteriophage P1 Cre-lox system for generating conservative site-specific recombination between tobacco chromosomes. Two constructs, one containing a promoterless hygromycin-resistance gene preceded by a lox site (lox-hpt) and the other containing a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter linked to a lox sequence and the cre coding region (35S-lox-cre), were introduced separately into tobacco plants. Crosses between plants harboring either construct produced plants with the two constructs situated on different chromosomes. Plants with recombination events were identified by selecting for hygromycin resistance, a phenotype expressed upon recombination. Molecular analysis showed that these recombination events occurred specifically at the lox sites and resulted in the reciprocal exchange of flanking host DNA. Progenies of these plants showed 67-100% cotransmission of the new transgenes, 35S-lox-hpt and lox-cre, consistent with the preferential cosegregation of translocated chromosomes. These results illustrate that site-specific recombination systems can be useful tools for the large-scale manipulation of eukaryotic chromosomes in vivo. Images PMID:8127869

  1. Engineering peptide ligase specificity by proteomic identification of ligation sites.

    PubMed

    Weeks, Amy M; Wells, James A

    2018-01-01

    Enzyme-catalyzed peptide ligation is a powerful tool for site-specific protein bioconjugation, but stringent enzyme-substrate specificity limits its utility. We developed an approach for comprehensively characterizing peptide ligase specificity for N termini using proteome-derived peptide libraries. We used this strategy to characterize the ligation efficiency for >25,000 enzyme-substrate pairs in the context of the engineered peptide ligase subtiligase and identified a family of 72 mutant subtiligases with activity toward N-terminal sequences that were previously recalcitrant to modification. We applied these mutants individually for site-specific bioconjugation of purified proteins, including antibodies, and in algorithmically selected combinations for sequencing of the cellular N terminome with reduced sequence bias. We also developed a web application to enable algorithmic selection of the most efficient subtiligase variant(s) for bioconjugation to user-defined sequences. Our methods provide a new toolbox of enzymes for site-specific protein modification and a general approach for rapidly defining and engineering peptide ligase specificity.

  2. Deconstructing thermodynamic parameters of a coupled system from site-specific observables.

    PubMed

    Chowdhury, Sandipan; Chanda, Baron

    2010-11-02

    Cooperative interactions mediate information transfer between structural domains of a protein molecule and are major determinants of protein function and modulation. The prevalent theories to understand the thermodynamic origins of cooperativity have been developed to reproduce the complex behavior of a global thermodynamic observable such as ligand binding or enzyme activity. However, in most cases the measurement of a single global observable cannot uniquely define all the terms that fully describe the energetics of the system. Here we establish a theoretical groundwork for analyzing protein thermodynamics using site-specific information. Our treatment involves extracting a site-specific parameter (defined as χ value) associated with a structural unit. We demonstrate that, under limiting conditions, the χ value is related to the direct interaction terms associated with the structural unit under observation and its intrinsic activation energy. We also introduce a site-specific interaction energy term (χ(diff)) that is a function of the direct interaction energy of that site with every other site in the system. When combined with site-directed mutagenesis and other molecular level perturbations, analyses of χ values of site-specific observables may provide valuable insights into protein thermodynamics and structure.

  3. Site-specific estimation of peak-streamflow frequency using generalized least-squares regression for natural basins in Texas

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Asquith, William H.; Slade, R.M.

    1999-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation, has developed a computer program to estimate peak-streamflow frequency for ungaged sites in natural basins in Texas. Peak-streamflow frequency refers to the peak streamflows for recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years. Peak-streamflow frequency estimates are needed by planners, managers, and design engineers for flood-plain management; for objective assessment of flood risk; for cost-effective design of roads and bridges; and also for the desin of culverts, dams, levees, and other flood-control structures. The program estimates peak-streamflow frequency using a site-specific approach and a multivariate generalized least-squares linear regression. A site-specific approach differs from a traditional regional regression approach by developing unique equations to estimate peak-streamflow frequency specifically for the ungaged site. The stations included in the regression are selected using an informal cluster analysis that compares the basin characteristics of the ungaged site to the basin characteristics of all the stations in the data base. The program provides several choices for selecting the stations. Selecting the stations using cluster analysis ensures that the stations included in the regression will have the most pertinent information about flooding characteristics of the ungaged site and therefore provide the basis for potentially improved peak-streamflow frequency estimation. An evaluation of the site-specific approach in estimating peak-streamflow frequency for gaged sites indicates that the site-specific approach is at least as accurate as a traditional regional regression approach.

  4. Genome-wide detection of conservative site-specific recombination in bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Mathias Garrett, Elizabeth; Camilli, Andrew

    2018-01-01

    The ability of clonal bacterial populations to generate genomic and phenotypic heterogeneity is thought to be of great importance for many commensal and pathogenic bacteria. One common mechanism contributing to diversity formation relies on the inversion of small genomic DNA segments in a process commonly referred to as conservative site-specific recombination. This phenomenon is known to occur in several bacterial lineages, however it remains notoriously difficult to identify due to the lack of conserved features. Here, we report an easy-to-implement method based on high-throughput paired-end sequencing for genome-wide detection of conservative site-specific recombination on a single-nucleotide level. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method by successfully detecting several novel inversion sites in an epidemic isolate of the enteric pathogen Clostridium difficile. Using an experimental approach, we validate the inversion potential of all detected sites in C. difficile and quantify their prevalence during exponential and stationary growth in vitro. In addition, we demonstrate that the master recombinase RecV is responsible for the inversion of some but not all invertible sites. Using a fluorescent gene-reporter system, we show that at least one gene from a two-component system located next to an invertible site is expressed in an on-off mode reminiscent of phase variation. We further demonstrate the applicability of our method by mining 209 publicly available sequencing datasets and show that conservative site-specific recombination is common in the bacterial realm but appears to be absent in some lineages. Finally, we show that the gene content associated with the inversion sites is diverse and goes beyond traditionally described surface components. Overall, our method provides a robust platform for detection of conservative site-specific recombination in bacteria and opens a new avenue for global exploration of this important phenomenon. PMID:29621238

  5. 76 FR 39080 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National... meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory... recommendations to DOE-EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and...

  6. Model coupling methodology for thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical numerical simulations in integrated assessment of long-term site behaviour

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kempka, Thomas; De Lucia, Marco; Kühn, Michael

    2015-04-01

    The integrated assessment of long-term site behaviour taking into account a high spatial resolution at reservoir scale requires a sophisticated methodology to represent coupled thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical processes of relevance. Our coupling methodology considers the time-dependent occurrence and significance of multi-phase flow processes, mechanical effects and geochemical reactions (Kempka et al., 2014). Hereby, a simplified hydro-chemical coupling procedure was developed (Klein et al., 2013) and validated against fully coupled hydro-chemical simulations (De Lucia et al., 2015). The numerical simulation results elaborated for the pilot site Ketzin demonstrate that mechanical reservoir, caprock and fault integrity are maintained during the time of operation and that after 10,000 years CO2 dissolution is the dominating trapping mechanism and mineralization occurs on the order of 10 % to 25 % with negligible changes to porosity and permeability. De Lucia, M., Kempka, T., Kühn, M. A coupling alternative to reactive transport simulations for long-term prediction of chemical reactions in heterogeneous CO2 storage systems (2014) Geosci Model Dev Discuss 7:6217-6261. doi:10.5194/gmdd-7-6217-2014. Kempka, T., De Lucia, M., Kühn, M. Geomechanical integrity verification and mineral trapping quantification for the Ketzin CO2 storage pilot site by coupled numerical simulations (2014) Energy Procedia 63:3330-3338, doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.361. Klein E, De Lucia M, Kempka T, Kühn M. Evaluation of longterm mineral trapping at the Ketzin pilot site for CO2 storage: an integrative approach using geo-chemical modelling and reservoir simulation. Int J Greenh Gas Con 2013; 19:720-730. doi:10.1016/j.ijggc.2013.05.014.

  7. Site-Specific Differentiation of Fibroblasts in Normal and Scleroderma Skin

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    SITE-SPECIFIC DIFFERENTIATION OF FIBROBLASTS IN NORMAL AND SCLERODERMA SKIN PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Howard Y. Chang, M.D., Ph.D...2010 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Site-Specific Differentiation of Fibroblasts in Normal and 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Scleroderma Skin 5b. GRANT NUMBER...activated fibroblasts from SSc. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Scleroderma , fibroblasts, gene expression 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: U 17. LIMITATION OF

  8. Site-Specifically Labeled Immunoconjugates for Molecular Imaging--Part 2: Peptide Tags and Unnatural Amino Acids.

    PubMed

    Adumeau, Pierre; Sharma, Sai Kiran; Brent, Colleen; Zeglis, Brian M

    2016-04-01

    Molecular imaging using radioisotope- or fluorophore-labeled antibodies is increasingly becoming a critical component of modern precision medicine. Yet despite this promise, the vast majority of these immunoconjugates are synthesized via the random coupling of amine-reactive bifunctional probes to lysines within the antibody, a process that can result in heterogeneous and poorly defined constructs with suboptimal pharmacological properties. In an effort to circumvent these issues, the last 5 years have played witness to a great deal of research focused on the creation of effective strategies for the site-specific attachment of payloads to antibodies. These chemoselective modification methods yield immunoconjugates that are more homogenous and better defined than constructs created using traditional synthetic approaches. Moreover, site-specifically labeled immunoconjugates have also been shown to exhibit superior in vivo behavior compared to their randomly modified cousins. The over-arching goal of this two-part review is to provide a broad yet detailed account of the various site-specific bioconjugation approaches that have been used to create immunoconjugates for positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and fluorescence imaging. In Part 1, we covered site-specific bioconjugation techniques based on the modification of cysteine residues and the chemoenzymatic manipulation of glycans. In Part 2, we will detail two families of bioconjugation approaches that leverage biochemical tools to achieve site-specificity. First, we will discuss modification methods that employ peptide tags either as sites for enzyme-catalyzed ligations or as radiometal coordination architectures. And second, we will examine bioconjugation strategies predicated on the incorporation of unnatural or non-canonical amino acids into antibodies via genetic engineering. Finally, we will compare the advantages and disadvantages of the modification

  9. Unusual Structure of the attB Site of the Site-Specific Recombination System of Lactobacillus delbrueckii Bacteriophage mv4

    PubMed Central

    Auvray, Frédéric; Coddeville, Michèle; Ordonez, Romy Catoira; Ritzenthaler, Paul

    1999-01-01

    The temperate phage mv4 integrates its genome into the chromosome of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus by site-specific recombination within the 3′ end of a tRNASer gene. Recombination is catalyzed by the phage-encoded integrase and occurs between the phage attP site and the bacterial attB site. In this study, we show that the mv4 integrase functions in vivo in Escherichia coli and we characterize the bacterial attB site with a site-specific recombination test involving compatible plasmids carrying the recombination sites. The importance of particular nucleotides within the attB sequence was determined by site-directed mutagenesis. The structure of the attB site was found to be simple but rather unusual. A 16-bp DNA fragment was sufficient for function. Unlike most genetic elements that integrate their DNA into tRNA genes, none of the dyad symmetry elements of the tRNASer gene were present within the minimal attB site. No inverted repeats were detected within this site either, in contrast to the lambda site-specific recombination model. PMID:10572145

  10. Development, testing, and applications of site-specific tsunami inundation models for real-time forecasting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, L.; Titov, V. V.; Chamberlin, C. D.

    2009-12-01

    The study describes the development, testing and applications of site-specific tsunami inundation models (forecast models) for use in NOAA's tsunami forecast and warning system. The model development process includes sensitivity studies of tsunami wave characteristics in the nearshore and inundation, for a range of model grid setups, resolutions and parameters. To demonstrate the process, four forecast models in Hawaii, at Hilo, Kahului, Honolulu, and Nawiliwili are described. The models were validated with fourteen historical tsunamis and compared with numerical results from reference inundation models of higher resolution. The accuracy of the modeled maximum wave height is greater than 80% when the observation is greater than 0.5 m; when the observation is below 0.5 m the error is less than 0.3 m. The error of the modeled arrival time of the first peak is within 3% of the travel time. The developed forecast models were further applied to hazard assessment from simulated magnitude 7.5, 8.2, 8.7 and 9.3 tsunamis based on subduction zone earthquakes in the Pacific. The tsunami hazard assessment study indicates that use of a seismic magnitude alone for a tsunami source assessment is inadequate to achieve such accuracy for tsunami amplitude forecasts. The forecast models apply local bathymetric and topographic information, and utilize dynamic boundary conditions from the tsunami source function database, to provide site- and event-specific coastal predictions. Only by combining a Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami-constrained tsunami magnitude with site-specific high-resolution models can the forecasts completely cover the evolution of earthquake-generated tsunami waves: generation, deep ocean propagation, and coastal inundation. Wavelet analysis of the tsunami waves suggests the coastal tsunami frequency responses at different sites are dominated by the local bathymetry, yet they can be partially related to the locations of the tsunami sources. The study

  11. Extensively Parameterized Mutation-Selection Models Reliably Capture Site-Specific Selective Constraint.

    PubMed

    Spielman, Stephanie J; Wilke, Claus O

    2016-11-01

    The mutation-selection model of coding sequence evolution has received renewed attention for its use in estimating site-specific amino acid propensities and selection coefficient distributions. Two computationally tractable mutation-selection inference frameworks have been introduced: One framework employs a fixed-effects, highly parameterized maximum likelihood approach, whereas the other employs a random-effects Bayesian Dirichlet Process approach. While both implementations follow the same model, they appear to make distinct predictions about the distribution of selection coefficients. The fixed-effects framework estimates a large proportion of highly deleterious substitutions, whereas the random-effects framework estimates that all substitutions are either nearly neutral or weakly deleterious. It remains unknown, however, how accurately each method infers evolutionary constraints at individual sites. Indeed, selection coefficient distributions pool all site-specific inferences, thereby obscuring a precise assessment of site-specific estimates. Therefore, in this study, we use a simulation-based strategy to determine how accurately each approach recapitulates the selective constraint at individual sites. We find that the fixed-effects approach, despite its extensive parameterization, consistently and accurately estimates site-specific evolutionary constraint. By contrast, the random-effects Bayesian approach systematically underestimates the strength of natural selection, particularly for slowly evolving sites. We also find that, despite the strong differences between their inferred selection coefficient distributions, the fixed- and random-effects approaches yield surprisingly similar inferences of site-specific selective constraint. We conclude that the fixed-effects mutation-selection framework provides the more reliable software platform for model application and future development. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the

  12. A Numerical Multiscale Framework for Modeling Patient-Specific Coronary Artery Bypass Surgeries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramachandra, Abhay B.; Kahn, Andrew; Marsden, Alison

    2014-11-01

    Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is performed to revascularize diseased coronary arteries, using arterial, venous or synthetic grafts. Vein grafts, used in more than 70% of procedures, have failure rates as high as 50% in less than 10 years. Hemodynamics is known to play a key role in the mechano-biological response of vein grafts, but current non-invasive imaging techniques cannot fully characterize the hemodynamic and biomechanical environment. We numerically compute hemodynamics and wall mechanics in patient-specific 3D CABG geometries using stabilized finite element methods. The 3D patient-specific domain is coupled to a 0D lumped parameter circulatory model and parameters are tuned to match patient-specific blood pressures, stroke volumes, heart rates and heuristic flow-split values. We quantify differences in hemodynamics between arterial and venous grafts and discuss possible correlations to graft failure. Extension to a deformable wall approximation will also be discussed. The quantification of wall mechanics and hemodynamics is a necessary step towards coupling continuum models in solid and fluid mechanics with the cellular and sub-cellular responses of grafts, which in turn, should lead to a more accurate prediction of the long term outcome of CABG surgeries, including predictions of growth and remodeling.

  13. A dermal HOX transcriptional program regulates site-specific epidermal fate

    PubMed Central

    Rinn, John L.; Wang, Jordon K.; Allen, Nancy; Brugmann, Samantha A.; Mikels, Amanda J.; Liu, Helen; Ridky, Todd W.; Stadler, H. Scott; Nusse, Roel; Helms, Jill A.; Chang, Howard Y.

    2008-01-01

    Reciprocal epithelial–mesenchymal interactions shape site-specific development of skin. Here we show that site-specific HOX expression in fibroblasts is cell-autonomous and epigenetically maintained. The distal-specific gene HOXA13 is continually required to maintain the distal-specific transcriptional program in adult fibroblasts, including expression of WNT5A, a morphogen required for distal development. The ability of distal fibroblasts to induce epidermal keratin 9, a distal-specific gene, is abrogated by depletion of HOXA13, but rescued by addition of WNT5A. Thus, maintenance of appropriate HOX transcriptional program in adult fibroblasts may serve as a source of positional memory to differentially pattern the epithelia during homeostasis and regeneration. PMID:18245445

  14. A dermal HOX transcriptional program regulates site-specific epidermal fate.

    PubMed

    Rinn, John L; Wang, Jordon K; Allen, Nancy; Brugmann, Samantha A; Mikels, Amanda J; Liu, Helen; Ridky, Todd W; Stadler, H Scott; Nusse, Roel; Helms, Jill A; Chang, Howard Y

    2008-02-01

    Reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions shape site-specific development of skin. Here we show that site-specific HOX expression in fibroblasts is cell-autonomous and epigenetically maintained. The distal-specific gene HOXA13 is continually required to maintain the distal-specific transcriptional program in adult fibroblasts, including expression of WNT5A, a morphogen required for distal development. The ability of distal fibroblasts to induce epidermal keratin 9, a distal-specific gene, is abrogated by depletion of HOXA13, but rescued by addition of WNT5A. Thus, maintenance of appropriate HOX transcriptional program in adult fibroblasts may serve as a source of positional memory to differentially pattern the epithelia during homeostasis and regeneration.

  15. Site systems engineering fiscal year 1999 multi-year work plan (MYWP) update for WBS 1.8.2.2

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    GRYGIEL, M.L.

    1998-10-08

    Manage the Site Systems Engineering process to provide a traceable integrated requirements-driven, and technically defensible baseline. Through the Site Integration Group(SIG), Systems Engineering ensures integration of technical activities across all site projects. Systems Engineering's primary interfaces are with the RL Project Managers, the Project Direction Office and with the Project Major Subcontractors, as well as with the Site Planning organization. Systems Implementation: (1) Develops, maintains, and controls the site integrated technical baseline, ensures the Systems Engineering interfaces between projects are documented, and maintain the Site Environmental Management Specification. (2) Develops and uses dynamic simulation models for verification of the baselinemore » and analysis of alternatives. (3) Performs and documents fictional and requirements analyses. (4) Works with projects, technology management, and the SIG to identify and resolve technical issues. (5) Supports technical baseline information for the planning and budgeting of the Accelerated Cleanup Plan, Multi-Year Work Plans, Project Baseline Summaries as well as performance measure reporting. (6) Works with projects to ensure the quality of data in the technical baseline. (7) Develops, maintains and implements the site configuration management system.« less

  16. 40 CFR 228.6 - Specific criteria for site selection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    .... 228.6 Section 228.6 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING CRITERIA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF DISPOSAL SITES FOR OCEAN DUMPING § 228.6 Specific criteria for site... of special scientific importance and other legitimate uses of the ocean; (9) The existing water...

  17. Women with peritoneal carcinomatosis of unknown origin: Efficacy of image-guided biopsy to determine site-specific diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Hewitt, M J; Anderson, K; Hall, G D; Weston, M; Hutson, R; Wilkinson, N; Perren, T J; Lane, G; Spencer, J A

    2007-01-01

    To evaluate the use of image-guided biopsy (IGB) in routine clinical practice to obtain site-specific diagnoses in women presenting with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). Retrospective case study. Tertiary referral centre. A total of 149 consecutive women with PC who underwent IGB. Biopsy was performed in women considered unsuitable for primary surgery because of poor performance status or disease unlikely to be optimally debulked, with a prior history of malignancy or where there was clinicoradiological uncertainty about primary tumour site. Standard haematoxylin-eosin histological analysis was supplemented with immunohistochemistry. The rate of site-specific diagnosis. A total of 149 women underwent IGB using computed tomography or ultrasound over a 6-year period. The only complication was one rectus sheath haematoma. In 138 (93%) women, a site-specific cancer diagnosis was made on the IGB (including 111 müllerian tract, 8 gastrointestinal tract, 4 breast and 3 lymphoma); in ten women, a repeat biopsy was necessary, giving an overall failure rate of 7%. In a further six women, malignancy was confirmed but a site-specific diagnosis could not be made, and in four women, biopsy showed benign tissue. A site-specific diagnosis was obtained in 29 of the 32 women (94%) with previous malignancy, of which 18/32 (56%) showed a new primary cancer. IGB is a safe and accurate technique for providing site-specific diagnoses in women with PC in routine clinical practice, including those with a previous relevant malignancy. IGB can replace laparoscopic or open biopsy in defining primary therapeutic options. The data would suggest that the biopsy should be performed with ultrasound where feasible.

  18. DNA-binding regulates site-specific ubiquitination of IRF-1.

    PubMed

    Landré, Vivien; Pion, Emmanuelle; Narayan, Vikram; Xirodimas, Dimitris P; Ball, Kathryn L

    2013-02-01

    Understanding the determinants for site-specific ubiquitination by E3 ligase components of the ubiquitin machinery is proving to be a challenge. In the present study we investigate the role of an E3 ligase docking site (Mf2 domain) in an intrinsically disordered domain of IRF-1 [IFN (interferon) regulatory factor-1], a short-lived IFNγ-regulated transcription factor, in ubiquitination of the protein. Ubiquitin modification of full-length IRF-1 by E3 ligases such as CHIP [C-terminus of the Hsc (heat-shock cognate) 70-interacting protein] and MDM2 (murine double minute 2), which dock to the Mf2 domain, was specific for lysine residues found predominantly in loop structures that extend from the DNA-binding domain, whereas no modification was detected in the more conformationally flexible C-terminal half of the protein. The E3 docking site was not available when IRF-1 was in its DNA-bound conformation and cognate DNA-binding sequences strongly suppressed ubiquitination, highlighting a strict relationship between ligase binding and site-specific modification at residues in the DNA-binding domain. Hyperubiquitination of a non-DNA-binding mutant supports a mechanism where an active DNA-bound pool of IRF-1 is protected from polyubiquitination and degradation.

  19. GPS-PAIL: prediction of lysine acetyltransferase-specific modification sites from protein sequences.

    PubMed

    Deng, Wankun; Wang, Chenwei; Zhang, Ying; Xu, Yang; Zhang, Shuang; Liu, Zexian; Xue, Yu

    2016-12-22

    Protein acetylation catalyzed by specific histone acetyltransferases (HATs) is an essential post-translational modification (PTM) and involved in the regulation a broad spectrum of biological processes in eukaryotes. Although several ten thousands of acetylation sites have been experimentally identified, the upstream HATs for most of the sites are unclear. Thus, the identification of HAT-specific acetylation sites is fundamental for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of protein acetylation. In this work, we first collected 702 known HAT-specific acetylation sites of 205 proteins from the literature and public data resources, and a motif-based analysis demonstrated that different types of HATs exhibit similar but considerably distinct sequence preferences for substrate recognition. Using 544 human HAT-specific sites for training, we constructed a highly useful tool of GPS-PAIL for the prediction of HAT-specific sites for up to seven HATs, including CREBBP, EP300, HAT1, KAT2A, KAT2B, KAT5 and KAT8. The prediction accuracy of GPS-PAIL was critically evaluated, with a satisfying performance. Using GPS-PAIL, we also performed a large-scale prediction of potential HATs for known acetylation sites identified from high-throughput experiments in nine eukaryotes. Both online service and local packages were implemented, and GPS-PAIL is freely available at: http://pail.biocuckoo.org.

  20. GPS-PAIL: prediction of lysine acetyltransferase-specific modification sites from protein sequences

    PubMed Central

    Deng, Wankun; Wang, Chenwei; Zhang, Ying; Xu, Yang; Zhang, Shuang; Liu, Zexian; Xue, Yu

    2016-01-01

    Protein acetylation catalyzed by specific histone acetyltransferases (HATs) is an essential post-translational modification (PTM) and involved in the regulation a broad spectrum of biological processes in eukaryotes. Although several ten thousands of acetylation sites have been experimentally identified, the upstream HATs for most of the sites are unclear. Thus, the identification of HAT-specific acetylation sites is fundamental for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of protein acetylation. In this work, we first collected 702 known HAT-specific acetylation sites of 205 proteins from the literature and public data resources, and a motif-based analysis demonstrated that different types of HATs exhibit similar but considerably distinct sequence preferences for substrate recognition. Using 544 human HAT-specific sites for training, we constructed a highly useful tool of GPS-PAIL for the prediction of HAT-specific sites for up to seven HATs, including CREBBP, EP300, HAT1, KAT2A, KAT2B, KAT5 and KAT8. The prediction accuracy of GPS-PAIL was critically evaluated, with a satisfying performance. Using GPS-PAIL, we also performed a large-scale prediction of potential HATs for known acetylation sites identified from high-throughput experiments in nine eukaryotes. Both online service and local packages were implemented, and GPS-PAIL is freely available at: http://pail.biocuckoo.org. PMID:28004786

  1. 75 FR 64718 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-20

    ... Industrial Sites and Soils Committees of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB... Test Site including decontamination, closure, re-use and/or demolition. Purpose of the Soils Committee: The purpose of the Committee is to focus on issues related to soil contamination at the Nevada Test...

  2. 40 CFR 228.6 - Specific criteria for site selection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Specific criteria for site selection. 228.6 Section 228.6 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN... designation promulgation as an environmental assessment of the impact of the use of the site for disposal, and...

  3. Temporally-Controlled Site-Specific Recombination in Zebrafish

    PubMed Central

    Hans, Stefan; Kaslin, Jan; Freudenreich, Dorian; Brand, Michael

    2009-01-01

    Conventional use of the site-specific recombinase Cre is a powerful technology in mouse, but almost absent in other vertebrate model organisms. In zebrafish, Cre-mediated recombination efficiency was previously very low. Here we show that using transposon-mediated transgenesis, Cre is in fact highly efficient in this organism. Furthermore, temporal control of recombination can be achieved by using the ligand-inducible CreERT2. Site-specific recombination only occurs upon administration of the drug tamoxifen (TAM) or its active metabolite, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen (4-OHT). Cre-mediated recombination is detectable already 4 or 2 hours after administration of TAM or 4-OHT, demonstrating fast recombination kinetics. In addition, low doses of TAM allow mosaic labeling of single cells. Combined, our results show that conditional Cre/lox will be a valuable tool for both, embryonic and adult zebrafish studies. Furthermore, single copy insertion transgenesis of Cre/lox constructs suggest a strategy suitable also for other organisms. PMID:19247481

  4. 75 FR 71677 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-24

    ... Industrial Sites and Soils Committees of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB... the Soils Committee: The purpose of the Committee is to focus on issues related to soil contamination...

  5. 76 FR 5365 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-31

    ... Industrial Sites and Soils Committees of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB.... Purpose of the Soils Committee: The purpose of the Committee is to focus on issues related to soil...

  6. Experimental and Numerical Study of Wind and Turbulence in a Near-Field Dispersion Campaign at an Inhomogeneous Site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Xiao; Dupont, Eric; Gilbert, Eric; Musson-Genon, Luc; Carissimo, Bertrand

    2016-09-01

    We present a detailed experimental and numerical study of the local flow field for a pollutant dispersion experimental program conducted at SIRTA (Site Instrumental de Recherche par Télédétection Atmosphérique), a complex and intensively instrumented site in a southern suburb of Paris. Global analysis of continuous measurements over 2 years highlights the impact of terrain heterogeneity on wind and turbulence. It shows that the forest to the north of the experimental field induces strong directional shear and wind deceleration below the forest canopy height. This directional shear is stronger with decreasing height and decreasing distance from the forest edge. Numerical simulations are carried out using Code_Saturne, a computational fluid dynamics code, in Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes mode with a standard k{-}ɛ closure and a canopy model, in neutral and stable stratifications. These simulations are shown to reproduce globally well the characteristics of the mean flow, especially the directional wind shear in northeasterly and northwesterly cases and the turbulent kinetic energy increase induced by the forest. However, they slightly underestimate wind speed and the directional shear of the flow below the forest canopy height. Sensitivity studies are performed to investigate the influence of leaf area density, inlet stability condition, and roughness length. These studies show that the typical features of the canopy flow become more pronounced as canopy density increases. Performance statistics indicate that the impact of the forest and adequate inlet profiles are the most important factors in the accurate reproduction of flow at the site, especially under stable stratification.

  7. Specific Preschool Executive Functions Predict Unique Aspects of Mathematics Development: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study.

    PubMed

    Simanowski, Stefanie; Krajewski, Kristin

    2017-08-10

    This study assessed the extent to which executive functions (EF), according to their factor structure in 5-year-olds (N = 244), influenced early quantity-number competencies, arithmetic fluency, and mathematics school achievement throughout first and second grades. A confirmatory factor analysis resulted in updating as a first, and inhibition and shifting as a combined second factor. In the structural equation model, updating significantly affected knowledge of the number word sequence, suggesting a facilitatory effect on basic encoding processes in numerical materials that can be learnt purely by rote. Shifting and inhibition significantly influenced quantity to number word linkages, indicating that these processes promote developing a profound understanding of numbers. These results show the supportive role of specific EF for specific aspects of a numerical foundation. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  8. Optimization Under Uncertainty of Site-Specific Turbine Configurations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quick, J.; Dykes, K.; Graf, P.; Zahle, F.

    2016-09-01

    Uncertainty affects many aspects of wind energy plant performance and cost. In this study, we explore opportunities for site-specific turbine configuration optimization that accounts for uncertainty in the wind resource. As a demonstration, a simple empirical model for wind plant cost of energy is used in an optimization under uncertainty to examine how different risk appetites affect the optimal selection of a turbine configuration for sites of different wind resource profiles. If there is unusually high uncertainty in the site wind resource, the optimal turbine configuration diverges from the deterministic case and a generally more conservative design is obtained with increasing risk aversion on the part of the designer.

  9. Site specificity of adrenalectomy-induced brain growth.

    PubMed

    Thomas, T L; Devenport, L D

    1988-12-01

    Infant, juvenile, and adult brain growth is modulated by corticosterone. This study was designed to determine whether such modulation is confined to certain specific brain areas, and if the pattern of growth revealed is consistent across strains of rats. Young female Sprague-Dawley-derived rats were either adrenalectomized (ADX) or sham-operated (Sham) and allowed to mature 45 days before they were sacrificed for histological analysis. Fore brain sections were taken at several planes for display by projection microscope. Of the 21 sites examined, ADX exerted its greatest effect upon neocortical tissue and myelinated fiber tracts. The only other brain region affected was thalamus, which exhibited a significant widening as a result of ADX. In contrast, archicortical structures were notably unaffected by ADX. Neither the hippocampus, measured from a variety of planes, nor nuclei in the septal area were subject to increased growth by ADX. This general portrayal of ADX's site specificity held across strains of rats. However, there were local differences. Within the neopallium, the frontal region underwent the greatest thickening in one strain, while the occipital area was most strongly affected in the other. Parietal cortex was equally responsive in both strains. The pattern of sensitive vs insensitive sites bore a resemblance to the pattern of increased growth brought about by environmental enrichment as well as the fore brain distribution of Type 2 corticosterone receptors.

  10. Numerical modelling of GPR electromagnetic fields for locating burial sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carcione, José M.; Karczewski, Jerzy; Mazurkiewicz, Ewelina; Tadeusiewicz, Ryszard; Tomecka-Suchoń, Sylwia

    2017-11-01

    Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is commonly used for locating burial sites. In this article, we acquired radargrams at a site where a domestic pig cadaver was buried. The measurements were conducted with the ProEx System GPR manufactured by the Swedish company Mala Geoscience with an antenna of 500MHz. The event corresponding to the pig can be clearly seen in the measurements. In order to improve the interpretation, the electromagnetic field is compared to numerical simulations computed with the pseudo-spectral Fourier method. A geological model has been defined on the basis of assumed electromagnetic properties (permittivity, conductivity and magnetic permeability). The results, when compared with the GPR measurements, show a dissimilar amplitude behaviour, with a stronger reflection event from the bottom of the pit. We have therefore performed another simulation by decreasing the electrical conductivity of the body very close to that of air. The comparison improved, showing more reflections, which could be an indication that the body contains air or has been degraded to a certain extent that the electrical resistivity has greatly increased.

  11. Estimates of hydraulic properties from a one-dimensional numerical model of vertical aquifer-system deformation, Lorenzi site, Las Vegas, Nevada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pavelko, Michael T.

    2004-01-01

    Land subsidence related to aquifer-system compaction and ground-water withdrawals has been occurring in Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, since the 1930's, and by the late 1980's some areas in the valley had subsided more than 5 feet. Since the late 1980's, seasonal artificial-recharge programs have lessened the effects of summertime pumping on aquifer-system compaction, but the long-term trend of compaction continues in places. Since 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey has continuously monitored water-level changes in three piezometers and vertical aquifer-system deformation with a borehole extensometer at the Lorenzi site in Las Vegas, Nevada. A one-dimensional, numerical, ground-water flow model of the aquifer system below the Lorenzi site was developed for the period 1901-2000, to estimate aquitard vertical hydraulic conductivity, aquitard inelastic skeletal specific storage, and aquitard and aquifer elastic skeletal specific storage. Aquifer water-level data were used in the model as the aquifer-system stresses that controlled simulated vertical aquifer-system deformation. Nonlinear-regression methods were used to calibrate the model, utilizing estimated and measured aquifer-system deformation data to minimize a weighted least-squares objective function, and estimate optimal property values. Model results indicate that at the Lorenzi site, aquitard vertical hydraulic conductivity is 3 x 10-6 feet per day, aquitard inelastic skeletal specific storage is 4 x 10-5 per foot, aquitard elastic skeletal specific storage is 5 x 10-6 per foot, and aquifer elastic skeletal specific storage is 3 x 10-7 per foot. Regression statistics indicate that the model and data provided sufficient information to estimate the target properties, the model adequately simulated observed data, and the estimated property values are accurate and unique.

  12. St. Louis Airport Site annual site environmental report. Calendar year 1985

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1986-04-01

    During 1985, the environmental monitoring program was continued at the St. Louis Airport Site (SLAPS) in St. Louis County, Missouri. The ditches north and south of the site have been designated for cleanup as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), a United States Department of Energy (DOE) program to identify, decontaminate, or otherwise control sites where low-level radioactive contamination remains from the early years of the nation's atomic energy program. The site is not currently controlled or regulated by DOE or NRC, although radiological monitoring of the site has been authorized by the DOE. The monitoringmore » program at the SLAPS measures radon gas concentrations in air; external gamma radiation dose rates; and uranium, thorium, and radium concentrations in surface water, groundwater, and sediment. Potential radiation doses to the public are also calculated. Because the site is not controlled or regulated by the DOE, the DOE Derived Concentration Guides (DCGs) are not applicable to SLAPS, but are included as a basis for comparison only. The DOE DCGs and the DOE radiation protection standard have been revised.« less

  13. 77 FR 65374 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National... meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory... management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative...

  14. 76 FR 68179 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-03

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National... November 14, 2011, of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory...: Robert L. Pence, Federal Coordinator, Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office, 1955 Fremont Avenue...

  15. Targeting treatment technologies to address specific stormwater pollutants and numeric discharge limits.

    PubMed

    Clark, Shirley E; Pitt, Robert

    2012-12-15

    Stormwater treatment is entering a new phase with stormwater management systems being required to meet specific numeric objectives, as opposed to the historic approach of meeting guidance-document-provided percent removal rates. Meeting numeric discharge requirements will require designers to better understand and apply the physical, chemical, and biological processes underpinning these treatment technologies. This critical review paper focuses on the potential unit treatment operations available for stormwater treatment and outlines how to identify the most applicable treatment options based on the needed pollutant removal goals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The democratization of gene editing: Insights from site-specific cleavage and double-strand break repair.

    PubMed

    Jasin, Maria; Haber, James E

    2016-08-01

    DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are dangerous lesions that if not properly repaired can lead to genomic change or cell death. Organisms have developed several pathways and have many factors devoted to repairing DSBs, which broadly occurs by homologous recombination, which relies on an identical or homologous sequence to template repair, or nonhomologous end-joining. Much of our understanding of these repair mechanisms has come from the study of induced DNA cleavage by site-specific endonucleases. In addition to their biological role, these cellular pathways can be co-opted for gene editing to study gene function or for gene therapy or other applications. While the first gene editing experiments were done more than 20 years ago, the recent discovery of RNA-guided endonucleases has simplified approaches developed over the years to make gene editing an approach that is available to the entire biomedical research community. Here, we review DSB repair mechanisms and site-specific cleavage systems that have provided insight into these mechanisms and led to the current gene editing revolution. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. The Democratization of Gene Editing: Insights from site-specific cleavage and double-strand break repair

    PubMed Central

    Jasin, Maria; Haber, James E.

    2017-01-01

    DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are dangerous lesions that if not properly repaired can lead to genomic change or cell death. Organisms have developed several pathways and have many factors devoted to repairing DSBs, which broadly occur by homologous recombination that relies on an identical or homologous sequence to template repair, or nonhomologous end-joining. Much of our understanding of these repair mechanisms has come from the study of induced DNA cleavage by site-specific endonucleases. In addition to their biological role, these cellular pathways can be co-opted for gene editing to study gene function or for gene therapy or other applications. While the first gene editing experiments were done more than 20 years ago, the recent discovery of RNA-guided endonucleases has simplified approaches developed over the years to make gene editing an approach that is available to the entire biomedical research community. Here, we review DSB repair mechanisms and site-specific cleavage systems that have provided insight into these mechanisms and led to the current gene editing revolution. PMID:27261202

  18. Optimization Under Uncertainty of Site-Specific Turbine Configurations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Quick, J.; Dykes, K.; Graf, P.

    Uncertainty affects many aspects of wind energy plant performance and cost. In this study, we explore opportunities for site-specific turbine configuration optimization that accounts for uncertainty in the wind resource. As a demonstration, a simple empirical model for wind plant cost of energy is used in an optimization under uncertainty to examine how different risk appetites affect the optimal selection of a turbine configuration for sites of different wind resource profiles. Lastly, if there is unusually high uncertainty in the site wind resource, the optimal turbine configuration diverges from the deterministic case and a generally more conservative design is obtainedmore » with increasing risk aversion on the part of the designer.« less

  19. Optimization Under Uncertainty of Site-Specific Turbine Configurations

    DOE PAGES

    Quick, J.; Dykes, K.; Graf, P.; ...

    2016-10-03

    Uncertainty affects many aspects of wind energy plant performance and cost. In this study, we explore opportunities for site-specific turbine configuration optimization that accounts for uncertainty in the wind resource. As a demonstration, a simple empirical model for wind plant cost of energy is used in an optimization under uncertainty to examine how different risk appetites affect the optimal selection of a turbine configuration for sites of different wind resource profiles. Lastly, if there is unusually high uncertainty in the site wind resource, the optimal turbine configuration diverges from the deterministic case and a generally more conservative design is obtainedmore » with increasing risk aversion on the part of the designer.« less

  20. Recruiting Human Microbiome Shotgun Data to Site-Specific Reference Genomes

    PubMed Central

    Xie, Gary; Lo, Chien-Chi; Scholz, Matthew; Chain, Patrick S. G.

    2014-01-01

    The human body consists of innumerable multifaceted environments that predispose colonization by a number of distinct microbial communities, which play fundamental roles in human health and disease. In addition to community surveys and shotgun metagenomes that seek to explore the composition and diversity of these microbiomes, there are significant efforts to sequence reference microbial genomes from many body sites of healthy adults. To illustrate the utility of reference genomes when studying more complex metagenomes, we present a reference-based analysis of sequence reads generated from 55 shotgun metagenomes, selected from 5 major body sites, including 16 sub-sites. Interestingly, between 13% and 92% (62.3% average) of these shotgun reads were aligned to a then-complete list of 2780 reference genomes, including 1583 references for the human microbiome. However, no reference genome was universally found in all body sites. For any given metagenome, the body site-specific reference genomes, derived from the same body site as the sample, accounted for an average of 58.8% of the mapped reads. While different body sites did differ in abundant genera, proximal or symmetrical body sites were found to be most similar to one another. The extent of variation observed, both between individuals sampled within the same microenvironment, or at the same site within the same individual over time, calls into question comparative studies across individuals even if sampled at the same body site. This study illustrates the high utility of reference genomes and the need for further site-specific reference microbial genome sequencing, even within the already well-sampled human microbiome. PMID:24454771

  1. 77 FR 76475 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico... the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal... INFORMATION CONTACT: Menice Santistevan, Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board (NNMCAB), 94 Cities of...

  2. 75 FR 24685 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National... meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory... prior to the meeting. ADDRESSES: Hilton Garden Inn, 700 Lindsay Boulevard, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402. FOR...

  3. 77 FR 38276 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National... a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National... times prior to the meeting. ADDRESSES: Red Lion Hotel, 1555 Pocatello Creek Road, Pocatello, Idaho 83201...

  4. 76 FR 11773 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-03

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico... the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal... Courtyard by Marriott, 3347 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...

  5. Identifying N6-methyladenosine sites using multi-interval nucleotide pair position specificity and support vector machine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xing, Pengwei; Su, Ran; Guo, Fei; Wei, Leyi

    2017-04-01

    N6-methyladenosine (m6A) refers to methylation of the adenosine nucleotide acid at the nitrogen-6 position. It plays an important role in a series of biological processes, such as splicing events, mRNA exporting, nascent mRNA synthesis, nuclear translocation and translation process. Numerous experiments have been done to successfully characterize m6A sites within sequences since high-resolution mapping of m6A sites was established. However, as the explosive growth of genomic sequences, using experimental methods to identify m6A sites are time-consuming and expensive. Thus, it is highly desirable to develop fast and accurate computational identification methods. In this study, we propose a sequence-based predictor called RAM-NPPS for identifying m6A sites within RNA sequences, in which we present a novel feature representation algorithm based on multi-interval nucleotide pair position specificity, and use support vector machine classifier to construct the prediction model. Comparison results show that our proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art predictors on three benchmark datasets across the three species, indicating the effectiveness and robustness of our method. Moreover, an online webserver implementing the proposed predictor has been established at http://server.malab.cn/RAM-NPPS/. It is anticipated to be a useful prediction tool to assist biologists to reveal the mechanisms of m6A site functions.

  6. LineageSpecificSeqgen: generating sequence data with lineage-specific variation in the proportion of variable sites

    PubMed Central

    Grievink, Liat Shavit; Penny, David; Hendy, Mike D; Holland, Barbara R

    2009-01-01

    Correction to Shavit Grievink L, Penny D, Hendy MD, Holland BR: LineageSpecificSeqgen: generating sequence data with lineage-specific variation in the proportion of variable sites. BMC Evol Biol 2008, 8(1):317.

  7. Melanocytic Nevi and Sun Exposure in a Cohort of Colorado Children: Anatomic Distribution and Site-Specific Sunburn

    PubMed Central

    Dodd, Athena T.; Morelli, Joseph; Mokrohisky, Stefan T.; Asdigian, Nancy; Byers, Tim E.; Crane, Lori A.

    2010-01-01

    Sun exposure and high prevalence of melanocytic nevi are major risk factors for melanoma, but the relationship between them is not well understood. This study examines the relationship between sun exposure (detailed by anatomic location and history of site-specific sunburns) and the presence of melanocytic nevi on 743 White children in Denver, Colorado. Parental reports of site-specific sunburns were collected annually for 2 years starting at ages 5 to 6 years. In the third year, nevi were counted and mapped by anatomic location. Nevus density was higher for boys (36.0 nevi/m2) than for girls (31.0 nevi/m2; P = 0.04). Nevus density was highest on the face, neck, and lateral forearms and was significantly higher in chronically versus intermittently sun-exposed areas (P < 0.0001). Compared with girls, boys had higher nevus density on the face, neck, and trunk, and lower nevus density on the upper arms and thighs (P < 0.01). In 2 years of reports, most subjects (69%) received at least one sunburn. The face, shoulders, and back were the most frequently sunburned areas of the body. When adjusted for host factors, total number of sunburns was significantly associated with higher total nevus prevalence (P = 0.01 for one burn). Site-specific sunburns were significantly associated with nevus prevalence on the back (P = 0.03 for three or more sunburns), but not on the face, arms, or legs. In this high-risk population, there is evidence for two pathways to nevus accumulation: by chronic sun exposure and by intermittent exposure related to sunburns. PMID:17932362

  8. 75 FR 64719 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico... the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal... at Santa Fe, 750 North St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, New Mexico. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...

  9. 76 FR 22090 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico... the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal... a.m.-5 p.m. ADDRESSES: Santa Claran Hotel, 464 North Riverside Drive, Espanola, New Mexico 87532...

  10. 75 FR 56527 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National... meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory... prior to the meeting. ADDRESSES: Coeur d'Alene Resort, 115 South Second Street, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho...

  11. 75 FR 53280 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico... the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal... Inn and Conference Center, 1508 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, New Mexico 87571. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

  12. Site specific modification of the human plasma proteome by methylglyoxal

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kimzey, Michael J.; Kinsky, Owen R.; Yassine, Hussein N.

    Increasing evidence identifies dicarbonyl stress from reactive glucose metabolites, such as methylglyoxal (MG), as a major pathogenic link between hyperglycemia and complications of diabetes. MG covalently modifies arginine residues, yet the site specificity of this modification has not been thoroughly investigated. Sites of MG adduction in the plasma proteome were identified using LC–MS/MS analysis in vitro following incubation of plasma proteins with MG. Treatment of plasma proteins with MG yielded 14 putative MG hotspots from five plasma proteins (albumin [nine hotspots], serotransferrin, haptoglobin [2 hotspots], hemopexin, and Ig lambda-2 chain C regions). The search results revealed two versions of MG-argininemore » modification, dihydroxyimidazolidine (R + 72) and hydroimidazolone (R + 54) adducts. One of the sites identified was R257 in human serum albumin, which is a critical residue located in drug binding site I. This site was validated as a target for MG modification by a fluorescent probe displacement assay, which revealed significant drug dissociation at 300 μM MG from a prodan–HSA complex (75 μM). Moreover, twelve human plasma samples (six male, six female, with two type 2 diabetic subjects from both genders) were analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) tandem mass spectrometry and revealed the presence of the MG-modified albumin R257 peptide. These data provide insights into the nature of the site-specificity of MG modification of arginine, which may be useful for therapeutic treatments that aim to prevent MG-mediated adverse responses in patients. - Highlights: • Methylglyoxal (MG) selectively modifies arginine sites in human plasma proteome. • Dihydroxyimidazolidine and hydroimidazolone adducts on serum albumin identified • MG modification on albumin R257 associated with loss of drug site I binding capacity • MRM-tandem mass spectrometry enables sensitive detection of albumin MG-R257. • Site-specific MG modification may

  13. Annotated Administrative Record Site-Specific Document Index, American Drum & Pallet Co. Removal Site, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Contains annotated index of site specific documents for the American Drum & Pallet Co. Removal Site in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, January 9, 2008 Region ID: 04 DocID: 10517016, DocDate: 01-09-2008

  14. Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2005

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Poston, Ted M.; Hanf, Robert W.; Dirkes, Roger L.

    This report, published annually since 1958, includes information and summary analytical data that (1) provide an overview of activities at the Hanford Site during calendar year 2005; (2) demonstrate the site's compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) policies and directives; (3) characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance; and (4) highlight significant environmental programs.

  15. Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2004

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Poston, Ted M.; Hanf, Robert W.; Dirkes, Roger L.

    This report, published annually since 1958, includes information and summary analytical data that (1) provide an overview of activities at the Hanford Site during calendar year 2003; (2) demonstrate the site's compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) policies and directives; (3) characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance; and (4) highlight significant environmental programs.

  16. 75 FR 11872 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National... Site- Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory to be held on March 16, 2010 75 FR 9590. In that notice, the meeting address was Hilton Garden Inn, 700 Lindsay Boulevard, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402...

  17. Specific phospholipid binding to Na,K-ATPase at two distinct sites.

    PubMed

    Habeck, Michael; Kapri-Pardes, Einat; Sharon, Michal; Karlish, Steven J D

    2017-03-14

    Membrane protein function can be affected by the physical state of the lipid bilayer and specific lipid-protein interactions. For Na,K-ATPase, bilayer properties can modulate pump activity, and, as observed in crystal structures, several lipids are bound within the transmembrane domain. Furthermore, Na,K-ATPase activity depends on phosphatidylserine (PS) and cholesterol, which stabilize the protein, and polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), known to stimulate Na,K-ATPase activity. Based on lipid structural specificity and kinetic mechanisms, specific interactions of both PS and PC/PE have been inferred. Nevertheless, specific binding sites have not been identified definitively. We address this question with native mass spectrometry (MS) and site-directed mutagenesis. Native MS shows directly that one molecule each of 18:0/18:1 PS and 18:0/20:4 PC can bind specifically to purified human Na,K-ATPase (α 1 β 1 ). By replacing lysine residues at proposed phospholipid-binding sites with glutamines, the two sites have been identified. Mutations in the cytoplasmic αL8-9 loop destabilize the protein but do not affect Na,K-ATPase activity, whereas mutations in transmembrane helices (TM), αTM2 and αTM4, abolish the stimulation of activity by 18:0/20:4 PC but do not affect stability. When these data are linked to crystal structures, the underlying mechanism of PS and PC/PE effects emerges. PS (and cholesterol) bind between αTM 8, 9, 10, near the FXYD subunit, and maintain topological integrity of the labile C terminus of the α subunit (site A). PC/PE binds between αTM2, 4, 6, and 9 and accelerates the rate-limiting E 1 P-E 2 P conformational transition (site B). We discuss the potential physiological implications.

  18. Characterization of nicotine binding to the rat brain P/sub 2/ preparation: the identification of multiple binding sites which include specific up-regulatory site(s)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sloan, J.W.

    1984-01-01

    These studies show that nicotine binds to the rat brain P/sub 2/ preparation by saturable and reversible processes. Multiple binding sites were revealed by the configuration of saturation, kinetic and Scatchard plots. A least squares best fit of Scatchard data using nonlinear curve fitting programs confirmed the presence of a very high affinity site, an up-regulatory site, a high affinity site and one or two low affinity sites. Stereospecificity was demonstrated for the up-regulatory site where (+)-nicotine was more effective and for the high affinity site where (-)-nicotine had a higher affinity. Drugs which selectively up-regulate nicotine binding site(s) havemore » been identified. Further, separate very high and high affinity sites were identified for (-)- and (+)-(/sup 3/H)nicotine, based on evidence that the site density for the (-)-isomer is 10 times greater than that for the (+)-isomer at these sites. Enhanced nicotine binding has been shown to be a statistically significant phenomenon which appears to be a consequence of drugs binding to specific site(s) which up-regulate binding at other site(s). Although Scatchard and Hill plots indicate positive cooperatively, up-regulation more adequately describes the function of these site(s). A separate up-regulatory site is suggested by the following: (1) Drugs vary markedly in their ability to up-regulate binding. (2) Both the affinity and the degree of up-regulation can be altered by structural changes in ligands. (3) Drugs with specificity for up-regulation have been identified. (4) Some drugs enhance binding in a dose-related manner. (5) Competition studies employing cold (-)- and (+)-nicotine against (-)- and (+)-(/sup 3/H)nicotine show that the isomers bind to separate sites which up-regulate binding at the (-)- and (+)-nicotine high affinity sites and in this regard (+)-nicotine is more specific and efficacious than (-)-nicotine.« less

  19. WAG 2 remedial investigation and site investigation site-specific work plan/health and safety checklist for the sediment transport modeling task

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Holt, V.L.; Baron, L.A.

    1994-05-01

    This site-specific Work Plan/Health and Safety Checklist (WP/HSC) is a supplement to the general health and safety plan (HASP) for Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 2 remedial investigation and site investigation (WAG 2 RI&SI) activities [Health and Safety Plan for the Remedial Investigation and Site Investigation of Waste Area Grouping 2 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ORNL/ER-169)] and provides specific details and requirements for the WAG 2 RI&SI Sediment Transport Modeling Task. This WP/HSC identifies specific site operations, site hazards, and any recommendations by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) health and safety organizations [i.e., Industrial Hygiene (IH),more » Health Physics (HP), and/or Industrial Safety] that would contribute to the safe completion of the WAG 2 RI&SI. Together, the general HASP for the WAG 2 RI&SI (ORNL/ER-169) and the completed site-specific WP/HSC meet the health and safety planning requirements specified by 29 CFR 1910.120 and the ORNL Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Program Manual. In addition to the health and safety information provided in the general HASP for the WAG 2 RI&SI, details concerning the site-specific task are elaborated in this site-specific WP/HSC, and both documents, as well as all pertinent procedures referenced therein, will be reviewed by all field personnel prior to beginning operations.« less

  20. Loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) productivity 23 years after wet site harvesting and site preparation in the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain

    Treesearch

    Charles M. Neaves; W. Michael Aust; M. Chad Bolding; Scott M. Barrett; Carl C. Trettin; Eric Vance

    2017-01-01

    Ground based timber harvesting on wet sites has been linked to alteration of soil properties that may result in reduced long term site productivity. Following Hurricane Hugo in the fall of 1989, numerous salvage logging operations were conducted under high soil moisture conditions to reduce wildfire risk and salvage timber within the Francis Marion National Forest in...

  1. Serotype-Specific Changes in Invasive Pneumococcal Disease after Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Introduction: A Pooled Analysis of Multiple Surveillance Sites

    PubMed Central

    Feikin, Daniel R.; Kagucia, Eunice W.; Loo, Jennifer D.; Link-Gelles, Ruth; Puhan, Milo A.; Cherian, Thomas; Levine, Orin S.; Whitney, Cynthia G.; O’Brien, Katherine L.; Moore, Matthew R.

    2013-01-01

    Background Vaccine-serotype (VT) invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) rates declined substantially following introduction of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) into national immunization programs. Increases in non-vaccine-serotype (NVT) IPD rates occurred in some sites, presumably representing serotype replacement. We used a standardized approach to describe serotype-specific IPD changes among multiple sites after PCV7 introduction. Methods and Findings Of 32 IPD surveillance datasets received, we identified 21 eligible databases with rate data ≥2 years before and ≥1 year after PCV7 introduction. Expected annual rates of IPD absent PCV7 introduction were estimated by extrapolation using either Poisson regression modeling of pre-PCV7 rates or averaging pre-PCV7 rates. To estimate whether changes in rates had occurred following PCV7 introduction, we calculated site specific rate ratios by dividing observed by expected IPD rates for each post-PCV7 year. We calculated summary rate ratios (RRs) using random effects meta-analysis. For children <5 years old, overall IPD decreased by year 1 post-PCV7 (RR 0·55, 95% CI 0·46–0·65) and remained relatively stable through year 7 (RR 0·49, 95% CI 0·35–0·68). Point estimates for VT IPD decreased annually through year 7 (RR 0·03, 95% CI 0·01–0·10), while NVT IPD increased (year 7 RR 2·81, 95% CI 2·12–3·71). Among adults, decreases in overall IPD also occurred but were smaller and more variable by site than among children. At year 7 after introduction, significant reductions were observed (18–49 year-olds [RR 0·52, 95% CI 0·29–0·91], 50–64 year-olds [RR 0·84, 95% CI 0·77–0·93], and ≥65 year-olds [RR 0·74, 95% CI 0·58–0·95]). Conclusions Consistent and significant decreases in both overall and VT IPD in children occurred quickly and were sustained for 7 years after PCV7 introduction, supporting use of PCVs. Increases in NVT IPD occurred in most sites, with variable magnitude

  2. Physical activity and cancer risk: dose-response and cancer, all sites and site-specific.

    PubMed

    Thune, I; Furberg, A S

    2001-06-01

    The association between physical activity and overall and site-specific cancer risk is elaborated in relation to whether any observed dose-response association between physical activity and cancer can be interpreted in terms of how much physical activity (type, intensity, duration, frequency) is needed to influence site- and gender-specific cancer risk. Observational studies were reviewed that have examined the independent effect of the volume of occupational physical activity (OPA) and/or leisure time physical activity (LPA) on overall and site-specific cancer risk. The evidence of cohort and case-control studies suggests that both leisure time and occupational physical activity protect against overall cancer risk, with a graded dose-response association suggested in both sexes. Confounding effects such as diet, body weight, and parity are often included as a covariate in the analyses, with little influence on the observed associations. A crude graded inverse dose-response association was observed between physical activity and colon cancer in 48 studies including 40,674 colon/colorectal cancer cases for both sexes. A dose-response effect of physical activity on colon cancer risk was especially observed, when participation in activities of at least moderate activity (>4.5 MET) and demonstrated by activities expressed as MET-hours per week. An observed inverse association with a dose-response relationship between physical activity and breast cancer was also identified in the majority of the 41 studies including 108,031 breast cancer cases. The dose-response relationship was in particular observed in case-control studies and supported by observations in cohort studies when participation in activities of at least moderate activity (>4.5 MET) and demonstrated by activities expressed by MET-hours per week. This association between physical activity and breast cancer risk is possibly dependent on age at exposure, age at diagnosis, menopausal status and other effect

  3. Evaluation of Site Effects Using Numerical and Experimental Analyses In Cittas Di Castello (italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pergalani, F.; de Franco, R.; Compagnoni, M.; Caielli, G.

    In the paper the results of the numerical and experimental analyses, in a site of the Umbria Region (Città di Castello - PG), finalized to the evaluations of site effects are shown. The aim of the work was to compare the two type of analyses, to give some methodologies that may be used at the level of urban planning, to consider these as- pects. Therefore a series of geologic, geomorphologic (1:5.000 scale), geotechnic and seismic analyses have been carried out, to identify the areas affected to local effects and to characterize the lithotechnic units. The expected seismic inputs are been indi- viduated and 2D (Quad4M, Hudson et al., 1993) numerical analyses have been done. An experimental analysis, using the registrations of small events, has been done. The results, for the two approaches, were performed in terms of elastic pseudo-acceleration spectra and amplification factors, as a ratio between spectral intensity (Housner, 1952), calculated using the pseudo-velocity spectra, in the periods of 0.1-0.5 s and 0.1-2.5 s of output and input. The results have been analyzed and compared, to give a method- ology that may be exhaustive and precise. The conclusions can be summarized in the following points: u° the results of the two approaches are coherent; u° the differences between the two approaches are: the use of the numerical analysis is easy and quick but, in this case, the use of 2D analysis produces a simplification of real geometry; the use of experimental analysis allows to consider the 3D conditions, but, in this case, the registrations of events characterized by low energy, do not allow to consider the non linear behavior of materials, moreover it is necessary to perform the registrations for a period depending from the seismicity of the region (1 month - two years); u° the possi- bility of integration of the two methodologies allows to perform a complete analysis, using the advantages of the two methods. Housner G.W., Spectrum Intensities of strong

  4. Site specific atomic polarizabilities in endohedral fullerenes and carbon onions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zope, Rajendra R.; Bhusal, Shusil; Basurto, Luis; Baruah, Tunna; Jackson, Koblar

    2015-08-01

    We investigate the polarizability of trimetallic nitride endohedral fullerenes by partitioning the total polarizability into site specific components. This analysis indicates that the polarizability of the endohedral fullerene is essentially due to the outer fullerene cage and has insignificant contribution from the encapsulated unit. Thus, the outer fullerene cages effectively shield the encapsulated clusters and behave like Faraday cages. The polarizability of endohedral fullerenes is slightly smaller than the polarizability of the corresponding bare carbon fullerenes. The application of the site specific polarizabilities to C60@C240 and C60@C180 onions shows that, compared to the polarizability of isolated C60 fullerene, the encapsulation of the C60 in C240 and C180 fullerenes reduces its polarizability by 75% and 83%, respectively. The differences in the polarizability of C60 in the two onions is a result of differences in the bonding (intershell electron transfer), fullerene shell relaxations, and intershell separations. The site specific analysis further shows that the outer atoms in a fullerene shell contribute most to the fullerene polarizability.

  5. Site specific atomic polarizabilities in endohedral fullerenes and carbon onions.

    PubMed

    Zope, Rajendra R; Bhusal, Shusil; Basurto, Luis; Baruah, Tunna; Jackson, Koblar

    2015-08-28

    We investigate the polarizability of trimetallic nitride endohedral fullerenes by partitioning the total polarizability into site specific components. This analysis indicates that the polarizability of the endohedral fullerene is essentially due to the outer fullerene cage and has insignificant contribution from the encapsulated unit. Thus, the outer fullerene cages effectively shield the encapsulated clusters and behave like Faraday cages. The polarizability of endohedral fullerenes is slightly smaller than the polarizability of the corresponding bare carbon fullerenes. The application of the site specific polarizabilities to C60@C240 and C60@C180 onions shows that, compared to the polarizability of isolated C60 fullerene, the encapsulation of the C60 in C240 and C180 fullerenes reduces its polarizability by 75% and 83%, respectively. The differences in the polarizability of C60 in the two onions is a result of differences in the bonding (intershell electron transfer), fullerene shell relaxations, and intershell separations. The site specific analysis further shows that the outer atoms in a fullerene shell contribute most to the fullerene polarizability.

  6. Site-Specific Biomolecule Labeling with Gold Clusters

    PubMed Central

    Ackerson, Christopher J.; Powell, Richard D.; Hainfeld, James F.

    2013-01-01

    Site-specific labeling of biomolecules in vitro with gold clusters can enhance the information content of electron cryomicroscopy experiments. This chapter provides a practical overview of well-established techniques for forming biomolecule/gold cluster conjugates. Three bioconjugation chemistries are covered: Linker-mediated bioconjugation, direct gold–biomolecule bonding, and coordination-mediated bonding of nickel(II) nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)-derivatized gold clusters to polyhistidine (His)-tagged proteins. PMID:20887859

  7. SITE SPECIFIC REFERENCE PERSON PARAMETERS AND DERIVED CONCENTRATION STANDARDS FOR THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jannik, T.

    2013-03-14

    The purpose of this report is twofold. The first is to develop a set of behavioral parameters for a reference person specific for the Savannah River Site (SRS) such that the parameters can be used to determine dose to members of the public in compliance with Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1 “Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment.” A reference person is a hypothetical, gender and age aggregation of human physical and physiological characteristics arrived at by international consensus for the purpose of standardizing radiation dose calculations. DOE O 458.1 states that compliance with the annual dose limitmore » of 100 mrem (1 mSv) to a member of the public may be demonstrated by calculating the dose to the maximally exposed individual (MEI) or to a representative person. Historically, for dose compliance, SRS has used the MEI concept, which uses adult dose coefficients and adult male usage parameters. Beginning with the 2012 annual site environmental report, SRS will be using the representative person concept for dose compliance. The dose to a representative person will be based on 1) the SRS-specific reference person usage parameters at the 95th percentile of appropriate national or regional data, which are documented in this report, 2) the reference person (gender and age averaged) ingestion and inhalation dose coefficients provided in DOE Derived Concentration Technical Standard (DOE-STD-1196-2011), and 3) the external dose coefficients provided in the DC_PAK3 toolbox. The second purpose of this report is to develop SRS-specific derived concentration standards (DCSs) for all applicable food ingestion pathways, ground shine, and water submersion. The DCS is the concentration of a particular radionuclide in water, in air, or on the ground that results in a member of the public receiving 100 mrem (1 mSv) effective dose following continuous exposure for one year. In DOE-STD-1196-2011, DCSs were developed for the ingestion of water

  8. SPEER-SERVER: a web server for prediction of protein specificity determining sites

    PubMed Central

    Chakraborty, Abhijit; Mandloi, Sapan; Lanczycki, Christopher J.; Panchenko, Anna R.; Chakrabarti, Saikat

    2012-01-01

    Sites that show specific conservation patterns within subsets of proteins in a protein family are likely to be involved in the development of functional specificity. These sites, generally termed specificity determining sites (SDS), might play a crucial role in binding to a specific substrate or proteins. Identification of SDS through experimental techniques is a slow, difficult and tedious job. Hence, it is very important to develop efficient computational methods that can more expediently identify SDS. Herein, we present Specificity prediction using amino acids’ Properties, Entropy and Evolution Rate (SPEER)-SERVER, a web server that predicts SDS by analyzing quantitative measures of the conservation patterns of protein sites based on their physico-chemical properties and the heterogeneity of evolutionary changes between and within the protein subfamilies. This web server provides an improved representation of results, adds useful input and output options and integrates a wide range of analysis and data visualization tools when compared with the original standalone version of the SPEER algorithm. Extensive benchmarking finds that SPEER-SERVER exhibits sensitivity and precision performance that, on average, meets or exceeds that of other currently available methods. SPEER-SERVER is available at http://www.hpppi.iicb.res.in/ss/. PMID:22689646

  9. SPEER-SERVER: a web server for prediction of protein specificity determining sites.

    PubMed

    Chakraborty, Abhijit; Mandloi, Sapan; Lanczycki, Christopher J; Panchenko, Anna R; Chakrabarti, Saikat

    2012-07-01

    Sites that show specific conservation patterns within subsets of proteins in a protein family are likely to be involved in the development of functional specificity. These sites, generally termed specificity determining sites (SDS), might play a crucial role in binding to a specific substrate or proteins. Identification of SDS through experimental techniques is a slow, difficult and tedious job. Hence, it is very important to develop efficient computational methods that can more expediently identify SDS. Herein, we present Specificity prediction using amino acids' Properties, Entropy and Evolution Rate (SPEER)-SERVER, a web server that predicts SDS by analyzing quantitative measures of the conservation patterns of protein sites based on their physico-chemical properties and the heterogeneity of evolutionary changes between and within the protein subfamilies. This web server provides an improved representation of results, adds useful input and output options and integrates a wide range of analysis and data visualization tools when compared with the original standalone version of the SPEER algorithm. Extensive benchmarking finds that SPEER-SERVER exhibits sensitivity and precision performance that, on average, meets or exceeds that of other currently available methods. SPEER-SERVER is available at http://www.hpppi.iicb.res.in/ss/.

  10. Site-specific early performance and nutrition of two Salix species in SRIC in southern Quebec (Canada)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Labrecque, M.; Teodorescu, T.I.; Daigle, S.

    1996-12-31

    Salix discolor WU and Salix viminalis L. were planted under short-rotation intensive culture (SRIC) in three unirrigated and unfertilized abandoned farmland sites (S1, S2, S3) showing different soil textures: sandy loam, clay silt and clay loam. The aims of the experiment were to: (i) investigate first year response to site nutrient condition and (ii) diagnose factors limiting performance. Over the first season, stem biomass productivity was superior on the sandy site (S1) for S. discolor and did not vary between species on clay sites (S2, S3). The inferior performance of plants on clay sites was related to difficulty implanting unrootedmore » cuttings in compacted soil during an exceptionally dry period (May and June). The change in nutrient status was unapparent solely from comparison of critical levels or optimum ratios because leaf nutrient concentration was less affected by site. Diagnostic techniques based on vector analysis of leaf nutrient concentration, content, and dry mass allowed simultaneous comparison of the nutrient status of two species planted on three sites. The relative deficiency of all nutrients, based on vector magnitude and direction, on the two other clay sites (S2, S3) supports the hypothesis that specific edaphic conditions and dryness induced nutrient disorders in willows. Successful establishment of willows in SRIC depends strongly on the characteristics of the plantation site and on precipitation during the establishment phase in the first year of growth.« less

  11. Adapter reagents for protein site specific dye labeling.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Darren A; Evans, Eric G B; Kasza, Tomas; Millhauser, Glenn L; Dawson, Philip E

    2014-05-01

    Chemoselective protein labeling remains a significant challenge in chemical biology. Although many selective labeling chemistries have been reported, the practicalities of matching the reaction with appropriately functionalized proteins and labeling reagents is often a challenge. For example, we encountered the challenge of site specifically labeling the cellular form of the murine Prion protein with a fluorescent dye. To facilitate this labeling, a protein was expressed with site specific p-acetylphenylalanine. However, the utility of this acetophenone reactive group is hampered by the severe lack of commercially available aminooxy fluorophores. Here we outline a general strategy for the efficient solid phase synthesis of adapter reagents capable of converting maleimido-labels into aminooxy or azide functional groups that can be further tuned for desired length or solubility properties. The utility of the adapter strategy is demonstrated in the context of fluorescent labeling of the murine Prion protein through an adapted aminooxy-Alexa dye. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Adapter Reagents for Protein Site Specific Dye Labeling

    PubMed Central

    Thompson, Darren A.; Evans, Eric G. B.; Kasza, Tomas; Millhauser, Glenn L.; Dawson, Philip E.

    2016-01-01

    Chemoselective protein labeling remains a significant challenge in chemical biology. Although many selective labeling chemistries have been reported, the practicalities of matching the reaction with appropriately functionalized proteins and labeling reagents is often a challenge. For example, we encountered the challenge of site specifically labeling the cellular form of the murine Prion protein with a fluorescent dye. To facilitate this labeling, a protein was expressed with site specific p-acetylphenylalanine. However, the utility of this aceto-phenone reactive group is hampered by the severe lack of commercially available aminooxy fluorophores. Here we outline a general strategy for the efficient solid phase synthesis of adapter reagents capable of converting maleimido-labels into aminooxy or azide functional groups that can be further tuned for desired length or solubility properties. The utility of the adapter strategy is demonstrated in the context of fluorescent labeling of the murine Prion protein through an adapted aminooxy-Alexa dye. PMID:24599728

  13. Site-Specific Protein Labeling via Sortase-Mediated Transpeptidation

    PubMed Central

    Antos, John M.; Ingram, Jessica; Fang, Tao; Pishesha, Novalia; Truttmann, Matthias C.; Ploegh, Hidde L.

    2017-01-01

    Strategies for site-specific protein modification are highly desirable for the construction of conjugates containing non-genetically encoded functional groups. Ideally, these strategies should proceed under mild conditions, and be compatible with a wide range of protein targets and non-natural moieties. The transpeptidation reaction catalyzed by bacterial sortases is a prominent strategy for protein derivatization that possesses these features. Naturally occurring or engineered variants of sortase A from Staphylococcus aureus catalyze a ligation reaction between a five amino acid substrate motif (LPXTG) and oligoglycine nucleophiles. By pairing proteins and synthetic peptides that possess these ligation handles, it is possible to install modifications onto the protein N- or C-terminus in site-specific fashion. As described in this unit, the successful implementation of sortase-mediated labeling involves straightforward solid-phase synthesis and molecular biology techniques, and this method is compatible with proteins in solution or on the surface of live cells. PMID:19365788

  14. Musite, a tool for global prediction of general and kinase-specific phosphorylation sites.

    PubMed

    Gao, Jianjiong; Thelen, Jay J; Dunker, A Keith; Xu, Dong

    2010-12-01

    Reversible protein phosphorylation is one of the most pervasive post-translational modifications, regulating diverse cellular processes in various organisms. High throughput experimental studies using mass spectrometry have identified many phosphorylation sites, primarily from eukaryotes. However, the vast majority of phosphorylation sites remain undiscovered, even in well studied systems. Because mass spectrometry-based experimental approaches for identifying phosphorylation events are costly, time-consuming, and biased toward abundant proteins and proteotypic peptides, in silico prediction of phosphorylation sites is potentially a useful alternative strategy for whole proteome annotation. Because of various limitations, current phosphorylation site prediction tools were not well designed for comprehensive assessment of proteomes. Here, we present a novel software tool, Musite, specifically designed for large scale predictions of both general and kinase-specific phosphorylation sites. We collected phosphoproteomics data in multiple organisms from several reliable sources and used them to train prediction models by a comprehensive machine-learning approach that integrates local sequence similarities to known phosphorylation sites, protein disorder scores, and amino acid frequencies. Application of Musite on several proteomes yielded tens of thousands of phosphorylation site predictions at a high stringency level. Cross-validation tests show that Musite achieves some improvement over existing tools in predicting general phosphorylation sites, and it is at least comparable with those for predicting kinase-specific phosphorylation sites. In Musite V1.0, we have trained general prediction models for six organisms and kinase-specific prediction models for 13 kinases or kinase families. Although the current pretrained models were not correlated with any particular cellular conditions, Musite provides a unique functionality for training customized prediction models

  15. Active Site Mutations Change the Cleavage Specificity of Neprilysin

    PubMed Central

    Sexton, Travis; Hitchcook, Lisa J.; Rodgers, David W.; Bradley, Luke H.; Hersh, Louis B.

    2012-01-01

    Neprilysin (NEP), a member of the M13 subgroup of the zinc-dependent endopeptidase family is a membrane bound peptidase capable of cleaving a variety of physiological peptides. We have generated a series of neprilysin variants containing mutations at either one of two active site residues, Phe563 and Ser546. Among the mutants studied in detail we observed changes in their activity towards leucine5-enkephalin, insulin B chain, and amyloid β1–40. For example, NEPF563I displayed an increase in preference towards cleaving leucine5-enkephalin relative to insulin B chain, while mutant NEPS546E was less discriminating than neprilysin. Mutants NEPF563L and NEPS546E exhibit different cleavage site preferences than neprilysin with insulin B chain and amyloid ß1–40 as substrates. These data indicate that it is possible to alter the cleavage site specificity of neprilysin opening the way for the development of substrate specific or substrate exclusive forms of the enzyme with enhanced therapeutic potential. PMID:22384224

  16. A systematic identification of species-specific protein succinylation sites using joint element features information.

    PubMed

    Hasan, Md Mehedi; Khatun, Mst Shamima; Mollah, Md Nurul Haque; Yong, Cao; Guo, Dianjing

    2017-01-01

    Lysine succinylation, an important type of protein posttranslational modification, plays significant roles in many cellular processes. Accurate identification of succinylation sites can facilitate our understanding about the molecular mechanism and potential roles of lysine succinylation. However, even in well-studied systems, a majority of the succinylation sites remain undetected because the traditional experimental approaches to succinylation site identification are often costly, time-consuming, and laborious. In silico approach, on the other hand, is potentially an alternative strategy to predict succinylation substrates. In this paper, a novel computational predictor SuccinSite2.0 was developed for predicting generic and species-specific protein succinylation sites. This predictor takes the composition of profile-based amino acid and orthogonal binary features, which were used to train a random forest classifier. We demonstrated that the proposed SuccinSite2.0 predictor outperformed other currently existing implementations on a complementarily independent dataset. Furthermore, the important features that make visible contributions to species-specific and cross-species-specific prediction of protein succinylation site were analyzed. The proposed predictor is anticipated to be a useful computational resource for lysine succinylation site prediction. The integrated species-specific online tool of SuccinSite2.0 is publicly accessible.

  17. Nest success, cause-specific nest failure, and hatchability of aquatic birds at selenium-contaminated Kesterson Reservoir and a reference site

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ohlendorf, Harry M.; Hothem, Roger L.; Welsh, Daniel

    1989-01-01

    During 1983-1985, we studied the reproductive success of several species of aquatic birds (coots, ducks, shorebirds, and grebes) nesting at two sites in Merced County, California: a selenium-contaminated site (Kesterson Reservoir) and a nearby reference site (Volta Wildlife Area). We used a computer program (MICROMORT) developed for the analysis of radiotelemetry data (Heisey and Fuller 1985) to estimate nest success and cause-specific failure rates, and then compared these parameters and hatchability between sites and among years. Nest success and causes of failure varied by species, site, and year. The most important causes of nest failure were usually predation, desertion, and water-level changes. However, embryotoxicosis (mortality, deformity, and lack of embryonic development) was the most important cause of nest failure in Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) at Kesterson Reservoir. Embryotoxicosis also reduced the hatchability of eggs of all other species at Kesterson in one or more years; embryonic mortality occurred rarely at Volta, and abnormalities were not observed.

  18. Base (100-year) flood elevations for selected sites in Livingston County, Missouri

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Southard, Rodney E.; Richards, Joseph M.

    2002-01-01

    The primary criteria for community participation in the National Flood Insurance Program is the adoption and enforcement of floodplain management requirements that minimize the potential for flood damages to existing and proposed development in flood-hazard areas. This report provides base flood elevations (BFE) for a 100-year recurrence-interval flood for use in the management and regulation of 18 flood-hazard areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as approximate Zone A areas in Livingston County, Missouri. The one-dimensional surface-water flow models HEC-RAS and Water-Surface PROfile (WSPRO) were used to compute base (100-year) flood elevations for 18 Zone A sites. The HEC-RAS model was used at BFE sites 1 to 6, 9, 10, and 15 to 18. The WSPRO model was used at BFE sites 7, 8, and 11 to 14. The 18 sites are all located in Livingston County, Missouri, at U.S., State, or County road crossings, and the base flood elevation was determined at the upstream side of each crossing. The base (100-year) flood elevations for BFE 1, 2, and 3 on Shoal Creek at Dawn and Shoal Creek Drainage Ditch near Dawn are 701.0, 701.0, and 696.5 feet, respectively. The base (100-year) flood elevations for BFE 4 and 5 on Indian Branch near Sampsel and a tributary to Indian Branch near Sampsel are 711.7 and 755.4 feet, respectively. Site BFE 6 is located on Honey Creek near Farmersville and the base (100-year) flood elevation for this site is 730.8 feet. One site (BFE 7) is located on No Creek near Farmersville. The base (100-year) flood elevation for this site is 731.3 feet. Site BFE 8 is located on Crooked Creek near Chillicothe and the base (100-year) elevation is 716.4 feet. One site (BFE 9) is located on a tributary to Coon Creek at Chillicothe. The base (100-year) flood elevation for this site is 734.9 feet. Two sites (BFE 10 and 11) are located on Blackwell Branch at Chillicothe. The base (100-year) flood elevation for BFE 10 is 738.9 feet and for BFE 11 is 701

  19. [Case study on health risk assessment based on site-specific conceptual model].

    PubMed

    Zhong, Mao-Sheng; Jiang, Lin; Yao, Jue-Jun; Xia, Tian-Xiang; Zhu, Xiao-Ying; Han, Dan; Zhang, Li-Na

    2013-02-01

    Site investigation was carried out on an area to be redeveloped as a subway station, which is right downstream of the groundwater of a former chemical plant. The results indicate the subsurface soil and groundwater in the area are both polluted heavily by 1,2-dichloroethane, which was caused by the chemical plant upstream with the highest concentration was 104.08 mg.kg-1 for soil sample at 8.6 m below ground and the highest concentration was 18500 microg.L-1 for groundwater. Further, a site-specific contamination conceptual model, giving consideration to the specific structure configuration of the station, was developed, and the corresponding risk calculation equation was derived. The carcinogenic risks calculated with models developed on the generic site conceptual model and derived herein on the site-specific conceptual model were compared. Both models indicate that the carcinogenic risk is significantly higher than the acceptable level which is 1 x 10(-6). The comparison result reveals that the risk calculated with the former models for soil and groundwater are higher than the one calculated with the latter models by 2 times and 1.5 times, respectively. The finding in this paper indicates that the generic risk assessment model may underestimate the risk if specific site conditions and structure configuration are not considered.

  20. Report: EPA Could Improve Its Redistribution of Superfund Payments to Specific Sites

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Report #2006-P-00027, July 31, 2006. EPA did not make timely redistributions of Superfund coop agreement, interagency agreement, and small purchase payments from the general site identifier “WQ” to the specific Superfund sites or other site identifiers.

  1. CNG site-specific and methyl-sensitive endonuclease WEN1 from wheat seedlings.

    PubMed

    Fedoreyeva, L I; Vanyushin, B F

    2011-06-01

    Endonuclease WEN1 with apparent molecular mass about 27 kDa isolated from cytoplasmic vesicular fraction of aging coleoptiles of wheat seedlings has expressed site specificity action. This is a first detection and isolation of a site-specific endonuclease from higher eukaryotes, in general, and higher plants, in particular. The enzyme hydrolyzes deoxyribooligonucleotides of different composition on CNG (N is G, A, C, or T) sites by splitting the phosphodiester bond between C and N nucleotide residues in CNG sequence independent from neighbor nucleotide context except for CCCG. WEN1 prefers to hydrolyze methylated λ phage DNA and double-stranded deoxyribooligonucleotides containing 5-methylcytosine sites (m(5)CAG, m(5)CTG) compared with unmethylated substrates. The enzyme is also able to hydrolyze single-stranded substrates, but in this case it splits unmethylated substrates predominantly. Detection in wheat seedlings of WEN1 endonuclease that is site specific, sensitive to the substrate methylation status, and modulated with S-adenosyl-L-methionine indicates that in higher plants restriction--modification systems or some of their elements, at least, may exist.

  2. Site-specific strong ground motion prediction using 2.5-D modelling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Narayan, J. P.

    2001-08-01

    An algorithm was developed using the 2.5-D elastodynamic wave equation, based on the displacement-stress relation. One of the most significant advantages of the 2.5-D simulation is that the 3-D radiation pattern can be generated using double-couple point shear-dislocation sources in the 2-D numerical grid. A parsimonious staggered grid scheme was adopted instead of the standard staggered grid scheme, since this is the only scheme suitable for computing the dislocation. This new 2.5-D numerical modelling avoids the extensive computational cost of 3-D modelling. The significance of this exercise is that it makes it possible to simulate the strong ground motion (SGM), taking into account the energy released, 3-D radiation pattern, path effects and local site conditions at any location around the epicentre. The slowness vector (py) was used in the supersonic region for each layer, so that all the components of the inertia coefficient are positive. The double-couple point shear-dislocation source was implemented in the numerical grid using the moment tensor components as the body-force couples. The moment per unit volume was used in both the 3-D and 2.5-D modelling. A good agreement in the 3-D and 2.5-D responses for different grid sizes was obtained when the moment per unit volume was further reduced by a factor equal to the finite-difference grid size in the case of the 2.5-D modelling. The components of the radiation pattern were computed in the xz-plane using 3-D and 2.5-D algorithms for various focal mechanisms, and the results were in good agreement. A comparative study of the amplitude behaviour of the 3-D and 2.5-D wavefronts in a layered medium reveals the spatial and temporal damped nature of the 2.5-D elastodynamic wave equation. 3-D and 2.5-D simulated responses at a site using a different strike direction reveal that strong ground motion (SGM) can be predicted just by rotating the strike of the fault counter-clockwise by the same amount as the azimuth of

  3. Identifying protein phosphorylation sites with kinase substrate specificity on human viruses.

    PubMed

    Bretaña, Neil Arvin; Lu, Cheng-Tsung; Chiang, Chiu-Yun; Su, Min-Gang; Huang, Kai-Yao; Lee, Tzong-Yi; Weng, Shun-Long

    2012-01-01

    Viruses infect humans and progress inside the body leading to various diseases and complications. The phosphorylation of viral proteins catalyzed by host kinases plays crucial regulatory roles in enhancing replication and inhibition of normal host-cell functions. Due to its biological importance, there is a desire to identify the protein phosphorylation sites on human viruses. However, the use of mass spectrometry-based experiments is proven to be expensive and labor-intensive. Furthermore, previous studies which have identified phosphorylation sites in human viruses do not include the investigation of the responsible kinases. Thus, we are motivated to propose a new method to identify protein phosphorylation sites with its kinase substrate specificity on human viruses. The experimentally verified phosphorylation data were extracted from virPTM--a database containing 301 experimentally verified phosphorylation data on 104 human kinase-phosphorylated virus proteins. In an attempt to investigate kinase substrate specificities in viral protein phosphorylation sites, maximal dependence decomposition (MDD) is employed to cluster a large set of phosphorylation data into subgroups containing significantly conserved motifs. The experimental human phosphorylation sites are collected from Phospho.ELM, grouped according to its kinase annotation, and compared with the virus MDD clusters. This investigation identifies human kinases such as CK2, PKB, CDK, and MAPK as potential kinases for catalyzing virus protein substrates as confirmed by published literature. Profile hidden Markov model is then applied to learn a predictive model for each subgroup. A five-fold cross validation evaluation on the MDD-clustered HMMs yields an average accuracy of 84.93% for Serine, and 78.05% for Threonine. Furthermore, an independent testing data collected from UniProtKB and Phospho.ELM is used to make a comparison of predictive performance on three popular kinase-specific phosphorylation site

  4. STATIC AND KINETIC SITE-SPECIFIC PROTEIN-DNA PHOTOCROSSLINKING: ANALYSIS OF BACTERIAL TRANSCRIPTION INITIATION COMPLEXES

    PubMed Central

    Naryshkin, Nikolai; Druzhinin, Sergei; Revyakin, Andrei; Kim, Younggyu; Mekler, Vladimir; Ebright, Richard H.

    2009-01-01

    Static site-specific protein-DNA photocrosslinking permits identification of protein-DNA interactions within multiprotein-DNA complexes. Kinetic site-specific protein-DNA photocrosslinking--involving rapid-quench-flow mixing and pulsed-laser irradiation--permits elucidation of pathways and kinetics of formation of protein-DNA interactions within multiprotein-DNA complexes. We present detailed protocols for application of static and kinetic site-specific protein-DNA photocrosslinking to bacterial transcription initiation complexes. PMID:19378179

  5. Discovery of Nigri/nox and Panto/pox site-specific recombinase systems facilitates advanced genome engineering.

    PubMed

    Karimova, Madina; Splith, Victoria; Karpinski, Janet; Pisabarro, M Teresa; Buchholz, Frank

    2016-07-22

    Precise genome engineering is instrumental for biomedical research and holds great promise for future therapeutic applications. Site-specific recombinases (SSRs) are valuable tools for genome engineering due to their exceptional ability to mediate precise excision, integration and inversion of genomic DNA in living systems. The ever-increasing complexity of genome manipulations and the desire to understand the DNA-binding specificity of these enzymes are driving efforts to identify novel SSR systems with unique properties. Here, we describe two novel tyrosine site-specific recombination systems designated Nigri/nox and Panto/pox. Nigri originates from Vibrio nigripulchritudo (plasmid VIBNI_pA) and recombines its target site nox with high efficiency and high target-site selectivity, without recombining target sites of the well established SSRs Cre, Dre, Vika and VCre. Panto, derived from Pantoea sp. aB, is less specific and in addition to its native target site, pox also recombines the target site for Dre recombinase, called rox. This relaxed specificity allowed the identification of residues that are involved in target site selectivity, thereby advancing our understanding of how SSRs recognize their respective DNA targets.

  6. 76 FR 30027 - Land Disposal Restrictions: Site-Specific Treatment Variance for Hazardous Selenium-Bearing Waste...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-24

    ... Restrictions: Site-Specific Treatment Variance for Hazardous Selenium-Bearing Waste Treated by U.S. Ecology.... Ecology Nevada in Beatty, Nevada and withdrew an existing site- specific treatment variance issued to... 268.44(o)) by granting a site-specific treatment variance to U.S. Ecology Nevada in Beatty, Nevada and...

  7. Site specific atomic polarizabilities in endohedral fullerenes and carbon onions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zope, Rajendra R., E-mail: rzope@utep.edu; Baruah, Tunna; Computational Science Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79958

    2015-08-28

    We investigate the polarizability of trimetallic nitride endohedral fullerenes by partitioning the total polarizability into site specific components. This analysis indicates that the polarizability of the endohedral fullerene is essentially due to the outer fullerene cage and has insignificant contribution from the encapsulated unit. Thus, the outer fullerene cages effectively shield the encapsulated clusters and behave like Faraday cages. The polarizability of endohedral fullerenes is slightly smaller than the polarizability of the corresponding bare carbon fullerenes. The application of the site specific polarizabilities to C{sub 60}@C{sub 240} and C{sub 60}@C{sub 180} onions shows that, compared to the polarizability of isolatedmore » C{sub 60} fullerene, the encapsulation of the C{sub 60} in C{sub 240} and C{sub 180} fullerenes reduces its polarizability by 75% and 83%, respectively. The differences in the polarizability of C{sub 60} in the two onions is a result of differences in the bonding (intershell electron transfer), fullerene shell relaxations, and intershell separations. The site specific analysis further shows that the outer atoms in a fullerene shell contribute most to the fullerene polarizability.« less

  8. Selection of site specific vibration equation by using analytic hierarchy process in a quarry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kalayci, Ulku, E-mail: ukalayci@istanbul.edu.tr; Ozer, Umit, E-mail: uozer@istanbul.edu.tr

    This paper presents a new approach for the selection of the most accurate SSVA (Site Specific Vibration Attenuation) equation for blasting processes in a quarry located near settlements in Istanbul, Turkey. In this context, the SSVA equations obtained from the same study area in the literature were considered in terms of distance between the shot points and buildings and the amount of explosive charge. In this purpose, 11 different SSVA equations obtained from the study area in the past 12 years, forecasting capabilities according to designated new conditions, using 102 vibration records as test data obtained from the study areamore » was investigated. In this study, AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was selected as an analysis method in order to determine the most accurate equation among 11 SSAV equations, and the parameters such as year, distance, charge, and r{sup 2} of the equations were used as criteria for AHP. Finally, the most appropriate equation was selected among the existing ones, and the process of selecting according to different target criteria was presented. Furthermore, it was noted that the forecasting results of the selected equation is more accurate than that formed using the test results. - Highlights: • The optimum Site Specific Vibration Attenuation equation for blasting in a quarry located near settlements was determined. • It is indicated that SSVA equations changing over the years don’t give always accurate estimates at changing conditions. • Selection of the blast induced SSVA equation was made using AHP. • Equation selection method was highlighted based on parameters such as charge, distance, and quarry geometry changes (year).« less

  9. Experimental and Numerical Modelling of CO2 Atmospheric Dispersion in Hazardous Gas Emission Sites.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gasparini, A.; sainz Gracia, A. S.; Grandia, F.; Bruno, J.

    2015-12-01

    Under stable atmospheric conditions and/or in presence of topographic depressions, CO2 concentrations can reach high values resulting in lethal effect to living organisms. The distribution of denser than air gases released from the underground is governed by gravity, turbulence and dispersion. Once emitted, the gas distribution is initially driven by buoyancy and a gas cloud accumulates on the ground (gravitational phase); with time the density gradient becomes less important due to dispersion or mixing and gas distribution is mainly governed by wind and atmospheric turbulence (passive dispersion phase). Natural analogues provide evidences of the impact of CO2 leakage. Dangerous CO2 concentration in atmosphere related to underground emission have been occasionally reported although the conditions favouring the persistence of such a concentration are barely studied.In this work, the dynamics of CO2 in the atmosphere after ground emission is assessed to quantify their potential risk. Two approaches have been followed: (1) direct measurement of air concentration in a natural emission site, where formation of a "CO2 lake" is common and (2) numerical atmospheric modelling. Two sites with different morphology were studied: (a) the Cañada Real site, a flat terrain in the Volcanic Field of Campo de Calatrava (Spain); (b) the Solforata di Pomezia site, a rough terrain in the Alban Hills Volcanic Region (Italy). The comparison between field data and model calculations reveal that numerical dispersion models are capable of predicting the formation of CO2 accumulation over the ground as a consequence of underground gas emission. Therefore, atmospheric modelling could be included as a valuable methodology in the risk assessment of leakage in natural degassing systems and in CCS projects. Conclusions from this work provide clues on whether leakage may be a real risk for humans and under which conditions this risk needs to be included in the risk assessment.

  10. Site-specific biomolecule labeling with gold clusters.

    PubMed

    Ackerson, Christopher J; Powell, Richard D; Hainfeld, James F

    2010-01-01

    Site-specific labeling of biomolecules in vitro with gold clusters can enhance the information content of electron cryomicroscopy experiments. This chapter provides a practical overview of well-established techniques for forming biomolecule/gold cluster conjugates. Three bioconjugation chemistries are covered: linker-mediated bioconjugation, direct gold-biomolecule bonding, and coordination-mediated bonding of nickel(II) nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)-derivatized gold clusters to polyhistidine (His)-tagged proteins. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Site-specific protein labeling with PRIME and chelation-assisted Click chemistry

    PubMed Central

    Uttamapinant, Chayasith; Sanchez, Mateo I.; Liu, Daniel S.; Yao, Jennifer Z.; White, Katharine A.; Grecian, Scott; Clarke, Scott; Gee, Kyle R.; Ting, Alice Y.

    2016-01-01

    This protocol describes an efficient method to site-specifically label cell-surface or purified proteins with chemical probes in two steps: PRobe Incorporation Mediated by Enzymes (PRIME) followed by chelation-assisted copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). In the PRIME step, Escherichia coli lipoic acid ligase site-specifically attaches a picolyl azide derivative to a 13-amino acid recognition sequence that has been genetically fused onto the protein of interest. Proteins bearing picolyl azide are chemoselectively derivatized with an alkyne-probe conjugate by chelation-assisted CuAAC in the second step. We describe herein the optimized protocols to synthesize picolyl azide, perform PRIME labeling, and achieve CuAAC derivatization of picolyl azide on live cells, fixed cells, and purified proteins. Reagent preparations, including synthesis of picolyl azide probes and expression of lipoic acid ligase, take 12 d, while the procedure to perform site-specific picolyl azide ligation and CuAAC on cells or on purified proteins takes 40 min-3 h. PMID:23887180

  12. Theoretical and Numerical Modeling of Transport of Land Use-Specific Fecal Source Identifiers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bombardelli, F. A.; Sirikanchana, K. J.; Bae, S.; Wuertz, S.

    2008-12-01

    Microbial contamination in coastal and estuarine waters is of particular concern to public health officials. In this work, we advocate that well-formulated and developed mathematical and numerical transport models can be combined with modern molecular techniques in order to predict continuous concentrations of microbial indicators under diverse scenarios of interest, and that they can help in source identification of fecal pollution. As a proof of concept, we present initially the theory, numerical implementation and validation of one- and two-dimensional numerical models aimed at computing the distribution of fecal source identifiers in water bodies (based on Bacteroidales marker DNA sequences) coming from different land uses such as wildlife, livestock, humans, dogs or cats. These models have been developed to allow for source identification of fecal contamination in large bodies of water. We test the model predictions using diverse velocity fields and boundary conditions. Then, we present some preliminary results of an application of a three-dimensional water quality model to address the source of fecal contamination in the San Pablo Bay (SPB), United States, which constitutes an important sub-embayment of the San Francisco Bay. The transport equations for Bacteroidales include the processes of advection, diffusion, and decay of Bacteroidales. We discuss the validation of the developed models through comparisons of numerical results with field campaigns developed in the SPB. We determine the extent and importance of the contamination in the bay for two decay rates obtained from field observations, corresponding to total host-specific Bacteroidales DNA and host-specific viable Bacteroidales cells, respectively. Finally, we infer transport conditions in the SPB based on the numerical results, characterizing the fate of outflows coming from the Napa, Petaluma and Sonoma rivers.

  13. Spatial Distribution and Site-Specific Spraying of Main Sucking Pests of Elm Trees.

    PubMed

    Karimzadeh, R; Iranipour, S

    2017-06-01

    Elm trees are important landscape trees and sucking insects weaken the elm trees and produce large amounts of honeydew. The main objectives of this study were to identify main honeydew-producing pests of elm trees and do site-specific spraying against these pests. To map the spatial distribution of the sucking pests in the large scale, the study area was divided into 40 × 40 m grids and one tree was chosen randomly from each grid (a total of 55 trees). These trees were sampled twice a year in 2011 and 2012. Each sample was a 30-cm branch terminal. Eight samples were taken from each tree in four cardinal directions and two canopy levels. The number of sucking insects and leaves of each sample were counted and recorded. Spatial analysis of the data was carried out using geostatistics. Kriging was used for producing prediction maps. Insecticide application was restricted to the regions with populations higher than threshold. To identify within-tree distribution of the honeydew-producing pests, six and four elm trees were chosen in 2011 and 2012 respectively, and sampled weekly. These trees were sampled as described previously. European elm scale (EES), Gossyparia spuria (Modeer) and two species of aphids were the dominant honeydew-producing pests. The results revealed that the effects of direction, canopy level and their interactions on insect populations were not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Site-specific spraying decreased the amount of insecticides used by ca. 20%, while satisfactory control of the sucking pests and honeydew excretion was obtained. Considering the environmental and economic benefits of site-specific spraying, it is worth doing more complementary works in this area.

  14. Optimization under Uncertainty of Site-Specific Turbine Configurations: Preprint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Quick, Julian; Dykes, Katherine; Graf, Peter

    Uncertainty affects many aspects of wind energy plant performance and cost. In this study, we explore opportunities for site-specific turbine configuration optimization that accounts for uncertainty in the wind resource. As a demonstration, a simple empirical model for wind plant cost of energy is used in an optimization under uncertainty to examine how different risk appetites affect the optimal selection of a turbine configuration for sites of different wind resource profiles. If there is unusually high uncertainty in the site wind resource, the optimal turbine configuration diverges from the deterministic case and a generally more conservative design is obtained withmore » increasing risk aversion on the part of the designer.« less

  15. Hetero-site-specific X-ray pump-probe spectroscopy for femtosecond intramolecular dynamics

    DOE PAGES

    Picón, A.; Lehmann, C. S.; Bostedt, C.; ...

    2016-05-23

    New capabilities at X-ray free-electron laser facilities allow the generation of two-colour femtosecond X-ray pulses, opening the possibility of performing ultrafast studies of X-ray-induced phenomena. Specifically, the experimental realization of hetero-site-specific X-ray-pump/X-ray-probe spectroscopy is of special interest, in which an X-ray pump pulse is absorbed at one site within a molecule and an X-ray probe pulse follows the X-ray-induced dynamics at another site within the same molecule. In this paper, we show experimental evidence of a hetero-site pump-probe signal. By using two-colour 10-fs X-ray pulses, we are able to observe the femtosecond time dependence for the formation of F ionsmore » during the fragmentation of XeF 2 molecules following X-ray absorption at the Xe site.« less

  16. Discovery of Nigri/nox and Panto/pox site-specific recombinase systems facilitates advanced genome engineering

    PubMed Central

    Karimova, Madina; Splith, Victoria; Karpinski, Janet; Pisabarro, M. Teresa; Buchholz, Frank

    2016-01-01

    Precise genome engineering is instrumental for biomedical research and holds great promise for future therapeutic applications. Site-specific recombinases (SSRs) are valuable tools for genome engineering due to their exceptional ability to mediate precise excision, integration and inversion of genomic DNA in living systems. The ever-increasing complexity of genome manipulations and the desire to understand the DNA-binding specificity of these enzymes are driving efforts to identify novel SSR systems with unique properties. Here, we describe two novel tyrosine site-specific recombination systems designated Nigri/nox and Panto/pox. Nigri originates from Vibrio nigripulchritudo (plasmid VIBNI_pA) and recombines its target site nox with high efficiency and high target-site selectivity, without recombining target sites of the well established SSRs Cre, Dre, Vika and VCre. Panto, derived from Pantoea sp. aB, is less specific and in addition to its native target site, pox also recombines the target site for Dre recombinase, called rox. This relaxed specificity allowed the identification of residues that are involved in target site selectivity, thereby advancing our understanding of how SSRs recognize their respective DNA targets. PMID:27444945

  17. Generalized theory on the mechanism of site-specific DNA-protein interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niranjani, G.; Murugan, R.

    2016-05-01

    We develop a generalized theoretical framework on the binding of transcription factor proteins (TFs) with specific sites on DNA that takes into account the interplay of various factors regarding overall electrostatic potential at the DNA-protein interface, occurrence of kinetic traps along the DNA sequence, presence of other roadblock protein molecules along DNA and crowded environment, conformational fluctuations in the DNA binding domains (DBDs) of TFs, and the conformational state of the DNA. Starting from a Smolochowski type theoretical framework on site-specific binding of TFs we logically build our model by adding the effects of these factors one by one. Our generalized two-step model suggests that the electrostatic attractive forces present inbetween the positively charged DBDs of TFs and the negatively charged phosphate backbone of DNA, along with the counteracting shielding effects of solvent ions, is the core factor that creates a fluidic type environment at the DNA-protein interface. This in turn facilitates various one-dimensional diffusion (1Dd) processes such as sliding, hopping and intersegmental transfers. These facilitating processes as well as flipping dynamics of conformational states of DBDs of TFs between stationary and mobile states can enhance the 1Dd coefficient on a par with three-dimensional diffusion (3Dd). The random coil conformation of DNA also plays critical roles in enhancing the site-specific association rate. The extent of enhancement over the 3Dd controlled rate seems to be directly proportional to the maximum possible 1Dd length. We show that the overall site-specific binding rate scales with the length of DNA in an asymptotic way. For relaxed DNA, the specific binding rate will be independent of the length of DNA as length increases towards infinity. For condensed DNA as in in vivo conditions, the specific binding rate depends on the length of DNA in a turnover way with a maximum. This maximum rate seems to scale with the

  18. Categorization of First-Year University Students' Interpretations of Numerical Linear Distance-Time Graphs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wemyss, Thomas; van Kampen, Paul

    2013-01-01

    We have investigated the various approaches taken by first-year university students (n[image omitted]550) when asked to determine the direction of motion, the constancy of speed, and a numerical value of the speed of an object at a point on a numerical linear distance-time graph. We investigated the prevalence of various well-known general…

  19. sc-PDB: a 3D-database of ligandable binding sites--10 years on.

    PubMed

    Desaphy, Jérémy; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier; Kellenberger, Esther

    2015-01-01

    The sc-PDB database (available at http://bioinfo-pharma.u-strasbg.fr/scPDB/) is a comprehensive and up-to-date selection of ligandable binding sites of the Protein Data Bank. Sites are defined from complexes between a protein and a pharmacological ligand. The database provides the all-atom description of the protein, its ligand, their binding site and their binding mode. Currently, the sc-PDB archive registers 9283 binding sites from 3678 unique proteins and 5608 unique ligands. The sc-PDB database was publicly launched in 2004 with the aim of providing structure files suitable for computational approaches to drug design, such as docking. During the last 10 years we have improved and standardized the processes for (i) identifying binding sites, (ii) correcting structures, (iii) annotating protein function and ligand properties and (iv) characterizing their binding mode. This paper presents the latest enhancements in the database, specifically pertaining to the representation of molecular interaction and to the similarity between ligand/protein binding patterns. The new website puts emphasis in pictorial analysis of data. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  20. Site-specific O-Glycosylation Analysis of Human Blood Plasma Proteins*

    PubMed Central

    Hoffmann, Marcus; Marx, Kristina; Reichl, Udo; Wuhrer, Manfred; Rapp, Erdmann

    2016-01-01

    Site-specific glycosylation analysis is key to investigate structure-function relationships of glycoproteins, e.g. in the context of antigenicity and disease progression. The analysis, though, is quite challenging and time consuming, in particular for O-glycosylated proteins. In consequence, despite their clinical and biopharmaceutical importance, many human blood plasma glycoproteins have not been characterized comprehensively with respect to their O-glycosylation. Here, we report on the site-specific O-glycosylation analysis of human blood plasma glycoproteins. To this end pooled human blood plasma of healthy donors was proteolytically digested using a broad-specific enzyme (Proteinase K), followed by a precipitation step, as well as a glycopeptide enrichment and fractionation step via hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, the latter being optimized for intact O-glycopeptides carrying short mucin-type core-1 and -2 O-glycans, which represent the vast majority of O-glycans on human blood plasma proteins. Enriched O-glycopeptide fractions were subjected to mass spectrometric analysis using reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled online to an ion trap mass spectrometer operated in positive-ion mode. Peptide identity and glycan composition were derived from low-energy collision-induced dissociation fragment spectra acquired in multistage mode. To pinpoint the O-glycosylation sites glycopeptides were fragmented using electron transfer dissociation. Spectra were annotated by database searches as well as manually. Overall, 31 O-glycosylation sites and regions belonging to 22 proteins were identified, the majority being acute-phase proteins. Strikingly, also 11 novel O-glycosylation sites and regions were identified. In total 23 O-glycosylation sites could be pinpointed. Interestingly, the use of Proteinase K proved to be particularly beneficial in this context. The identified O-glycan compositions most probably correspond to mono- and disialylated core-1

  1. [3H]aniracetam binds to specific recognition sites in brain membranes.

    PubMed

    Fallarino, F; Genazzani, A A; Silla, S; L'Episcopo, M R; Camici, O; Corazzi, L; Nicoletti, F; Fioretti, M C

    1995-08-01

    [3H]Aniracetam bound to specific and saturable recognition sites in membranes prepared from discrete regions of rat brain. In crude membrane preparation from rat cerebral cortex, specific binding was Na+ independent, was still largely detectable at low temperature (4 degrees C), and underwent rapid dissociation. Scatchard analysis of [3H]aniracetam binding revealed a single population of sites with an apparent KD value of approximately 70 nM and a maximal density of 3.5 pmol/mg of protein. Specifically bound [3H]aniracetam was not displaced by various metabolites of aniracetam, nor by other pyrrolidinone-containing nootropic drugs such as piracetam or oxiracetam. Subcellular distribution studies showed that a high percentage of specific [3H]aniracetam binding was present in purified synaptosomes or mitochondria, whereas specific binding was low in the myelin fraction. The possibility that at least some [3H]aniracetam binding sites are associated with glutamate receptors is supported by the evidence that specific binding was abolished when membranes were preincubated at 37 degrees C under fast shaking (a procedure that substantially reduced the amount of glutamate trapped in the membranes) and could be restored after addition of either glutamate or alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) but not kainate. The action of AMPA was antagonized by DNQX, which also reduced specific [3H]aniracetam binding in unwashed membranes. High levels of [3H]aniracetam binding were detected in hippocampal, cortical, or cerebellar membranes, which contain a high density of excitatory amino acid receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  2. Site-specific thromboembolism: a novel animal model for stroke.

    PubMed

    Ringer, Andrew J; Guterman, Lee R; Hopkins, L Nelson

    2004-02-01

    To develop a technique for site-specific placement of a thrombus of predetermined volume in an animal model for the purpose of evaluating methods of intravascular thrombolysis and clot retrieval. Six swine were subjected to thrombus injection bilaterally in the ascending pharyngeal artery (APA). Each animal underwent transfemoral angiography while under general anesthesia. A nondetachable balloon catheter and a 3-French microcatheter were then advanced into the common carotid artery through a 7-French guide catheter. With the microcatheter in the proximal APA and the balloon inflated proximally, a bolus of preformed thrombus composed of 0.9 mL of autologous blood and 0.1 mL of bovine thrombin (200 IU/mL) was injected through the microcatheter while local flow arrest was maintained for 15 min. The balloon was deflated and removed. The occluded arteries were observed by serial angiography for 3 hr and then resected for gross examination and hematoxylin and eosin staining. Each APA was occluded angiographically and did not recanalize during the 3-hr observation period. Persistent, proximal progression of thrombus to the superior thyroid artery origin occurred in three animals. Gross inspection revealed that the resected arteries contained thrombus in the proximal APA but not in the common carotid artery. Histologic examination revealed organized thrombus, without evidence of intimal injury. Our model provides a simple, reliable method for site-specific injection of a thrombus of predetermined volume. Site-specific placement is important for evaluation of the efficacy of thrombolytic agents and techniques. Angiographic evidence of brain revascularization can be used to grade revascularization and clot volume. The ability to specifically localize and estimate clot volume makes our model well suited for the evaluation and comparison of thrombolytic agents and endovascular techniques.

  3. Feasibility study for a numerical aerodynamic simulation facility. Volume 2: Hardware specifications/descriptions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Green, F. M.; Resnick, D. R.

    1979-01-01

    An FMP (Flow Model Processor) was designed for use in the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Facility (NASF). The NASF was developed to simulate fluid flow over three-dimensional bodies in wind tunnel environments and in free space. The facility is applicable to studying aerodynamic and aircraft body designs. The following general topics are discussed in this volume: (1) FMP functional computer specifications; (2) FMP instruction specification; (3) standard product system components; (4) loosely coupled network (LCN) specifications/description; and (5) three appendices: performance of trunk allocation contention elimination (trace) method, LCN channel protocol and proposed LCN unified second level protocol.

  4. Evaluation of potential water conservation using site-specific irrigation

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    With the advent of site-specific variable-rate irrigation (VRI) systems, irrigation can be spatially managed within sub-field-sized zones. Spatial irrigation management can optimize spatial water use efficiency and may conserve water. Spatial VRI systems are currently being managed by consultants ...

  5. High-Affinity Quasi-Specific Sites in the Genome: How the DNA-Binding Proteins Cope with Them

    PubMed Central

    Chakrabarti, J.; Chandra, Navin; Raha, Paromita; Roy, Siddhartha

    2011-01-01

    Many prokaryotic transcription factors home in on one or a few target sites in the presence of a huge number of nonspecific sites. Our analysis of λ-repressor in the Escherichia coli genome based on single basepair substitution experiments shows the presence of hundreds of sites having binding energy within 3 Kcal/mole of the OR1 binding energy, and thousands of sites with binding energy above the nonspecific binding energy. The effect of such sites on DNA-based processes has not been fully explored. The presence of such sites dramatically lowers the occupation probability of the specific site far more than if the genome were composed of nonspecific sites only. Our Brownian dynamics studies show that the presence of quasi-specific sites results in very significant kinetic effects as well. In contrast to λ-repressor, the E. coli genome has orders of magnitude lower quasi-specific sites for GalR, an integral transcription factor, thus causing little competition for the specific site. We propose that GalR and perhaps repressors of the same family have evolved binding modes that lead to much smaller numbers of quasi-specific sites to remove the untoward effects of genomic DNA. PMID:21889449

  6. LHRH-pituitary plasma membrane binding: the presence of specific binding sites in other tissues.

    PubMed

    Marshall, J C; Shakespear, R A; Odell, W D

    1976-11-01

    Two specific binding sites for LHRH are present on plasma membranes prepared from rat and bovine anterior pituitary glands. One site is of high affinity (K = 2X108 1/MOL) and the second is of lower affinity (8-5X105 1/mol) and much greater capacity. Studies on membrane fractions prepared from other tissues showed the presence of a single specific site for LHRH. The kinetics and specificity of this site were similar to those of the lower affinity pituitary receptor. These results indicate that only pituitary membranes possess the higher affinity binding site and suggest that the low affinity site is not of physiological importance in the regulation of gonadotrophin secretion. After dissociation from membranes of non-pituitary tissues 125I-LHRH rebound to pituitary membrane preparations. Thus receptor binding per se does not result in degradation of LHRH and the function of these peripheral receptors remains obscure.

  7. Towards soft robotic devices for site-specific drug delivery.

    PubMed

    Alici, Gursel

    2015-01-01

    Considerable research efforts have recently been dedicated to the establishment of various drug delivery systems (DDS) that are mechanical/physical, chemical and biological/molecular DDS. In this paper, we report on the recent advances in site-specific drug delivery (site-specific, controlled, targeted or smart drug delivery are terms used interchangeably in the literature, to mean to transport a drug or a therapeutic agent to a desired location within the body and release it as desired with negligibly small toxicity and side effect compared to classical drug administration means such as peroral, parenteral, transmucosal, topical and inhalation) based on mechanical/physical systems consisting of implantable and robotic drug delivery systems. While we specifically focus on the robotic or autonomous DDS, which can be reprogrammable and provide multiple doses of a drug at a required time and rate, we briefly cover the implanted DDS, which are well-developed relative to the robotic DDS, to highlight the design and performance requirements, and investigate issues associated with the robotic DDS. Critical research issues associated with both DDSs are presented to describe the research challenges ahead of us in order to establish soft robotic devices for clinical and biomedical applications.

  8. Site-specific cancer mortality inequalities by employment and occupational groups: a cohort study among Belgian adults, 2001-2011.

    PubMed

    Vanthomme, Katrien; Van den Borre, Laura; Vandenheede, Hadewijch; Hagedoorn, Paulien; Gadeyne, Sylvie

    2017-11-12

    This study probes into site-specific cancer mortality inequalities by employment and occupational group among Belgians, adjusted for other indicators of socioeconomic (SE) position. This cohort study is based on record linkage between the Belgian censuses of 1991 and 2001 and register data on emigration and mortality for 01/10/2001 to 31/12/2011. Belgium. The study population contains all Belgians within the economically active age (25-65 years) at the census of 1991. Both absolute and relative measures were calculated. First, age-standardised mortality rates have been calculated, directly standardised to the Belgian population. Second, mortality rate ratios were calculated using Poisson's regression, adjusted for education, housing conditions, attained age, region and migrant background. This study highlights inequalities in site-specific cancer mortality, both related to being employed or not and to the occupational group of the employed population. Unemployed men and women show consistently higher overall and site-specific cancer mortality compared with the employed group. Also within the employed group, inequalities are observed by occupational group. Generally manual workers and service and sales workers have higher site-specific cancer mortality rates compared with white-collar workers and agricultural and fishery workers. These inequalities are manifest for almost all preventable cancer sites, especially those cancer sites related to alcohol and smoking such as cancers of the lung, oesophagus and head and neck. Overall, occupational inequalities were less pronounced among women compared with men. Important SE inequalities in site-specific cancer mortality were observed by employment and occupational group. Ensuring financial security for the unemployed is a key issue in this regard. Future studies could also take a look at other working regimes, for instance temporary employment or part-time employment and their relation to health. © Article author(s) (or

  9. EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL APPROACHES OF TOPOGRAPHIC SITE EFFECTS CLAIMED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR 1909 PROVENCE EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE DISTRIBUTION

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duval, A.; Bertrand, E.; Régnier, J.; Grasso, E.; Gance, J.; Glinsky, N.; Semblat, J.

    2009-12-01

    One of the strongest historical earthquakes in France metropolitan territory occurred in 1909, in Provence, south of France. In the eighties, a scenario study predicted that a similar earthquake may lead to more than the 46 deaths of 1909 and a tremendous economical cost caused by increasing urbanisation in this area. The 1909 maximal intensity was estimated at IX. But a lot of municipalities exhibited strong variations in damage distribution. For some of them, like Rognes and Vernègues, the historical perched village suffered more damage than constructions built on the flat part of the territories. While seismologists realised site effect importance in earthquakes, this 1909 damage distribution became the most famous french illustration of topographic site effect. But if ray theory explains that relief can indubitably focus waves and amplify seismic signal for specific wavelength according to the location on the slope, some doubts remain about the real impact of topographic effects in 1909 damage distribution. It may also be related to the fact that the different types of building were not uniformly spread on the territories and/or that the old structures were more vulnerable than new ones. Finally, was the seismic signal really different along the relief during 1909 earthquake ? Trying to solve this question, several field campaigns were conducted on the village of Rognes. The first one consisted in measuring microtremors on several points and computing H/V ratios (Nogoshi, 1970, Nakamura, 1989). The H/V curves on flat part of the territory do not exhibit any clear peak except for one site on the north where a high frequency peak should be relative to a superficial and thin soft layer. On the contrary, the H/V curves obtained on the top of the relief show a high peak around 1 Hertz. We then decided to install 9 seismic stations to record continuously seismicity at key-points of the relief. The seismicity rate is very low in this region, but the 2 years of

  10. 30 CFR 46.11 - Site-specific hazard awareness training.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Section 46.11 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR EDUCATION AND... workers; (4) Customers, including commercial over-the-road truck drivers; (5) Construction workers or... procedures. The training must address site-specific health and safety risks, such as unique geologic or...

  11. Site-specific identification of heparan and chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans in hybrid proteoglycans.

    PubMed

    Noborn, Fredrik; Gomez Toledo, Alejandro; Green, Anders; Nasir, Waqas; Sihlbom, Carina; Nilsson, Jonas; Larson, Göran

    2016-10-03

    Heparan sulfate (HS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) are complex polysaccharides that regulate important biological pathways in virtually all metazoan organisms. The polysaccharides often display opposite effects on cell functions with HS and CS structural motifs presenting unique binding sites for specific ligands. Still, the mechanisms by which glycan biosynthesis generates complex HS and CS polysaccharides required for the regulation of mammalian physiology remain elusive. Here we present a glycoproteomic approach that identifies and differentiates between HS and CS attachment sites and provides identity to the core proteins. Glycopeptides were prepared from perlecan, a complex proteoglycan known to be substituted with both HS and CS chains, further digested with heparinase or chondroitinase ABC to reduce the HS and CS chain lengths respectively, and thereafter analyzed by nLC-MS/MS. This protocol enabled the identification of three consensus HS sites and one hybrid site, carrying either a HS or a CS chain. Inspection of the amino acid sequence at the hybrid attachment locus indicates that certain peptide motifs may encode for the chain type selection process. This analytical approach will become useful when addressing fundamental questions in basic biology specifically in elucidating the functional roles of site-specific glycosylations of proteoglycans.

  12. A domain-specific compiler for a parallel multiresolution adaptive numerical simulation environment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rajbhandari, Samyam; Kim, Jinsung; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram

    This paper describes the design and implementation of a layered domain-specific compiler to support MADNESS---Multiresolution ADaptive Numerical Environment for Scientific Simulation. MADNESS is a high-level software environment for the solution of integral and differential equations in many dimensions, using adaptive and fast harmonic analysis methods with guaranteed precision. MADNESS uses k-d trees to represent spatial functions and implements operators like addition, multiplication, differentiation, and integration on the numerical representation of functions. The MADNESS runtime system provides global namespace support and a task-based execution model including futures. MADNESS is currently deployed on massively parallel supercomputers and has enabled many science advances.more » Due to the highly irregular and statically unpredictable structure of the k-d trees representing the spatial functions encountered in MADNESS applications, only purely runtime approaches to optimization have previously been implemented in the MADNESS framework. This paper describes a layered domain-specific compiler developed to address some performance bottlenecks in MADNESS. The newly developed static compile-time optimizations, in conjunction with the MADNESS runtime support, enable significant performance improvement for the MADNESS framework.« less

  13. Appreciating "Thirdspace": An Alternative Way of Viewing and Valuing Site-Specific Dance Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munjee, Tara

    2014-01-01

    Site-specific dance performance involves the presentation of choreography in connection with a site. The context of the site combined with a viewer's personal history, beliefs, and identity impact the reading and appreciation of the performance. Although both stage and site dance performance valuing elicit multiple interpretations of artistic…

  14. Probability-based estimates of site-specific copper water quality criteria for the Chesapeake Bay, USA.

    PubMed

    Arnold, W Ray; Warren-Hicks, William J

    2007-01-01

    The object of this study was to estimate site- and region-specific dissolved copper criteria for a large embayment, the Chesapeake Bay, USA. The intent is to show the utility of 2 copper saltwater quality site-specific criteria estimation models and associated region-specific criteria selection methods. The criteria estimation models and selection methods are simple, efficient, and cost-effective tools for resource managers. The methods are proposed as potential substitutes for the US Environmental Protection Agency's water effect ratio methods. Dissolved organic carbon data and the copper criteria models were used to produce probability-based estimates of site-specific copper saltwater quality criteria. Site- and date-specific criteria estimations were made for 88 sites (n = 5,296) in the Chesapeake Bay. The average and range of estimated site-specific chronic dissolved copper criteria for the Chesapeake Bay were 7.5 and 5.3 to 16.9 microg Cu/L. The average and range of estimated site-specific acute dissolved copper criteria for the Chesapeake Bay were 11.7 and 8.3 to 26.4 microg Cu/L. The results suggest that applicable national and state copper criteria can increase in much of the Chesapeake Bay and remain protective. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality copper criteria near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, however, need to decrease to protect species of equal or greater sensitivity to that of the marine mussel, Mytilus sp.

  15. A Molecular Toolbox to Engineer Site-Specific DNA Replication Perturbation.

    PubMed

    Larsen, Nicolai B; Hickson, Ian D; Mankouri, Hocine W

    2018-01-01

    Site-specific arrest of DNA replication is a useful tool for analyzing cellular responses to DNA replication perturbation. The E. coli Tus-Ter replication barrier can be reconstituted in eukaryotic cells as a system to engineer an unscheduled collision between a replication fork and an "alien" impediment to DNA replication. To further develop this system as a versatile tool, we describe a set of reagents and a detailed protocol that can be used to engineer Tus-Ter barriers into any locus in the budding yeast genome. Because the Tus-Ter complex is a bipartite system with intrinsic DNA replication-blocking activity, the reagents and protocols developed and validated in yeast could also be optimized to engineer site-specific replication fork barriers into other eukaryotic cell types.

  16. Site-specific management of cotton root rot using airborne and high resolution satellite imagery and variable rate technology

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton root rot is a century-old cotton disease that can now be effectively controlled with Topguard Terra Fungicide. As this disease tends to occur in the same general areas within fields in recurring years, site-specific application of the fungicide only to the infested areas can be more effective...

  17. Method for assigning sites to projected generic nuclear power plants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Holter, G.M.; Purcell, W.L.; Shutz, M.E.

    1986-07-01

    Pacific Northwest Laboratory developed a method for forecasting potential locations and startup sequences of nuclear power plants that will be required in the future but have not yet been specifically identified by electric utilities. Use of the method results in numerical ratings for potential nuclear power plant sites located in each of the 10 federal energy regions. The rating for each potential site is obtained from numerical factors assigned to each of 5 primary siting characteristics: (1) cooling water availability, (2) site land area, (3) power transmission land area, (4) proximity to metropolitan areas, and (5) utility plans for themore » site. The sequence of plant startups in each federal energy region is obtained by use of the numerical ratings and the forecasts of generic nuclear power plant startups obtained from the EIA Middle Case electricity forecast. Sites are assigned to generic plants in chronological order according to startup date.« less

  18. Detection of site specific glycosylation in proteins using flow cytometry†

    PubMed Central

    Jayakumar, Deepak; Marathe, Dhananjay D.; Neelamegham, Sriram

    2009-01-01

    We tested the possibility that it is possible to express unique peptide probes on cell surfaces and detect site-specific glycosylation on these peptides using flow cytometry. Such development can enhance the application of flow cytometry to detect and quantify post-translational modifications in proteins. To this end, the N-terminal section of the human leukocyte glycoprotein PSGL-1 (P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1) was modified to contain a poly-histidine tag followed by a proteolytic cleavage site. Amino acids preceding the cleavage site have a single O-linked glycosylation site. The recombinant protein called PSGL-1 (HT) was expressed on the surface of two mammalian cell lines, CHO and HL-60, using a lentiviral delivery approach. Results demonstrate that the N-terminal portion of PSGL-1 (HT) can be released from these cells by protease, and the resulting peptide can be readily captured and detected using cytometry-bead assays. Using this strategy, the peptide was immunoprecipitated onto beads bearing mAbs against either the poly-histidine sequence or the human PSGL-1. The carbohydrate epitope associated with the released peptide was detected using HECA-452 and CSLEX-1, monoclonal antibodies that recognize the sialyl Lewis-X epitope. Finally, the peptide released from cells could be separated and enriched using nickel chelate beads. Overall, such an approach that combines recombinant protein expression with flow cytometry, may be useful to quantify changes in site-specific glycosylation for basic science and clinical applications. PMID:19735085

  19. Characterization and identification of ubiquitin conjugation sites with E3 ligase recognition specificities.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Van-Nui; Huang, Kai-Yao; Huang, Chien-Hsun; Chang, Tzu-Hao; Bretaña, Neil; Lai, K; Weng, Julia; Lee, Tzong-Yi

    2015-01-01

    In eukaryotes, ubiquitin-conjugation is an important mechanism underlying proteasome-mediated degradation of proteins, and as such, plays an essential role in the regulation of many cellular processes. In the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, E3 ligases play important roles by recognizing a specific protein substrate and catalyzing the attachment of ubiquitin to a lysine (K) residue. As more and more experimental data on ubiquitin conjugation sites become available, it becomes possible to develop prediction models that can be scaled to big data. However, no development that focuses on the investigation of ubiquitinated substrate specificities has existed. Herein, we present an approach that exploits an iteratively statistical method to identify ubiquitin conjugation sites with substrate site specificities. In this investigation, totally 6259 experimentally validated ubiquitinated proteins were obtained from dbPTM. After having filtered out homologous fragments with 40% sequence identity, the training data set contained 2658 ubiquitination sites (positive data) and 5532 non-ubiquitinated sites (negative data). Due to the difficulty in characterizing the substrate site specificities of E3 ligases by conventional sequence logo analysis, a recursively statistical method has been applied to obtain significant conserved motifs. The profile hidden Markov model (profile HMM) was adopted to construct the predictive models learned from the identified substrate motifs. A five-fold cross validation was then used to evaluate the predictive model, achieving sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 73.07%, 65.46%, and 67.93%, respectively. Additionally, an independent testing set, completely blind to the training data of the predictive model, was used to demonstrate that the proposed method could provide a promising accuracy (76.13%) and outperform other ubiquitination site prediction tool. A case study demonstrated the effectiveness of the characterized substrate motifs for

  20. Oriented Immobilization of Fab Fragments by Site-Specific Biotinylation at the Conserved Nucleotide Binding Site for Enhanced Antigen Detection.

    PubMed

    Mustafaoglu, Nur; Alves, Nathan J; Bilgicer, Basar

    2015-09-08

    Oriented immobilization of antibodies and antibody fragments has become increasingly important as a result of the efforts to reduce the size of diagnostic and sensor devices to miniaturized dimensions for improved accessibility to the end-user. Reduced dimensions of sensor devices necessitate the immobilized antibodies to conserve their antigen binding activity for proper operation. Fab fragments are becoming more commonly used in small-scaled diagnostic devices due to their small size and ease of manufacture. In this study, we used the previously described UV-NBS(Biotin) method to functionalize Fab fragments with IBA-EG11-Biotin linker utilizing UV energy to initiate a photo-cross-linking reaction between the nucleotide binding site (NBS) on the Fab fragment and IBA-Biotin molecule. Our results demonstrate that immobilization of biotinylated Fab fragments via UV-NBS(Biotin) method generated the highest level of immobilized Fab on surfaces when compared to other typical immobilization methods while preserving antigen binding activity. UV-NBS(Biotin) method provided 432-fold, 114-fold, and 29-fold improved antigen detection sensitivity than physical adsorption, NHS-Biotin, and ε-NH3(+), methods, respectively. Additionally, the limit of detection (LOD) for PSA utilizing Fab fragments immobilized via UV-NBS(Biotin) method was significantly lower than that of the other immobilization methods, with an LOD of 0.4 pM PSA. In summary, site-specific biotinylation of Fab fragments without structural damage or loss in antigen binding activity provides a wide range of application potential for UV-NBS immobilization technique across numerous diagnostic devices and nanotechnologies.

  1. Investigating temporal field sampling strategies for site-specific calibration of three soil moisture-neutron intensity parameterisation methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iwema, J.; Rosolem, R.; Baatz, R.; Wagener, T.; Bogena, H. R.

    2015-07-01

    The Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensor (CRNS) can provide soil moisture information at scales relevant to hydrometeorological modelling applications. Site-specific calibration is needed to translate CRNS neutron intensities into sensor footprint average soil moisture contents. We investigated temporal sampling strategies for calibration of three CRNS parameterisations (modified N0, HMF, and COSMIC) by assessing the effects of the number of sampling days and soil wetness conditions on the performance of the calibration results while investigating actual neutron intensity measurements, for three sites with distinct climate and land use: a semi-arid site, a temperate grassland, and a temperate forest. When calibrated with 1 year of data, both COSMIC and the modified N0 method performed better than HMF. The performance of COSMIC was remarkably good at the semi-arid site in the USA, while the N0mod performed best at the two temperate sites in Germany. The successful performance of COSMIC at all three sites can be attributed to the benefits of explicitly resolving individual soil layers (which is not accounted for in the other two parameterisations). To better calibrate these parameterisations, we recommend in situ soil sampled to be collected on more than a single day. However, little improvement is observed for sampling on more than 6 days. At the semi-arid site, the N0mod method was calibrated better under site-specific average wetness conditions, whereas HMF and COSMIC were calibrated better under drier conditions. Average soil wetness condition gave better calibration results at the two humid sites. The calibration results for the HMF method were better when calibrated with combinations of days with similar soil wetness conditions, opposed to N0mod and COSMIC, which profited from using days with distinct wetness conditions. Errors in actual neutron intensities were translated to average errors specifically to each site. At the semi-arid site, these errors were below the

  2. Impulse propagation over a complex site: a comparison of experimental results and numerical predictions.

    PubMed

    Dragna, Didier; Blanc-Benon, Philippe; Poisson, Franck

    2014-03-01

    Results from outdoor acoustic measurements performed in a railway site near Reims in France in May 2010 are compared to those obtained from a finite-difference time-domain solver of the linearized Euler equations. During the experiments, the ground profile and the different ground surface impedances were determined. Meteorological measurements were also performed to deduce mean vertical profiles of wind and temperature. An alarm pistol was used as a source of impulse signals and three microphones were located along a propagation path. The various measured parameters are introduced as input data into the numerical solver. In the frequency domain, the numerical results are in good accordance with the measurements up to a frequency of 2 kHz. In the time domain, except a time shift, the predicted waveforms match the measured waveforms with a close agreement.

  3. Unravelling site-specific breast cancer metastasis: a microRNA expression profiling study

    PubMed Central

    Schrijver, Willemijne A.M.E.; van Diest, Paul J.; Moelans, Cathy B

    2017-01-01

    Distant metastasis is still the main cause of death from breast cancer. MicroRNAs (miRs) are important regulators of many physiological and pathological processes, including metastasis. Molecular breast cancer subtypes are known to show a site-specific pattern of metastases formation. In this study, we set out to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms of site-specific breast cancer metastasis by microRNA expression profiling. To identify a miR signature for metastatic breast carcinoma that could predict metastatic localization, we compared global miR expression in 23 primary breast cancer specimens with their corresponding multiple distant metastases to ovary (n=9), skin (n=12), lung (n=10), brain (n=4) and gastrointestinal tract (n=10) by miRCURY microRNA expression arrays. For validation, we performed quantitative real-time (qRT) PCR on the discovery cohort and on an independent validation cohort of 29 primary breast cancer specimens and their matched metastases. miR expression was highly patient specific and miR signatures in the primary tumor were largely retained in the metastases, with the exception of several differentially expressed, location specific miRs. Validation with qPCR demonstrated that hsa-miR-106b-5p was predictive for the development of lung metastases. In time, the second metastasis often showed a miR upregulation compared to the first metastasis. This study discovered a metastatic site-specific miR and found miR expression to be highly patient specific. This may lead to novel biomarkers predicting site of distant metastases, and to adjuvant, personalized targeted therapy strategies that could prevent such metastases from becoming clinically manifest. PMID:27902972

  4. Unravelling site-specific breast cancer metastasis: a microRNA expression profiling study.

    PubMed

    Schrijver, Willemijne A M E; van Diest, Paul J; Moelans, Cathy B

    2017-01-10

    Distant metastasis is still the main cause of death from breast cancer. MicroRNAs (miRs) are important regulators of many physiological and pathological processes, including metastasis. Molecular breast cancer subtypes are known to show a site-specific pattern of metastases formation. In this study, we set out to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms of site-specific breast cancer metastasis by microRNA expression profiling.To identify a miR signature for metastatic breast carcinoma that could predict metastatic localization, we compared global miR expression in 23 primary breast cancer specimens with their corresponding multiple distant metastases to ovary (n=9), skin (n=12), lung (n=10), brain (n=4) and gastrointestinal tract (n=10) by miRCURY microRNA expression arrays. For validation, we performed quantitative real-time (qRT) PCR on the discovery cohort and on an independent validation cohort of 29 primary breast cancer specimens and their matched metastases.miR expression was highly patient specific and miR signatures in the primary tumor were largely retained in the metastases, with the exception of several differentially expressed, location specific miRs. Validation with qPCR demonstrated that hsa-miR-106b-5p was predictive for the development of lung metastases. In time, the second metastasis often showed a miR upregulation compared to the first metastasis.This study discovered a metastatic site-specific miR and found miR expression to be highly patient specific. This may lead to novel biomarkers predicting site of distant metastases, and to adjuvant, personalized targeted therapy strategies that could prevent such metastases from becoming clinically manifest.

  5. 76 FR 24831 - Site-Specific Analyses for Demonstrating Compliance With Subpart C Performance Objectives

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-03

    ... available under ADAMS accession number ML111040419, and the ``Technical Analysis Supporting Definition of... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 10 CFR Part 61 RIN 3150-AI92 [NRC-2011-0012] Site-Specific Analyses...-level radioactive waste disposal facilities to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance...

  6. PPSP: prediction of PK-specific phosphorylation site with Bayesian decision theory.

    PubMed

    Xue, Yu; Li, Ao; Wang, Lirong; Feng, Huanqing; Yao, Xuebiao

    2006-03-20

    As a reversible and dynamic post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins, phosphorylation plays essential regulatory roles in a broad spectrum of the biological processes. Although many studies have been contributed on the molecular mechanism of phosphorylation dynamics, the intrinsic feature of substrates specificity is still elusive and remains to be delineated. In this work, we present a novel, versatile and comprehensive program, PPSP (Prediction of PK-specific Phosphorylation site), deployed with approach of Bayesian decision theory (BDT). PPSP could predict the potential phosphorylation sites accurately for approximately 70 PK (Protein Kinase) groups. Compared with four existing tools Scansite, NetPhosK, KinasePhos and GPS, PPSP is more accurate and powerful than these tools. Moreover, PPSP also provides the prediction for many novel PKs, say, TRK, mTOR, SyK and MET/RON, etc. The accuracy of these novel PKs are also satisfying. Taken together, we propose that PPSP could be a potentially powerful tool for the experimentalists who are focusing on phosphorylation substrates with their PK-specific sites identification. Moreover, the BDT strategy could also be a ubiquitous approach for PTMs, such as sumoylation and ubiquitination, etc.

  7. Numerical studies of gas production from several CH4 hydrate zones at the Mallik site, Mackenzie Delta, Canada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moridis, G.J.; Collett, T.S.; Dallimore, S.R.; Satoh, T.; Hancock, S.; Weatherill, B.

    2004-01-01

    The Mallik site represents an onshore permafrost-associated gas hydrate accumulation in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada. A gas hydrate research well was drilled at the site in 1998. The objective of this study is the analysis of various gas production scenarios from five methane hydrate-bearing zones at the Mallik site. In Zone #1, numerical simulations using the EOSHYDR2 model indicated that gas production from hydrates at the Mallik site was possible by depressurizing a thin free gas zone at the base of the hydrate stability field. Horizontal wells appeared to have a slight advantage over vertical wells, while multiwell systems involving a combination of depressurization and thermal stimulation offered superior performance, especially when a hot noncondensible gas was injected. Zone #2, which involved a gas hydrate layer with an underlying aquifer, could yield significant amounts of gas originating entirely from gas hydrates, the volumes of which increased with the production rate. However, large amounts of water were also produced. Zones #3, #4 and #5 were lithologically isolated gas hydrate-bearing deposits with no underlying zones of mobile gas or water. In these zones, thermal stimulation by circulating hot water in the well was used to induce dissociation. Sensitivity studies indicated that the methane release from the hydrate accumulations increased with the gas hydrate saturation, the initial formation temperature, the temperature of the circulating water in the well, and the formation thermal conductivity. Methane production appears to be less sensitive to the specific heat of the rock and of the hydrate, and to the permeability of the formation. ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Specific-conductance, water-temperature, and water-level data, San Francisco Bay, California, for water years 2001-2002

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buchanan, P.A.

    2003-01-01

    This article presents time-series plots of specific-conductance, water-temperature, and water-level data collected in San Francisco Bay during water years 2001 and 2002 (October 1, 2000, through September 30, 2002). Specific-conductance and water-temperature data were recorded at 15-minute intervals at the following US Geological Survey (USGS) locations (Figure 1): • Suisun Bay at Benicia Bridge, near Benicia, California (BEN) (site # 11455780) • Carquinez Strait at Carquinez Bridge, near Crockett, California (CARQ) (site # 11455820) • Napa River at Mare Island Causeway, near Vallejo, California (NAP) (site # 11458370) • San Pablo Strait at Point San Pablo, California (PSP) (site # 11181360) • San Pablo Bay at Petaluma River Channel Marker 9, California (SPB) (site # 380519122262901) • San Francisco Bay at Presidio Military Reservation, California (PRES) (site # 11162690) • San Francisco Bay at Pier 24, at San Francisco, California (P24) (site # 11162700) • San Francisco Bay at San Mateo Bridge, near Foster City, California (SMB) (site # 11162765). Water-level data were recorded only at PSP through January 1, 2001. Suspended-sediment concentration data also were collected at most of these sites and were published by Buchanan and Ganju (2003). The data from PSP, PRES, P24, and SMB were recorded by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) before 1988, by the USGS National Research Program from 1988 to 1989, and by the USGSDWR cooperative program since 1990. BEN, CARQ, NAP, and SPB were established in 1998 by the USGS.

  9. Event- and site-specific soil wetting and seasonal change in amount of soil water

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Numerous studies have examined ways to characterize the central tendency of soil water within a field or watershed. Extreme changes in water content reveal more about water movement within the area. The purpose of this study was to determine if extreme soil water changes varied among sites, and to s...

  10. Site-Specifically Labeled Immunoconjugates for Molecular Imaging--Part 1: Cysteine Residues and Glycans.

    PubMed

    Adumeau, Pierre; Sharma, Sai Kiran; Brent, Colleen; Zeglis, Brian M

    2016-02-01

    Due to their remarkable selectivity and specificity for cancer biomarkers, immunoconjugates have emerged as extremely promising vectors for the delivery of diagnostic radioisotopes and fluorophores to malignant tissues. Paradoxically, however, these tools for precision medicine are synthesized in a remarkably imprecise way. Indeed, the vast majority of immunoconjugates are created via the random conjugation of bifunctional probes (e.g., DOTA-NCS) to amino acids within the antibody (e.g., lysines). Yet antibodies have multiple copies of these residues throughout their macromolecular structure, making control over the location of the conjugation reaction impossible. This lack of site specificity can lead to the formation of poorly defined, heterogeneous immunoconjugates with suboptimal in vivo behavior. Over the past decade, interest in the synthesis and development of site-specifically labeled immunoconjugates--both antibody-drug conjugates as well as constructs for in vivo imaging--has increased dramatically, and a number of reports have suggested that these better defined, more homogeneous constructs exhibit improved performance in vivo compared to their randomly modified cousins. In this two-part review, we seek to provide an overview of the various methods that have been developed to create site-specifically modified immunoconjugates for positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, and fluorescence imaging. We will begin with an introduction to the structure of antibodies and antibody fragments. This is followed by the core of the work: sections detailing the four different approaches to site-specific modification strategies based on cysteine residues, glycans, peptide tags, and unnatural amino acids. These discussions will be divided into two installments: cysteine residues and glycans will be detailed in Part 1 of the review, while peptide tags and unnatural amino acids will be addressed in Part 2. Ultimately, we sincerely hope

  11. Site-specific DNA Inversion by Serine Recombinases

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Reversible site-specific DNA inversion reactions are widely distributed in bacteria and their viruses. They control a range of biological reactions that most often involve alterations of molecules on the surface of cells or phage. These programmed DNA rearrangements usually occur at a low frequency, thereby preadapting a small subset of the population to a change in environmental conditions, or in the case of phages, an expanded host range. A dedicated recombinase, sometimes with the aid of additional regulatory or DNA architectural proteins, catalyzes the inversion of DNA. RecA or other components of the general recombination-repair machinery are not involved. This chapter discusses site-specific DNA inversion reactions mediated by the serine recombinase family of enzymes and focuses on the extensively studied serine DNA invertases that are stringently controlled by the Fis-bound enhancer regulatory system. The first section summarizes biological features and general properties of inversion reactions by the Fis/enhancer-dependent serine invertases and the recently described serine DNA invertases in Bacteroides. Mechanistic studies of reactions catalyzed by the Hin and Gin invertases are then discussed in more depth, particularly with regards to recent advances in our understanding of the function of the Fis/enhancer regulatory system, the assembly of the active recombination complex (invertasome) containing the Fis/enhancer, and the process of DNA strand exchange by rotation of synapsed subunit pairs within the invertasome. The role of DNA topological forces that function in concert with the Fis/enhancer controlling element in specifying the overwhelming bias for DNA inversion over deletion and intermolecular recombination is emphasized. PMID:25844275

  12. 76 FR 19003 - Land Disposal Restrictions: Nevada and California; Site Specific Treatment Variances for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-06

    ... both a site-specific treatment variance to U.S. Ecology Nevada (USEN) located in Beatty, Nevada and... site-specific treatment variance to U.S. Ecology Nevada (USEN) located in Beatty, Nevada and withdraw... section of this document. II. Does this action apply to me? This proposal applies only to U. S. Ecology...

  13. 78 FR 45518 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-29

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  14. 78 FR 10611 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-14

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  15. 78 FR 46330 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-31

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  16. 78 FR 53135 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-28

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  17. 77 FR 28368 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-14

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  18. 78 FR 64932 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-30

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  19. 77 FR 2713 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-19

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  20. 78 FR 7767 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-04

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  1. 78 FR 25064 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-29

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  2. 77 FR 39234 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-02

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  3. 78 FR 78952 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-27

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  4. 78 FR 54460 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-04

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  5. 78 FR 22255 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-15

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  6. 78 FR 4139 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-18

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  7. 77 FR 50488 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-21

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  8. 78 FR 36543 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-18

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  9. 78 FR 17192 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-20

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  10. 78 FR 23760 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-22

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  11. 77 FR 16021 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-19

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  12. 78 FR 32640 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-31

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  13. 76 FR 70121 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-10

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  14. 78 FR 49738 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-15

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  15. 78 FR 38969 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-28

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  16. 77 FR 24694 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-25

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  17. 77 FR 16021 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-19

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  18. 77 FR 22566 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-16

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  19. 77 FR 63300 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-16

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  20. 76 FR 64329 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-18

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  1. 78 FR 28207 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-14

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  2. 78 FR 73519 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-06

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  3. n-Dodecyl β-D-maltoside specifically competes with general anesthetics for anesthetic binding sites.

    PubMed

    Xu, Longhe; Matsunaga, Felipe; Xi, Jin; Li, Min; Ma, Jingyuan; Liu, Renyu

    2014-01-01

    We recently demonstrated that the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) specifically interacts with the anesthetic binding site in horse spleen apoferritin, a soluble protein which models anesthetic binding sites in receptors. This raises the possibility of other detergents similarly interacting with and occluding such sites from anesthetics, thereby preventing the proper identification of novel anesthetic binding sites. n-Dodecyl β-D-maltoside (DDM) is a non-ionic detergent commonly used during protein-anesthetic studies because of its mild and non-denaturing properties. In this study, we demonstrate that SDS and DDM occupy anesthetic binding sites in the model proteins human serum albumin (HSA) and horse spleen apoferritin and thereby inhibit the binding of the general anesthetics propofol and isoflurane. DDM specifically interacts with HSA (Kd = 40 μM) with a lower affinity than SDS (Kd = 2 μM). DDM exerts all these effects while not perturbing the native structures of either model protein. Computational calculations corroborated the experimental results by demonstrating that the binding sites for DDM and both anesthetics on the model proteins overlapped. Collectively, our results indicate that DDM and SDS specifically interact with anesthetic binding sites and may thus prevent the identification of novel anesthetic sites. Special precaution should be taken when undertaking and interpreting results from protein-anesthetic investigations utilizing detergents like SDS and DDM.

  4. Conversion of transuranic waste to low level waste by decontamination: a site specific update

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Allen, R.P.; Hazelton, R.F.

    1985-09-01

    As a followup to an FY-1984 cost/benefit study, a program was conducted in FY-1985 to transfer to the relevant DOE sites the information and technology for the direct conversion of transuranic (TRU) waste to low-level waste (LLW) by decontamination. As part of this work, the economic evaluation of the various TRUW volume reduction and conversion options was updated and expanded to include site-specific factors. The results show, for the assumptions used, that size reduction, size reduction followed by decontamination, or in situ decontamination are cost effective compared with the no-processing option. The technology transfer activities included site presentations and discussionsmore » with operations and waste management personnel to identify application opportunities and site-specific considerations and constraints that could affect the implementation of TRU waste conversion principles. These discussions disclosed definite potential for the beneficial application of these principles at most of the sites, but also confirmed the existence of site-specific factors ranging from space limitations to LLW disposal restrictions that could preclude particular applications or diminish expected benefits. 8 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.« less

  5. Coordinated tissue-specific regulation of adjacent alternative 3′ splice sites in C. elegans

    PubMed Central

    Ragle, James Matthew; Katzman, Sol; Akers, Taylor F.; Barberan-Soler, Sergio; Zahler, Alan M.

    2015-01-01

    Adjacent alternative 3′ splice sites, those separated by ≤18 nucleotides, provide a unique problem in the study of alternative splicing regulation; there is overlap of the cis-elements that define the adjacent sites. Identification of the intron's 3′ end depends upon sequence elements that define the branchpoint, polypyrimidine tract, and terminal AG dinucleotide. Starting with RNA-seq data from germline-enriched and somatic cell-enriched Caenorhabditis elegans samples, we identify hundreds of introns with adjacent alternative 3′ splice sites. We identify 203 events that undergo tissue-specific alternative splicing. For these, the regulation is monodirectional, with somatic cells preferring to splice at the distal 3′ splice site (furthest from the 5′ end of the intron) and germline cells showing a distinct shift toward usage of the adjacent proximal 3′ splice site (closer to the 5′ end of the intron). Splicing patterns in somatic cells follow C. elegans consensus rules of 3′ splice site definition; a short stretch of pyrimidines preceding an AG dinucleotide. Splicing in germline cells occurs at proximal 3′ splice sites that lack a preceding polypyrimidine tract, and in three instances the germline-specific site lacks the AG dinucleotide. We provide evidence that use of germline-specific proximal 3′ splice sites is conserved across Caenorhabditis species. We propose that there are differences between germline and somatic cells in the way that the basal splicing machinery functions to determine the intron terminus. PMID:25922281

  6. 78 FR 26635 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-07

    ...On April 29, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of open meeting announcing a meeting on May 16, 2013 of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah (78 FR 25064). This document makes a correction to that notice.

  7. 77 FR 31837 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-30

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  8. 77 FR 49442 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-16

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  9. 78 FR 16260 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-14

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  10. 77 FR 64112 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-18

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  11. Base (100-year) flood elevations for selected sites in Marion County, Missouri

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Southard, Rodney E.; Wilson, Gary L.

    1998-01-01

    The primary requirement for community participation in the National Flood Insurance Program is the adoption and enforcement of floodplain management requirements that minimize the potential for flood damages to new construction and avoid aggravating existing flooding conditions. This report provides base flood elevations (BFE) for a 100-year recurrence flood for use in the management and regulation of 14 flood-hazard areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as approximate Zone A areas in Marion County, Missouri. The one-dimensional surface-water flow model, HEC-RAS, was used to compute the base (100-year) flood elevations for the 14 Zone A sites. The 14 sites were located at U.S., State, or County road crossings and the base flood elevation was determined at the upstream side of each crossing. The base (100-year) flood elevations for BFE 1, 2, and 3 on the South Fork North River near Monroe City, Missouri, are 627.7, 579.2, and 545.9 feet above sea level. The base (100-year) flood elevations for BFE 4, 5, 6, and 7 on the main stem of the North River near or at Philadelphia and Palmyra, Missouri, are 560.5, 539.7, 504.2, and 494.4 feet above sea level. BFE 8 is located on Big Branch near Philadelphia, a tributary to the North River, and the base (100-year) flood elevation at this site is 530.5 feet above sea level. One site (BFE 9) is located on the South River near Monroe City, Missouri. The base (100-year) flood elevation at this site is 619.1 feet above sea level. Site BFE 10 is located on Bear Creek near Hannibal, Missouri, and the base (100-year) elevation is 565.5 feet above sea level. The four remaining sites (BFE 11, 12, 13, and 14) are located on the South Fabius River near Philadelphia and Palmyra, Missouri. The base (100-year) flood elevations for BFE 11, 12, 13, and 14 are 591.2, 578.4, 538.7, and 506.9 feet above sea level.

  12. Site specific passive acoustic detection and densities of humpback whale calls off the coast of California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Helble, Tyler Adam

    Passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammal calls is an increasingly important method for assessing population numbers, distribution, and behavior. Automated methods are needed to aid in the analyses of the recorded data. When a mammal vocalizes in the marine environment, the received signal is a filtered version of the original waveform emitted by the marine mammal. The waveform is reduced in amplitude and distorted due to propagation effects that are influenced by the bathymetry and environment. It is important to account for these effects to determine a site-specific probability of detection for marine mammal calls in a given study area. A knowledge of that probability function over a range of environmental and ocean noise conditions allows vocalization statistics from recordings of single, fixed, omnidirectional sensors to be compared across sensors and at the same sensor over time with less bias and uncertainty in the results than direct comparison of the raw statistics. This dissertation focuses on both the development of new tools needed to automatically detect humpback whale vocalizations from single-fixed omnidirectional sensors as well as the determination of the site-specific probability of detection for monitoring sites off the coast of California. Using these tools, detected humpback calls are "calibrated" for environmental properties using the site-specific probability of detection values, and presented as call densities (calls per square kilometer per time). A two-year monitoring effort using these calibrated call densities reveals important biological and ecological information on migrating humpback whales off the coast of California. Call density trends are compared between the monitoring sites and at the same monitoring site over time. Call densities also are compared to several natural and human-influenced variables including season, time of day, lunar illumination, and ocean noise. The results reveal substantial differences in call densities

  13. Polymeric drug delivery systems for intraoral site-specific chemoprevention of oral cancer.

    PubMed

    Desai, Kashappa Goud H

    2018-04-01

    Oral cancer is among the most prevalent cancers in the world. Moreover, it is one of the major health problems and causes of death in many regions of the world. The traditional treatment modalities include surgical removal, radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or a combination of these methods. In recent decades, there has been significant interest in intraoral site-specific chemoprevention via local drug delivery using polymeric systems. Because of its easy accessibility and clear visibility, the oral mucosa is amenable for local drug delivery. A variety of polymeric systems-such as gels, tablets, films, patches, injectable systems (e.g., millicylindrical implants, microparticles, and in situ-forming depots), and nanosized carriers (e.g., polymeric nanoparticles, nanofibers, polymer-drug conjugates, polymeric micelles, nanoliposomes, nanoemulsions, and polymersomes)-have been developed and evaluated for the local delivery of natural and synthetic chemopreventive agents. The findings of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies and the positive outcome of clinical trials demonstrate that intraoral site-specific drug delivery is an attractive, highly effective and patient-friendly strategy for the management of oral cancer. Intraoral site-specific drug delivery provides unique therapeutic advantages when compared to systemic chemotherapy. Moreover, intraoral drug delivery systems are self-administrable and can be removed when needed, increasing patient compliance. This article covers important aspects and advances related to the design, development, and efficacy of polymeric systems for intraoral site-specific drug delivery. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1383-1413, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Custom-Designed Molecular Scissors for Site-Specific Manipulation of the Plant and Mammalian Genomes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kandavelou, Karthikeyan; Chandrasegaran, Srinivasan

    Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are custom-designed molecular scissors, engineered to cut at specific DNA sequences. ZFNs combine the zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) with the nonspecific cleavage domain of the FokI restriction enzyme. The DNA-binding specificity of ZFNs can be easily altered experimentally. This easy manipulation of the ZFN recognition specificity enables one to deliver a targeted double-strand break (DSB) to a genome. The targeted DSB stimulates local gene targeting by several orders of magnitude at that specific cut site via homologous recombination (HR). Thus, ZFNs have become an important experimental tool to make site-specific and permanent alterations to genomes of not only plants and mammals but also of many other organisms. Engineering of custom ZFNs involves many steps. The first step is to identify a ZFN site at or near the chosen chromosomal target within the genome to which ZFNs will bind and cut. The second step is to design and/or select various ZFP combinations that will bind to the chosen target site with high specificity and affinity. The DNA coding sequence for the designed ZFPs are then assembled by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using oligonucleotides. The third step is to fuse the ZFP constructs to the FokI cleavage domain. The ZFNs are then expressed as proteins by using the rabbit reticulocyte in vitro transcription/translation system and the protein products assayed for their DNA cleavage specificity.

  15. Optimal mapping of site-specific multivariate soil properties.

    PubMed

    Burrough, P A; Swindell, J

    1997-01-01

    This paper demonstrates how geostatistics and fuzzy k-means classification can be used together to improve our practical understanding of crop yield-site response. Two aspects of soil are important for precision farming: (a) sensible classes for a given crop, and (b) their spatial variation. Local site classifications are more sensitive than general taxonomies and can be provided by the method of fuzzy k-means to transform a multivariate data set with i attributes measured at n sites into k overlapping classes; each site has a membership value mk for each class in the range 0-1. Soil variation is of interest when conditions vary over patches manageable by agricultural machinery. The spatial variation of each of the k classes can be analysed by computing the variograms of mk over the n sites. Memberships for each of the k classes can be mapped by ordinary kriging. Areas of class dominance and the transition zones between them can be identified by an inter-class confusion index; reducing the zones to boundaries gives crisp maps of dominant soil groups that can be used to guide precision farming equipment. Automation of the procedure is straightforward given sufficient data. Time variations in soil properties can be automatically incorporated in the computation of membership values. The procedures are illustrated with multi-year crop yield data collected from a 5 ha demonstration field at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, UK.

  16. Quantification by qPCR of Pathobionts in Chronic Periodontitis: Development of Predictive Models of Disease Severity at Site-Specific Level.

    PubMed

    Tomás, Inmaculada; Regueira-Iglesias, Alba; López, Maria; Arias-Bujanda, Nora; Novoa, Lourdes; Balsa-Castro, Carlos; Tomás, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Currently, there is little evidence available on the development of predictive models for the diagnosis or prognosis of chronic periodontitis based on the qPCR quantification of subgingival pathobionts. Our objectives were to: (1) analyze and internally validate pathobiont-based models that could be used to distinguish different periodontal conditions at site-specific level within the same patient with chronic periodontitis; (2) develop nomograms derived from predictive models. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained from control and periodontal sites (probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss <4 mm and >4 mm, respectively) from 40 patients with moderate-severe generalized chronic periodontitis. The samples were analyzed by qPCR using TaqMan probes and specific primers to determine the concentrations of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) , Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) , Parvimonas micra (Pm) , Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) , Prevotella intermedia (Pi) , Tannerella forsythia (Tf) , and Treponema denticola (Td) . The pathobiont-based models were obtained using multivariate binary logistic regression. The best models were selected according to specified criteria. The discrimination was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves and numerous classification measures were thus obtained. The nomograms were built based on the best predictive models. Eight bacterial cluster-based models showed an area under the curve (AUC) ≥0.760 and a sensitivity and specificity ≥75.0%. The PiTfFn cluster showed an AUC of 0.773 (sensitivity and specificity = 75.0%). When Pm and AaPm were incorporated in the TdPiTfFn cluster, we detected the two best predictive models with an AUC of 0.788 and 0.789, respectively (sensitivity and specificity = 77.5%). The TdPiTfAa cluster had an AUC of 0.785 (sensitivity and specificity = 75.0%). When Pm was incorporated in this cluster, a new predictive model appeared with better AUC and specificity values (0.787 and 80

  17. Quantification by qPCR of Pathobionts in Chronic Periodontitis: Development of Predictive Models of Disease Severity at Site-Specific Level

    PubMed Central

    Tomás, Inmaculada; Regueira-Iglesias, Alba; López, Maria; Arias-Bujanda, Nora; Novoa, Lourdes; Balsa-Castro, Carlos; Tomás, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Currently, there is little evidence available on the development of predictive models for the diagnosis or prognosis of chronic periodontitis based on the qPCR quantification of subgingival pathobionts. Our objectives were to: (1) analyze and internally validate pathobiont-based models that could be used to distinguish different periodontal conditions at site-specific level within the same patient with chronic periodontitis; (2) develop nomograms derived from predictive models. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained from control and periodontal sites (probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss <4 mm and >4 mm, respectively) from 40 patients with moderate-severe generalized chronic periodontitis. The samples were analyzed by qPCR using TaqMan probes and specific primers to determine the concentrations of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), Parvimonas micra (Pm), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Tannerella forsythia (Tf), and Treponema denticola (Td). The pathobiont-based models were obtained using multivariate binary logistic regression. The best models were selected according to specified criteria. The discrimination was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves and numerous classification measures were thus obtained. The nomograms were built based on the best predictive models. Eight bacterial cluster-based models showed an area under the curve (AUC) ≥0.760 and a sensitivity and specificity ≥75.0%. The PiTfFn cluster showed an AUC of 0.773 (sensitivity and specificity = 75.0%). When Pm and AaPm were incorporated in the TdPiTfFn cluster, we detected the two best predictive models with an AUC of 0.788 and 0.789, respectively (sensitivity and specificity = 77.5%). The TdPiTfAa cluster had an AUC of 0.785 (sensitivity and specificity = 75.0%). When Pm was incorporated in this cluster, a new predictive model appeared with better AUC and specificity values (0.787 and 80

  18. Site-specific electronic structure analysis by channeling EELS and first-principles calculations.

    PubMed

    Tatsumi, Kazuyoshi; Muto, Shunsuke; Yamamoto, Yu; Ikeno, Hirokazu; Yoshioka, Satoru; Tanaka, Isao

    2006-01-01

    Site-specific electronic structures were investigated by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) under electron channeling conditions. The Al-K and Mn-L(2,3) electron energy loss near-edge structure (ELNES) of, respectively, NiAl2O4 and Mn3O4 were measured. Deconvolution of the raw spectra with the instrumental resolution function restored the blunt and hidden fine features, which allowed us to interpret the experimental spectral features by comparing with theoretical spectra obtained by first-principles calculations. The present method successfully revealed the electronic structures specific to the differently coordinated cationic sites.

  19. Lens-Specific Gene Recruitment of ζ-Crystallin through Pax6, Nrl-Maf, and Brain Suppressor Sites

    PubMed Central

    Sharon-Friling, Ronit; Richardson, Jill; Sperbeck, Sally; Lee, Douglas; Rauchman, Michael; Maas, Richard; Swaroop, Anand; Wistow, Graeme

    1998-01-01

    ζ-Crystallin is a taxon-specific crystallin, an enzyme which has undergone direct gene recruitment as a structural component of the guinea pig lens through a Pax6-dependent mechanism. Tissue specificity arises through a combination of effects involving three sites in the lens promoter. The Pax6 site (ZPE) itself shows specificity for an isoform of Pax6 preferentially expressed in lens cells. High-level expression of the promoter requires a second site, identical to an αCE2 site or half Maf response element (MARE), adjacent to the Pax6 site. A promoter fragment containing Pax6 and MARE sites gives lens-preferred induction of a heterologous promoter. Complexes binding the MARE in lens nuclear extracts are antigenically related to Nrl, and cotransfection with Nrl elevates ζ-crystallin promoter activity in lens cells. A truncated ζ promoter containing Nrl-MARE and Pax6 sites has a high level of expression in lens cells in transgenic mice but is also active in the brain. Suppression of the promoter in the brain requires sequences between −498 and −385, and a site in this region forms specific complexes in brain extract. A three-level model for lens-specific Pax6-dependent expression and gene recruitment is suggested: (i) binding of a specific isoform of Pax6; (ii) augmentation of expression through binding of Nrl or a related factor; and (iii) suppression of promoter activity in the central nervous system by an upstream negative element in the brain but not in the lens. PMID:9528779

  20. Site-specific, adult bone benefits attributed to loading during youth: A preliminary longitudinal analysis.

    PubMed

    Scerpella, Tamara A; Bernardoni, Brittney; Wang, Sijian; Rathouz, Paul J; Li, Quefeng; Dowthwaite, Jodi N

    2016-04-01

    We examined site-specific bone development in relation to childhood and adolescent artistic gymnastics exposure, comparing up to 10years of prospectively acquired longitudinal data in 44 subjects, including 31 non-gymnasts (NON) and 13 gymnasts (GYM) who participated in gymnastics from pre-menarche to ≥1.9years post-menarche. Subjects underwent annual regional and whole-body DXA scans; indices of bone geometry and strength were calculated. Anthropometrics, physical activity, and maturity were assessed annually, coincident with DXA scans. Non-linear mixed effect models centered growth in bone outcomes at menarche and adjusted for menarcheal age, height, and non-bone fat-free mass to evaluate GYM-NON differences. A POST-QUIT variable assessed the withdrawal effect of quitting gymnastics. Curves for bone area, mass (BMC), and strength indices were higher in GYM than NON at both distal radius metaphysis and diaphysis (p<0.0001). At the femoral neck, greater GYM BMC (p<0.01), narrower GYM endosteal diameter (p<0.02), and similar periosteal width (p=0.09) yielded GYM advantages in narrow neck cortical thickness and buckling ratio (both p<0.001; lower BR indicates lower fracture risk). Lumbar spine and sub-head BMC were greater in GYM than NON (p<0.036). Following gymnastics cessation, GYM slopes increased for distal radius diaphysis parameters (p≤0.01) and for narrow neck BR (p=0.02). At the distal radius metaphysis, GYM BMC and compressive strength slopes decreased, as did slopes for lumbar spine BMC, femoral neck BMC, and narrow neck cortical thickness (p<0.02). In conclusion, advantages in bone mass, geometry, and strength at multiple skeletal sites were noted across growth and into young adulthood in girls who participated in gymnastics loading to at least 1.9years post-menarche. Following gymnastics cessation, advantages at cortical bone sites improved or stabilized, while advantages at corticocancellous sites stabilized or diminished. Additional longitudinal

  1. Prognostic value of site-specific metastases in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database analysis.

    PubMed

    Oweira, Hani; Petrausch, Ulf; Helbling, Daniel; Schmidt, Jan; Mannhart, Meinrad; Mehrabi, Arianeb; Schöb, Othmar; Giryes, Anwar; Decker, Michael; Abdel-Rahman, Omar

    2017-03-14

    To evaluate the prognostic value of site-specific metastases among patients with metastatic pancreatic carcinoma registered within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. SEER database (2010-2013) has been queried through SEER*Stat program to determine the presentation, treatment outcomes and prognostic outcomes of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma according to the site of metastasis. In this study, metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients were classified according to the site of metastases (liver, lung, bone, brain and distant lymph nodes). We utilized chi-square test to compare the clinicopathological characteristics among different sites of metastases. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank testing for survival comparisons. We employed Cox proportional model to perform multivariate analyses of the patient population; and accordingly hazard ratios with corresponding 95%CI were generated. Statistical significance was considered if a two-tailed P value < 0.05 was achieved. A total of 13233 patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer and known sites of distant metastases were identified in the period from 2010-2013 and they were included into the current analysis. Patients with isolated distant nodal involvement or lung metastases have better overall and pancreatic cancer-specific survival compared to patients with isolated liver metastases (for overall survival: lung vs liver metastases: P < 0.0001; distant nodal vs liver metastases: P < 0.0001) (for pancreatic cancer-specific survival: lung vs liver metastases: P < 0.0001; distant nodal vs liver metastases: P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that age < 65 years, white race, being married, female gender; surgery to the primary tumor and surgery to the metastatic disease were associated with better overall survival and pancreatic cancer-specific survival. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients with isolated liver metastases have worse outcomes compared to patients with isolated

  2. Studies of bioactivity, conformation and pharmacokinetic profiles of site-specific PEGylated thymosin alpha 1 derivatives.

    PubMed

    Qie, Jiankun; Ma, Jinbo; Wang, Liangyou; Xu, Xiaoyu; Zheng, Jianquan; Dong, Sijian; Xie, Jianwei; Sun, Huixian; Zhou, Wenxia; Qi, Chunhui; Zhao, Xiunan; Zhang, Yongxiang; Liu, Keliang

    2007-08-01

    Site-specific mono-PEGylations were performed in different conformational regions of Thymosin alpha 1 (T alpha 1) by introducing one cysteine residue into the chosen site and coupling with thiol-specific mPEG-MAL reagent. Results demonstrated that PEGylated sites and regions influenced the conformations and pharmacokinetic profiles of the peptide greatly with following order: alpha-helix, beta-turn, random coil and terminals, but little on the immunoactivity.

  3. Radiological bioconcentration factors for aquatic, terrestrial, and wetland ecosystems at the Savannah River Site

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cummins, C.L.

    As a result of operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS), over 50 radionuclides have been released to the atmosphere and to onsite streams and seepage basins. Now, many of these radionuclides are available to aquatic and/or terrestrial organisms for uptake and cycling through the food chain. Knowledge about the uptake and cycling of these radionuclides is now crucial in evaluating waste management and clean-up alternatives for the site. Numerous studies have been conducted at the SRS over the past forty years to study the uptake and distribution of radionuclides in the Savannah River Site environment. In many instances, bioconcentrationmore » factors have been calculated to quantify the uptake of a radionuclide by an organism from the surrounding medium (i.e., soil or water). In the past, it has been common practice to use bioconcentration factors from the literature because site-specific data were not readily available. However, because of the variability of bioconcentration factors due to experimental or environmental conditions, site-specific data should be used when available. This report compiles and summarizes site-specific bioconcentration factors for selected radionuclides released at the Savannah River Site (SRS). An extensive literature search yielded site-specific bioconcentration factors for cesium, strontium, cobalt, plutonium, americium, curium, and tritium. These eight radionuclides have been the primary radionuclides studied at SRS because of their long half lives or because they are major contributors to radiological dose from exposure. For most radionuclides, it was determined that the site-specific bioconcentration factors were higher than those reported in literature. This report also summarizes some conditions that affect radionuclide bioavailability to and bioconcentration by aquatic and terrestrial organisms.« less

  4. Uncovering Global SUMOylation Signaling Networks in a Site-Specific Manner

    PubMed Central

    Hendriks, Ivo A.; D’Souza, Rochelle C.J.; Yang, Bing; Verlaan-de Vries, Matty; Mann, Matthias; Vertegaal, Alfred C.O.

    2014-01-01

    SUMOylation is a reversible post-translational modification essential for genome stability. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, we have studied global SUMOylation in human cells and in a site-specific manner, identifying a total of over 4,300 SUMOylation sites in over 1,600 proteins. Moreover, for the first time in excess of 1,000 SUMOylation sites were identified under standard growth conditions. SUMOylation dynamics were quantitatively studied in response to SUMO protease inhibition, proteasome inhibition and heat shock. A considerable amount of SUMOylated lysines have previously been reported to be ubiquitylated, acetylated or methylated, indicating crosstalk between SUMO and other post-translational modifications. We identified 70 phosphorylation and 4 acetylation events in close proximity to SUMOylation sites, and provide evidence for acetylation-dependent SUMOylation of endogenous histone H3. SUMOylation regulates target proteins involved in all nuclear processes including transcription, DNA repair, chromatin remodeling, pre-mRNA splicing and ribosome assembly. PMID:25218447

  5. Accounting for both local aquatic community composition and bioavailability in setting site-specific quality standards for zinc.

    PubMed

    Peters, Adam; Simpson, Peter; Moccia, Alessandra

    2014-01-01

    Recent years have seen considerable improvement in water quality standards (QS) for metals by taking account of the effect of local water chemistry conditions on their bioavailability. We describe preliminary efforts to further refine water quality standards, by taking account of the composition of the local ecological community (the ultimate protection objective) in addition to bioavailability. Relevance of QS to the local ecological community is critical as it is important to minimise instances where quality classification using QS does not reconcile with a quality classification based on an assessment of the composition of the local ecology (e.g. using benthic macroinvertebrate quality assessment metrics such as River InVertebrate Prediction and Classification System (RIVPACS)), particularly where ecology is assessed to be at good or better status, whilst chemical quality is determined to be failing relevant standards. The alternative approach outlined here describes a method to derive a site-specific species sensitivity distribution (SSD) based on the ecological community which is expected to be present at the site in the absence of anthropogenic pressures (reference conditions). The method combines a conventional laboratory ecotoxicity dataset normalised for bioavailability with field measurements of the response of benthic macroinvertebrate abundance to chemical exposure. Site-specific QSref are then derived from the 5%ile of this SSD. Using this method, site QSref have been derived for zinc in an area impacted by historic mining activities. Application of QSref can result in greater agreement between chemical and ecological metrics of environmental quality compared with the use of either conventional (QScon) or bioavailability-based QS (QSbio). In addition to zinc, the approach is likely to be applicable to other metals and possibly other types of chemical stressors (e.g. pesticides). However, the methodology for deriving site-specific targets requires

  6. Site-specific cleavage of the transactivation response site of human immunodeficiency virus RNA with a tat-based chemical nuclease.

    PubMed Central

    Jayasena, S D; Johnston, B H

    1992-01-01

    tat, an essential transactivator of gene transcription in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is believed to activate viral gene expression by binding to the transactivation response (TAR) site located at the 5' end of all viral mRNAs. The TAR element forms a stem-loop structure containing a 3-nucleotide bulge that is the site for tat binding and is required for transactivation. Here we report the synthesis of a site-specific chemical ribonuclease based on the TAR binding domain of the HIV type 1 (HIV-1) tat. A peptide consisting of this 24-amino acid domain plus an additional C-terminal cysteine residue was chemically synthesized and covalently linked to 1,10-phenanthroline at the cysteine residue. The modified peptide binds to TAR sequences of both HIV-1 and HIV-2 and, in the presence of cupric ions and a reducing agent, cleaves these RNAs at specific sites. Cleavage sites on TAR sequences are consistent with peptide binding to the 3-nucleotide bulge, and the relative displacement of cleavage sites on the two strands suggests peptide binding to the major groove of the RNA. These results and existing evidence of the rapid cellular uptake of tat-derived peptides suggest that chemical nucleases based on tat may be useful for inactivating HIV mRNA in vivo. Images PMID:1565648

  7. A case for protein-level and site-level specificity in glycoproteomic studies of disease.

    PubMed

    Schumacher, Katherine N; Dodds, Eric D

    2016-06-01

    Abnormal glycosylation of proteins is known to be either resultant or causative of a variety of diseases. This makes glycoproteins appealing targets as potential biomarkers and focal points of molecular studies on the development and progression of human ailment. To date, a majority of efforts in disease glycoproteomics have tended to center on either determining the concentration of a given glycoprotein, or on profiling the total population of glycans released from a mixture of glycoproteins. While these approaches have demonstrated some diagnostic potential, they are inherently insensitive to the fine molecular detail which distinguishes unique and possibly disease relevant glycoforms of specific proteins. As a consequence, such analyses can be of limited sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy because they do not comprehensively consider the glycosylation status of any particular glycoprotein, or of any particular glycosylation site. Therefore, significant opportunities exist to improve glycoproteomic inquiry into disease by engaging in these studies at the level of individual glycoproteins and their exact loci of glycosylation. In this concise review, the rationale for glycoprotein and glycosylation site specificity is developed in the context of human disease glycoproteomics with an emphasis on N-glycosylation. Recent examples highlighting disease-related perturbations in glycosylation will be presented, including those involving alterations in the overall glycosylation of a specific protein, alterations in the occupancy of a given glycosylation site, and alterations in the compositional heterogeneity of glycans occurring at a given glycosylation site. Each will be discussed with particular emphasis on how protein-specific and site-specific approaches can contribute to improved discrimination between glycoproteomes and glycoproteins associated with healthy and unhealthy states.

  8. Unveiled: Interrogating the Use of Applied Drama in Multiple and Specific Sites

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daboo, Jerri

    2007-01-01

    This article examines a view of site through postcolonial feminism to suggest that multiple and contradictory discourses of culture, location, gender and context are all vital in an understanding of a specific site when working with a community. These views are applied to a project undertaken with a group of Asian women in Britain exploring issues…

  9. Comparison of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to LiDAR for streambank erosion measurement at the site-specific and river network scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamshaw, S. D.; Dewoolkar, M. M.; Rizzo, D.; ONeil-Dunne, J.; Frolik, J.

    2016-12-01

    Measurement of rates and extent of streambank erosion along river corridors is an important component of many catchment studies and necessary for engineering projects such as river restoration, hazard assessment, and total maximum daily load (TMDL) development. A variety of methods have been developed to quantify streambank erosion, including bank pins, ground surveys, photogrammetry, LiDAR, and analytical models. However, these methods are not only resource intensive, but many are feasible and appropriate only for site-specific studies and not practical for erosion estimates at larger scales. Recent advancements in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and photogrammetry software provide capabilities for more rapid and economical quantification of streambank erosion and deposition at multiple scales (from site-specific to river network). At the site-specific scale, the capability of UAS to quantify streambank erosion was compared to terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and RTK-GPS ground survey and assessed at seven streambank monitoring sites in central Vermont. Across all sites, the UAS-derived bank topography had mean errors of 0.21 m compared to TLS and GPS data. Highest accuracies were achieved in early spring conditions where mean errors approached 10 cm. The cross sectional area of bank erosion at a typical, vegetated streambank site was found to be reliably calculated within 10% of actual for erosion areas greater than 3.5 m2. At the river network-level scale, 20 km of river corridor along the New Haven, Winooski, and Mad Rivers was flown on multiple dates with UAS and used to generate digital elevation models (DEMs) that were then compared for change detection analysis. Airborne LiDAR data collected prior to UAS surveys was also compared to UAS data to determine multi-year rates of bank erosion. UAS-based photogrammetry for generation of fine scale topographic data shows promise for the monitoring of streambank erosion both at the individual site scale and river

  10. Site-Specific Genome Engineering in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

    PubMed

    Merkert, Sylvia; Martin, Ulrich

    2016-06-24

    The possibility to generate patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers an unprecedented potential of applications in clinical therapy and medical research. Human iPSCs and their differentiated derivatives are tools for diseases modelling, drug discovery, safety pharmacology, and toxicology. Moreover, they allow for the engineering of bioartificial tissue and are promising candidates for cellular therapies. For many of these applications, the ability to genetically modify pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is indispensable, but efficient site-specific and safe technologies for genetic engineering of PSCs were developed only recently. By now, customized engineered nucleases provide excellent tools for targeted genome editing, opening new perspectives for biomedical research and cellular therapies.

  11. Tree-, stand- and site-specific controls on landscape-scale patterns of transpiration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kathrin Hassler, Sibylle; Weiler, Markus; Blume, Theresa

    2018-01-01

    Transpiration is a key process in the hydrological cycle, and a sound understanding and quantification of transpiration and its spatial variability is essential for management decisions as well as for improving the parameterisation and evaluation of hydrological and soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer models. For individual trees, transpiration is commonly estimated by measuring sap flow. Besides evaporative demand and water availability, tree-specific characteristics such as species, size or social status control sap flow amounts of individual trees. Within forest stands, properties such as species composition, basal area or stand density additionally affect sap flow, for example via competition mechanisms. Finally, sap flow patterns might also be influenced by landscape-scale characteristics such as geology and soils, slope position or aspect because they affect water and energy availability; however, little is known about the dynamic interplay of these controls.We studied the relative importance of various tree-, stand- and site-specific characteristics with multiple linear regression models to explain the variability of sap velocity measurements in 61 beech and oak trees, located at 24 sites across a 290 km2 catchment in Luxembourg. For each of 132 consecutive days of the growing season of 2014 we modelled the daily sap velocity and derived sap flow patterns of these 61 trees, and we determined the importance of the different controls.Results indicate that a combination of mainly tree- and site-specific factors controls sap velocity patterns in the landscape, namely tree species, tree diameter, geology and aspect. For sap flow we included only the stand- and site-specific predictors in the models to ensure variable independence. Of those, geology and aspect were most important. Compared to these predictors, spatial variability of atmospheric demand and soil moisture explains only a small fraction of the variability in the daily datasets. However, the temporal

  12. Differential regulation of the transcriptional activity of the glucocorticoid receptor through site-specific phosphorylation.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Raj; Calhoun, William J

    2008-12-01

    Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation are known to play an important role in the gene regulation by the transcription factors including the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of which the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a member. Protein phosphorylation often switches cellular activity from one state to another. Like many other transcription factors, the GR is a phosphoprotein, and phosphorylation plays an important role in the regulation of GR activity. Cell signaling pathways that regulate phosphorylation of the GR and its associated proteins are important determinants of GR function under various physiological conditions. While the role of many phosphorylation sites in the GR is still not fully understood, the role of others is clearer. Several aspects of transcription factor function, including DNA binding affinity, interaction of transactivation domains with the transcription initiation complex, and shuttling between the cytoplasmic compartments, have all been linked to site-specific phosphorylation. All major phosphorylation sites in the human GR are located in the N-terminal domain including the major transactivation domain, AF1. Available literature clearly indicates that many of these potential phosphorylation sites are substrates for multiple kinases, suggesting the potential for a very complex regulatory network. Phosphorylated GR interacts favorably with critical coregulatory proteins and subsequently enhances transcriptional activity. In addition, the activities and specificities of coregulators may be subject to similar regulation by phosphorylation. Regulation of the GR activity due to phosphorylation appears to be site-specific and dependent upon specific cell signaling cascade. Taken together, site-specific phosphorylation and related kinase pathways play an important role in the action of the GR, and more precise mechanistic information will lead to fuller understanding of the complex nature of gene regulation by the GR- and

  13. Loblolly Pine Growth 16 Years After Four Site Preparation Treatments

    Treesearch

    John C. Adams; Clyde Vidrine

    2002-01-01

    Thirteen-year growth results of 1-0 planted loblolly pine seedlings (Pinus taeda L.) on differently prepared upland mixed pine-hardwood sites located in north western Louisiana are presented. The study was designed as a randomized complete block consisting of three blocks of four site preparation treatments, which included: chop and burn, windrow,...

  14. Characterization and validation of new tools for measuring site-specific cardiac troponin I phosphorylation.

    PubMed

    Thoemmes, Stephen F; Stutzke, Crystal A; Du, Yanmei; Browning, Michael D; Buttrick, Peter M; Walker, Lori A

    2014-01-31

    Phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I is a well established mechanism by which cardiac contractility is modulated. However, there are a number of phosphorylation sites on TnI which contribute singly or in combination to influence cardiac function. Accordingly, methods for accurately measuring site-specific TnI phosphorylation are needed. Currently, two strategies are employed: mass spectrometry, which is costly, difficult and has a low throughput; and Western blotting using phospho-specific antibodies, which is limited by the availability of reagents. In this report, we describe a cohort of new site-specific TnI phosphoantibodies, generated against physiologically relevant phosphorylation sites, that are superior to the current commercially available antibodies: to phospho-serine 22/23 which shows a >5-fold phospho-specificity for phosphorylated TnI; to phospho-serine 43, which has >3-fold phospho-specificity for phosphorylated TnI; and phospho-serine 150 which has >2-fold phospho-specificity for phosphorylated TnI. These new antibodies demonstrated greater sensitivity and specificity for the phosphorylated TnI than the most widely used commercially available reagents. For example, at a protein load of 20 μg of total cardiac extract, a commercially available antibody recognized both phosphorylated and dephosphorylated TnI to the same degree. At the same protein load our phospho-serine 22/23 antibody exhibited no cross-reactivity with dephosphorylated TnI. These new tools should allow a more accurate assessment and a better understanding of the role of TnI phosphorylation in the response of the heart to pathologic stress. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Evaluating Variability and Uncertainty of Geological Strength Index at a Specific Site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yu; Aladejare, Adeyemi Emman

    2016-09-01

    Geological Strength Index (GSI) is an important parameter for estimating rock mass properties. GSI can be estimated from quantitative GSI chart, as an alternative to the direct observational method which requires vast geological experience of rock. GSI chart was developed from past observations and engineering experience, with either empiricism or some theoretical simplifications. The GSI chart thereby contains model uncertainty which arises from its development. The presence of such model uncertainty affects the GSI estimated from GSI chart at a specific site; it is, therefore, imperative to quantify and incorporate the model uncertainty during GSI estimation from the GSI chart. A major challenge for quantifying the GSI chart model uncertainty is a lack of the original datasets that have been used to develop the GSI chart, since the GSI chart was developed from past experience without referring to specific datasets. This paper intends to tackle this problem by developing a Bayesian approach for quantifying the model uncertainty in GSI chart when using it to estimate GSI at a specific site. The model uncertainty in the GSI chart and the inherent spatial variability in GSI are modeled explicitly in the Bayesian approach. The Bayesian approach generates equivalent samples of GSI from the integrated knowledge of GSI chart, prior knowledge and observation data available from site investigation. Equations are derived for the Bayesian approach, and the proposed approach is illustrated using data from a drill and blast tunnel project. The proposed approach effectively tackles the problem of how to quantify the model uncertainty that arises from using GSI chart for characterization of site-specific GSI in a transparent manner.

  16. Characterisation of the site-specific monoPEGylated rhG-CSF analogue pegteograstim.

    PubMed

    Hong, Jeungwoon; Lee, Byoungju; Kang, Kwanyub; Lee, Seung-Hoon; Ryu, Jaehwan; Jung, Gangsoo; Oh, Jaetaek; Jo, Eui-Cheol; Kim, Chan-Wha

    2018-01-01

    We describe the characterisation of a novel monoPEGylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor analogue, pegteograstim (Neulapeg), prepared by site-specific 20 kDa maleimide-PEG conjugation. An additional cysteine was inserted between Gly136 and Ala137 of filgrastim (methionyl human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) for site-specific PEGylation, and Cys18 of filgrastim was replaced with Ser18 to prevent unwanted PEGylation. Pegteograstim was produced by Escherichia coli and purified by cation exchange chromatography, and its structural, physicochemical, biological and immunological properties were investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered pegteograstim (100 μg/kg) and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics compared with those of filgrastim. The results of long-term stability testing of pegteograstim revealed no significant change in its quality attributes at 2-8 °C for 36 months. In addition, pegteograstim was stable under the accelerated conditions (25 ± 2 °C, RH of 60 ± 5%) for 6 months. The site-specific monoPEGylated pegteograstim is a highly pure, stable and novel drug for long-lasting treatment of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  17. Two-year survey of specific hospital wastewater treatment and its impact on pharmaceutical discharges.

    PubMed

    Wiest, Laure; Chonova, Teofana; Bergé, Alexandre; Baudot, Robert; Bessueille-Barbier, Frédérique; Ayouni-Derouiche, Linda; Vulliet, Emmanuelle

    2018-04-01

    It is well known that pharmaceuticals are not completely removed by conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants. Hospital effluents are of major concern, as they present high concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds. Despite this, these specific effluents are usually co-treated with domestic wastewaters. Separate treatment has been recommended. However, there is a lack of information concerning the efficiency of separate hospital wastewater treatment by activated sludge, especially on the removal of pharmaceuticals. In this context, this article presents the results of a 2-year monitoring of conventional parameters, surfactants, gadolinium, and 13 pharmaceuticals on the specific study site SIPIBEL. This site allows the characterization of urban and hospital wastewaters and their separate treatment using the same process. Flow proportional sampling, solid-phase extraction, and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry were used in order to obtain accurate data and limits of quantification consistent with ultra-trace detection. Thanks to these consolidated data, an in-depth characterization of urban and hospital wastewaters was realized, as well as a comparison of treatment efficiency between both effluents. Higher concentrations of organic carbon, AOX, phosphates, gadolinium, paracetamol, ketoprofen, and antibiotics were observed in hospital wastewaters compared to urban wastewaters. Globally higher removals were observed in the hospital wastewater treatment plant, and some parameters were shown to be of high importance regarding removal efficiencies: hydraulic retention time, redox conditions, and ambient temperature. Eleven pharmaceuticals were still quantified at relevant concentrations in hospital and urban wastewaters after treatment (e.g., up to 1 μg/L for sulfamethoxazole). However, as the urban flow was about 37 times higher than the hospital flow, the hospital contribution appeared relatively low compared to

  18. EPA Begins Reviews of 24 New England Site Cleanups during Current Fiscal Year

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA plans to conduct comprehensive reviews of site cleanups at 24 National Priorities List Sites (Superfund Sites), including two Federal Facilities, across New England by performing required Five-Year Reviews of sites.

  19. Position specific variation in the rate of evolution in transcription factor binding sites

    PubMed Central

    Moses, Alan M; Chiang, Derek Y; Kellis, Manolis; Lander, Eric S; Eisen, Michael B

    2003-01-01

    Background The binding sites of sequence specific transcription factors are an important and relatively well-understood class of functional non-coding DNAs. Although a wide variety of experimental and computational methods have been developed to characterize transcription factor binding sites, they remain difficult to identify. Comparison of non-coding DNA from related species has shown considerable promise in identifying these functional non-coding sequences, even though relatively little is known about their evolution. Results Here we analyse the genome sequences of the budding yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. bayanus, S. paradoxus and S. mikatae to study the evolution of transcription factor binding sites. As expected, we find that both experimentally characterized and computationally predicted binding sites evolve slower than surrounding sequence, consistent with the hypothesis that they are under purifying selection. We also observe position-specific variation in the rate of evolution within binding sites. We find that the position-specific rate of evolution is positively correlated with degeneracy among binding sites within S. cerevisiae. We test theoretical predictions for the rate of evolution at positions where the base frequencies deviate from background due to purifying selection and find reasonable agreement with the observed rates of evolution. Finally, we show how the evolutionary characteristics of real binding motifs can be used to distinguish them from artefacts of computational motif finding algorithms. Conclusion As has been observed for protein sequences, the rate of evolution in transcription factor binding sites varies with position, suggesting that some regions are under stronger functional constraint than others. This variation likely reflects the varying importance of different positions in the formation of the protein-DNA complex. The characterization of the pattern of evolution in known binding sites will likely contribute to the

  20. Site-Specific Analyses for Demonstrating Compliance with 10 CFR 61 Performance Objectives - 12179

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Grossman, C.J.; Esh, D.W.; Yadav, P.

    2012-07-01

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations at 10 CFR Part 61 to require low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives in Subpart C. The amendments would require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses for protection of the public and inadvertent intruders as well as analyses for long-lived waste. The amendments would ensure protection of public health and safety, while providing flexibility to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives, for current and potential future waste streams. NRC staff intends to submit proposed rule language and associated regulatorymore » basis to the Commission for its approval in early 2012. The NRC staff also intends to develop associated guidance to accompany any proposed amendments. The guidance is intended to supplement existing low-level radioactive waste guidance on issues pertinent to conducting site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives. The guidance will facilitate implementation of the proposed amendments by licensees and assist competent regulatory authorities in reviewing the site-specific analyses. Specifically, the guidance provides staff recommendations on general considerations for the site-specific analyses, modeling issues for assessments to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives including the performance assessment, intruder assessment, stability assessment, and analyses for long-lived waste. This paper describes the technical basis for changes to the rule language and the proposed guidance associated with implementation of the rule language. The NRC staff, per Commission direction, intends to propose amendments to 10 CFR Part 61 to require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with performance objectives for the protection of public health and the environment. The amendments would

  1. Stabilization of bacterially expressed erythropoietin by single site-specific introduction of short branched PEG chains at naturally occurring glycosylation sites.

    PubMed

    Hoffmann, E; Streichert, K; Nischan, N; Seitz, C; Brunner, T; Schwagerus, S; Hackenberger, C P R; Rubini, M

    2016-05-24

    The covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to therapeutic proteins can improve their physicochemical properties. In this work we utilized the non-natural amino acid p-azidophenylalanine (pAzF) in combination with the chemoselective Staudinger-phosphite reaction to install branched PEG chains to recombinant unglycosylated erythropoietin (EPO) at each single naturally occurring glycosylation site. PEGylation with two short 750 or 2000 Da PEG units at positions 24, 38, or 83 significantly decreased unspecific aggregation and proteolytic degradation while biological activity in vitro was preserved or even increased in comparison to full-glycosylated EPO. This site-specific bioconjugation approach permits to analyse the impact of PEGylation at single positions. These results represent an important step towards the engineering of site-specifically modified EPO variants from bacterial expression with increased therapeutic efficacy.

  2. 78 FR 61348 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-03

    ...On September 16, 2013, in FR Doc. 2013-22453, on page 56871, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of open meeting announcing a meeting on October 2, 2013 of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth (78 FR 56871). This notice announces the cancellation of this meeting.

  3. Taking to the Streets: Dutch Community Theatre Goes Site-Specific

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van Erven, Eugene

    2007-01-01

    Dutch participatory community-based theatre has thus far been largely text-based and quite apprehensive of abstract site-specific performance, which it regarded as the product of "outsider gazing" and exploitative of local residents. Quite recently, the two veteran Dutch community-based companies Stut and RWT were forced by extraordinary…

  4. Specific conductance, water temperature, and water level data, San Francisco Bay, California, water year 1998

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buchanan, Paul A.

    1999-01-01

    Specific conductance and water temperature data are continuously recorded at four sites in San Francisco Bay, California: San Pablo Strait at Point San Pablo, Central San Francisco Bay at Presidio Military Reservation, Pier 24 at Bay Bridge, and South San Francisco Bay at San Mateo Bridge near Foster City (Figure 1). Water level data are recorded only at San Pablo Strait at Point San Pablo. These data were recorded by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) before 1988, by the US Geological Survey (USGS) National Research Program from 1988 to 1989, and by the USGS-DWR cooperative program since 1990. This article presents time-series plots of data from the four sites in San Francisco Bay during water year 1998 (1 October 1997 through 30 September 1998).

  5. Site-specific surveillance project at the Koppers Company, Inc. , National Priorities List Site, Texarkana, Texas. Final report, March 1994

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    A site-specific surveillance project was conducted at the Koppers Company, a National Priorities List site. The findings indicated that living in the Koppers area was associated with a higher prevalance of reported rashes than among residents of a similar neighborhood in Texarkana not located near this site. Koppers residents did not appear to have higher rates of either adverse pregnancy outcomes or cancer than comparison residents. They did have many more concerns about their soil, water, and chemical odors in their neighborhood than did residents of the comparison neighborhood.

  6. SMART GUIDANCE AND SMARTE - TOOLS FOR DEVELOPING SITE SPECIFIC REDEVELOPMENT PLANS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Site-specific Management Approaches and Redevelopment Tools (SMART) Guidance and its electronic counterpart, SMARTe are being developed jointly with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council. These products will assist ...

  7. Biological role of site-specific O-glycosylation in cell adhesion activity and phosphorylation of osteopontin.

    PubMed

    Oyama, Midori; Kariya, Yoshinobu; Kariya, Yukiko; Matsumoto, Kana; Kanno, Mayumi; Yamaguchi, Yoshiki; Hashimoto, Yasuhiro

    2018-05-09

    Osteopontin (OPN) is an extracellular glycosylated phosphoprotein that promotes cell adhesion by interacting with several integrin receptors. We previously reported that an OPN mutant lacking five O-glycosylation sites (Thr 134 /Thr 138 /Thr 143 /Thr 147 /Thr 152 ) in the threonine/proline-rich region increased cell adhesion activity and phosphorylation compared with the wild type. However, the role of O-glycosylation in cell adhesion activity and phosphorylation of OPN remains to be clarified. Here, we show that site-specific O-glycosylation in the threonine/proline-rich region of OPN affects its cell adhesion activity and phosphorylation independently and/or synergistically. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we found that OPN mutants with substitution sets of Thr 134 /Thr 138 or Thr 143 /Thr 147 /Thr 152 had decreased and increased cell adhesion activity, respectively. In contrast, the introduction of a single mutation into the O-glycosylation sites had no effect on OPN cell adhesion activity. An adhesion assay using function-blocking antibodies against αvβ3 and β1 integrins, as well as αvβ3 integrin-overexpressing A549 cells, revealed that site-specific O-glycosylation affected the association of OPN with the two integrins. Phosphorylation analyses using phos-tag and LC-MS/MS indicated that phosphorylation levels and sites were influenced by the O-glycosylation status, although the number of O-glycosylation sites was not correlated with the phosphorylation level in OPN. Furthermore, a correlation analysis between phosphorylation level and cell adhesion activity in OPN mutants with the site-specific O-glycosylation showed that they were not always correlated. These results provide conclusive evidence of a novel regulatory mechanism of cell adhesion activity and phosphorylation of OPN by site-specific O-glycosylation. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  8. Real-time soft error rate measurements on bulk 40 nm SRAM memories: a five-year dual-site experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Autran, J. L.; Munteanu, D.; Moindjie, S.; Saad Saoud, T.; Gasiot, G.; Roche, P.

    2016-11-01

    This paper reports five years of real-time soft error rate experimentation conducted with the same setup at mountain altitude for three years and then at sea level for two years. More than 7 Gbit of SRAM memories manufactured in CMOS bulk 40 nm technology have been subjected to the natural radiation background. The intensity of the atmospheric neutron flux has been continuously measured on site during these experiments using dedicated neutron monitors. As the result, the neutron and alpha component of the soft error rate (SER) have been very accurately extracted from these measurements, refining the first SER estimations performed in 2012 for this SRAM technology. Data obtained at sea level evidence, for the first time, a possible correlation between the neutron flux changes induced by the daily atmospheric pressure variations and the measured SER. Finally, all of the experimental data are compared with results obtained from accelerated tests and numerical simulation.

  9. Hanford Site Groundwater Monitoring for Fiscal Year 2002

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hartman, Mary J.; Morasch, Launa F.; Webber, William D.

    2003-02-28

    This report presents the results of groundwater and vadose zone monitoring and remediation for fiscal year 2002 on the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Washington State. This report is written to meet the requirements in CERCLA, RCRA, the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, and Washington State Administrative Code.

  10. A review on functional and structural brain connectivity in numerical cognition

    PubMed Central

    Moeller, Korbinian; Willmes, Klaus; Klein, Elise

    2015-01-01

    Only recently has the complex anatomo-functional system underlying numerical cognition become accessible to evaluation in the living brain. We identified 27 studies investigating brain connectivity in numerical cognition. Despite considerable heterogeneity regarding methodological approaches, populations investigated, and assessment procedures implemented, the results provided largely converging evidence regarding the underlying brain connectivity involved in numerical cognition. Analyses of both functional/effective as well as structural connectivity have consistently corroborated the assumption that numerical cognition is subserved by a fronto-parietal network including (intra)parietal as well as (pre)frontal cortex sites. Evaluation of structural connectivity has indicated the involvement of fronto-parietal association fibers encompassing the superior longitudinal fasciculus dorsally and the external capsule/extreme capsule system ventrally. Additionally, commissural fibers seem to connect the bilateral intraparietal sulci when number magnitude information is processed. Finally, the identification of projection fibers such as the superior corona radiata indicates connections between cortex and basal ganglia as well as the thalamus in numerical cognition. Studies on functional/effective connectivity further indicated a specific role of the hippocampus. These specifications of brain connectivity augment the triple-code model of number processing and calculation with respect to how gray matter areas associated with specific number-related representations may work together. PMID:26029075

  11. A Comparison of Regional and SiteSpecific Volume Estimation Equations

    Treesearch

    Joe P. McClure; Jana Anderson; Hans T. Schreuder

    1987-01-01

    Regression equations for volume by region and site class were examined for lobiolly pine. The regressions for the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions had significantly different slopes. The results shared important practical differences in percentage of confidence intervals containing the true total volume and in percentage of estimates within a specific proportion of...

  12. Digital recovery management: Characterizing recovery-specific social network site participation and perceived benefit.

    PubMed

    Bergman, Brandon G; Kelly, Nathaniel W; Hoeppner, Bettina B; Vilsaint, Corrie L; Kelly, John F

    2017-06-01

    Research shows that digital social network sites (SNSs) may be valuable platforms to effect health behavior change. Little is known specifically about their ability to help address alcohol and other drug problems. This gap is noteworthy, given that individuals are already participating in existing, recovery-specific SNSs (hereafter referred to as recovery SNSs): online communities with the functionality of conventional SNSs (e.g., Facebook) that focus on substance use disorder (SUD) recovery. For example, InTheRooms.com (ITR) is a large, well-known recovery SNS that is available for free 24 hr/day via website and mobile smartphone applications. It offers recovery tools within a digital social milieu for over 430,000 registered users. To augment the knowledge base on recovery SNS platforms, we conducted an online survey of 123 ITR participants (M = 50.8 years old; 56.9% female; 93.5% White; M = 7.3 years of abstinence, range of 0-30 years; 65% cited alcohol as their primary substance). Respondents engaged with ITR, on average, for about 30 min/day several times each week. Daily meditation prompts and live online video meetings were the most commonly utilized resources. Participants generally endorsed ITR as a helpful platform, particularly with respect to increased abstinence/recovery motivation and self-efficacy. Compared to individuals abstinent for 1 or more years, those abstinent less than 1 year (including nonabstinent individuals) showed similar rates of engagement with ITR activities and similar levels of perceived benefit. Our findings suggest that longitudinal studies are warranted to examine the clinical utility of ITR and other recovery SNSs as SUD treatment adjuncts and/or recovery self-management tools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. A site-specific slurry application technique on grassland and on arable crops.

    PubMed

    Schellberg, Jürgen; Lock, Reiner

    2009-01-01

    There is evidence that unequal slurry application on agricultural land contributes to N losses to the environment. Heterogeneity within fields demands adequate response by means of variable rate application. A technique is presented which allows site-specific application of slurry on grassland and arable land based on pre-defined application maps. The system contains a valve controlling flow rate by an on-board PC. During operation, flow rate is measured and scaled against set point values given in the application map together with the geographic position of the site. The systems worked sufficiently precise at a flow rate between 0 and 25 l s(-1) and an offset of actual slurry flow from set point values between 0.33 and 0.67 l s(-1). Long-term experimentation is required to test if site-specific application de facto reduces N surplus within fields and so significantly contributes to the unloading of N in agricultural areas.

  14. Web Site Development Support

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abdul, Hameed

    2016-01-01

    This summer I assisted the RPT Program Office in developing a design plan to update their existing website to current NASA web standards. The finished website is intended for the general public, specifically potential customers interested in learning about NASA's chemical rocket test facility capabilities and test assignment process. The goal of the website is to give the public insight about the purpose and function of the RPT Program. Working on this project gave me the opportunity to learn skills necessary for effective project management. The RPT Program Office manages numerous facilities so they are required to travel often to other sites for meetings throughout the year. Maneuvering around the travel schedule of the office and the workload priority of the IT Department proved to be quite the challenge. I overcame the travel schedule of the office by frequently communicating and checking in with my mentor via email and telephone.

  15. Numerical Modelling of Rayleigh Wave Propagation in Course of Rapid Impulse Compaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herbut, Aneta; Rybak, Jarosław

    2017-10-01

    As the soil improvement technologies are the area of a rapid development, they require designing and implementing novel methods of control and calibration in order to ensure the safety of geotechnical works. At Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Poland), these new methods are continually developed with the aim to provide the appropriate tools for the preliminary design of work process, as well as for the further ongoing on-site control of geotechnical works (steel sheet piling, pile driving or soil improvement technologies). The studies include preliminary numerical simulations and field tests concerning measurements and continuous histogram recording of shocks and vibrations and its ground-born dynamic impact on engineering structures. The impact of vibrations on reinforced concrete and masonry structures in the close proximity of the construction site may be destroying in both architectural and structural meaning. Those limits are juxtaposed in codes of practice, but always need an individual judgment. The results and observations make it possible to delineate specific modifications to the parameters of technology applied (e.g. hammer drop height). On the basis of numerous case studies of practical applications, already summarized and published, we were able to formulate the guidelines for work on the aforementioned sites. This work presents specific aspects of the active design (calibration of building site numerical model) by means of technology calibration, using the investigation of the impact of vibrations that occur during the Impulse Compaction on adjacent structures. A case study entails the impact of construction works on Rayleigh wave propagation in the zone of 100 m (radius) around the Compactor.

  16. CTCF Binding Sites in the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Genome Display Site-Specific CTCF Occupation, Protein Recruitment, and Insulator Function.

    PubMed

    Washington, Shannan D; Musarrat, Farhana; Ertel, Monica K; Backes, Gregory L; Neumann, Donna M

    2018-04-15

    There are seven conserved CTCF binding domains in the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) genome. These binding sites individually flank the latency-associated transcript (LAT) and the immediate early (IE) gene regions, suggesting that CTCF insulators differentially control transcriptional domains in HSV-1 latency. In this work, we show that two CTCF binding motifs in HSV-1 display enhancer blocking in a cell-type-specific manner. We found that CTCF binding to the latent HSV-1 genome was LAT dependent and that the quantity of bound CTCF was site specific. Following reactivation, CTCF eviction was dynamic, suggesting that each CTCF site was independently regulated. We explored whether CTCF sites recruit the polycomb-repressive complex 2 (PRC2) to establish repressive domains through a CTCF-Suz12 interaction and found that Suz12 colocalized to the CTCF insulators flanking the ICP0 and ICP4 regions and, conversely, was removed at early times postreactivation. Collectively, these data support the idea that CTCF sites in HSV-1 are independently regulated and may contribute to lytic-latent HSV-1 control in a site-specific manner. IMPORTANCE The role of chromatin insulators in DNA viruses is an area of interest. It has been shown in several beta- and gammaherpesviruses that insulators likely control the lytic transcriptional profile through protein recruitment and through the formation of three-dimensional (3D) chromatin loops. The ability of insulators to regulate alphaherpesviruses has been understudied to date. The alphaherpesvirus HSV-1 has seven conserved insulator binding motifs that flank regions of the genome known to contribute to the establishment of latency. Our work presented here contributes to the understanding of how insulators control transcription of HSV-1. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  17. Iliac crest bone graft: a 23-years hystory of infection at donor site in vertebral arthrodesis and a review of current bone substitutes.

    PubMed

    Babbi, L; Barbanti-Brodano, G; Gasbarrini, A; Boriani, S

    2016-11-01

    This is an exemplary case report underlining a relevant morbidity which could be associated to the use of autologous iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) for spine fusion. Starting from 1990, a 25-years-old woman underwent two subsequent surgical treatments for non-Hodgkin lymphoma vertebral localizations. In the second surgery, arthrodesis was obtained with autograft through right posterior iliac crest osteotomy. During the chemotherapy treatment following the surgery, the patient suffered from infection at posterior iliac crest scar, the site of previous graft, caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. She was subjected to surgical debridement and specific antibiotic treatment with local healing and phlogosis index reduction. Chemotherapy protocol was concluded and the patient healed with definitive lymphoma remission. After 22 years the patient had a relapse of donor site infection, requiring a new antibiotic therapy and a new surgical debridement. The relapsed infection at donor site lasted for a long period, more than one year, despite of specific care. It finally healed after another accurate surgical debridement and postoperative antibiotic therapy. This case report underlines the possible consequences on the patient's quality of life of a long-term disease affecting the iliac crest bone graft donor site. Literature concerning alternatives to autograft for spine fusion is also reviewed.

  18. Decreased Surgical Site Infection Rate in Hysterectomy: Effect of a Gynecology-Specific Bundle.

    PubMed

    Andiman, Sarah E; Xu, Xiao; Boyce, John M; Ludwig, Elizabeth M; Rillstone, Heidi R W; Desai, Vrunda B; Fan, Linda L

    2018-06-01

    We implemented a hysterectomy-specific surgical site infection prevention bundle after a higher-than-expected surgical site infection rate was identified at our institution. We evaluate how this bundle affected the surgical site infection rate, length of hospital stay, and 30-day postoperative readmission rate. This is a quality improvement study featuring retrospective analysis of a prospectively implemented, multidisciplinary team-designed surgical site infection prevention bundle that consisted of chlorhexidine-impregnated preoperative wipes, standardized aseptic surgical preparation, standardized antibiotic dosing, perioperative normothermia, surgical dressing maintenance, and direct feedback to clinicians when the protocol was breached. There were 2,099 hysterectomies completed during the 33-month study period. There were 61 surgical site infections (4.51%) in the pre-full bundle implementation period and 14 (1.87%) in the post-full bundle implementation period; we found a sustained reduction in the proportion of patients experiencing surgical site infection during the last 8 months of the study period. After adjusting for clinical characteristics, patients who underwent surgery after full implementation were less likely to develop a surgical site infection (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.46, P=.01) than those undergoing surgery before full implementation. Multivariable regression analysis showed no statistically significant difference in postoperative days of hospital stay (adjusted mean ratio 0.95, P=.09) or rate of readmission for surgical site infection-specific indication (adjusted OR 2.65, P=.08) between the before and after full-bundle implementation periods. The multidisciplinary implementation of a gynecologic perioperative surgical site infection prevention bundle was associated with a significant reduction in surgical site infection rate in patients undergoing hysterectomy.

  19. Evaluation of site-specific tactics using bifenazate and Neoseiulus californicus for management of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) in strawberries.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ruohan; Nyoike, Teresia W; Liburd, Oscar E

    2016-10-01

    Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of site-specific tactics for management of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, a major pest of greenhouse and field-grown strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne). Two site-specific (spot) treatments, the miticide bifenazate (Acramite(®)) and the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus McGregor, were compared with whole-plot treatments of bifenazate or N. californicus to determine whether T. urticae could be effectively managed in field-grown strawberry using only site-specific tactics. Additionally, the cost of site-specific tactics was compared with whole-plot treatments to determine the economic value of using site-specific management tactics for T. urticae in strawberries. In the greenhouse, all treatments equivalently reduced the number of T. urticae below control. In the field during the 2011-2012 season, more T. urticae eggs and motiles were in the whole-plot treatments of both N. californicus and bifenazate in the mid-season and late season, respectively, compared with the spot treatments. With the exception of site-specific N. californicus during the 2011-2012 field season, there were no differences in marketable yields between plots with site-specific treatments and whole-plot management. An economic analysis demonstrated a significant cost savings (75.3 %) with site-specific treatments of N. californicus compared with whole-plot application of N. californicus. Similarly, a 24.7 % reduction in cost was achieved in using site-specific bifenazate compared with whole-plot application of bifenazate. The findings indicate that site-specific treatments with N. californicus and bifenazate are competitive alternatives to whole-field application for T. urticae management in strawberries.

  20. The Cognitive Advantages of Counting Specifically: A Representational Analysis of Verbal Numeration Systems in Oceanic Languages.

    PubMed

    Bender, Andrea; Schlimm, Dirk; Beller, Sieghard

    2015-10-01

    The domain of numbers provides a paradigmatic case for investigating interactions of culture, language, and cognition: Numerical competencies are considered a core domain of knowledge, and yet the development of specifically human abilities presupposes cultural and linguistic input by way of counting sequences. These sequences constitute systems with distinct structural properties, the cross-linguistic variability of which has implications for number representation and processing. Such representational effects are scrutinized for two types of verbal numeration systems-general and object-specific ones-that were in parallel use in several Oceanic languages (English with its general system is included for comparison). The analysis indicates that the object-specific systems outperform the general systems with respect to counting and mental arithmetic, largely due to their regular and more compact representation. What these findings reveal on cognitive diversity, how the conjectures involved speak to more general issues in cognitive science, and how the approach taken here might help to bridge the gap between anthropology and other cognitive sciences is discussed in the conclusion. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  1. Analysis of the site-specific carbon isotope composition of propane by gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piasecki, Alison; Sessions, Alex; Lawson, Michael; Ferreira, A. A.; Neto, E. V. Santos; Eiler, John M.

    2016-09-01

    Site-specific isotope ratio measurements potentially provide valuable information about the formation and degradation of complex molecules-information that is lost in conventional bulk isotopic measurements. Here we discuss the background and possible applications of such measurements, and present a technique for studying the site-specific carbon isotope composition of propane at natural abundance based on mass spectrometric analysis of the intact propane molecule and its fragment ions. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach through measurements of mixtures of natural propane and propane synthesized with site-specific 13C enrichment, and we document the limits of precision of our technique. We show that mass balance calculations of the bulk δ13C of propane based on our site-specific measurements is generally consistent with independent constraints on bulk δ13C. We further demonstrate the accuracy of the technique, and illustrate one of its simpler applications by documenting the site-specific carbon isotope signature associated with gas phase diffusion of propane, confirming that our measurements conform to the predictions of the kinetic theory of gases. This method can be applied to propane samples of moderate size (tens of micromoles) isolated from natural gases. Thus, it provides a means of studying the site-specific stable isotope systematics of propane at natural isotope abundances on sample sizes that are readily recovered from many natural environments. This method may also serve as a model for future techniques that apply high-resolution mass spectrometry to study the site-specific isotopic distributions of larger organic molecules, with potential applications to biosynthesis, forensics and other geochemical subjects.

  2. 78 FR 63172 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah; Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-23

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  3. SafetyAnalyst : software tools for safety management of specific highway sites

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-07-01

    SafetyAnalyst provides a set of software tools for use by state and local highway agencies for highway safety management. SafetyAnalyst can be used by highway agencies to improve their programming of site-specific highway safety improvements. SafetyA...

  4. SITE-SPECIFIC PROTOCOL FOR MEASURING SOIL RADON POTENTIALS FOR FLORIDA HOUSES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report describes a protocol for site-specific measurement of radon potentials for Florida houses that is consistent with existing residential radon protection maps. The protocol gives further guidance on the possible need for radon-protective house construction features. In a...

  5. Weldon Spring Site environmental report for calendar year 1993. Weldon Springs Site Remedial Action Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1994-05-01

    This Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 1993 describes the environmental monitoring programs at the Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP). The objectives of these programs are to assess actual or potential exposure to contaminant effluents from the project area by providing public use scenarios and dose estimates, to demonstrate compliance with Federal and State permitted levels, and to summarize trends and/or changes in contaminant concentrations from environmental monitoring program. In 1993, the maximum committed dose to a hypothetical individual at the chemical plant site perimeter was 0.03 mrem (0.0003 mSv). The maximum committed dose to a hypothetical individualmore » at the boundary of the Weldon Spring Quarry was 1.9 mrem (0.019 mSv). These scenarios assume an individual walking along the perimeter of the site-once a day at the chemical plant/raffinate pits and twice a day at the quarry-250 days per year. This hypothetical individual also consumes fish, sediment, and water from lakes and other bodies of water in the area. The collective dose, based on an effected population of 112,000 was 0.12 person-rem (0.0012 person-Sv). This calculation is based on recreational use of the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area and the Missouri Department of Conservation recreational trail (the Katy Trail) near the quarry. These estimates are below the U.S. Department of Energy requirement of 100 mrem (I mSv) annual committed effective dose equivalent for all exposure pathways. Results from air monitoring for the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) program indicated that the estimated dose was 0.38 mrem, which is below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard of 10 mrem per year.« less

  6. Hetero-site-specific X-ray pump-probe spectroscopy for femtosecond intramolecular dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Picón, A.; Lehmann, C. S.; Bostedt, C.; Rudenko, A.; Marinelli, A.; Osipov, T.; Rolles, D.; Berrah, N.; Bomme, C.; Bucher, M.; Doumy, G.; Erk, B.; Ferguson, K. R.; Gorkhover, T.; Ho, P. J.; Kanter, E. P.; Krässig, B.; Krzywinski, J.; Lutman, A. A.; March, A. M.; Moonshiram, D.; Ray, D.; Young, L.; Pratt, S. T.; Southworth, S. H.

    2016-01-01

    New capabilities at X-ray free-electron laser facilities allow the generation of two-colour femtosecond X-ray pulses, opening the possibility of performing ultrafast studies of X-ray-induced phenomena. Particularly, the experimental realization of hetero-site-specific X-ray-pump/X-ray-probe spectroscopy is of special interest, in which an X-ray pump pulse is absorbed at one site within a molecule and an X-ray probe pulse follows the X-ray-induced dynamics at another site within the same molecule. Here we show experimental evidence of a hetero-site pump-probe signal. By using two-colour 10-fs X-ray pulses, we are able to observe the femtosecond time dependence for the formation of F ions during the fragmentation of XeF2 molecules following X-ray absorption at the Xe site. PMID:27212390

  7. Hetero-site-specific X-ray pump-probe spectroscopy for femtosecond intramolecular dynamics.

    PubMed

    Picón, A; Lehmann, C S; Bostedt, C; Rudenko, A; Marinelli, A; Osipov, T; Rolles, D; Berrah, N; Bomme, C; Bucher, M; Doumy, G; Erk, B; Ferguson, K R; Gorkhover, T; Ho, P J; Kanter, E P; Krässig, B; Krzywinski, J; Lutman, A A; March, A M; Moonshiram, D; Ray, D; Young, L; Pratt, S T; Southworth, S H

    2016-05-23

    New capabilities at X-ray free-electron laser facilities allow the generation of two-colour femtosecond X-ray pulses, opening the possibility of performing ultrafast studies of X-ray-induced phenomena. Particularly, the experimental realization of hetero-site-specific X-ray-pump/X-ray-probe spectroscopy is of special interest, in which an X-ray pump pulse is absorbed at one site within a molecule and an X-ray probe pulse follows the X-ray-induced dynamics at another site within the same molecule. Here we show experimental evidence of a hetero-site pump-probe signal. By using two-colour 10-fs X-ray pulses, we are able to observe the femtosecond time dependence for the formation of F ions during the fragmentation of XeF2 molecules following X-ray absorption at the Xe site.

  8. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Fff of... - Site-Specific Compliance Schedules and Increments of Progress a

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Site-Specific Compliance Schedules and... Constructed on or Before September 20, 1994 Pt. 62, Subpt. FFF, Table 6 Table 6 to Subpart FFF of Part 62—Site-Specific Compliance Schedules and Increments of Progress a Affected facilities at the following MWC sites...

  9. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Fff of... - Site-Specific Compliance Schedules and Increments of Progress a

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Site-Specific Compliance Schedules and... Constructed on or Before September 20, 1994 Pt. 62, Subpt. FFF, Table 6 Table 6 to Subpart FFF of Part 62—Site-Specific Compliance Schedules and Increments of Progress a Affected facilities at the following MWC sites...

  10. phiC31 Integrase-Mediated Site-Specific Recombination in Barley

    PubMed Central

    Rubtsova, Myroslava; Kumlehn, Jochen; Gils, Mario

    2012-01-01

    The Streptomyces phage phiC31 integrase was tested for its feasibility in excising transgenes from the barley genome through site-specific recombination. We produced transgenic barley plants expressing an active phiC31 integrase and crossed them with transgenic barley plants carrying a target locus for recombination. The target sequence involves a reporter gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is flanked by the attB and attP recognition sites for the phiC31 integrase. This sequence disruptively separates a gusA coding sequence from an upstream rice actin promoter. We succeeded in producing site-specific recombination events in the hybrid progeny of 11 independent barley plants carrying the above target sequence after crossing with plants carrying a phiC31 expression cassette. Some of the hybrids displayed fully executed recombination. Excision of the GFP gene fostered activation of the gusA gene, as visualized in tissue of hybrid plants by histochemical staining. The recombinant loci were detected in progeny of selfed F1, even in individuals lacking the phiC31 transgene, which provides evidence of stability and generative transmission of the recombination events. In several plants that displayed incomplete recombination, extrachromosomal excision circles were identified. Besides the technical advance achieved in this study, the generated phiC31 integrase-expressing barley plants provide foundational stock material for use in future approaches to barley genetic improvement, such as the production of marker-free transgenic plants or switching transgene activity. PMID:23024817

  11. The Bxb1 recombination system demonstrates heritable transmission of site-specific excision in Arabidopsis

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The mycobacteriophage large serine recombinase Bxb1 catalyzes site-specific recombination between its corresponding attP and attB recognition sites. Previously, we and others have shown that Bxb1 has catalytic activity in various eukaryotic species including Nicotiana tabacum, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, insects and mammalian cells. Results In this work, the Bxb1 recombinase gene was transformed and constitutively expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana plants harboring a chromosomally integrated attP and attB-flanked target sequence. The Bxb1 recombinase successfully excised the target sequence in a conservative manner and the resulting recombination event was heritably transmitted to subsequent generations in the absence of the recombinase transgene. In addition, we also show that Bxb1 recombinase expressing plants can be manually crossed with att-flanked target transgenic plants to generate excised progeny. Conclusion The Bxb1 large serine recombinase performs site-specific recombination in Arabidopsis thaliana germinal tissue, producing stable lines free of unwanted DNA. The precise site-specific deletion produced by Bxb1 in planta demonstrates that this enzyme can be a useful tool for the genetic engineering of plants without selectable marker transgenes or other undesirable exogenous sequences. PMID:22436504

  12. Floristic diversity, stand structure, and composition 11 years after herbicide site preparation

    Treesearch

    James H. Miller; Robert S. Boyd; M. Boyd Edwards

    1999-01-01

    This study tested for effects of site preparation herbicides applied at high labeled rates 11 years earlier on plant species richness, diversity, and stand structure and composition. Four study sites in three physiographic provinces were established in central Georgia in 1984. Six herbicide treatments were included on each site: hexazinone liquid, hexazinone pellets,...

  13. 12. "SITE PLAN." Test Area 1100. Specifications No. OC35973; Drawing ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    12. "SITE PLAN." Test Area 1-100. Specifications No. OC359-73; Drawing No. 5841-C-1; D.O. SERIES AW1525/7 Rev. A. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Leuhman Ridge near Highways 58 & 395, Boron, Kern County, CA

  14. Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Site-Specific Crop Production Management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have been developed and applied to support the practice of precision agriculture. Compared to piloted aircrafts, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle can focus on much smaller crop fields with much lower flight altitude than regular airplanes to perform site-specific management ...

  15. Cleavage-site specificity of prolyl endopeptidase FAP investigated with a full-length protein substrate.

    PubMed

    Huang, Chih-Hsiang; Suen, Ching-Shu; Lin, Ching-Ting; Chien, Chia-Hui; Lee, Hsin-Ying; Chung, Kuei-Min; Tsai, Ting-Yueh; Jiaang, Weir-Tong; Hwang, Ming-Jing; Chen, Xin

    2011-06-01

    Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a prolyl-cleaving endopeptidase proposed as an anti-cancer drug target. It is necessary to define its cleavage-site specificity to facilitate the identification of its in vivo substrates and to understand its biological functions. We found that the previously identified substrate of FAP, α(2)-anti-plasmin, is not a robust substrate in vitro. Instead, an intracellular protein, SPRY2, is cleavable by FAP and more suitable for investigation of its substrate specificity in the context of the full-length globular protein. FAP prefers uncharged residues, including small or bulky hydrophobic amino acids, but not charged amino acids, especially acidic residue at P1', P3 and P4 sites. Molecular modelling analysis shows that the substrate-binding site of FAP is surrounded by multiple tyrosine residues and some negatively charged residues, which may exert least preference for substrates with acidic residues. This provides an explanation why FAP cannot cleave interleukins, which have a glutamate at either P4 or P2', despite their P3-P2-P1 sites being identical to SPRY2 or α-AP. Our study provided new information on FAP cleavage-site specificity, which differs from the data obtained by profiling with a peptide library or with the denatured protein, gelatin, as the substrate. Furthermore, our study suggests that negatively charged residues should be avoided when designing FAP inhibitors.

  16. Brain Structural Integrity and Intrinsic Functional Connectivity Forecast 6 Year Longitudinal Growth in Children's Numerical Abilities.

    PubMed

    Evans, Tanya M; Kochalka, John; Ngoon, Tricia J; Wu, Sarah S; Qin, Shaozheng; Battista, Christian; Menon, Vinod

    2015-08-19

    Early numerical proficiency lays the foundation for acquiring quantitative skills essential in today's technological society. Identification of cognitive and brain markers associated with long-term growth of children's basic numerical computation abilities is therefore of utmost importance. Previous attempts to relate brain structure and function to numerical competency have focused on behavioral measures from a single time point. Thus, little is known about the brain predictors of individual differences in growth trajectories of numerical abilities. Using a longitudinal design, with multimodal imaging and machine-learning algorithms, we investigated whether brain structure and intrinsic connectivity in early childhood are predictive of 6 year outcomes in numerical abilities spanning childhood and adolescence. Gray matter volume at age 8 in distributed brain regions, including the ventrotemporal occipital cortex (VTOC), the posterior parietal cortex, and the prefrontal cortex, predicted longitudinal gains in numerical, but not reading, abilities. Remarkably, intrinsic connectivity analysis revealed that the strength of functional coupling among these regions also predicted gains in numerical abilities, providing novel evidence for a network of brain regions that works in concert to promote numerical skill acquisition. VTOC connectivity with posterior parietal, anterior temporal, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices emerged as the most extensive network predicting individual gains in numerical abilities. Crucially, behavioral measures of mathematics, IQ, working memory, and reading did not predict children's gains in numerical abilities. Our study identifies, for the first time, functional circuits in the human brain that scaffold the development of numerical skills, and highlights potential biomarkers for identifying children at risk for learning difficulties. Children show substantial individual differences in math abilities and ease of math learning. Early

  17. Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay.

    PubMed

    Cui, Heying; Loftus, Kyle M; Noell, Crystal R; Solmaz, Sozanne R

    2018-05-03

    Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) is a master controller for the cell cycle in all eukaryotes and phosphorylates an estimated 8 - 13% of the proteome; however, the number of identified targets for Cdk1, particularly in human cells is still low. The identification of Cdk1-specific phosphorylation sites is important, as they provide mechanistic insights into how Cdk1 controls the cell cycle. Cell cycle regulation is critical for faithful chromosome segregation, and defects in this complicated process lead to chromosomal aberrations and cancer. Here, we describe an in vitro kinase assay that is used to identify Cdk1-specific phosphorylation sites. In this assay, a purified protein is phosphorylated in vitro by commercially available human Cdk1/cyclin B. Successful phosphorylation is confirmed by SDS-PAGE, and phosphorylation sites are subsequently identified by mass spectrometry. We also describe purification protocols that yield highly pure and homogeneous protein preparations suitable for the kinase assay, and a binding assay for the functional verification of the identified phosphorylation sites, which probes the interaction between a classical nuclear localization signal (cNLS) and its nuclear transport receptor karyopherin α. To aid with experimental design, we review approaches for the prediction of Cdk1-specific phosphorylation sites from protein sequences. Together these protocols present a very powerful approach that yields Cdk1-specific phosphorylation sites and enables mechanistic studies into how Cdk1 controls the cell cycle. Since this method relies on purified proteins, it can be applied to any model organism and yields reliable results, especially when combined with cell functional studies.

  18. Biologically Derived Nanoparticle Arrays via a Site-Specific Reconstitution of Ferritin and their Electrochemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, Jae-Woo; Choi, Sang H.; Lillehei, Peter T.; King, Glen C.; Elliott, James R.; Chu, Sang-Hyon; Park, Yeonjoon; Watt, Gerald D.

    2004-01-01

    Nanoparticle arrays biologically derived from an electrochemically-controlled site-specific biomineralization were fabricated on a gold substrate through the immobilization process of biomolecules. The work reported herein includes the immobilization of ferritin with various surface modifications, the electrochemical biomineralization of ferritins with different inorganic cores, the fabrication of self-assembled arrays with the immobilized ferritin, and the electrochemical characterization of various core materials. Protein immobilization on the substrate is achieved by anchoring ferritins with dithiobis-N-succinimidyl propionate (DTSP). A reconstitution process of electrochemical site-specific biomineralization with a protein cage loads ferritins with different core materials such as Pt, Co, Mn, and Ni. The ferritin acts as a nano-scale template, a biocompatible cage, and a separator between the nanoparticles. The nano-sized metalcored ferritins on a gold substrate displayed a good electrochemical activity for the electron transport and storage, which is suitable for bioelectronics applications such as biofuel cell, bionanobattery, biosensors, etc. Keywords: Ferritin, immobilization, site-specific reconstitution, biomineralization, and bioelectronics

  19. Revision to flood hazard evaluation for the Savannah River Site

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Buckley, R.; Werth, D.

    Requirements for the Natural Phenomena Hazard (NPH) mitigation for new and existing Department of Energy (DOE) facilities are outlined in DOE Order 420.1. This report examines the hazards posed by potential flooding and represents an update to two previous reports. The facility-specific probabilistic flood hazard curve is defined as the water elevation for each annual probability of precipitation occurrence (or inversely, the return period in years). New design hyetographs for both 6-hr and 24-hr precipitation distributions were used in conjunction with hydrological models of various basins within the Savannah River Site (SRS). For numerous locations of interest, peak flow dischargemore » and flood water elevation were determined. In all cases, the probability of flooding of these facilities for a 100,000 year precipitation event is negligible.« less

  20. Site-specific range uncertainties caused by dose calculation algorithms for proton therapy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schuemann, J.; Dowdell, S.; Grassberger, C.; Min, C. H.; Paganetti, H.

    2014-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the possibility of introducing site-specific range margins to replace current generic margins in proton therapy. Further, the goal was to study the potential of reducing margins with current analytical dose calculations methods. For this purpose we investigate the impact of complex patient geometries on the capability of analytical dose calculation algorithms to accurately predict the range of proton fields. Dose distributions predicted by an analytical pencil-beam algorithm were compared with those obtained using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations (TOPAS). A total of 508 passively scattered treatment fields were analyzed for seven disease sites (liver, prostate, breast, medulloblastoma-spine, medulloblastoma-whole brain, lung and head and neck). Voxel-by-voxel comparisons were performed on two-dimensional distal dose surfaces calculated by pencil-beam and MC algorithms to obtain the average range differences and root mean square deviation for each field for the distal position of the 90% dose level (R90) and the 50% dose level (R50). The average dose degradation of the distal falloff region, defined as the distance between the distal position of the 80% and 20% dose levels (R80-R20), was also analyzed. All ranges were calculated in water-equivalent distances. Considering total range uncertainties and uncertainties from dose calculation alone, we were able to deduce site-specific estimations. For liver, prostate and whole brain fields our results demonstrate that a reduction of currently used uncertainty margins is feasible even without introducing MC dose calculations. We recommend range margins of 2.8% + 1.2 mm for liver and prostate treatments and 3.1% + 1.2 mm for whole brain treatments, respectively. On the other hand, current margins seem to be insufficient for some breast, lung and head and neck patients, at least if used generically. If no case specific adjustments are applied, a generic margin of 6.3% + 1.2 mm would be

  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Annual Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2012

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Duncan, Joanne P.; Ballinger, Marcel Y.; Fritz, Brad G.

    The PNNL Annual Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2012 was prepared pursuant to the requirements of Department of Energy (DOE) Order 231.1B, "Environment, Safety and Health Reporting" to provide a synopsis of calendar year 2012 information related to environmental management performance and compliance efforts. It summarizes site compliance with federal, state, and local environmental laws, regulations, policies, directives, permits, and orders and environmental management performance.

  2. Cancer registries in Japan: National Clinical Database and site-specific cancer registries.

    PubMed

    Anazawa, Takayuki; Miyata, Hiroaki; Gotoh, Mitsukazu

    2015-02-01

    The cancer registry is an essential part of any rational program of evidence-based cancer control. The cancer control program is required to strategize in a systematic and impartial manner and efficiently utilize limited resources. In Japan, the National Clinical Database (NCD) was launched in 2010. It is a nationwide prospective registry linked to various types of board certification systems regarding surgery. The NCD is a nationally validated database using web-based data collection software; it is risk adjusted and outcome based to improve the quality of surgical care. The NCD generalizes site-specific cancer registries by taking advantage of their excellent organizing ability. Some site-specific cancer registries, including pancreatic, breast, and liver cancer registries have already been combined with the NCD. Cooperation between the NCD and site-specific cancer registries can establish a valuable platform to develop a cancer care plan in Japan. Furthermore, the prognosis information of cancer patients arranged using population-based and hospital-based cancer registries can help in efficient data accumulation on the NCD. International collaboration between Japan and the USA has recently started and is expected to provide global benchmarking and to allow a valuable comparison of cancer treatment practices between countries using nationwide cancer registries in the future. Clinical research and evidence-based policy recommendation based on accurate data from the nationwide database may positively impact the public.

  3. Young Children Bet On Their Numerical Skills: Metacognition in the Numerical Domain

    PubMed Central

    Vo, Vy A.; Li, Rosa; Kornell, Nate; Pouget, Alexandre; Cantlon, Jessica F.

    2014-01-01

    Metacognition, the ability to assess one’s own knowledge, has been targeted as a critical learning mechanism in mathematics education. Yet, the early childhood origins of metacognition have proven difficult to study. Using a novel nonverbal task and a comprehensive set of metacognitive measures, we provide the strongest evidence to date that young children are metacognitive. We show that children as young as 5 years make metacognitive “bets” on their numerical discriminations in a wagering task. However, contrary to previous reports from adults, children’s metacognition proved to be domain-specific: children’s metacognition in the numerical domain was unrelated to their metacognition in another domain (emotion discrimination). Moreover, children’s metacognitive ability in only the numerical domain predicted their school-based mathematics knowledge. The data provide novel evidence that metacognition is a fundamental, domain-dependent cognitive ability in children. The findings have implications for theories of uncertainty and reveal new avenues for training metacognition in children. PMID:24973137

  4. Site-specific cancer risk in the Baltic cohort of Chernobyl cleanup workers, 1986-2007.

    PubMed

    Rahu, Kaja; Hakulinen, Timo; Smailyte, Giedre; Stengrevics, Aivars; Auvinen, Anssi; Inskip, Peter D; Boice, John D; Rahu, Mati

    2013-09-01

    To assess site-specific cancer risk in the Baltic cohort of Chernobyl cleanup workers, 1986-2007. The Baltic cohort includes 17,040 men from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who participated in the environmental cleanup after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in 1986-1991 and who were followed up for cancer incidence until the end of 2007. Cancer cases diagnosed in the cohort and in the male population of each country were identified from the respective national cancer registers. The proportional incidence ratio (PIR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to estimate the site-specific cancer risk in the cohort. For comparison and as it was possible, the site-specific standardised incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated for the Estonian sub-cohort, which was not feasible for the other countries. Overall, 756 cancer cases were reported during 1986-2007. A higher proportion of thyroid cancers in relation to the male population was found (PIR=2.76; 95%CI 1.63-4.36), especially among those who started their mission shortly after the accident, in April-May 1986 (PIR=6.38; 95%CI 2.34-13.89). Also, an excess of oesophageal cancers was noted (PIR=1.52; 95% CI 1.06-2.11). No increased PIRs for leukaemia or radiation-related cancer sites combined were observed. PIRs and SIRs for the Estonian sub-cohort demonstrated the same site-specific cancer risk pattern. Consistent evidence of an increase in radiation-related cancers in the Baltic cohort was not observed with the possible exception of thyroid cancer, where conclusions are hampered by known medical examination including thyroid screening among cleanup workers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Site-specific mouth rinsing can improve oral odor by altering bacterial counts. Blind crossover clinical study.

    PubMed

    Alqumber, Mohammed A; Arafa, Khaled A

    2014-11-01

    To determine whether site-specific mouth rinsing with oral disinfectants can improve oral odor beyond the traditional panoral mouth disinfection with mouth rinses by targeting specifically oral malodor implicated anaerobic bacteria. Twenty healthy fasting subjects volunteered for a blinded prospective, descriptive correlational crossover cross-section clinical trial conducted during the month of Ramadan between July and August 2013 in Albaha province in Saudi Arabia involving the application of Listerine Cool Mint mouth rinse by either the traditional panoral rinsing method, or a site-specific disinfection method targeting the subgingival and supragingival plaque and the posterior third of the tongue dorsum, while avoiding the remaining locations within the oral cavity. The viable anaerobic and aerobic bacterial counts, volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) levels, organoleptic assessment of oral odor, and the tongue-coating index were compared at baseline, one, 5, and 9 hours after the treatment. The site-specific disinfection method reduced the VSCs and anaerobic bacterial loads while keeping the aerobic bacterial numbers higher than the traditional panoral rinsing method. Site-specific disinfection can more effectively maintain a healthy oral cavity by predominantly disinfecting the niches of anaerobic bacteria within the oral cavity.

  6. Critical Amino Acids in the Active Site of Meprin Metalloproteinases for Substrate and Peptide Bond Specificity*

    PubMed Central

    Villa, James P.; Bertenshaw, Greg P.; Bond, Judith S.

    2008-01-01

    SUMMARY The protease domains of the evolutionarily-related α and ß subunits of meprin metalloproteases are approximately 55% identical at the amino acid level, however, their substrate and peptide bond specificities differ markedly. The meprin ß subunit favors acidic residues proximal to the scissile bond, while the α subunit prefers small or aromatic amino acids flanking the scissile bond. Thus gastrin, a peptide that contains a string of five Glu residues, is an excellent substrate for meprin ß while it is not hydrolyzed by meprin α. Work herein aimed to identify critical amino acids in the meprin active sites that determine the substrate specificity differences. Sequence alignments and homology models, based on the crystal structure of the crayfish astacin, showed electrostatic differences within the meprin active sites. Site-directed mutagenesis of active site residues demonstrated that replacement of a hydrophobic residue by a basic amino acid enabled the meprin α protease to cleave gastrin. The meprin αY199K mutant was most effective; the corresponding mutation of meprin ßK185Y resulted in decreased activity toward gastrin. Peptide cleavage site determinations and kinetic analyses using a variety of peptides extended evidence that meprin αTyr199/ßLys185 are substrate specificity determinants in meprin active sites. These studies shed light on the molecular basis for the substrate specificity differences of astacin metalloproteinases. PMID:12888571

  7. An Intraoperative Site-specific Bone Density Device: A Pilot Test Case.

    PubMed

    Arosio, Paolo; Moschioni, Monica; Banfi, Luca Maria; Di Stefano, Anilo Alessio

    2015-08-01

    This paper reports a case of all-on-four rehabilitation where bone density at implant sites was assessed both through preoperative computed tomographic (CT) scans and using a micromotor working as an intraoperative bone density measurement device. Implant-supported rehabilitation is a predictable treatment option for tooth replacement whose success depends on the clinician's experience, the implant characteristics and location and patient-related factors. Among the latter, bone density is a determinant for the achievement of primary implant stability and, eventually, for implant success. The ability to measure bone density at the placement site before implant insertion could be important in the clinical setting. A patient complaining of masticatory impairment was presented with a plan calling for extraction of all her compromised teeth, followed by implant rehabilitation. A week before surgery, she underwent CT examination, and the bone density on the CT scans was measured. When the implant osteotomies were created, the bone density was again measured with a micromotor endowed with an instantaneous torque-measuring system. The implant placement protocols were adapted for each implant, according to the intraoperative measurements, and the patient was rehabilitated following an all-on-four immediate loading protocol. The bone density device provided valuable information beyond that obtained from CT scans, allowing for site-specific, intraoperative assessment of bone density immediately before implant placement and an estimation of primary stability just after implant insertion. Measuring jaw-bone density could help clinicians to select implant-placement protocols and loading strategies based on site-specific bone features.

  8. Tree-, stand- and site-specific controls on landscape-scale patterns of transpiration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassler, Sibylle; Markus, Weiler; Theresa, Blume

    2017-04-01

    Transpiration is a key process in the hydrological cycle and a sound understanding and quantification of transpiration and its spatial variability is essential for management decisions as well as for improving the parameterisation of hydrological and soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer models. For individual trees, transpiration is commonly estimated by measuring sap flow. Besides evaporative demand and water availability, tree-specific characteristics such as species, size or social status control sap flow amounts of individual trees. Within forest stands, properties such as species composition, basal area or stand density additionally affect sap flow, for example via competition mechanisms. Finally, sap flow patterns might also be influenced by landscape-scale characteristics such as geology, slope position or aspect because they affect water and energy availability; however, little is known about the dynamic interplay of these controls. We studied the relative importance of various tree-, stand- and site-specific characteristics with multiple linear regression models to explain the variability of sap velocity measurements in 61 beech and oak trees, located at 24 sites spread over a 290 km2-catchment in Luxembourg. For each of 132 consecutive days of the growing season of 2014 we modelled the daily sap velocities of these 61 trees and determined the importance of the different predictors. Results indicate that a combination of tree-, stand- and site-specific factors controls sap velocity patterns in the landscape, namely tree species, tree diameter, the stand density, geology and aspect. Compared to these predictors, spatial variability of atmospheric demand and soil moisture explains only a small fraction of the variability in the daily datasets. However, the temporal dynamics of the explanatory power of the tree-specific characteristics, especially species, are correlated to the temporal dynamics of potential evaporation. Thus, transpiration estimates at the

  9. Nevada National Security Site: Site-Directed Research and Development (SDRD) Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bender, Howard A.

    This report presents results of multiple research projects, new and ongoing, funded under the Site-Directed Research and Development Program for the Nevada National Security Site during federal fiscal year 2015. The Site's legacy capabilities in remote sensing combined with new paradigms for emergency response and consequence management help drive the need to develop advanced aerial sensor platforms. Likewise, dynamic materials science is a critical area of scientific research for which basic physics issues are still unresolved. New methods of characterizing materials in extreme states are vitally needed, and these efforts are paving the way with new knowledge. Projects selected inmore » FY 2015 for the Exploratory Research portfolio exhibit a strong balance of NNSS mission relevance. Geoscience, seismology, and techniques for detecting underground nuclear events are still essential focus areas. Many of the project reports in the second major section of this annual report are ongoing continuations in multi-year lifecycles. Diagnostic techniques for stockpile and nuclear security science figured prominently as well, with a few key efforts coming to fruition, such as phase transition detection. In other areas, modeling efforts toward better understanding plasma focus physics has also started to pay dividends for major program needs.« less

  10. Analysis of the site-specific integration system of the Streptomyces aureofaciens phage μ1/6.

    PubMed

    Farkašovská, Jarmila; Godány, Andrej

    2012-03-01

    The bacteriophage μ1/6 integrates its DNA into the chromosome of tetracycline producing strains of Streptomyces aureofaciens by a site-specific recombination process. A bioinformatic analysis of the μ1/6 genome revealed that orf5 encodes a putative integrase, a basic protein of 416 amino acids. The μ1/6 integrase was found to belong to the integrase family of site-specific tyrosine recombinases. The phage attachment site (attP) was localized downstream of the int gene. The attachment junctions (attL and attR) were determined, allowing identification of the bacterial attachment site (attB). All attachment sites shared a 46-bp common core sequence within which a site-specific recombination occurs. This core sequence comprises the 3' end of a putative tRNA(Thr) gene (anticodon TGT) which is completely restored in attL after integration of the phage into the host genome. An integration vector containing μ1/6 int-attP region was inserted stably into the S. aureofaciens B96, S. lividans TK24, and S. coelicolor A3. The μ1/6 integrase was shown to be functional in vivo in heterologous Escherichia coli without any other factors encoded by Streptomyces. In vitro recombination assay using purified μ1/6 integrase demonstrated its ability to catalyze integrative recombination in the presence of a crude extract of E. coli cells.

  11. Quantitative chemoproteomics for site-specific analysis of protein alkylation by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in cells.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jing; Tallman, Keri A; Porter, Ned A; Liebler, Daniel C

    2015-03-03

    Protein alkylation by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), an endogenous lipid derived electrophile, contributes to stress signaling and cellular toxicity. Although previous work has identified protein targets for HNE alkylation, the sequence specificity of alkylation and dynamics in a cellular context remain largely unexplored. We developed a new quantitative chemoproteomic platform, which uses isotopically tagged, photocleavable azido-biotin reagents to selectively capture and quantify the cellular targets labeled by the alkynyl analogue of HNE (aHNE). Our analyses site-specifically identified and quantified 398 aHNE protein alkylation events (386 cysteine sites and 12 histidine sites) in intact cells. This data set expands by at least an order of magnitude the number of such modification sites previously reported. Although adducts formed by Michael addition are thought to be largely irreversible, we found that most aHNE modifications are lost rapidly in situ. Moreover, aHNE adduct turnover occurs only in intact cells and loss rates are site-selective. This quantitative chemoproteomics platform provides a versatile general approach to map bioorthogonal-chemically engineered post-translational modifications and their cellular dynamics in a site-specific and unbiased manner.

  12. Surveying the Underwater Arcaheological Site of Cape Glaros at Pagasetikos Gulf

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Diamanti, E.; Spondylis, E.; Vlachaki, F.; Kolyva, E.

    2017-02-01

    The Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology (H.I.M.A.)1 has been conducting an underwater archaeological research in the west coast of southern Pagasetikos Gulf, since 2000. Every year the underwater research focuses on specific archaeological targets that have been recovered during previous field campaigns. The current publication elaborates on the comprehensive documentation of the underwater archaeological site at Cape Glaros, during the 2015 field season, under the direction of the archaeologist Elias Spondylis. The 2015 research campaign was conducted within the framework of the ITACA- Innovation Technologies and Applications for Coastal Archaeological sites European Project (FP7/2007-2013, GA No 606805), at two archaeological sites, namely the Cape Glaros and Metohi. It was among the most important challenges of the project to successfully produce the detailed and accurate 3D mapping of the Cape Glaros site that covers an extended area. Four large concentrations of pottery finds and numerous anchors of different typology have been recorded, that can be dated from the late Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. This challenge was tackled through the simultaneous implementation of three recording methods; photogrammetry, geodesy and conventional architectural mapping. The workflow of the documentation process, including data acquisition, processing and graphic visualization, along with the derived results are presented below. 1The Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology (H.I.M.A.) is a private, non-profit organization, founded in 1973, which undertakes maritime archaeological research under the supervision or in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Culture. It has over 100 members, with diverse academic credentials, all of whom work, mainly, on a voluntary basis. 3D recording of underwater archaeological sites has been applied to numerous projects that have been carried out by the multidisciplinary team of H.I.M.A. in locations of utmost archaeological

  13. Annual Site Environmental Report Calendar Year 2007

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dan Kayser-Ames Laboratory

    This report summarizes the environmental status of Ames Laboratory for calendar year 2007. It includes descriptions of the Laboratory site, its mission, the status of its compliance with applicable environmental regulations, its planning and activities to maintain compliance, and a comprehensive review of its environmental protection, surveillance and monitoring activities. Ames Laboratory is located on the campus of Iowa State University (ISU) and occupies 11 buildings owned by the Department of Energy (DOE). See the Laboratory's Web page at www.external.ameslab.gov for locations and Laboratory overview. The Laboratory also leases space in ISU owned buildings. In 2007, the Laboratory accumulated andmore » disposed of waste under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued generator numbers. All waste is handled according to all applicable EPA, State, Local and DOE Orders. In 2006 the Laboratory reduced its generator status from a Large Quantity Generator (LQG) to a Small Quantity Generator (SQG). EPA Region VII was notified of this change. The Laboratory's RCRA hazardous waste management program was inspected by EPA Region VII in April 2006. There were no notices of violations. The inspector was impressed with the improvements of the Laboratory's waste management program over the past ten years. The Laboratory was in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and DOE regulations and orders in 2007. There were no radiological air emissions or exposures to the general public due to Laboratory activities in 2007. See U.S. Department of Energy Air Emissions Annual Report in Appendix B. As indicated in prior SERs, pollution awareness, waste minimization and recycling programs have been in practice since 1990, with improvements implemented most recently in 2003. Included in these efforts were battery and CRT recycling, waste white paper and green computer paper-recycling. Ames Laboratory also recycles/reuses salvageable metal, used oil, styrofoam

  14. MONKEY: Identifying conserved transcription-factor binding sitesin multiple alignments using a binding site-specific evolutionarymodel

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Moses, Alan M.; Chiang, Derek Y.; Pollard, Daniel A.

    2004-10-28

    We introduce a method (MONKEY) to identify conserved transcription-factor binding sites in multispecies alignments. MONKEY employs probabilistic models of factor specificity and binding site evolution, on which basis we compute the likelihood that putative sites are conserved and assign statistical significance to each hit. Using genomes from the genus Saccharomyces, we illustrate how the significance of real sites increases with evolutionary distance and explore the relationship between conservation and function.

  15. Reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness of the neck disability index, patient-specific functional scale, and numeric pain rating scale in patients with cervical radiculopathy.

    PubMed

    Young, Ian A; Cleland, Joshua A; Michener, Lori A; Brown, Chris

    2010-10-01

    To examine the psychometric properties of the Neck Disability Index, Patient-Specific Functional Scale, and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale in a cohort of patients with cervical radiculopathy. A single-group repeated-measures design. Patients (n = 165) presenting to physical therapy with cervical radiculopathy completed the Neck Disability Index, Patient-Specific Functional Scale, and Numeric Pain Rating Scale at the baseline examination and at a follow-up. At the time of follow-up, all patients also completed the Global Rating of Change, which was used to dichotomize patients as improved or stable. Baseline and follow-up scores were used to determine the test-retest reliability, construct validity, and minimal levels of detectable and clinically important change for the Neck Disability Index, Patient-Specific Functional Scale, and Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Both the Neck Disability Index and Numeric Pain Rating Scale exhibited fair test-retest reliability, whereas the Patient-Specific Functional Scale exhibited poor reliability in patients with cervical radiculopathy. All three outcome measures showed adequate responsiveness in this patient population. The minimal detectable change was 13.4 for the Neck Disability Index, 3.3 for the Patient-Specific Functional Scale, and 4.1 for the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The threshold for the minimal clinically important difference was 8.5 for the Neck Disability Index and 2.2 for both the Patient-Specific Functional Scale and Numeric Pain Rating Scale. In light of the varied distribution of symptoms in patients with cervical radiculopathy, future studies should investigate the psychometric properties of other neck-related disability measures in this patient population.

  16. 76 FR 12349 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada; Correction

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-07

    ... AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting: Correction SUMMARY: On February 24, 2011... Site- Specific Advisory Board, Nevada to be held on March 9, 2011 (76 FR 10343). This document makes...: [email protected] . Corrections In the Federal Register of February 24, 2011, in FR Doc. 2011-4148, on...

  17. 27. "SITE PLAN." Specifications No. OC15775, Drawing No. AF600915, sheet ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    27. "SITE PLAN." Specifications No. OC1-57-75, Drawing No. AF-60-09-15, sheet 1 of 96, D.O. Series No. AF 1394/20, Rev. B. Stamped: RECORD DRAWING - AS CONSTRUCTED. Below stamp: Contract no. 5296 Rev. B, Date: 11/17/59. Site plan of 20,000-foot track, including construction phasing notes. - Edwards Air Force Base, South Base Sled Track, Edwards Air Force Base, North of Avenue B, between 100th & 140th Streets East, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, CA

  18. Age-specific productivity and nest site characteristics of Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moore, K.R.; Henny, C.J.

    1984-01-01

    Nesting Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) were studied in northeastern Oregon. Second-year (SY) males did not breed, but 22 percent of the breeding females were SY's. Mean clutch size (P = 0.012) and mean number of young fledged per pair that laid eggs (P < 0.10) were lower for SY females than for adult (after second year [ASY}) females; however, an equal percentage of the eggs (excluding a collected sample egg) yielded fledged young for each age class. Stepwise discriminant analysis suggested differences in structural characteristics of the nest site habitat for ASY and SY females, i.e., SY female nest sites were associated with younger successional stages than ASY female nest sites. Nests of both age groups were built in trees with high crown volume, but ASY females utilized mistletoe (Arceuthobium sp.) for nest structures more frequently (P < 0.01) than SY females.

  19. Validity and Reliability of the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale for Children Aged 4 to 17 Years With Acute Pain.

    PubMed

    Tsze, Daniel S; von Baeyer, Carl L; Pahalyants, Vartan; Dayan, Peter S

    2018-06-01

    The Verbal Numerical Rating Scale is the most commonly used self-report measure of pain intensity. It is unclear how the validity and reliability of the scale scores vary across children's ages. We aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the scale for children presenting to the emergency department across a comprehensive spectrum of age. This was a cross-sectional study of children aged 4 to 17 years. Children self-reported their pain intensity, using the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale and Faces Pain Scale-Revised at 2 serial assessments. We evaluated convergent validity (strong validity defined as correlation coefficient ≥0.60), agreement (difference between concurrent Verbal Numerical Rating Scale and Faces Pain Scale-Revised scores), known-groups validity (difference in score between children with painful versus nonpainful conditions), responsivity (decrease in score after analgesic administration), and reliability (test-retest at 2 serial assessments) in the total sample and subgroups based on age. We enrolled 760 children; 27 did not understand the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale and were removed. Of the remainder, Pearson correlations were strong to very strong (0.62 to 0.96) in all years of age except 4 and 5 years, and agreement was strong for children aged 8 and older. Known-groups validity and responsivity were strong in all years of age. Reliability was strong in all age subgroups, including each year of age from 4 to 7 years. Convergent validity, known-groups validity, responsivity, and reliability of the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale were strong for children aged 6 to 17 years. Convergent validity was not strong for children aged 4 and 5 years. Our findings support the use of the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale for most children aged 6 years and older, but not for those aged 4 and 5 years. Copyright © 2017 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Challenges for creating a site-specific groundwater-use record for the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (central USA) from 1900 to 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knierim, Katherine J.; Nottmeier, Anna M.; Worland, Scott; Westerman, Drew A.; Clark, Brian R.

    2017-09-01

    Hydrologic budgets to determine groundwater availability are important tools for water-resource managers. One challenging component for developing hydrologic budgets is quantifying water use through time because historical and site-specific water-use data can be sparse or poorly documented. This research developed a groundwater-use record for the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (central USA) from 1900 to 2010 that related county-level aggregated water-use data to site-specific well locations and aquifer units. A simple population-based linear model, constrained to 0 million liters per day in 1900, provided the best means to extrapolate groundwater-withdrawal rates pre-1950s when there was a paucity of water-use data. To disaggregate county-level data to individual wells across a regional aquifer system, a programmatic hierarchical process was developed, based on the level of confidence that a well pumped groundwater for a specific use during a specific year. Statistical models tested on a subset of the best-available site-specific water-use data provided a mechanism to bracket historic groundwater use, such that groundwater-withdrawal rates ranged, on average, plus or minus 38% from modeled values. Groundwater withdrawn for public supply and domestic use accounted for between 48 and 74% of total groundwater use since 1901, highlighting that groundwater provides an important drinking-water resource. The compilation, analysis, and spatial and temporal extrapolation of water-use data remain a challenging task for water scientists, but is of paramount importance to better quantify groundwater use and availability.

  1. Challenges for creating a site-specific groundwater-use record for the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (central USA) from 1900 to 2010

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Knierim, Katherine J.; Nottmeier, Anna M.; Worland, Scott C.; Westerman, Drew A.; Clark, Brian R.

    2017-01-01

    Hydrologic budgets to determine groundwater availability are important tools for water-resource managers. One challenging component for developing hydrologic budgets is quantifying water use through time because historical and site-specific water-use data can be sparse or poorly documented. This research developed a groundwater-use record for the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (central USA) from 1900 to 2010 that related county-level aggregated water-use data to site-specific well locations and aquifer units. A simple population-based linear model, constrained to 0 million liters per day in 1900, provided the best means to extrapolate groundwater-withdrawal rates pre-1950s when there was a paucity of water-use data. To disaggregate county-level data to individual wells across a regional aquifer system, a programmatic hierarchical process was developed, based on the level of confidence that a well pumped groundwater for a specific use during a specific year. Statistical models tested on a subset of the best-available site-specific water-use data provided a mechanism to bracket historic groundwater use, such that groundwater-withdrawal rates ranged, on average, plus or minus 38% from modeled values. Groundwater withdrawn for public supply and domestic use accounted for between 48 and 74% of total groundwater use since 1901, highlighting that groundwater provides an important drinking-water resource. The compilation, analysis, and spatial and temporal extrapolation of water-use data remain a challenging task for water scientists, but is of paramount importance to better quantify groundwater use and availability.

  2. 44 CFR 354.5 - Description of site-specific, plume pathway EPZ biennial exercise-related component services and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ..., plume pathway EPZ biennial exercise-related component services and other services. 354.5 Section 354.5... Description of site-specific, plume pathway EPZ biennial exercise-related component services and other... will assess fees on licensees include the following: (a) Site-specific, plume pathway EPZ biennial...

  3. Smoking-Associated Site-Specific Differential Methylation in Buccal Mucosa in the COPDGene Study

    PubMed Central

    Qiu, Weiliang; Carey, Vincent J.; Morrow, Jarrett; Bacherman, Helene; Foreman, Marilyn G.; Hokanson, John E.; Bowler, Russell P.; Crapo, James D.; DeMeo, Dawn L.

    2015-01-01

    DNA methylation is a complex, tissue-specific phenomenon that can reflect both endogenous factors and exogenous exposures. Buccal brushings represent an easily accessible source of DNA, which may be an appropriate surrogate tissue in the study of environmental exposures and chronic respiratory diseases. Buccal brushings were obtained from a subset of current and former smokers from the COPDGene study. Genome-wide DNA methylation data were obtained in the discovery cohort (n = 82) using the Illumina HumanMethylation450K array. Empirical Bayes methods were used to test for differential methylation by current smoking status at 468,219 autosomal CpG sites using linear models adjusted for age, sex, and race. Pyrosequencing was performed in a nonoverlapping replication cohort (n = 130). Current smokers were significantly younger than former smokers in both the discovery and replication cohorts. Seven CpG sites were associated with current smoking at a false discovery rate less than 0.05 in the discovery cohort. Six of the seven significant sites were pyrosequenced in the replication cohort; five CpG sites, including sites annotated to CYP1B1 and PARVA, were replicated. Correlations between cumulative smoke exposure and time since smoking cessation were observed in a subset of the significantly associated CpG sites. A significant correlation between reduced lung function and increased radiographic emphysema with methylation at cg02162897 (CYP1B1) was observed among female subjects. Site-specific methylation of DNA isolated from buccal mucosa is associated with exposure to cigarette smoke, and may provide insights into the mechanisms underlying differential susceptibility toward the development of smoking-related chronic respiratory diseases. PMID:25517428

  4. Site-Specific Integration of Exogenous Genes Using Genome Editing Technologies in Zebrafish.

    PubMed

    Kawahara, Atsuo; Hisano, Yu; Ota, Satoshi; Taimatsu, Kiyohito

    2016-05-13

    The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an ideal vertebrate model to investigate the developmental molecular mechanism of organogenesis and regeneration. Recent innovation in genome editing technologies, such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9) system, have allowed researchers to generate diverse genomic modifications in whole animals and in cultured cells. The CRISPR/Cas9 and TALEN techniques frequently induce DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at the targeted gene, resulting in frameshift-mediated gene disruption. As a useful application of genome editing technology, several groups have recently reported efficient site-specific integration of exogenous genes into targeted genomic loci. In this review, we provide an overview of TALEN- and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated site-specific integration of exogenous genes in zebrafish.

  5. Ultrasonic implant site preparation using piezosurgery: a multicenter case series study analyzing 3,579 implants with a 1- to 3-year follow-up.

    PubMed

    Vercellotti, Tomaso; Stacchi, Claudio; Russo, Crescenzo; Rebaudi, Alberto; Vincenzi, Giampaolo; Pratella, Umberto; Baldi, Domenico; Mozzati, Marco; Monagheddu, Chiara; Sentineri, Rosario; Cuneo, Tommaso; Di Alberti, Luca; Carossa, Stefano; Schierano, Gianmario

    2014-01-01

    This multicenter case series introduces an innovative ultrasonic implant site preparation (UISP) technique as an alternative to the use of traditional rotary instruments. A total of 3,579 implants were inserted in 1,885 subjects, and the sites were prepared using a specific ultrasonic device with a 1- to 3-year follow-up. No surgical complications related to the UISP protocol were reported for any of the implant sites. Seventy-eight implants (59 maxillary, 19 mandibular) failed within 5 months of insertion, for an overall osseointegration percentage of 97.82% (97.14% maxilla, 98.75% mandible). Three maxillary implants failed after 3 years of loading, with an overall implant survival rate of 97.74% (96.99% maxilla, 98.75% mandible).

  6. Weigh-in-motion (WIM) data for site-specific LRFR bridge load rating.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-08-12

    The live load factors in the Load and Resistant Factor Rating (LRFR) Manual are based on load data from Ontario : thought to be representative of traffic volumes nationwide. However, in accordance with the methodology for : developing site-specific l...

  7. Water-quality characteristics, including sodium-adsorption ratios, for four sites in the Powder River drainage basin, Wyoming and Montana, water years 2001-2004

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clark, Melanie L.; Mason, Jon P.

    2006-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, monitors streams throughout the Powder River structural basin in Wyoming and parts of Montana for potential effects of coalbed natural gas development. Specific conductance and sodium-adsorption ratios may be larger in coalbed waters than in stream waters that may receive the discharge waters. Therefore, continuous water-quality instruments for specific conductance were installed and discrete water-quality samples were collected to characterize water quality during water years 2001-2004 at four sites in the Powder River drainage basin: Powder River at Sussex, Wyoming; Crazy Woman Creek near Arvada, Wyoming; Clear Creek near Arvada, Wyoming; and Powder River at Moorhead, Montana. During water years 2001-2004, the median specific conductance of 2,270 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (?S/cm) in discrete samples from the Powder River at Sussex, Wyoming, was larger than the median specific conductance of 1,930 ?S/cm in discrete samples collected downstream from the Powder River at Moorhead, Montana. The median specific conductance was smallest in discrete samples from Clear Creek (1,180 ?S/cm), which has a dilution effect on the specific conductance for the Powder River at Moorhead, Montana. The daily mean specific conductance from continuous water-quality instruments during the irrigation season showed the same spatial pattern as specific conductance values for the discrete samples. Dissolved sodium, sodium-adsorption ratios, and dissolved solids generally showed the same spatial pattern as specific conductance. The largest median sodium concentration (274 milligrams per liter) and the largest range of sodium-adsorption ratios (3.7 to 21) were measured in discrete samples from the Powder River at Sussex, Wyoming. Median concentrations of sodium and sodium-adsorption ratios were substantially smaller in Crazy Woman Creek and Clear Creek, which tend to

  8. Progression marker of Parkinson's disease: a 4-year multi-site imaging study.

    PubMed

    Burciu, Roxana G; Ofori, Edward; Archer, Derek B; Wu, Samuel S; Pasternak, Ofer; McFarland, Nikolaus R; Okun, Michael S; Vaillancourt, David E

    2017-08-01

    Progression markers of Parkinson's disease are crucial for successful therapeutic development. Recently, a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging analysis technique using a bitensor model was introduced allowing the estimation of the fractional volume of free water within a voxel, which is expected to increase in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Prior work demonstrated that free water in the posterior substantia nigra was elevated in Parkinson's disease compared to controls across single- and multi-site cohorts, and increased over 1 year in Parkinson's disease but not in controls at a single site. Here, the goal was to validate free water in the posterior substantia nigra as a progression marker in Parkinson's disease, and describe the pattern of progression of free water in patients with a 4-year follow-up tested in a multicentre international longitudinal study of de novo Parkinson's disease (http://www.ppmi-info.org/). The analyses examined: (i) 1-year changes in free water in 103 de novo patients with Parkinson's disease and 49 controls; (ii) 2- and 4-year changes in free water in a subset of 46 patients with Parkinson's disease imaged at baseline, 12, 24, and 48 months; (iii) whether 1- and 2-year changes in free water predict 4-year changes in the Hoehn and Yahr scale; and (iv) the relationship between 4-year changes in free water and striatal binding ratio in a subgroup of Parkinson's disease who had undergone both diffusion and dopamine transporter imaging. Results demonstrated that: (i) free water level in the posterior substantia nigra increased over 1 year in de novo Parkinson's disease but not in controls; (ii) free water kept increasing over 4 years in Parkinson's disease; (iii) sex and baseline free water predicted 4-year changes in free water; (iv) free water increases over 1 and 2 years were related to worsening on the Hoehn and Yahr scale over 4 years; and (v) the 4-year increase in free water was associated with the 4-year

  9. Site-Specific Colloidal Crystal Nucleation by Template-enhanced Particle Transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishra, Chandan K.; Sood, A. K.; Ganapathy, Rajesh

    The deliberate positioning of nano- and microstructures on surfaces is often a prerequisite for fabricating functional devices. While template-assisted nucleation is a promising route to self-assemble these structures, its success hinges on particles reaching target sites prior to nucleation and for nano/microscale particles, this is hampered by their small surface mobilities. We tailored surface features, which in the presence of attractive depletion interactions not only directed micrometer-sized colloids to specific sites but also subsequently guided their growth into ordered crystalline arrays of well-defined size and symmetry. By following the nucleation kinetics with single-particle resolution, we demonstrate control over nucleation density in a growth regime that has hitherto remained inaccessible. Our findings pave the way towards realizing non-trivial surface architectures composed of complex colloids/nanoparticles as well.

  10. Site-specific colloidal crystal nucleation by template-enhanced particle transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishra, Chandan K.; Sood, A. K.; Ganapathy, Rajesh

    2016-10-01

    The monomer surface mobility is the single most important parameter that decides the nucleation density and morphology of islands during thin-film growth. During template-assisted surface growth in particular, low surface mobilities can prevent monomers from reaching target sites and this results in a partial to complete loss of nucleation control. Whereas in atomic systems a broad range of surface mobilities can be readily accessed, for colloids, owing to their large size, this window is substantially narrow and therefore imposes severe restrictions in extending template-assisted growth techniques to steer their self-assembly. Here, we circumvented this fundamental limitation by designing templates with spatially varying feature sizes, in this case moiré patterns, which in the presence of short-range depletion attraction presented surface energy gradients for the diffusing colloids. The templates serve a dual purpose: first, directing the particles to target sites by enhancing their surface mean-free paths and second, dictating the size and symmetry of the growing crystallites. Using optical microscopy, we directly followed the nucleation and growth kinetics of colloidal islands on these surfaces at the single-particle level. We demonstrate nucleation control, with high fidelity, in a regime that has remained unaccessed in theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies on atoms and molecules as well. Our findings pave the way for fabricating nontrivial surface architectures composed of complex colloids and nanoparticles as well.

  11. Isomer-Specific Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) Levels in Top Predator Fish from Across Canada and 36-Year Temporal Trends in Lake Ontario.

    PubMed

    Su, Guanyong; McGoldrick, Daryl J; Clark, Mandi G; Evans, Marlene S; Gledhill, Melissa; Garron, Christine; Armelin, Alain; Backus, Sean M; Letcher, Robert J

    2018-06-05

    Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) is a high concern environmental pollutant due to its persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties. The spatial distribution of HBCDD was investigated in top predator fish (lake trout, walleye, or brook trout) collected in 2013 ( n = 165) from 19 sampling sites and in 2015 ( n = 145) from 20 sites across Canada. HBCDD was measurable in at least one sample at each sampling site regardless of sampling year with the exception of walleye from the south basin of Lake Winnipeg (2013). Sampling sites in or near the Laurentian Great Lakes had greater ΣHBCDD concentrations compared to locations to the west or east. The greatest mean ΣHBCDD concentration was 72.6 ng/g lw in fish from Lake Huron-Goderich (2015). Regardless of the sampling sites, α-HBCDD was the dominant congener followed by γ-HBCDD, whereas β-HBCDD was barely detectable. In fish from the same waterbody there were comparable α/γ isomer concentration ratios. The greatest ratio was 20.8 in fish from Lake Ontario, whereas the lowest ratio was 6.3 for fish from Lac Memphrémagog (Québec) likely related to more recent emissions of a technical HBCDD mixture. Temporal trends of HBCDD in lake trout from Lake Ontario showed a significant decreasing trend for γ-HBCDD with a half-life estimate of 10 years over a 36-year period (1979-2015), and for α-HBCDD with a half-life of 11 years over the years of 2008 to 2015. The proportion of α-HBCDD to ΣHBCDD increased significantly during 1979 to 2015. The present study provided novel information on the isomer-specific HBCDDs in Canada freshwater fish.

  12. Comparison of Site-Specific Bone Mineral Densities between Endurance Runners and Sprinters in Adolescent Women

    PubMed Central

    Ikedo, Aoi; Ishibashi, Aya; Matsumiya, Saori; Kaizaki, Aya; Ebi, Kumiko; Fujita, Satoshi

    2016-01-01

    We aimed to compare site-specific bone mineral densities (BMDs) between adolescent endurance runners and sprinters and examine the relationship of fat-free mass (FFM) and nutrient intake on BMD. In this cross-sectional study, 37 adolescent female endurance runners and sprinters (16.1 ± 0.8 years) were recruited. BMD and FFM were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Nutrient intake and menstrual state were evaluated by questionnaires. After adjusting for covariates, spine and total bone less head (TBLH) BMDs were significantly higher in sprinters than endurance runners (TBLH, 1.02 ± 0.05 vs. 0.98 ± 0.06 g/cm2; spine, 0.99 ± 0.06 vs. 0.94 ± 0.06 g/cm2; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between groups in other sites. The rate of menstrual abnormality was higher in endurance runners compared with sprinters (56.3% vs. 23.8%; p < 0.05). FFM was a significant covariate for BMD on all sites except the spine (p < 0.05). Dietary intake of vitamin D was identified as a significant covariate only for pelvic BMD (p < 0.05). The BMDs of different sites among endurance runners and sprinters were strongly related to FFM. However, the association of FFM with spine BMD cannot be explained by FFM alone. Other factors, including nutrition and/or mechanical loading, may affect the spine BMD. PMID:27916891

  13. Comparing measured and modelled soil carbon: which site-specific variables are linked to high stability?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robertson, Andy; Schipanski, Meagan; Ma, Liwang; Ahuja, Lajpat; McNamara, Niall; Smith, Pete; Davies, Christian

    2016-04-01

    Changes in soil carbon (C) stocks have been studied in depth over the last two decades, as net greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks are highlighted to be a partial solution to the causes of climate change. However, the stability of this soil C is often overlooked when measuring these changes. Ultimately a net sequestration in soils is far less beneficial if labile C is replacing more stable forms. To date there is no accepted framework for measuring soil C stability, and as a result there is considerable uncertainty associated with the simulated impacts of land management and land use change when using process-based systems models. However, a recent effort to equate measurable soil C fractions to model pools has generated data that help to assess the impacts of land management, and can ultimately help to reduce the uncertainty of model predictions. Our research compiles this existing fractionation data along with site metadata to create a simplistic statistical model able to quantify the relative importance of different site-specific conditions. Data was mined from 23 published studies and combined with original data to generate a dataset of 100+ land use change sites across Europe. For sites to be included they required soil C fractions isolated using the Zimmermann et al. (2007) method and specific site metadata (mean annual precipitation, MAP; mean annual temperature, MAT; soil pH; land use; altitude). Of the sites, 75% were used to develop a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to create coefficients where site parameters can be used to predict influence on the measured soil fraction C stocks. The remaining 25% of sites were used to evaluate uncertainty and validate this empirical model. Further, four of the aforementioned sites were used to simulate soil C dynamics using the RothC, DayCent and RZWQM2 models. A sensitivity analysis (4096 model runs for each variable applying Latin hypercube random sampling techniques) was then used to observe whether these models place

  14. Two billion years of magmatism recorded from a single Mars meteorite ejection site

    PubMed Central

    Lapen, Thomas J.; Righter, Minako; Andreasen, Rasmus; Irving, Anthony J.; Satkoski, Aaron M.; Beard, Brian L.; Nishiizumi, Kunihiko; Jull, A. J. Timothy; Caffee, Marc W.

    2017-01-01

    The timing and nature of igneous activity recorded at a single Mars ejection site can be determined from the isotope analyses of Martian meteorites. Northwest Africa (NWA) 7635 has an Sm-Nd crystallization age of 2.403 ± 0.140 billion years, and isotope data indicate that it is derived from an incompatible trace element–depleted mantle source similar to that which produced a geochemically distinct group of 327- to 574-million-year-old “depleted” shergottites. Cosmogenic nuclide data demonstrate that NWA 7635 was ejected from Mars 1.1 million years ago (Ma), as were at least 10 other depleted shergottites. The shared ejection age is consistent with a common ejection site for these meteorites. The spatial association of 327- to 2403-Ma depleted shergottites indicates >2 billion years of magmatism from a long-lived and geochemically distinct volcanic center near the ejection site. PMID:28164153

  15. Chemical Understanding of the Limited Site-Specificity in Molecular Inner-Shell Photofragmentation

    DOE PAGES

    Inhester, Ludger; Oostenrijk, Bart; Patanen, Minna; ...

    2018-02-14

    In many cases fragmentation of molecules upon inner-shell ionization is very unspecific with respect to the initially localized ionization site. Often this finding is interpreted in terms of an equilibration of internal energy into vibrational degrees of freedom after Auger decay. In this paper, we investigate the X-ray photofragmentation of ethyl trifluoroacetate upon core electron ionization at environmentally distinct carbon sites using photoelectron–photoion–photoion coincidence measurements and ab initio electronic structure calculations. For all four carbon ionization sites, the Auger decay weakens the same bonds and transfers the two charges to opposite ends of the molecule, which leads to a rapidmore » dissociation into three fragments, followed by further fragmentation steps. Finally, the lack of site specificity is attributed to the character of the dicationic electronic states after Auger decay instead of a fast equilibration of internal energy.« less

  16. Activity-Based Probes for Isoenzyme- and Site-Specific Functional Characterization of Glutathione S -Transferases

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stoddard, Ethan G.; Killinger, Bryan J.; Nair, Reji N.

    Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) comprise a highly diverse family of phase II drug metabolizing enzymes whose shared function is the conjugation of reduced glutathione to various endo- and xenobiotics. Although the conglomerate activity of these enzymes can be measured by colorimetric assays, measurement of the individual contribution from specific isoforms and their contribution to the detoxification of xenobiotics in complex biological samples has not been possible. For this reason, we have developed two activity-based probes that characterize active glutathione transferases in mammalian tissues. The GST active site is comprised of a glutathione binding “G site” and a distinct substrate binding “Hmore » site”. Therefore, we developed (1) a glutathione-based photoaffinity probe (GSH-ABP) to target the “G site”, and (2) a probe designed to mimic a substrate molecule and show “H site” activity (GST-ABP). The GSH-ABP features a photoreactive moiety for UV-induced covalent binding to GSTs and glutathione-binding enzymes. The GST-ABP is a derivative of a known mechanism-based GST inhibitor that binds within the active site and inhibits GST activity. Validation of probe targets and “G” and “H” site specificity was carried out using a series of competitors in liver homogenates. Herein, we present robust tools for the novel characterization of enzyme- and active site-specific GST activity in mammalian model systems.« less

  17. Representations of numerical and non-numerical magnitude both contribute to mathematical competence in children.

    PubMed

    Lourenco, Stella F; Bonny, Justin W

    2017-07-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that non-symbolic representations of number, which humans share with nonhuman animals, are functionally related to uniquely human mathematical thought. Other research suggesting that numerical and non-numerical magnitudes not only share analog format but also form part of a general magnitude system raises questions about whether the non-symbolic basis of mathematical thinking is unique to numerical magnitude. Here we examined this issue in 5- and 6-year-old children using comparison tasks of non-symbolic number arrays and cumulative area as well as standardized tests of math competence. One set of findings revealed that scores on both magnitude comparison tasks were modulated by ratio, consistent with shared analog format. Moreover, scores on these tasks were moderately correlated, suggesting overlap in the precision of numerical and non-numerical magnitudes, as expected under a general magnitude system. Another set of findings revealed that the precision of both types of magnitude contributed shared and unique variance to the same math measures (e.g. calculation and geometry), after accounting for age and verbal competence. These findings argue against an exclusive role for non-symbolic number in supporting early mathematical understanding. Moreover, they suggest that mathematical understanding may be rooted in a general system of magnitude representation that is not specific to numerical magnitude but that also encompasses non-numerical magnitude. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. 78 FR 75552 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge Reservation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-12

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  19. 77 FR 47047 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-07

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  20. 78 FR 49739 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-15

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  1. 77 FR 2714 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge Reservation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-19

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  2. 78 FR 44942 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge Reservation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-25

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  3. 78 FR 58294 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-23

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  4. 78 FR 38305 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-26

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  5. 78 FR 30910 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-23

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  6. 77 FR 45345 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge Reservation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-31

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  7. 78 FR 10612 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-14

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  8. 77 FR 26273 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-03

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  9. 77 FR 39234 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-02

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  10. 78 FR 23759 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-22

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  11. 76 FR 70120 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-10

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  12. 77 FR 53192 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-31

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  13. 75 FR 82004 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-29

    ... Laboratory AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory...--Radioactive Waste Management. Public Participation: The EM SSAB, Idaho National Laboratory, welcomes the...

  14. 78 FR 12747 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-25

    ... Laboratory AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Idaho National Laboratory... Management System Public Participation: The EM SSAB, Idaho National Laboratory, welcomes the attendance of...

  15. Forced Ambiguity of the Leucine Codons for Multiple-Site-Specific Incorporation of a Noncanonical Amino Acid.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Inchan; Choi, Eun Sil

    2016-01-01

    Multiple-site-specific incorporation of a noncanonical amino acid into a recombinant protein would be a very useful technique to generate multiple chemical handles for bioconjugation and multivalent binding sites for the enhanced interaction. Previously combination of a mutant yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase variant and the yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA containing the AAA anticodon was used to incorporate a noncanonical amino acid into multiple UUU phenylalanine (Phe) codons in a site-specific manner. However, due to the less selective codon recognition of the AAA anticodon, there was significant misincorporation of a noncanonical amino acid into unwanted UUC Phe codons. To enhance codon selectivity, we explored degenerate leucine (Leu) codons instead of Phe degenerate codons. Combined use of the mutant yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA containing the CAA anticodon and the yPheRS_naph variant allowed incorporation of a phenylalanine analog, 2-naphthylalanine, into murine dihydrofolate reductase in response to multiple UUG Leu codons, but not to other Leu codon sites. Despite the moderate UUG codon occupancy by 2-naphthylalaine, these results successfully demonstrated that the concept of forced ambiguity of the genetic code can be achieved for the Leu codons, available for multiple-site-specific incorporation.

  16. Forced Ambiguity of the Leucine Codons for Multiple-Site-Specific Incorporation of a Noncanonical Amino Acid

    PubMed Central

    Kwon, Inchan; Choi, Eun Sil

    2016-01-01

    Multiple-site-specific incorporation of a noncanonical amino acid into a recombinant protein would be a very useful technique to generate multiple chemical handles for bioconjugation and multivalent binding sites for the enhanced interaction. Previously combination of a mutant yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase variant and the yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA containing the AAA anticodon was used to incorporate a noncanonical amino acid into multiple UUU phenylalanine (Phe) codons in a site-specific manner. However, due to the less selective codon recognition of the AAA anticodon, there was significant misincorporation of a noncanonical amino acid into unwanted UUC Phe codons. To enhance codon selectivity, we explored degenerate leucine (Leu) codons instead of Phe degenerate codons. Combined use of the mutant yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA containing the CAA anticodon and the yPheRS_naph variant allowed incorporation of a phenylalanine analog, 2-naphthylalanine, into murine dihydrofolate reductase in response to multiple UUG Leu codons, but not to other Leu codon sites. Despite the moderate UUG codon occupancy by 2-naphthylalaine, these results successfully demonstrated that the concept of forced ambiguity of the genetic code can be achieved for the Leu codons, available for multiple-site-specific incorporation. PMID:27028506

  17. Water level, specific conductance, and water temperature data, San Francisco Bay, California, for Water Year 2000

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buchanan, P.A.

    2002-01-01

    Time series of water-level, specific-conductance, and watertemperature data were collected at seven sites in San Francisco Bay during water year 2000 (October 1, 1999 through September 30, 2000). Water-level data were recorded only at Point San Pablo. Specific-conductance and water-temperature data were recorded at 15-minute intervals at the following locations (Figure 1): • Carquinez Strait at Carquinez Bridge • Napa River at Mare Island Causeway near Vallejo • San Pablo Bay at Petaluma River Channel Marker 9 • San Pablo Strait at Point San Pablo • Central San Francisco Bay at Presidio Military Reservation • Central San Francisco Bay at Pier 24 • South San Francisco Bay at San Mateo Bridge near Foster City.

  18. Inducible model for β-six-mediated site-specific recombination in mammalian cells

    PubMed Central

    Servert, Pilar; Garcia-Castro, Javier; Díaz, Vicente; Lucas, Daniel; Gonzalez, Manuel A.; Martínez-A, Carlos; Bernad, Antonio

    2006-01-01

    The prokaryotic β recombinase catalyzes site-specific recombination between two directly oriented minimal six sites in chromatin-integrated substrates. Here, we demonstrate that an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-fused version of β recombinase (β-EGFP) is fully active, retaining most specific activity. It is used to develop a recombination-dependent activatable gene expression (RAGE) system based on the androgen receptor (AR) ligand-binding domain (LBD). Two hybrid molecules, a direct fusion of the LBD-AR to the C-terminus of β recombinase (β-AR) and a triple fusion of β-EGFP to the same ligand-binding domain (β-EGFP-AR), were engineered and their subcellular behavior, stability and catalytic activity were evaluated. Both chimeric β recombinase proteins showed in vivo inducible recombinogenic activity dependent on addition of an androgen receptor agonist, although the β-AR fusion protein demonstrated more accurate ligand-dependent translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus. PMID:16394020

  19. Leachate breakthrough mechanism and key pollutant indicator of municipal solid waste landfill barrier systems: Centrifuge and numerical modeling approach.

    PubMed

    Shu, Shi; Zhu, Wei; Wang, Shengwei; Ng, Charles Wang Wai; Chen, Yunmin; Chiu, Abraham Chung Fai

    2018-01-15

    Groundwater pollution by leachate leakage is one of the most common environmental hazards associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites. However, landfill leachate contains a large variety of pollutants with widely different concentrations and biotoxicity. Thus, selecting leachate pollutant indicators and levels for identifying breakthrough of barrier systems are key factors in assessing their breakthrough times. This study investigated the transport behavior of leachate pollutants through landfill barrier systems using centrifuge tests and numerical modeling. The overall objective of this study is to investigate breakthrough mechanism to facilitate the establishment of a consistent pollutant threshold concentration for use as a groundwater pollution alert. The specific objective of the study is to identify which pollutant and breakthrough threshold concentration should be used as an indicator in the transport of multiple pollutants through a landfill barrier system. The threshold concentration from the Chinese groundwater quality standards was used in the analysis of the properties of leachates from many landfill sites in China. The time for the chemical oxygen demand (COD) to reach the breakthrough threshold concentration at the bottom of a 2m compacted clay liner was 1.51years according to centrifuge tests, and 1.81years according to numerical modeling. The COD breakthrough times for single and double composite liners were within the range of 16 and 36.58years. Of all the pollutants, COD was found to consistently reach the breakthrough threshold first. Therefore, COD can be selected as the key indicator for pollution alerts and used to assess the environmental risk posed by MSW landfill sites. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Non-site-specific allosteric effect of oxygen on human hemoglobin under high oxygen partial pressure.

    PubMed

    Takayanagi, Masayoshi; Kurisaki, Ikuo; Nagaoka, Masataka

    2014-04-08

    Protein allostery is essential for vital activities. Allosteric regulation of human hemoglobin (HbA) with two quaternary states T and R has been a paradigm of allosteric structural regulation of proteins. It is widely accepted that oxygen molecules (O2) act as a "site-specific" homotropic effector, or the successive O2 binding to the heme brings about the quaternary regulation. However, here we show that the site-specific allosteric effect is not necessarily only a unique mechanism of O2 allostery. Our simulation results revealed that the solution environment of high O2 partial pressure enhances the quaternary change from T to R without binding to the heme, suggesting an additional "non-site-specific" allosteric effect of O2. The latter effect should play a complementary role in the quaternary change by affecting the intersubunit contacts. This analysis must become a milestone in comprehensive understanding of the allosteric regulation of HbA from the molecular point of view.

  1. Site and plant species are important determinants of the Methylobacterium community composition in the plant phyllosphere.

    PubMed

    Knief, Claudia; Ramette, Alban; Frances, Lisa; Alonso-Blanco, Carlos; Vorholt, Julia A

    2010-06-01

    The plant phyllosphere constitutes a habitat for numerous microorganisms; among them are members of the genus Methylobacterium. Owing to the ubiquitous occurrence of methylobacteria on plant leaves, they represent a suitable target for studying plant colonization patterns. The influence of the factor site, host plant species, time and the presence of other phyllosphere bacteria on Methylobacterium community composition and population size were evaluated in this study. Leaf samples were collected from Arabidopsis thaliana or Medicago truncatula plants and from the surrounding plant species at several sites. The abundance of cultivable Methylobacterium clearly correlated with the abundance of other phyllosphere bacteria, suggesting that methylobacteria constitute a considerable and rather stable fraction of the phyllosphere microbiota under varying environmental conditions. Automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) was applied to characterize the Methylobacterium community composition and showed the presence of similar communities on A. thaliana plants at most sites in 2 consecutive years of sampling. A substantial part of the observed variation in the community composition was explained by site and plant species, especially in the case of the plants collected at the Arabidopsis sites (50%). The dominating ARISA peaks that were detected on A. thaliana plants were found on other plant species grown at the same site, whereas some different peaks were detected on A. thaliana plants from other sites. This indicates that site-specific factors had a stronger impact on the Methylobacterium community composition than did plant-specific factors and that the Methylobacterium-plant association is not highly host plant species specific.

  2. High order parallel numerical schemes for solving incompressible flows

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lin, Avi; Milner, Edward J.; Liou, May-Fun; Belch, Richard A.

    1992-01-01

    The use of parallel computers for numerically solving flow fields has gained much importance in recent years. This paper introduces a new high order numerical scheme for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) specifically designed for parallel computational environments. A distributed MIMD system gives the flexibility of treating different elements of the governing equations with totally different numerical schemes in different regions of the flow field. The parallel decomposition of the governing operator to be solved is the primary parallel split. The primary parallel split was studied using a hypercube like architecture having clusters of shared memory processors at each node. The approach is demonstrated using examples of simple steady state incompressible flows. Future studies should investigate the secondary split because, depending on the numerical scheme that each of the processors applies and the nature of the flow in the specific subdomain, it may be possible for a processor to seek better, or higher order, schemes for its particular subcase.

  3. Site-specific management of cotton root rot using airborne and satellite imagery

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton root rot is a serious cotton disease that can now be effectively controlled with Topguard Terra Fungicide. The objectives of this research were to demonstrate how site-specific fungicide application could be implemented based on historical remote sensing imagery and variable rate technology. ...

  4. Use of GIS-based Site-specific Nitrogen Management for Improving Energy Efficiency

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    To our knowledge, geographical information system (GIS)-based site-specific nitrogen management (SSNM) techniques have not been used to assess agricultural energy costs and efficiency. This chapter uses SSNM case studies for corn (Zea mays L.) grown in Missouri and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) gro...

  5. 75 FR 24686 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico... Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92- 463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of..., San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico 87566. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Menice Santistevan, Northern New...

  6. Polyhydroxylated [60]fullerene binds specifically to functional recognition sites on a monomeric and a dimeric ubiquitin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zanzoni, Serena; Ceccon, Alberto; Assfalg, Michael; Singh, Rajesh K.; Fushman, David; D'Onofrio, Mariapina

    2015-04-01

    The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in biomedical applications requires an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms by which NPs interact with biomolecules. NPs associating with proteins may interfere with protein-protein interactions and affect cellular communication pathways, however the impact of NPs on biomolecular recognition remains poorly characterized. In this respect, particularly relevant is the study of NP-induced functional perturbations of proteins implicated in the regulation of key biochemical pathways. Ubiquitin (Ub) is a prototypical protein post-translational modifier playing a central role in numerous essential biological processes. To contribute to the understanding of the interactions between this universally distributed biomacromolecule and NPs, we investigated the adsorption of polyhydroxylated [60]fullerene on monomeric Ub and on a minimal polyubiquitin chain in vitro at atomic resolution. Site-resolved chemical shift and intensity perturbations of Ub's NMR signals, together with 15N spin relaxation rate changes, exchange saturation transfer effects, and fluorescence quenching data were consistent with the reversible formation of soluble aggregates incorporating fullerenol clusters. The specific interaction epitopes were identified, coincident with functional recognition sites in a monomeric and lysine48-linked dimeric Ub. Fullerenol appeared to target the open state of the dynamic structure of a dimeric Ub according to a conformational selection mechanism. Importantly, the protein-NP association prevented the enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of polyubiquitin chains. Our findings provide an experiment-based insight into protein/fullerenol recognition, with implications in functional biomolecular communication, including regulatory protein turnover, and for the opportunity of therapeutic intervention in Ub-dependent cellular pathways.The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in biomedical applications requires an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms by which

  7. Light-stimulated cargo release from a core–shell structured nanocomposite for site-specific delivery

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cai, Yun; Ling, Li; Li, Xiaofang

    This paper reported a core–shell structured site-specific delivery system with a light switch triggered by low energy light (λ=510 nm). Its core was composed of supermagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles for magnetic guiding and targeting. Its outer shell consisted of mesoporous silica molecular sieve MCM-41 which offered highly ordered hexagonal tunnels for cargo capacity. A light switch N1-(4aH-cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b′]dipyridin-5(5aH)-ylidene)benzene-1, 4-diamine (CBD) was covalently grafted into these hexagonal tunnels, serving as light stimuli acceptor with loading content of 1.1 μM/g. This composite was fully characterized and confirmed by SEM, TEM, XRD patterns, N{sub 2} adsorption/desorption, thermogravimetric analysis, IR, UV–vis absorption and emissionmore » spectra. Experimental data suggested that this composite had a core as wide as 150 nm and could be magnetically guided to specific sites. Its hexagonal tunnels were as long as 180 nm. Upon light stimuli of “on” and “off” states, controllable release was observed with short release time of ~900 s (90% capacity). - Graphical abstract: A core–shell structured site-specific delivery system with a light switch triggered by yellow light was constructed. Controllable release was observed with short release time of ~900 s (90% capacity). - Highlights: • A core–shell structured site-specific delivery system was constructed. • It consisted of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} core and MCM-41 shell grafted with light switch. • This delivery system was triggered by low energy light. • Controllable release was observed with short release time of ~900 s.« less

  8. Streptococci Engage TLR13 on Myeloid Cells in a Site-Specific Fashion.

    PubMed

    Kolter, Julia; Feuerstein, Reinhild; Spoeri, Evelyne; Gharun, Kourosh; Elling, Roland; Trieu-Cuot, Patrick; Goldmann, Tobias; Waskow, Claudia; Chen, Zhijian J; Kirschning, Carsten J; Deshmukh, Sachin D; Henneke, Philipp

    2016-03-15

    Streptococci are common human colonizers with a species-specific mucocutaneous distribution. At the same time, they are among the most important and most virulent invasive bacterial pathogens. Thus, site-specific cellular innate immunity, which is predominantly executed by resident and invading myeloid cells, has to be adapted with respect to streptococcal sensing, handling, and response. In this article, we show that TLR13 is the critical mouse macrophage (MΦ) receptor in the response to group B Streptococcus, both in bone marrow-derived MΦs and in mature tissue MΦs, such as those residing in the lamina propria of the colon and the dermis, as well as in microglia. In contrast, TLR13 and its chaperone UNC-93B are dispensable for a potent cytokine response of blood monocytes to group B Streptococcus, although monocytes serve as the key progenitors of intestinal and dermal MΦs. Furthermore, a specific role for TLR13 with respect to MΦ function is supported by the response to staphylococci, where TLR13 and UNC-93B limit the cytokine response in bone marrow-derived MΦs and microglia, but not in dermal MΦs. In summary, TLR13 is a critical and site-specific receptor in the single MΦ response to β-hemolytic streptococci. Copyright © 2016 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  9. Purification and characterization of VDE, a site-specific endonuclease from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Gimble, F S; Thorner, J

    1993-10-15

    The 119-kDa primary translation product of the VMA1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoes a self-catalyzed rearrangement ("protein splicing") that excises an internal 50-kDa segment of the polypeptide and joins the amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal segments to generate the 69-kDa subunit of the vacuolar membrane-associated H(+)-ATPase. We have shown previously that the internal segment is a site-specific endonuclease (Gimble, F. S., and Thorner, J. (1992) Nature 357, 301-306). Here we describe methods for the high level expression and purification to near homogeneity of both the authentic VMA1-derived endonuclease (or VDE) from yeast (yield 18%) and a recombinant form of VDE made in bacteria (yield 29%). Detailed characterization of these preparations demonstrated that the yeast-derived and bacterially produced enzymes were indistinguishable, as judged by: (a) behavior during purification; (b) apparent native molecular mass (50 kDa); (c) immunological reactivity; and (d) catalytic properties (specific activity; cleavage site recognition; and optima for pH, temperature, divalent cation and ionic strength). The minimal site required for VDE cleavage was delimited to a 30-base pair sequence within its specific substrate (the VMA1 delta vde allele).

  10. Safe genetic modification of cardiac stem cells using a site-specific integration technique.

    PubMed

    Lan, Feng; Liu, Junwei; Narsinh, Kazim H; Hu, Shijun; Han, Leng; Lee, Andrew S; Karow, Marisa; Nguyen, Patricia K; Nag, Divya; Calos, Michele P; Robbins, Robert C; Wu, Joseph C

    2012-09-11

    Human cardiac progenitor cells (hCPCs) are a promising cell source for regenerative repair after myocardial infarction. Exploitation of their full therapeutic potential may require stable genetic modification of the cells ex vivo. Safe genetic engineering of stem cells, using facile methods for site-specific integration of transgenes into known genomic contexts, would significantly enhance the overall safety and efficacy of cellular therapy in a variety of clinical contexts. We used the phiC31 site-specific recombinase to achieve targeted integration of a triple fusion reporter gene into a known chromosomal context in hCPCs and human endothelial cells. Stable expression of the reporter gene from its unique chromosomal integration site resulted in no discernible genomic instability or adverse changes in cell phenotype. Namely, phiC31-modified hCPCs were unchanged in their differentiation propensity, cellular proliferative rate, and global gene expression profile when compared with unaltered control hCPCs. Expression of the triple fusion reporter gene enabled multimodal assessment of cell fate in vitro and in vivo using fluorescence microscopy, bioluminescence imaging, and positron emission tomography. Intramyocardial transplantation of genetically modified hCPCs resulted in significant improvement in myocardial function 2 weeks after cell delivery, as assessed by echocardiography (P=0.002) and MRI (P=0.001). We also demonstrated the feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of genetically modifying differentiated human endothelial cells, which enhanced hind limb perfusion (P<0.05 at day 7 and 14 after transplantation) on laser Doppler imaging. The phiC31 integrase genomic modification system is a safe, efficient tool to enable site-specific integration of reporter transgenes in progenitor and differentiated cell types.

  11. Brain Region and Isoform-Specific Phosphorylation Alters Kalirin SH2 Domain Interaction Sites and Calpain Sensitivity

    PubMed Central

    Miller, Megan B.; Yan, Yan; Machida, Kazuya; Kiraly, Drew D.; Levy, Aaron D.; Wu, Yi I.; Lam, TuKiet T.; Abbott, Thomas; Koleske, Anthony J.; Eipper, Betty A.; Mains, Richard E.

    2017-01-01

    Kalirin7 (Kal7), a postsynaptic Rho GDP/GTP exchange factor (RhoGEF), plays a crucial role in long term potentiation and in the effects of cocaine on behavior and spine morphology. The KALRN gene has been linked to schizophrenia and other disorders of synaptic function. Mass spectrometry was used to quantify phosphorylation at 26 sites in Kal7 from individual adult rat nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex before and after exposure to acute or chronic cocaine. Region- and isoform-specific phosphorylation was observed along with region-specific effects of cocaine on Kal7 phosphorylation. Evaluation of the functional significance of multi-site phosphorylation in a complex protein like Kalirin is difficult. With the identification of five tyrosine phosphorylation (pY) sites, a panel of 71 SH2 domains was screened, identifying subsets that interacted with multiple pY sites in Kal7. In addition to this type of reversible interaction, endoproteolytic cleavage by calpain plays an essential role in long-term potentiation. Calpain cleaved Kal7 at two sites, separating the N-terminal domain, which affects spine length, and the PDZ binding motif from the GEF domain. Mutations preventing phosphorylation did not affect calpain sensitivity or GEF activity; phosphomimetic mutations at specific sites altered protein stability, increased calpain sensitivity and reduced GEF activity. PMID:28418645

  12. Tissue-specifically regulated site-specific excision of selectable marker genes in bivalent insecticidal, genetically-modified rice.

    PubMed

    Hu, Zhan; Ding, Xuezhi; Hu, Shengbiao; Sun, Yunjun; Xia, Liqiu

    2013-12-01

    Marker-free, genetically-modified rice was created by the tissue-specifically regulated Cre/loxP system, in which the Cre recombinase gene and hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hpt) were flanked by two directly oriented loxP sites. Cre expression was activated by the tissue-specific promoter OsMADS45 in flower or napin in seed, resulting in simultaneous excision of the recombinase and marker genes. Segregation of T1 progeny was performed to select recombined plants. The excision was confirmed by PCR, Southern blot and sequence analyses indicating that efficiency varied from 10 to 53 % for OsMADS45 and from 12 to 36 % for napin. The expression of cry1Ac and vip3A was detected by RT-PCR analysis in marker-free transgenic rice. These results suggested that our tissue-specifically regulated Cre/loxP system could auto-excise marker genes from transgenic rice and alleviate public concerns about the security of GM crops.

  13. DFN-M field characterization of sandstone for a process-based site conceptual model and numerical simulations of TCE transport with degradation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pierce, Amanda A.; Chapman, Steven W.; Zimmerman, Laura K.; Hurley, Jennifer C.; Aravena, Ramon; Cherry, John A.; Parker, Beth L.

    2018-05-01

    .e., Snap Sampler™) and contaminant mass stored in the low permeability rock matrix (i.e., CORE-DFN™). Simulations using a discrete fracture-matrix (DFN-M) numerical model capable of rigorously simulating flow and transport in both the fractures and matrix, including interactions, show that even slow, first-order degradation rates (i.e., 5- to 20-year half-lives) informed by site-derived parameters can contribute strongly to natural attenuation, resulting in TCE plumes that become stationary in space and might even retreat after 50 to 100 years, if the DNAPL sources become depleted due to the combination of diffusion and degradation processes.

  14. DFN-M field characterization of sandstone for a process-based site conceptual model and numerical simulations of TCE transport with degradation.

    PubMed

    Pierce, Amanda A; Chapman, Steven W; Zimmerman, Laura K; Hurley, Jennifer C; Aravena, Ramon; Cherry, John A; Parker, Beth L

    2018-05-01

    .e., Snap Sampler™) and contaminant mass stored in the low permeability rock matrix (i.e., CORE-DFN™). Simulations using a discrete fracture-matrix (DFN-M) numerical model capable of rigorously simulating flow and transport in both the fractures and matrix, including interactions, show that even slow, first-order degradation rates (i.e., 5- to 20-year half-lives) informed by site-derived parameters can contribute strongly to natural attenuation, resulting in TCE plumes that become stationary in space and might even retreat after 50 to 100 years, if the DNAPL sources become depleted due to the combination of diffusion and degradation processes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Net Mineralization Response to Fertilizer Application and Site-Specific Setting in a No-Till Dryland Wheat Agroecosystem in the Pacific Northwest (USA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruner, Emily A.; Brown, David J.; Carpenter-Boggs, Lynn

    2015-04-01

    Application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers is pivotal to maintaining agricultural productivity. Nutrient management is typically guided by a combined assessment of crop yield requirements, residual soil inorganic N concentration, and predicted N supply from organic matter. However, laboratory assays employed to forecast mineralization potential do not reflect in situ processes occurring in soils, processes that can vary spatially within a field. Furthermore, fertilizer application alters biogeochemical cycles through a variety of mechanisms including priming effects and microbial community alterations. This study investigates in-situ ammonification/nitrification rates utilizing mineralization cores as part of a five-year Site-Specific Climate-Friendly Farming (SCF) project. In-depth accounting of nitrate and ammonium production and flux was possible via a six bag mixed-bed ion exchange resin system. Soil cores (7.5 cm diameter by 15 cm deep) were isolated from the surrounding soil by three resin bags sealed in the top and bottom of individual plastic cylinders. Fifteen locations were selected across a commercial direct-seed wheat field based on statistical clustering of primary and secondary topographic variables. In each location surface soil-resin cores were installed in fertilized and unfertilized plots immediately after spring planting and removed before harvest. In situ ammonification/nitrification rates will be analyzed as a function of both fertilizer application and site-specific environmental characteristics as determined from soil moisture monitoring, soil characterization, and crop analysis at each measurement location. This site-specific information on N transformations and availability can then be used to guide site-specific crop management.

  16. Screening of groundwater remedial alternatives for brownfield sites: a comprehensive method integrated MCDA with numerical simulation.

    PubMed

    Li, Wei; Zhang, Min; Wang, Mingyu; Han, Zhantao; Liu, Jiankai; Chen, Zhezhou; Liu, Bo; Yan, Yan; Liu, Zhu

    2018-06-01

    Brownfield sites pollution and remediation is an urgent environmental issue worldwide. The screening and assessment of remedial alternatives is especially complex owing to its multiple criteria that involves technique, economy, and policy. To help the decision-makers selecting the remedial alternatives efficiently, the criteria framework conducted by the U.S. EPA is improved and a comprehensive method that integrates multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with numerical simulation is conducted in this paper. The criteria framework is modified and classified into three categories: qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative criteria, MCDA method, AHP-PROMETHEE (analytical hierarchy process-preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation) is used to determine the priority ranking of the remedial alternatives and the solute transport simulation is conducted to assess the remedial efficiency. A case study was present to demonstrate the screening method in a brownfield site in Cangzhou, northern China. The results show that the systematic method provides a reliable way to quantify the priority of the remedial alternatives.

  17. Fiscal Year 2015 Site Sustainability Plan

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Witt, Monica Rene

    Los Alamos National Laboratory is taking action to operate as a living laboratory for sustainable solutions in buildings, climate, energy, purchasing, transportation, waste, and water. LANL prepared the fiscal year (FY) 2015 Site Sustainability Plan (SSP) to describe progress towards the goals established in the SSPP. In addition, per the requirements of DOE Order 436.1, Departmental Sustainability, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) uses its International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2004 certified Environmental Management System (EMS) to establish objectives to improve compliance, reduce environmental impacts, increase operational capacity, and meet long-term sustainability goals. The goals of the 2015 SSP are fullymore » integrated into LANL’s institutional environmental objectives under the EMS and its Long-Term Strategy for Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability (LTSESS).« less

  18. Site-Specific RNase A Activity Was Dramatically Reduced in Serum from Multiple Types of Cancer Patients

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Weiyan; Zhao, Mei; Wei, Na; Wang, Xiaoxia; Cao, Huqing; Du, Quan; Liang, Zicai

    2014-01-01

    Potent RNase activities were found in the serum of mammals but the physiological function of the RNases was never well illustrated, largely due to the caveats in methods of RNase activity measurement. None of the existing methods can distinguish between RNases with different target specificities. A systematic study was recently carried out in our lab to investigate the site-specificity of serum RNases on double-stranded RNA substrates, and found that serum RNases cleave double-stranded RNAs predominantly at 5′-U/A-3′ and 5′-C/A-3′ dinucleotide sites, in a manner closely resembling RNase A. Based on this finding, a FRET assay was developed in the current study to measure this site-specific serum RNase activity in human samples using a double stranded RNA substrate. We demonstrated that the method has a dynamic range of 10−5 mg/ml- 10−1 mg/ml using serial dilution of RNase A. The sera of 303 cancer patients were subjected to comparison with 128 healthy controls, and it was found that serum RNase activities visualized with this site-specific double stranded probe were found to be significantly reduced in patients with gastric cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, ovary cancer, cervical cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer and lung cancer, while only minor changes were found in breast and colon cancer patients. This is the first report using double stranded RNA as probe to quantify site-specific activities of RNase A in a serum. The results illustrated that RNase A might be further evaluated to determine if it can serve as a new class of biomarkers for certain cancer types. PMID:24805924

  19. The Determination and Analysis of Site-Specific Rates of Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Production

    PubMed Central

    Quinlan, Casey L.; Perevoschikova, Irina V.; Goncalves, Renata L.S.; Hey-Mogensen, Martin; Brand, Martin D.

    2014-01-01

    Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) are widely implicated in physiological and pathological pathways. We propose that it is critical to understand the specific sites of mitochondrial ROS production and their mechanisms of action. Mitochondria possess at least eight distinct sites of ROS production in the electron transport chain and matrix compartment. In this chapter, we describe the nature of the mitochondrial ROS-producing machinery and the relative capacities of each site. We provide detailed methods for the measurement of H2O2 release and the conditions under which maximal rates from each site can be achieved in intact skeletal muscle mitochondria. PMID:23791102

  20. Local nutrient regimes determine site-specific environmental triggers of cyanobacterial and microcystin variability in urban lakes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sinang, S. C.; Reichwaldt, E. S.; Ghadouani, A.

    2014-10-01

    Toxic cyanobacterial blooms in urban lakes present serious health hazards to humans and animals and require effective management strategies. In the management of toxic cyanobacteria blooms, understanding the roles of environmental factors is crucial. To date, a range of environmental factors have been proposed as potential triggers for the spatiotemporal variability of cyanobacterial biomass and microcystins in freshwater systems. However, the environmental triggers of cyanobacteria and microcystin variability remain a subject of debate due to contrasting findings. This issue has raised the question if the environmental triggers are site-specific and unique between water bodies. In this study, we investigated the site-specificity of environmental triggers for cyanobacterial bloom and cyanotoxins dynamics. Our study suggests that cyanobacterial dominance and cyanobacterial microcystin content variability were significantly correlated to phosphorus and iron concentrations. However, the correlations between phosphorus and iron with cyanobacterial biomass and microcystin variability were not consistent between lakes, thus suggesting a site specificity of these environmental factors. The discrepancies in the correlations could be explained by differences in local nutrient concentration and the cyanobacterial community in the systems. The findings of this study suggest that identification of site-specific environmental factors under unique local conditions is an important strategy to enhance positive outcomes in cyanobacterial bloom control measures.

  1. Rainfall Control of Karst Solution and the Inter/Intra Annual Hydrogeochemical Evolution of Cave Dripwater: A Long-term, Site-specific Study, Soreq Cave, Israel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burstyn, Yuval; Bar-Matthews, Miryam; Ayalon, Avner; Matthews, Alan

    2016-04-01

    Speleothem laminae preserve climate information transferred to the cave via dripwater. High spatial resolution methods allow in situ measurement of geochemical and isotopic proxies at seasonal resolution. Existing hydrogeochemical calibration models suggest that high rainfall inhibits karst water chemical evolution, resulting in low δ 18O values, and low Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios that are not necessarily correlated. Drought periods display opposite chemical behaviour owing to lower infiltration rates and increased Prior Calcite Precipitation (PCP). This study aims to provide a site-specific, high-resolution hydrogeochemical calibration for the Soreq Cave. We examine four sites that were continuously sampled since 1990. Four main rainfall conditions are characterized: very wet years, average, drought and very dry years. Two sites are fed by 'fast drips', which only become active after ˜ 250mm rainfall has accumulated since the beginning of the winter season. Two sites, located deeper in the cave, are fed by 'slow drips' that are active all year round. Drip rate measurements identify two main reservoirs - fissure and matrix - that mainly differ in residence time. The δ 18O of fissure water is closer to that of mean annual rainfall (˜ -6 ‰VSMOW), while matrix values are higher (˜ -3.5 ‰VSMOW). Two main Sr and Mg sources are identified - dolomitic bedrock (Mg/Ca ˜ 700 mM/M, Sr/Ca ˜ 0.4 mM/M) and soil leachate (Mg/Ca ˜ 300 mM/M, Sr/Ca ˜ 1.1 mM/M). Most cave dripwater evolves from ˜ 1:1 soil-bedrock solution. PCP effect on dripwater solution at each site is estimated by comparing the ln(Mg/Ca) vs ln(Sr/Ca) linear slope to the PCP slope calculated using cave specific D(Mg) and D(Sr). Soreq Cave PCP slope is similar to the global slope of 0.88± 0.13. The composition and chemical evolution of each reservoir and its contribution to water influx at each site is primarily governed by annual effective infiltration. Higher seasonal amplitude in δ 18O, Mg/Ca and Sr

  2. Bifunctional chelating agent for the design and development of site specific radiopharmaceuticals and biomolecule conjugation strategy

    DOEpatents

    Katti, Kattesh V.; Prabhu, Kandikere R.; Gali, Hariprasad; Pillarsetty, Nagavara Kishore; Volkert, Wynn A.

    2003-10-21

    There is provided a method of labeling a biomolecule with a transition metal or radiometal in a site specific manner to produce a diagnostic or therapeutic pharmaceutical compound by synthesizing a P.sub.2 N.sub.2 -bifunctional chelating agent intermediate, complexing the intermediate with a radio metal or a transition metal, and covalently linking the resulting metal-complexed bifunctional chelating agent with a biomolecule in a site specific manner. Also provided is a method of synthesizing the --PR.sub.2 containing biomolecules by synthesizing a P.sub.2 N.sub.2 -bifunctional chelating agent intermediate, complexing the intermediate with a radiometal or a transition metal, and covalently linking the resulting radio metal-complexed bifunctional chelating agent with a biomolecule in a site specific manner. There is provided a therapeutic or diagnostic agent comprising a --PR.sub.2 containing biomolecule.

  3. Site-Specific N-Glycosylation of Recombinant Pentameric and Hexameric Human IgM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moh, Edward S. X.; Lin, Chi-Hung; Thaysen-Andersen, Morten; Packer, Nicolle H.

    2016-07-01

    Glycosylation is known to play an important role in IgG antibody structure and function. Polymeric IgM, the largest known antibody in humans, displays five potential N-glycosylation sites on each heavy chain monomer. IgM can exist as a pentamer with a connecting singly N-glycosylated J-chain (with a total of 51 glycosylation sites) or as a hexamer (60 glycosylation sites). In this study, the N-glycosylation of recombinant pentameric and hexameric IgM produced by the same human cell type and culture conditions was site-specifically profiled by RP-LC-CID/ETD-MS/MS using HILIC-enriched tryptic and GluC glycopeptides. The occupancy of all putative N-glycosylation sites on the pentameric and hexameric IgM were able to be determined. Distinct glycosylation differences were observed between each of the five N-linked sites on the IgM heavy chains. While Asn171, Asn332, and Asn395 all had predominantly complex type glycans, differences in glycan branching and sialylation were observed between the sites. Asn563, a high mannose-rich glycosylation site that locates in the center of the IgM polymer, was only approximately 60% occupied in both the pentameric and hexameric IgM forms, with a difference in relative abundance of the glycan structures between the pentamer and hexamer. This study highlights the information obtained by characterization of the site-heterogeneity of a highly glycosylated protein of high molecular mass with quaternary structure, revealing differences that would not be seen by global glycan or deglycosylated peptide profiling.

  4. Insights from native mass spectrometry approaches for top- and middle- level characterization of site-specific antibody-drug conjugates

    PubMed Central

    Botzanowski, Thomas; Erb, Stéphane; Hernandez-Alba, Oscar; Ehkirch, Anthony; Colas, Olivier; Wagner-Rousset, Elsa; Rabuka, David; Beck, Alain; Drake, Penelope M.; Cianférani, Sarah

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as a family of compounds with promise as efficient immunotherapies. First-generation ADCs were generated mostly via reactions on either lysine side-chain amines or cysteine thiol groups after reduction of the interchain disulfide bonds, resulting in heterogeneous populations with a variable number of drug loads per antibody. To control the position and the number of drug loads, new conjugation strategies aiming at the generation of more homogeneous site-specific conjugates have been developed. We report here the first multi-level characterization of a site-specific ADC by state-of-the-art mass spectrometry (MS) methods, including native MS and its hyphenation to ion mobility (IM-MS). We demonstrate the versatility of native MS methodologies for site-specific ADC analysis, with the unique ability to provide several critical quality attributes within one single run, along with a direct snapshot of ADC homogeneity/heterogeneity without extensive data interpretation. The capabilities of native IM-MS to directly access site-specific ADC conformational information are also highlighted. Finally, the potential of these techniques for assessing an ADC's heterogeneity/homogeneity is illustrated by comparing the analytical characterization of a site-specific DAR4 ADC to that of first-generation ADCs. Altogether, our results highlight the compatibility, versatility, and benefits of native MS approaches for the analytical characterization of all types of ADCs, including site-specific conjugates. Thus, we envision integrating native MS and IM-MS approaches, even in their latest state-of-the-art forms, into workflows that benchmark bioconjugation strategies. PMID:28406343

  5. Theory on the mechanism of site-specific DNA-protein interactions in the presence of traps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niranjani, G.; Murugan, R.

    2016-08-01

    The speed of site-specific binding of transcription factor (TFs) proteins with genomic DNA seems to be strongly retarded by the randomly occurring sequence traps. Traps are those DNA sequences sharing significant similarity with the original specific binding sites (SBSs). It is an intriguing question how the naturally occurring TFs and their SBSs are designed to manage the retarding effects of such randomly occurring traps. We develop a simple random walk model on the site-specific binding of TFs with genomic DNA in the presence of sequence traps. Our dynamical model predicts that (a) the retarding effects of traps will be minimum when the traps are arranged around the SBS such that there is a negative correlation between the binding strength of TFs with traps and the distance of traps from the SBS and (b) the retarding effects of sequence traps can be appeased by the condensed conformational state of DNA. Our computational analysis results on the distribution of sequence traps around the putative binding sites of various TFs in mouse and human genome clearly agree well the theoretical predictions. We propose that the distribution of traps can be used as an additional metric to efficiently identify the SBSs of TFs on genomic DNA.

  6. Site-Specific Reference Person Parameters and Derived Concentration Standards for the Savannah River Site

    DOE PAGES

    Stone, Daniel K.; Higley, Kathryn A.; Jannik, G. Timothy

    2014-05-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy Order 458.1 states that the compliance with the 1 mSv annual dose constraint to a member of the public may be demonstrated by calculating dose to the maximally exposed individual (MEI) or to a representative person. Historically, the MEI concept was used for dose compliance at the Savannah River Site (SRS) using adult dose coefficients and adult male usage parameters. For future compliance, SRS plans to use the representative person concept for dose estimates to members of the public. The representative person dose will be based on the reference person dose coefficients from the U.S.more » DOE Derived Concentration Technical Standard and on usage parameters specific to SRS for the reference and typical person. Usage parameters and dose coefficients were determined for inhalation, ingestion and external exposure pathways. The parameters for the representative person were used to calculate and tabulate SRS-specific derived concentration standards (DCSs) for the pathways not included in DOE-STD-1196-2011.« less

  7. MusiteDeep: a deep-learning framework for general and kinase-specific phosphorylation site prediction.

    PubMed

    Wang, Duolin; Zeng, Shuai; Xu, Chunhui; Qiu, Wangren; Liang, Yanchun; Joshi, Trupti; Xu, Dong

    2017-12-15

    Computational methods for phosphorylation site prediction play important roles in protein function studies and experimental design. Most existing methods are based on feature extraction, which may result in incomplete or biased features. Deep learning as the cutting-edge machine learning method has the ability to automatically discover complex representations of phosphorylation patterns from the raw sequences, and hence it provides a powerful tool for improvement of phosphorylation site prediction. We present MusiteDeep, the first deep-learning framework for predicting general and kinase-specific phosphorylation sites. MusiteDeep takes raw sequence data as input and uses convolutional neural networks with a novel two-dimensional attention mechanism. It achieves over a 50% relative improvement in the area under the precision-recall curve in general phosphorylation site prediction and obtains competitive results in kinase-specific prediction compared to other well-known tools on the benchmark data. MusiteDeep is provided as an open-source tool available at https://github.com/duolinwang/MusiteDeep. xudong@missouri.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  8. Pharmacophore screening of the protein data bank for specific binding site chemistry.

    PubMed

    Campagna-Slater, Valérie; Arrowsmith, Andrew G; Zhao, Yong; Schapira, Matthieu

    2010-03-22

    A simple computational approach was developed to screen the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for putative pockets possessing a specific binding site chemistry and geometry. The method employs two commonly used 3D screening technologies, namely identification of cavities in protein structures and pharmacophore screening of chemical libraries. For each protein structure, a pocket finding algorithm is used to extract potential binding sites containing the correct types of residues, which are then stored in a large SDF-formatted virtual library; pharmacophore filters describing the desired binding site chemistry and geometry are then applied to screen this virtual library and identify pockets matching the specified structural chemistry. As an example, this approach was used to screen all human protein structures in the PDB and identify sites having chemistry similar to that of known methyl-lysine binding domains that recognize chromatin methylation marks. The selected genes include known readers of the histone code as well as novel binding pockets that may be involved in epigenetic signaling. Putative allosteric sites were identified on the structures of TP53BP1, L3MBTL3, CHEK1, KDM4A, and CREBBP.

  9. Site-specific investigations on aquifer thermal energy storage for space and process cooling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, D. R.

    1991-08-01

    The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has completed three preliminary site-specific feasibility studies that investigated aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) for reducing space and process cooling costs. Chilled water stored in an ATES system could be used to meet all or part of the process and/or space cooling loads at the three facilities investigated. Seasonal or diurnal chill ATES systems could be significantly less expensive than a conventional electrically-driven, load-following chiller system at one of the three sites, depending on the cooling water loop return temperature and presumed future electricity escalation rate. For the other two sites investigated, a chill ATES system would be economically competitive with conventional chillers if onsite aquifer characteristics were improved. Well flow rates at one of the sites were adequate, but the expected thermal recovery efficiency was too low. The reverse of this situation was found at the other site, where the thermal recovery efficiency was expected to be adequate, but well flow rates were too low.

  10. Site-specific cancer risk in the Baltic cohort of Chernobyl cleanup workers, 1986–2007

    PubMed Central

    Rahu, Kaja; Hakulinen, Timo; Smailyte, Giedre; Stengrevics, Aivars; Auvinen, Anssi; Inskip, Peter D.; Boice, John D.; Rahu, Mati

    2013-01-01

    Objective To assess site-specific cancer risk in the Baltic cohort of Chernobyl cleanup workers 1986–2007. Methods The Baltic cohort includes 17,040 men from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who participated in the environmental cleanup after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in 1986–1991, and who were followed for cancer incidence until the end of 2007. Cancer cases diagnosed in the cohort and in the male population of each country were identified from the respective national cancer registers. The proportional incidence ratio (PIR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to estimate the site-specific cancer risk in the cohort. For comparison and as it was possible, the site-specific standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated for the Estonian sub-cohort, which was not feasible for the other countries. Results Overall, 756 cancer cases were reported during 1986–2007. A higher proportion of thyroid cancers in relation to the male population was found (PIR=2.76; 95%CI 1.63–4.36), especially among those who started their mission shortly after the accident, in April–May 1986 (PIR=6.38; 95% CI 2.34–13.89). Also, an excess of oesophageal cancers was noted (PIR=1.52; 95% CI 1.06–2.11). No increased PIRs for leukaemia or radiation-related cancer sites combined were observed. PIRs and SIRs for the Estonian sub-cohort demonstrated the same site-specific cancer risk pattern. Conclusion Consistent evidence of an increase in radiation-related cancers in the Baltic cohort was not observed with the possible exception of thyroid cancer, where conclusions are hampered by known medical examination including thyroid screening among cleanup workers. PMID:23683549

  11. Improved design of hammerhead ribozyme for selective digestion of target RNA through recognition of site-specific adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing

    PubMed Central

    Fukuda, Masatora; Kurihara, Kei; Yamaguchi, Shota; Oyama, Yui; Deshimaru, Masanobu

    2014-01-01

    Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is an endogenous regulatory mechanism involved in various biological processes. Site-specific, editing-state–dependent degradation of target RNA may be a powerful tool both for analyzing the mechanism of RNA editing and for regulating biological processes. Previously, we designed an artificial hammerhead ribozyme (HHR) for selective, site-specific RNA cleavage dependent on the A-to-I RNA editing state. In the present work, we developed an improved strategy for constructing a trans-acting HHR that specifically cleaves target editing sites in the adenosine but not the inosine state. Specificity for unedited sites was achieved by utilizing a sequence encoding the intrinsic cleavage specificity of a natural HHR. We used in vitro selection methods in an HHR library to select for an extended HHR containing a tertiary stabilization motif that facilitates HHR folding into an active conformation. By using this method, we successfully constructed highly active HHRs with unedited-specific cleavage. Moreover, using HHR cleavage followed by direct sequencing, we demonstrated that this ribozyme could cleave serotonin 2C receptor (HTR2C) mRNA extracted from mouse brain, depending on the site-specific editing state. This unedited-specific cleavage also enabled us to analyze the effect of editing state at the E and C sites on editing at other sites by using direct sequencing for the simultaneous quantification of the editing ratio at multiple sites. Our approach has the potential to elucidate the mechanism underlying the interdependencies of different editing states in substrate RNA with multiple editing sites. PMID:24448449

  12. Two Years of Site Diversity Measurements in Guam, USA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Acosta, Roberto J.; Morse, J.; Zemba, M.; Nessel, J.

    2012-01-01

    As NASA communication networks upgrade to higher frequencies, such as Ka-Band, atmospherically induced attenuation can become significant. This attenuation is caused by rain, clouds and atmospheric gases (oxygen and water vapor), with rain having the most noticeable effects. One technique to circumvent the increase in attenuation is to operate two terminals separated by a distance that exceeds the average rain cell size. The fact that rain cells are of finite size can then be exploited by rerouting the signal to the terminal with the strongest link. This technique, known as site diversity, is best suited for climates that have compact (less than 2km) and intense rain cells such as in Guam. In order to study the potential diversity gain at the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT) complex in Guam a site test interferometer (STI) was installed in May of 2010. The STI is composed of two terminals with a 900m baseline that observe the same unmodulated beacon signal broadcast from a geostationary satellite (e.g., UFO 8). The potential site diversity gain is calculated by measuring the difference in signal attenuation seen at each terminal. Over the two years of data collection the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the site diversity gain shows a better than 3 dB improvement for 90% of the time over standard operation. These results show that the use of site diversity in Guam can be very effective in combating rain fades.

  13. IODP Site 1476: 7.5 Million Year Record of Southeast African Climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cantu, K.; Norris, R. D.

    2017-12-01

    The primary focus of IODP Expedition 361 was Southeast African Climate. Site 1476 in the northern Mozambique Channel yielded a sediment record going back roughly 7.6 million years, a time frame particularly interesting due to its relevance to hominid evolution. Previous paleoclimate studies from the region have included lake sediments and soil carbonate isotopes, which have been interpreted as showing a long-term trend toward increasing aridity. Lake Malawi records from the last 1.3 million years show a change during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT) from high frequency variability and generally lower lake levels to higher amplitude variability and higher lake levels punctuated by long, severe droughts resulting in extreme and long-lasting low-stands. Site 1476 cores were scanned using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), which gives semi-quantitative elemental abundances. Elemental abundance ratios are used as proxies for a variety of climate-related signals, such as changes in weathering rates, the nature of terrigenous material, and grain size. Looking at the site's Fe/Ca, K/Ca, and Rb/Zr ratios, the period of 4.5 to about 1.5 million years ago shows higher terrigenous flux, higher clay flux, and a smaller grain size respectively than most of the previous 3 million years, followed by a steep decline before the MPT, before transitioning to a pattern of high amplitude oscillations post-MPT. These higher amplitude oscillations seem to correspond to Lake Malawi low stands in the post-MPT period, suggesting that the higher flux of terrigenous material to site 1476 is due to higher aridity resulting in lower vegetative cover. This data also point to high climate variability in the last million years, likely contributing to the evolution and ecological adaptability of our species.

  14. Seasonal and Diel Vocalization Patterns of Antarctic Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) in the Southern Indian Ocean: A Multi-Year and Multi-Site Study.

    PubMed

    Leroy, Emmanuelle C; Samaran, Flore; Bonnel, Julien; Royer, Jean-Yves

    2016-01-01

    Passive acoustic monitoring is an efficient way to provide insights on the ecology of large whales. This approach allows for long-term and species-specific monitoring over large areas. In this study, we examined six years (2010 to 2015) of continuous acoustic recordings at up to seven different locations in the Central and Southern Indian Basin to assess the peak periods of presence, seasonality and migration movements of Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia). An automated method is used to detect the Antarctic blue whale stereotyped call, known as Z-call. Detection results are analyzed in terms of distribution, seasonal presence and diel pattern of emission at each site. Z-calls are detected year-round at each site, except for one located in the equatorial Indian Ocean, and display highly seasonal distribution. This seasonality is stable across years for every site, but varies between sites. Z-calls are mainly detected during autumn and spring at the subantarctic locations, suggesting that these sites are on the Antarctic blue whale migration routes, and mostly during winter at the subtropical sites. In addition to these seasonal trends, there is a significant diel pattern in Z-call emission, with more Z-calls in daytime than in nighttime. This diel pattern may be related to the blue whale feeding ecology.

  15. Proteome-wide Light/Dark Modulation of Thiol Oxidation in Cyanobacteria Revealed by Quantitative Site-specific Redox Proteomics*

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Jia; Nguyen, Amelia Y.; Dai, Ziyu; Su, Dian; Gaffrey, Matthew J.; Moore, Ronald J.; Jacobs, Jon M.; Monroe, Matthew E.; Smith, Richard D.; Koppenaal, David W.; Pakrasi, Himadri B.; Qian, Wei-Jun

    2014-01-01

    Reversible protein thiol oxidation is an essential regulatory mechanism of photosynthesis, metabolism, and gene expression in photosynthetic organisms. Herein, we present proteome-wide quantitative and site-specific profiling of in vivo thiol oxidation modulated by light/dark in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, an oxygenic photosynthetic prokaryote, using a resin-assisted thiol enrichment approach. Our proteomic approach integrates resin-assisted enrichment with isobaric tandem mass tag labeling to enable site-specific and quantitative measurements of reversibly oxidized thiols. The redox dynamics of ∼2,100 Cys-sites from 1,060 proteins under light, dark, and 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (a photosystem II inhibitor) conditions were quantified. In addition to relative quantification, the stoichiometry or percentage of oxidation (reversibly oxidized/total thiols) for ∼1,350 Cys-sites was also quantified. The overall results revealed broad changes in thiol oxidation in many key biological processes, including photosynthetic electron transport, carbon fixation, and glycolysis. Moreover, the redox sensitivity along with the stoichiometric data enabled prediction of potential functional Cys-sites for proteins of interest. The functional significance of redox-sensitive Cys-sites in NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, peroxiredoxin (AhpC/TSA family protein Sll1621), and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase was further confirmed with site-specific mutagenesis and biochemical studies. Together, our findings provide significant insights into the broad redox regulation of photosynthetic organisms. PMID:25118246

  16. Development of remote sensing based site specific weed management for Midwest mint production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gumz, Mary Saumur Paulson

    Peppermint and spearmint are high value essential oil crops in Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Although the mints are profitable alternatives to corn and soybeans, mint production efficiency must improve in order to allow industry survival against foreign produced oils and synthetic flavorings. Weed control is the major input cost in mint production and tools to increase efficiency are necessary. Remote sensing-based site-specific weed management offers potential for decreasing weed control costs through simplified weed detection and control from accurate site specific weed and herbicide application maps. This research showed the practicability of remote sensing for weed detection in the mints. Research was designed to compare spectral response curves of field grown mint and weeds, and to use these data to develop spectral vegetation indices for automated weed detection. Viability of remote sensing in mint production was established using unsupervised classification, supervised classification, handheld spectroradiometer readings and spectral vegetation indices (SVIs). Unsupervised classification of multispectral images of peppermint production fields generated crop health maps with 92 and 67% accuracy in meadow and row peppermint, respectively. Supervised classification of multispectral images identified weed infestations with 97% and 85% accuracy for meadow and row peppermint, respectively. Supervised classification showed that peppermint was spectrally distinct from weeds, but the accuracy of these measures was dependent on extensive ground referencing which is impractical and too costly for on-farm use. Handheld spectroradiometer measurements of peppermint, spearmint, and several weeds and crop and weed mixtures were taken over three years from greenhouse grown plants, replicated field plots, and production peppermint and spearmint fields. Results showed that mints have greater near infrared (NIR) and lower green reflectance and a steeper red edge slope than

  17. Characterizing site specific considerations for protecting aircraft during LGS operations at W. M. Keck Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stomski, Paul J., Jr.; Campbell, Randy; McCann, Kevin; Shimko, Steve

    2010-07-01

    W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) routinely operates laser guide star (LGS) Adaptive Optics (AO) systems at the telescope facility on the Big Island of Hawaii. One of the operational requirements for the LGS system is that a safety system to prevent nearby aircraft from being adversely affected by the laser must be provided. We will support operations in the near term with human aircraft spotters until we can successfully develop and get the appropriate approvals needed for an Automated, Integrated and Reliable System for an Aircraft Friendly Environment (AIRSAFE). This report describes some of the preliminary requirements development work at WMKO in support of the future development of AIRSAFE. We discuss the results of recent work to characterize site specific considerations that impact requirements development. The site specific considerations include the proximity of WMKO laser operations to nearby commercial airports, the implications of military operations in the area and the character of the air traffic volume and flight patterns over the telescope facility. Finally, we discuss how the design and implementation of AIRSAFE will be impacted by these site specific considerations.

  18. Safe Genetic Modification of Cardiac Stem Cells Using a Site-Specific Integration Technique

    PubMed Central

    Lan, Feng; Liu, Junwei; Narsinh, Kazim H.; Hu, Shijun; Han, Leng; Lee, Andrew S.; Karow, Marisa; Nguyen, Patricia K.; Nag, Divya; Calos, Michele P.; Robbins, Robert C.; Wu, Joseph C.

    2012-01-01

    Background Human cardiac progenitor cells (hCPCs) are a promising cell source for regenerative repair after myocardial infarction. Exploitation of their full therapeutic potential may require stable genetic modification of the cells ex vivo. Safe genetic engineering of stem cells, using facile methods for site-specific integration of transgenes into known genomic contexts, would significantly enhance the overall safety and efficacy of cellular therapy in a variety of clinical contexts. Methods and Results We employed the phiC31 site-specific recombinase to achieve targeted integration of a triple fusion reporter gene into a known chromosomal context in hCPCs and human endothelial cells (hECs). Stable expression of the reporter gene from its unique chromosomal integration site resulted in no discernible genomic instability or adverse changes in cell phenotype. Namely, phiC31-modified hCPCs were unchanged in their differentiation propensity, cellular proliferative rate, and global gene expression profile when compared to unaltered control hCPCs. Expression of the triple fusion reporter gene enabled multimodal assessment of cell fate in vitro and in vivo using fluorescence microscopy, bioluminescence imaging (BLI), and positron emission tomography (PET). Intramyocardial transplantation of genetically modified hCPCs resulted in significant improvement in myocardial function two weeks after cell delivery, as assessed by echocardiography (P = 0.002) and magnetic resonance imaging (P = 0.001). We also demonstrated the feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of genetically modifying differentiated hECs, which enhanced hindlimb perfusion (P<0.05 at day 7 and 14 after transplantation) on laser Doppler imaging. Conclusions The phiC31 integrase genomic modification system is a safe, efficient tool to enable site-specific integration of reporter transgenes in progenitor and differentiated cell types. PMID:22965984

  19. Might tumor secreted cathepsin proteases leave specific molecular signals in skin, hair and nails years before a cancer becomes clinically apparent?

    PubMed

    Goldstein, Mark R; Mascitelli, Luca

    2017-06-01

    X-ray fiber diffraction analysis (FDA) of the fibrous macromolecules in hair, nails and skin has been shown to non-invasively diagnose various cancers, at sites remote from the cancer, years before the cancer becomes clinically apparent. The technology is not widely accepted because of reproducibility issues (that can be easily resolved) and lack of an explanation as to how a clinically unapparent tumor can leave molecular "signatures" at remote sites. However, there is evidence that tumor-specific cathepsins (lysosomal proteases) circulate systemically long before a cancer is clinically apparent. As such, we hypothesize that cathepsins, by virtue of their proteolytic activity, impart molecular changes in tissues remote from the primary tumor. These subtle molecular changes, which are specific for various tumors, can be readily detected by FDA of hair, nails and skin. We call for more research in the utility of FDA and tumor specific cathepsins for the early and non-invasive diagnosis of various malignancies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Design, development and evaluation of a tree planting-site-specific fumigant applicator

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The goal of this research was to use recent advances in the global positioning system (GPS) and computer technology to apply just the right amount of fumigant where it is most needed (i.e., tree-planting-site-specific application) to decrease the incidence of replant disease, and achieve the environ...

  1. Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Hazelwood Interim Storage Site annual site environmental report. Calendar year 1985. [FUSRAP

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1986-04-01

    The Hazelwood Interim Storage Site (HISS) is presently used for the storage of low-level radioactively contaminated soils. Monitoring results show that the HISS is in compliance with DOE concentration guides and radiation protection standards. Derived Concentration Guides (DCGs) represent the concentrations of radionuclides in air or water that would limit the radiation dose to 100 mrem/y. The applicable limits have been revised since the 1984 environmental monitoring report was published. The limits applied in 1984 were based on a radiation protection standard of 500 mrem/y; the limits applied for 1985 are based on a standard of 100 mrem/y. The HISSmore » is part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), a DOE program to decontaminate or otherwise control sites where low-level radioactive contamination remains from the early years of the nation's atomic energy program. To determine whether the site is in compliance with DOE standards, environmental measurements are expressed as percentages of the applicable DCG, while the calculated doses to the public are expressed as percentages of the applicable radiation protection standard. The monitoring program at the HISS measures uranium, radium, and thorium concentrations in surface water, groundwater, and sediment; radon gas concentrations in air; and external gamma radiation exposure rates. Potential radiation doses to the public are also calculated. The HISS was designated for remedial action under FUSRAP because radioactivity above applicable limits was found to exist at the site and its vicinity. Elevated levels of radiation still exist in areas where remedial action has not yet been completed.« less

  2. Two Mars years of surface changes seen at the Viking Landing sites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guinness, E. A.; Leff, C. E.; Arvidson, R. E.

    1982-01-01

    An analysis of the spectrophotometric properties of the new dust deposited at the Viking Lander 1 site indicates that the new deposits are the same as the bright red material that only partially covered the site at the beginning of the mission. Certain areas of the Viking 1 site also showed an increase in contrast during the second year. The contrast increase is thought to be due to the partial removal of the recently deposited dust cover by high-velocity winds. What is more, a small soil slump occurred near the base of a boulder lying about 25 m from the lander. It is noted that whereas no obvious erosion has been detected at the Viking 2 site, periodic removal of the dust cover at this site is implied by the abundance of rocks at the site.

  3. Nevada National Security Site Industrial Sites Project Closeout - 12498

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cabble, Kevin; Krauss, Mark; Matthews, Pat

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office is responsible for environmental restoration (ER) at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). This includes remediation at Industrial Sites where past nuclear testing activities and activities that supported nuclear testing may have or are known to have resulted in the release of contaminants into the environment. Industrial Sites at the NNSS have included nuclear facilities that supported the nuclear rocket/missile development programs, gas stations, landfills, spill sites, ordnance sites, and numerous other waste disposal and release sites. The NNSS Industrial Sites activities neared completion at the endmore » of fiscal year 2011 while other activities required under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) and part of the same NNSS ER Project are forecasted to extend to 2027 or beyond. With the majority of Industrial Sites corrective action units (CAUs) completed (more than 250 CAUs and over 1,800 corrective action sites), it was determined that an activity closeout process should be implemented to ensure that the work completed over the past 15 years is well documented in a comprehensive and concise summary. While the process used to close each individual CAU is described in approved documents, no single document describes in summary fashion the work completed to close the many individual Industrial Sites. The activity closeout process will be used to develop an Industrial Sites closeout document that describes these years of work. This document will summarize the number of Industrial Sites closed under the FFACO and provide general descriptions of projects, contaminants removed, and sites closed in place with corresponding Use Restrictions. Other pertinent information related to Industrial Sites work such as the project history, closure decisions, historical declarations, remediation strategies, and final CAU status will be included in the

  4. METHOD FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF SITE-SPECIFIC TAUTOMERIC AND ZWITTERIONIC MICROSPECIES EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    We describe a method for the individual measurement of simultaneously occurring, unimolecular, site-specific “microequilibrium” constants as in, for example, prototropic tautomerism and zwitterionic equilibria. Our method represents an elaboration of that of Nygren et al. (Anal. ...

  5. In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Cysteine and Site Specific Conjugated Herceptin Antibody-Drug Conjugates

    PubMed Central

    Jackson, Dowdy; Atkinson, John; Guevara, Claudia I.; Zhang, Chunying; Kery, Vladimir; Moon, Sung-Ju; Virata, Cyrus; Yang, Peng; Lowe, Christine; Pinkstaff, Jason; Cho, Ho; Knudsen, Nick; Manibusan, Anthony; Tian, Feng; Sun, Ying; Lu, Yingchun; Sellers, Aaron; Jia, Xiao-Chi; Joseph, Ingrid; Anand, Banmeet; Morrison, Kendall; Pereira, Daniel S.; Stover, David

    2014-01-01

    Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are monoclonal antibodies designed to deliver a cytotoxic drug selectively to antigen expressing cells. Several components of an ADC including the selection of the antibody, the linker, the cytotoxic drug payload and the site of attachment used to attach the drug to the antibody are critical to the activity and development of the ADC. The cytotoxic drugs or payloads used to make ADCs are typically conjugated to the antibody through cysteine or lysine residues. This results in ADCs that have a heterogeneous number of drugs per antibody. The number of drugs per antibody commonly referred to as the drug to antibody ratio (DAR), can vary between 0 and 8 drugs for a IgG1 antibody. Antibodies with 0 drugs are ineffective and compete with the ADC for binding to the antigen expressing cells. Antibodies with 8 drugs per antibody have reduced in vivo stability, which may contribute to non target related toxicities. In these studies we incorporated a non-natural amino acid, para acetyl phenylalanine, at two unique sites within an antibody against Her2/neu. We covalently attached a cytotoxic drug to these sites to form an ADC which contains two drugs per antibody. We report the results from the first direct preclinical comparison of a site specific non-natural amino acid anti-Her2 ADC and a cysteine conjugated anti-Her2 ADC. We report that the site specific non-natural amino acid anti-Her2 ADCs have superior in vitro serum stability and preclinical toxicology profile in rats as compared to the cysteine conjugated anti-Her2 ADCs. We also demonstrate that the site specific non-natural amino acid anti-Her2 ADCs maintain their in vitro potency and in vivo efficacy against Her2 expressing human tumor cell lines. Our data suggests that site specific non-natural amino acid ADCs may have a superior therapeutic window than cysteine conjugated ADCs. PMID:24454709

  6. Cell-type-specific replication initiation programs set fragility of the FRA3B fragile site.

    PubMed

    Letessier, Anne; Millot, Gaël A; Koundrioukoff, Stéphane; Lachagès, Anne-Marie; Vogt, Nicolas; Hansen, R Scott; Malfoy, Bernard; Brison, Olivier; Debatisse, Michelle

    2011-02-03

    Common fragile sites have long been identified by cytogeneticists as chromosomal regions prone to breakage upon replication stress. They are increasingly recognized to be preferential targets for oncogene-induced DNA damage in pre-neoplastic lesions and hotspots for chromosomal rearrangements in various cancers. Common fragile site instability was attributed to the fact that they contain sequences prone to form secondary structures that may impair replication fork movement, possibly leading to fork collapse resulting in DNA breaks. Here we show, in contrast to this view, that the fragility of FRA3B--the most active common fragile site in human lymphocytes--does not rely on fork slowing or stalling but on a paucity of initiation events. Indeed, in lymphoblastoid cells, but not in fibroblasts, initiation events are excluded from a FRA3B core extending approximately 700 kilobases, which forces forks coming from flanking regions to cover long distances in order to complete replication. We also show that origins of the flanking regions fire in mid-S phase, leaving the site incompletely replicated upon fork slowing. Notably, FRA3B instability is specific to cells showing this particular initiation pattern. The fact that both origin setting and replication timing are highly plastic in mammalian cells explains the tissue specificity of common fragile site instability we observed. Thus, we propose that common fragile sites correspond to the latest initiation-poor regions to complete replication in a given cell type. For historical reasons, common fragile sites have been essentially mapped in lymphocytes. Therefore, common fragile site contribution to chromosomal rearrangements in tumours should be reassessed after mapping fragile sites in the cell type from which each tumour originates.

  7. Scenario-based modelling of mass transfer mechanisms at a petroleum contaminated field site-numerical implications.

    PubMed

    Vasudevan, M; Nambi, Indumathi M; Suresh Kumar, G

    2016-06-15

    Knowledge about distribution of dissolved plumes and their influencing factors is essential for risk assessment and remediation of light non-aqueous phase liquid contamination in groundwater. Present study deals with the applicability of numerical model for simulating various hydro-geological scenarios considering non-uniform source distribution at a petroleum contaminated site in Chennai, India. The complexity associated with the hydrogeology of the site has limited scope for on-site quantification of petroleum pipeline spillage. The change in fuel composition under mass-transfer limited conditions was predicted by simultaneously comparing deviations in aqueous concentrations and activity coefficients (between Raoult's law and analytical approaches). The effects of source migration and weathering on the dissolution of major soluble fractions of petroleum fuel were also studied in relation to the apparent change in their activity coefficients and molar fractions. The model results were compared with field observations and found that field conditions were favourable for biodegradation, especially for the aromatic fraction (benzene and toluene (nearly 95% removal), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (up to 65% removal) and xylene (nearly 45% removal). The results help to differentiate the effect of compositional non-ideality from rate-limited dissolution towards tailing of less soluble compounds (alkanes and trimethylbenzene). Although the effect of non-ideality decreased with distance from the source, the assumption of spatially varying residual saturation could effectively illustrate post-spill scenario by estimating the consequent decrease in mass transfer rate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. WAG 2 remedial investigation and site investigation site-specific work plan/health and safety checklist for the soil and sediment task. Environmental Restoration Program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Holt, V.L.; Burgoa, B.B.

    1993-12-01

    This document is a site-specific work plan/health and safety checklist (WP/HSC) for a task of the Waste Area Grouping 2 Remedial Investigation and Site Investigation (WAG 2 RI&SI). Title 29 CFR Part 1910.120 requires that a health and safety program plan that includes site- and task-specific information be completed to ensure conformance with health- and safety-related requirements. To meet this requirement, the health and safety program plan for each WAG 2 RI&SI field task must include (1) the general health and safety program plan for all WAG 2 RI&SI field activities and (2) a WP/HSC for that particular field task.more » These two components, along with all applicable referenced procedures, must be kept together at the work site and distributed to field personnel as required. The general health and safety program plan is the Health and Safety Plan for the Remedial Investigation and Site Investigation of Waste Area Grouping 2 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ORNL/ER-169). The WP/HSCs are being issued as supplements to ORNL/ER-169.« less

  9. Engineering of a target site-specific recombinase by a combined evolution- and structure-guided approach

    PubMed Central

    Abi-Ghanem, Josephine; Chusainow, Janet; Karimova, Madina; Spiegel, Christopher; Hofmann-Sieber, Helga; Hauber, Joachim; Buchholz, Frank; Pisabarro, M. Teresa

    2013-01-01

    Site-specific recombinases (SSRs) can perform DNA rearrangements, including deletions, inversions and translocations when their naive target sequences are placed strategically into the genome of an organism. Hence, in order to employ SSRs in heterologous hosts, their target sites have to be introduced into the genome of an organism before the enzyme can be practically employed. Engineered SSRs hold great promise for biotechnology and advanced biomedical applications, as they promise to extend the usefulness of SSRs to allow efficient and specific recombination of pre-existing, natural genomic sequences. However, the generation of enzymes with desired properties remains challenging. Here, we use substrate-linked directed evolution in combination with molecular modeling to rationally engineer an efficient and specific recombinase (sTre) that readily and specifically recombines a sequence present in the HIV-1 genome. We elucidate the role of key residues implicated in the molecular recognition mechanism and we present a rationale for sTre’s enhanced specificity. Combining evolutionary and rational approaches should help in accelerating the generation of enzymes with desired properties for use in biotechnology and biomedicine. PMID:23275541

  10. Simultaneous non-contiguous deletions using large synthetic DNA and site-specific recombinases

    PubMed Central

    Krishnakumar, Radha; Grose, Carissa; Haft, Daniel H.; Zaveri, Jayshree; Alperovich, Nina; Gibson, Daniel G.; Merryman, Chuck; Glass, John I.

    2014-01-01

    Toward achieving rapid and large scale genome modification directly in a target organism, we have developed a new genome engineering strategy that uses a combination of bioinformatics aided design, large synthetic DNA and site-specific recombinases. Using Cre recombinase we swapped a target 126-kb segment of the Escherichia coli genome with a 72-kb synthetic DNA cassette, thereby effectively eliminating over 54 kb of genomic DNA from three non-contiguous regions in a single recombination event. We observed complete replacement of the native sequence with the modified synthetic sequence through the action of the Cre recombinase and no competition from homologous recombination. Because of the versatility and high-efficiency of the Cre-lox system, this method can be used in any organism where this system is functional as well as adapted to use with other highly precise genome engineering systems. Compared to present-day iterative approaches in genome engineering, we anticipate this method will greatly speed up the creation of reduced, modularized and optimized genomes through the integration of deletion analyses data, transcriptomics, synthetic biology and site-specific recombination. PMID:24914053

  11. Evolution of I-SceI Homing Endonucleases with Increased DNA Recognition Site Specificity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Joshi, Rakesh; Ho, Kwok Ki; Tenney, Kristen

    2013-09-18

    Elucidating how homing endonucleases undergo changes in recognition site specificity will facilitate efforts to engineer proteins for gene therapy applications. I-SceI is a monomeric homing endonuclease that recognizes and cleaves within an 18-bp target. It tolerates limited degeneracy in its target sequence, including substitution of a C:G{sub +4} base pair for the wild-type A:T{sub +4} base pair. Libraries encoding randomized amino acids at I-SceI residue positions that contact or are proximal to A:T{sub +4} were used in conjunction with a bacterial one-hybrid system to select I-SceI derivatives that bind to recognition sites containing either the A:T{sub +4} or the C:G{submore » +4} base pairs. As expected, isolates encoding wild-type residues at the randomized positions were selected using either target sequence. All I-SceI proteins isolated using the C:G{sub +4} recognition site included small side-chain substitutions at G100 and either contained (K86R/G100T, K86R/G100S and K86R/G100C) or lacked (G100A, G100T) a K86R substitution. Interestingly, the binding affinities of the selected variants for the wild-type A:T{sub +4} target are 4- to 11-fold lower than that of wild-type I-SceI, whereas those for the C:G{sub +4} target are similar. The increased specificity of the mutant proteins is also evident in binding experiments in vivo. These differences in binding affinities account for the observed -36-fold difference in target preference between the K86R/G100T and wild-type proteins in DNA cleavage assays. An X-ray crystal structure of the K86R/G100T mutant protein bound to a DNA duplex containing the C:G{sub +4} substitution suggests how sequence specificity of a homing enzyme can increase. This biochemical and structural analysis defines one pathway by which site specificity is augmented for a homing endonuclease.« less

  12. 78 FR 63171 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico; Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-23

    ...This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  13. Evaluation of transition year Canadian test sites. [Saskatchewan Province

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Payne, R. W. (Principal Investigator)

    1980-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. The spring small grain proportion accuracy in 15 Saskatchewan test sites was found to be comparable to that of the Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment Phase 3 and Transition Year results in the U.S. spring wheat states. Spring small grain labeling accuracy was 94%, and the direct wheat labeling accuracy was 89%, despite the low barley separation accuracy of 30%.

  14. Selecting optimal monitoring site locations for peak ambient particulate material concentrations using the MM5-CAMx4 numerical modelling system.

    PubMed

    Sturman, Andrew; Titov, Mikhail; Zawar-Reza, Peyman

    2011-01-15

    Installation of temporary or long term monitoring sites is expensive, so it is important to rationally identify potential locations that will achieve the requirements of regional air quality management strategies. A simple, but effective, numerical approach to selecting ambient particulate matter (PM) monitoring site locations has therefore been developed using the MM5-CAMx4 air pollution dispersion modelling system. A new method, 'site efficiency,' was developed to assess the ability of any monitoring site to provide peak ambient air pollution concentrations that are representative of the urban area. 'Site efficiency' varies from 0 to 100%, with the latter representing the most representative site location for monitoring peak PM concentrations. Four heavy pollution episodes in Christchurch (New Zealand) during winter 2005, representing 4 different aerosol dispersion patterns, were used to develop and test this site assessment technique. Evaluation of the efficiency of monitoring sites was undertaken for night and morning aerosol peaks for 4 different particulate material (PM) spatial patterns. The results demonstrate that the existing long term monitoring site at Coles Place is quite well located, with a site efficiency value of 57.8%. A temporary ambient PM monitoring site (operating during winter 2006) showed a lower ability to capture night and morning peak aerosol concentrations. Evaluation of multiple site locations used during an extensive field campaign in Christchurch (New Zealand) in 2000 indicated that the maximum efficiency achieved by any site in the city would be 60-65%, while the efficiency of a virtual background site is calculated to be about 7%. This method of assessing the appropriateness of any potential monitoring site can be used to optimize monitoring site locations for any air pollution measurement programme. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Sensing site-specific structural characteristics and chirality using vibrational circular dichroism of isotope labeled peptides.

    PubMed

    Keiderling, Timothy A

    2017-12-01

    Isotope labeling has a long history in chemistry as a tool for probing structure, offering enhanced sensitivity, or enabling site selection with a wide range of spectroscopic tools. Chirality sensitive methods such as electronic circular dichroism are global structural tools and have intrinsically low resolution. Consequently, they are generally insensitive to modifications to enhance site selectivity. The use of isotope labeling to modify vibrational spectra with unique resolvable frequency shifts can provide useful site-specific sensitivity, and these methods have been recently more widely expanded in biopolymer studies. While the spectral shifts resulting from changes in isotopic mass can provide resolution of modes from specific parts of the molecule and can allow detection of local change in structure with perturbation, these shifts alone do not directly indicate structure or chirality. With vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), the shifted bands and their resultant sign patterns can be used to indicate local conformations in labeled biopolymers, particularly if multiple labels are used and if their coupling is theoretically modeled. This mini-review discusses selected examples of the use of labeling specific amides in peptides to develop local structural insight with VCD spectra. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Evaluating Protein Structure and Dynamics Using Co-Solvents, Photochemical Triggers, and Site-Specific Spectroscopic Probes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abaskharon, Rachel M.

    As ubiquitous and diverse biopolymers, proteins are dynamic molecules that are constantly engaging in inter- and intramolecular interactions responsible for their structure, fold, and function. Because of this, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the factors that control protein conformation and dynamics remains elusive as current experimental techniques often lack the ability to initiate and probe a specific interaction or conformational transition. For this reason, this thesis aims to develop methods to control and monitor protein conformations, conformational transitions, and dynamics in a site-specific manner, as well as to understand how specific and non-specific interactions affect the protein folding energy landscape. First, by using the co-solvent, trifluoroethanol (TFE), we show that the rate at which a peptide folds can be greatly impacted and thus controlled by the excluded volume effect. Secondly, we demonstrate the utility of several light-responsive molecules and reactions as methods to manipulate and investigate protein-folding processes. Using an azobenzene linker as a photo-initiator, we are able to increase the folding rate of a protein system by an order of magnitude by channeling a sub-population through a parallel, faster folding pathway. Additionally, we utilize a tryptophan-mediated electron transfer process to a nearby disulfide bond to strategically unfold a protein molecule with ultraviolet light. We also demonstrate the potential of two ruthenium polypyridyl complexes as ultrafast phototriggers of protein reactions. Finally, we develop several site-specific spectroscopic probes of protein structure and environment. Specifically, we demonstrate that a 13C-labeled aspartic acid residue constitutes a useful site-specific infrared probe for investigating salt-bridges and hydration dynamics of proteins, particularly in proteins containing several acidic amino acids. We also show that a proline-derivative, 4-oxoproline, possesses novel

  17. Xer1-Mediated Site-Specific DNA Inversions and Excisions in Mycoplasma agalactiae▿ ‡

    PubMed Central

    Czurda, Stefan; Jechlinger, Wolfgang; Rosengarten, Renate; Chopra-Dewasthaly, Rohini

    2010-01-01

    Surface antigen variation in Mycoplasma agalactiae, the etiologic agent of contagious agalactia in sheep and goats, is governed by site-specific recombination within the vpma multigene locus encoding the Vpma family of variable surface lipoproteins. This high-frequency Vpma phase switching was previously shown to be mediated by a Xer1 recombinase encoded adjacent to the vpma locus. In this study, it was demonstrated in Escherichia coli that the Xer1 recombinase is responsible for catalyzing vpma gene inversions between recombination sites (RS) located in the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) in all six vpma genes, causing cleavage and strand exchange within a 21-bp conserved region that serves as a recognition sequence. It was further shown that the outcome of the site-specific recombination event depends on the orientation of the two vpma RS, as direct or inverted repeats. While recombination between inverted vpma RS led to inversions, recombination between direct repeat vpma RS led to excisions. Using a newly developed excision assay based on the lacZ reporter system, we were able to successfully demonstrate under native conditions that such Xer1-mediated excisions can indeed also occur in the M. agalactiae type strain PG2, whereas they were not observed in the control xer1-disrupted VpmaY phase-locked mutant (PLMY), which lacks Xer1 recombinase. Unless there are specific regulatory mechanisms preventing such excisions, this might be the cost that the pathogen has to render at the population level for maintaining this high-frequency phase variation machinery. PMID:20562305

  18. Prospective analysis of the quality of Spanish health information web sites after 3 years.

    PubMed

    Conesa-Fuentes, Maria C; Hernandez-Morante, Juan J

    2016-12-01

    Although the Internet has become an essential source of health information, our study conducted 3 years ago provided evidence of the low quality of Spanish health web sites. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the quality of Spanish health information web sites now, and to compare these results with those obtained 3 years ago. For the original study, the most visited health information web sites were selected through the PageRank® (Google®) system. The present study evaluated the quality of the same web sites from February to May 2013, using the method developed by Bermúdez-Tamayo et al. and HONCode® criteria. The mean quality of the selected web sites was low and has deteriorated since the previous evaluation, especially in regional health services and institutions' web sites. The quality of private web sites remained broadly similar. Compliance with privacy and update criteria also improved in the intervening period. The results indicate that, even in the case of health web sites, design or appearance is more relevant to developers than quality of information. It is recommended that responsible institutions should increase their efforts to eliminate low-quality health information that may further contribute to health problems.

  19. Site-specific labeling of RNA at internal ribose hydroxyl groups: terbium-assisted deoxyribozymes at work.

    PubMed

    Büttner, Lea; Javadi-Zarnaghi, Fatemeh; Höbartner, Claudia

    2014-06-04

    A general and efficient single-step method was established for site-specific post-transcriptional labeling of RNA. Using Tb(3+) as accelerating cofactor for deoxyribozymes, various labeled guanosines were site-specifically attached to 2'-OH groups of internal adenosines in in vitro transcribed RNA. The DNA-catalyzed 2',5'-phosphodiester bond formation proceeded efficiently with fluorescent, spin-labeled, biotinylated, or cross-linker-modified guanosine triphosphates. The sequence context of the labeling site was systematically analyzed by mutating the nucleotides flanking the targeted adenosine. Labeling of adenosines in a purine-rich environment showed the fastest reactions and highest yields. Overall, practically useful yields >70% were obtained for 13 out of 16 possible nucleotide (nt) combinations. Using this approach, we demonstrate preparative labeling under mild conditions for up to ~160-nt-long RNAs, including spliceosomal U6 small nuclear RNA and a cyclic-di-AMP binding riboswitch RNA.

  20. Targeted Delivery of LXR Agonist Using a Site-Specific Antibody-Drug Conjugate.

    PubMed

    Lim, Reyna K V; Yu, Shan; Cheng, Bo; Li, Sijia; Kim, Nam-Jung; Cao, Yu; Chi, Victor; Kim, Ji Young; Chatterjee, Arnab K; Schultz, Peter G; Tremblay, Matthew S; Kazane, Stephanie A

    2015-11-18

    Liver X receptor (LXR) agonists have been explored as potential treatments for atherosclerosis and other diseases based on their ability to induce reverse cholesterol transport and suppress inflammation. However, this therapeutic potential has been hindered by on-target adverse effects in the liver mediated by excessive lipogenesis. Herein, we report a novel site-specific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that selectively delivers a LXR agonist to monocytes/macrophages while sparing hepatocytes. The unnatural amino acid para-acetylphenylalanine (pAcF) was site-specifically incorporated into anti-CD11a IgG, which binds the α-chain component of the lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) expressed on nearly all monocytes and macrophages. An aminooxy-modified LXR agonist was conjugated to anti-CD11a IgG through a stable, cathepsin B cleavable oxime linkage to afford a chemically defined ADC. The anti-CD11a IgG-LXR agonist ADC induced LXR activation specifically in human THP-1 monocyte/macrophage cells in vitro (EC50-27 nM), but had no significant effect in hepatocytes, indicating that payload delivery is CD11a-mediated. Moreover, the ADC exhibited higher-fold activation compared to a conventional synthetic LXR agonist T0901317 (Tularik) (3-fold). This novel ADC represents a fundamentally different strategy that uses tissue targeting to overcome the limitations of LXR agonists for potential use in treating atherosclerosis.

  1. Seasonal and Diel Vocalization Patterns of Antarctic Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) in the Southern Indian Ocean: A Multi-Year and Multi-Site Study

    PubMed Central

    Leroy, Emmanuelle C.; Samaran, Flore; Bonnel, Julien; Royer, Jean-Yves

    2016-01-01

    Passive acoustic monitoring is an efficient way to provide insights on the ecology of large whales. This approach allows for long-term and species-specific monitoring over large areas. In this study, we examined six years (2010 to 2015) of continuous acoustic recordings at up to seven different locations in the Central and Southern Indian Basin to assess the peak periods of presence, seasonality and migration movements of Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia). An automated method is used to detect the Antarctic blue whale stereotyped call, known as Z-call. Detection results are analyzed in terms of distribution, seasonal presence and diel pattern of emission at each site. Z-calls are detected year-round at each site, except for one located in the equatorial Indian Ocean, and display highly seasonal distribution. This seasonality is stable across years for every site, but varies between sites. Z-calls are mainly detected during autumn and spring at the subantarctic locations, suggesting that these sites are on the Antarctic blue whale migration routes, and mostly during winter at the subtropical sites. In addition to these seasonal trends, there is a significant diel pattern in Z-call emission, with more Z-calls in daytime than in nighttime. This diel pattern may be related to the blue whale feeding ecology. PMID:27828976

  2. The Skeletal Site-Specific Role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor in Prenatal Osteogenesis

    PubMed Central

    Lambi, Alex G.; Pankratz, Talia L.; Mundy, Christina; Gannon, Maureen; Barbe, Mary F.; Richtsmeier, Joan T.; Popoff, Steven N.

    2013-01-01

    Background Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a matricellular protein that is highly expressed during bone development. Mice with global CTGF ablation (knockout, KO) have multiple skeletal dysmorphisms and perinatal lethality. A quantitative analysis of the bone phenotype has not been conducted. Results We demonstrated skeletal site-specific changes in growth plate organization, bone microarchitecture, and shape and gene expression levels in CTGF KO compared with wild-type mice. Growth plate malformations included reduced proliferation zone and increased hypertrophic zone lengths. Appendicular skeletal sites demonstrated decreased metaphyseal trabecular bone, while having increased mid-diaphyseal bone and osteogenic expression markers. Axial skeletal analysis showed decreased bone in caudal vertebral bodies, mandibles, and parietal bones in CTGF KO mice, with decreased expression of osteogenic markers. Analysis of skull phenotypes demonstrated global and regional differences in CTGF KO skull shape resulting from allometric (size-based) and nonallometric shape changes. Localized differences in skull morphology included increased skull width and decreased skull length. Dysregulation of the transforming growth factor-β-CTGF axis coupled with unique morphologic traits provides a potential mechanistic explanation for the skull phenotype. Conclusions We present novel data on a skeletal phenotype in CTGF KO mice, in which ablation of CTGF causes site-specific aberrations in bone formation. PMID:23073844

  3. First-Year Students' Use of Social Network Sites to Reduce the Uncertainty of Anticipatory Socialization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Isolde K.; Lerstrom, Alan; Tintle, Nathan

    2014-01-01

    This study surveyed 399 incoming first-year students at two colleges in the Midwest on their use of social network sites before college entry and its impact on various dimensions of the first-year experience. Significant correlations were found for two pairs of variables: (a) students who used social network sites before arriving on campus…

  4. Socioeconomic position, population density and site-specific cancer mortality: A multilevel analysis of Belgian adults, 2001-2011.

    PubMed

    Hagedoorn, Paulien; Vandenheede, Hadewijch; Vanthomme, Katrien; Gadeyne, Sylvie

    2018-01-01

    Our study explores the association between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and all-cancer and site-specific cancer mortality. Data on all Belgian residents are retrieved from a population-based dataset constructed from the 2001 census linked to register data on emigration and mortality for 2001-2011. The study population contains all men and women aged 40 years or older during follow-up. Individual SEP is measured using education, employment status and housing conditions. Neighborhood SEP is measured by a deprivation index (in quintiles). Directly age-standardized mortality rates and multilevel Poisson models are used to estimate the association between individual SEP and neighborhood deprivation and mortality from all-cancer and cancer of the lung, colon and rectum, pancreas, prostate and female breast. The potential confounding role of population density is assessed using multilevel models as well. Our findings show an increase in mortality from all-cancer and site-specific cancer by decreasing level of individual SEP for both men and women. In addition, individuals living in highly deprived neighborhoods experience significantly higher mortality from all-cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and female colorectal cancer after controlling for individual SEP. Male colorectal and prostate cancer and female breast cancer are not associated with neighborhood deprivation. Population density acts as a confounder for female lung cancer only. Our study indicates that deprivation at both the individual and neighborhood level is associated with all-cancer mortality and mortality from several cancer sites. More research into the role of life-style related and clinical factors is necessary to gain more insight into causal pathway. © 2017 UICC.

  5. A Modular Vaccine Development Platform Based on Sortase-Mediated Site-Specific Tagging of Antigens onto Virus-Like Particles

    PubMed Central

    Tang, Shubing; Xuan, Baoqin; Ye, Xiaohua; Huang, Zhong; Qian, Zhikang

    2016-01-01

    Virus-like particles (VLPs) can be used as powerful nanoscale weapons to fight against virus infection. In addition to direct use as vaccines, VLPs have been extensively exploited as platforms on which to display foreign antigens for prophylactic vaccination and immunotherapeutic treatment. Unfortunately, fabrication of new chimeric VLP vaccines in a versatile, site-specific and highly efficient manner is beyond the capability of traditional VLP vaccine design approaches, genetic insertion and chemical conjugation. In this study, we described a greatly improved VLP display strategy by chemoenzymatic site-specific tailoring antigens on VLPs surface with high efficiency. Through the transpeptidation mediated by sortase A, one protein and two epitopes containing N-terminal oligoglycine were conjugated to the LPET motif on the surface of hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) VLPs with high density. All of the new chimeric VLPs induced strong specific IgG responses. Furthermore, the chimeric VLPs with sortase A tagged enterovirus 71 (EV71) SP70 epitope could elicit effective antibodies against EV71 lethal challenging as well as the genetic insertion chimeric VLPs. The sortase A mediated chemoenzymatic site-specific tailoring of the HBc VLP approach shows great potential in new VLP vaccine design for its simplicity, site specificity, high efficiency, and versatility. PMID:27170066

  6. Site-Specific Pre-Swelling-Directed Morphing Structures of Patterned Hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhi Jian; Hong, Wei; Wu, Zi Liang; Zheng, Qiang

    2017-12-11

    Morphing materials have promising applications in various fields, yet how to program the self-shaping process for specific configurations remains a challenge. Herein we show a versatile approach to control the buckling of individual domains and thus the outcome configurations of planar-patterned hydrogels. By photolithography, high-swelling disc gels were positioned in a non-swelling gel sheet; the swelling mismatch resulted in out-of-plain buckling of the disc gels. To locally control the buckling direction, masks with holes were used to guide site-specific swelling of the high-swelling gel under the holes, which built a transient through-thickness gradient and thus directed the buckling during the subsequent unmasked swelling process. Therefore, various configurations of an identical patterned hydrogel can be programmed by the pre-swelling step with different masks to encode the buckling directions of separate domains. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Effects of folic acid on overall and site-specific cancer incidence during the randomised trials: meta-analyses of data on 50 000 individuals

    PubMed Central

    Vollset, Stein Emil; Clarke, Robert; Lewington, Sarah; Ebbing, Marta; Halsey, Jim; Lonn, Eva; Armitage, Jane; Manson, JoAnn E; Hankey, Graeme J; Spence, J David; Galan, Pilar; Bønaa, Kaare H; Jamison, Rex; Gaziano, J Michael; Guarino, Peter; Baron, John A; Logan, Richard FA; Giovannucci, Edward L; den Heijer, Martin; Ueland, Per M; Bennett, Derrick; Collins, Rory; Peto, Richard

    2013-01-01

    Summary Background Some countries fortify flour with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects but others do not, partly because of concerns about cancer risks. We aimed to assess the effects of folic acid supplementation on site-specific cancer rates in the randomised trials. Methods Meta-analyses of data on each individual in all placebo-controlled trials of folic acid for prevention of cardiovascular disease (10 trials, n=46,969) or colorectal adenoma (3 trials, n=2652) that recorded cancer incidence and recruited >500 participants. All trials were evenly randomised. Risk ratios (RRs) compare those allocated folic acid vs those allocated placebo, giving cancer incidence rate ratios (among those still free of cancer) during, but not after the scheduled treatment period. Findings During a weighted mean follow-up duration of 5.5 years, allocation to folic acid quadrupled plasma folate, but had no statistically significant effect on overall cancer incidence (1904 vs 1809 cancers, RR=1.06 [95%CI 0.99–1.13], p=0.10; trend with duration of treatment p=0.46). There was no significant heterogeneity between the results of individual trials (p=0.23), or between the cadiovascular prevention trials and the adenoma prevention trials (p=0.13). Moreover, there was no significant effect of folic acid supplementation on the incidence of cancer of the large intestine, prostate, lung, breast or any other specific site. Interpretation Folic acid supplementation does not substantially increase or decrease site-specific cancer incidence during the first 5 years of treatment. Funding British Heart Foundation, Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Food Standards Agency. PMID:23352552

  8. Site-specific incorporation of probes into RNA polymerase by unnatural-amino-acid mutagenesis and Staudinger-Bertozzi ligation

    PubMed Central

    Chakraborty, Anirban; Mazumder, Abhishek; Lin, Miaoxin; Hasemeyer, Adam; Xu, Qumiao; Wang, Dongye; Ebright, Yon W.; Ebright, Richard H.

    2015-01-01

    Summary A three-step procedure comprising (i) unnatural-amino-acid mutagenesis with 4-azido-phenylalanine, (ii) Staudinger-Bertozzi ligation with a probe-phosphine derivative, and (iii) in vitro reconstitution of RNA polymerase (RNAP) enables the efficient site-specific incorporation of a fluorescent probe, a spin label, a crosslinking agent, a cleaving agent, an affinity tag, or any other biochemical or biophysical probe, at any site of interest in RNAP. Straightforward extensions of the procedure enable the efficient site-specific incorporation of two or more different probes in two or more different subunits of RNAP. We present protocols for synthesis of probe-phosphine derivatives, preparation of RNAP subunits and the transcription initiation factor σ, unnatural amino acid mutagenesis of RNAP subunits and σ, Staudinger ligation with unnatural-amino-acid-containing RNAP subunits and σ, quantitation of labelling efficiency and labelling specificity, and reconstitution of RNAP. PMID:25665560

  9. Human disturbance and stage-specific habitat requirements influence snowy plover site occupancy during the breeding season

    PubMed Central

    Webber, Alyson F; Heath, Julie A; Fischer, Richard A

    2013-01-01

    Habitat use has important consequences for avian reproductive success and survival. In coastal areas with recreational activity, human disturbance may limit use of otherwise suitable habitat. Snowy plovers Charadrius nivosus have a patchy breeding distribution along the coastal areas on the Florida Panhandle, USA. Our goal was to determine the relative effects of seasonal human disturbance and habitat requirements on snowy plover habitat use. We surveyed 303 sites for snowy plovers, human disturbance, and habitat features between January and July 2009 and 2010. We made multiple visits during three different sampling periods that corresponded to snowy plover breeding: pre-breeding, incubation, and brood-rearing and used multi-season occupancy models to examine whether human disturbance, habitat features, or both influenced site occupancy, colonization (probability of transition from an unoccupied site to an occupied site), and extinction (probability of transition from an occupied site to an unoccupied site). Snowy plover site occupancy and colonization was negatively associated with human disturbance and site extinction was positively associated with human disturbance. Interdune vegetation had a negative effect on occupancy and colonization, indicating that plovers were less likely to use areas with uniform, dense vegetation among dunes. Also, dune shape, beach debris, and access to low-energy foraging areas influenced site occupancy, colonization, and extinction. Plovers used habitat based on beach characteristics that provided stage-specific resource needs; however, human disturbance was the strongest predictor of site occupancy. In addition, vegetation plantings used to enhance dune rehabilitation may negatively impact plover site occupancy. Management actions that decrease human disturbance, such as symbolic fencing and signage, may increase the amount of breeding habitat available to snowy plovers on the Florida Panhandle and in other areas with high human

  10. Race to the Top. Ohio Report. Year 2: School Year 2011-2012. [State-Specific Summary Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Department of Education, 2013

    2013-01-01

    This State-specific summary report serves as an assessment of Ohio's Year 2 Race to the Top implementation, highlighting successes and accomplishments, identifying challenges, and providing lessons learned from implementation from approximately September 2011 through September 2012. During Year 2, Ohio built on its Year 1 successes. In its…

  11. Transverse colon cancer occurring at a colostomy site 35 years after colostomy: a case report.

    PubMed

    Maeda, Chiyo; Hidaka, Eiji; Shimada, Mari; Shimada, Shoji; Nakahara, Kenta; Takayanagi, Daisuke; Takehara, Yusuke; Mukai, Shumpei; Sawada, Naruhiko; Ishida, Fumio; Kudo, Shin-ei

    2015-05-06

    Carcinomas occurring at colostomy sites are rare, and most of these are metachronous colorectal cancers. The median time between colostomy and development of a carcinoma at a colostomy site is 22 years, which exceeds the length of the recommended follow-up period. We report a rare case of a carcinoma of the transverse colon occurring at a colostomy site in a patient without a history of colorectal cancer. An 89-year-old woman presented with a tumor occurring at a colostomy site. Thirty-five years previously, she had undergone a transverse loop colostomy for an iatrogenic colon perforation that occurred during left ureteral lithotomy. Upon physical examination, the patient had a hard nodule measuring 3 cm at the colostomy site. A biopsy of the nodule suggested adenocarcinoma, and the preoperative diagnosis was transverse colon cancer. A laparotomy was performed via a peristomal incision with 5-mm skin margins, and the tumor was covered by a surgical glove to avoid any tumor seeding. The colon was separated from the tumor by 5-cm margins, and the specimen was removed en bloc. An end colostomy was constructed to a new site on the right side of the abdomen. The deficit in the abdominal wall was repaired, and the skin was closed via a purse-string suture. The final diagnosis of the stoma tumor was transverse colon cancer (T2, N0, M0, stage I). One year and five months after surgery, there was no evidence of recurrence. The occurrence of carcinomas at colostomy sites in patients without a history of colorectal cancer is rare. It is important to train ostomates to monitor the stoma for possible tumor recurrence.

  12. On Equivalence between Critical Probabilities of Dynamic Gossip Protocol and Static Site Percolation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Hayakawa, Tomohisa

    The relationship between the critical probability of gossip protocol on the square lattice and the critical probability of site percolation on the square lattice is discussed. Specifically, these two critical probabilities are analytically shown to be equal to each other. Furthermore, we present a way of evaluating the critical probability of site percolation by approximating the saturation of gossip protocol. Finally, we provide numerical results which support the theoretical analysis.

  13. Cs sorption to potential host rock of low-level radioactive waste repository in Taiwan: experiments and numerical fitting study.

    PubMed

    Wang, Tsing-Hai; Chen, Chin-Lung; Ou, Lu-Yen; Wei, Yuan-Yaw; Chang, Fu-Lin; Teng, Shi-Ping

    2011-09-15

    A reliable performance assessment of radioactive waste repository depends on better knowledge of interactions between nuclides and geological substances. Numerical fitting of acquired experimental results by the surface complexation model enables us to interpret sorption behavior at molecular scale and thus to build a solid basis for simulation study. A lack of consensus on a standard set of assessment criteria (such as determination of sorption site concentration, reaction formula) during numerical fitting, on the other hand, makes lower case comparison between various studies difficult. In this study we explored the sorption of cesium to argillite by conducting experiments under different pH and solid/liquid ratio (s/l) with two specific initial Cs concentrations (100mg/L, 7.5 × 10(-4)mol/L and 0.01 mg/L, 7.5 × 10(-8)mol/L). After this, numerical fitting was performed, focusing on assessment criteria and their consequences. It was found that both ion exchange and electrostatic interactions governed Cs sorption on argillite. At higher initial Cs concentration the Cs sorption showed an increasing dependence on pH as the solid/liquid ratio was lowered. In contrast at trace Cs levels, the Cs sorption was neither s/l dependent nor pH sensitive. It is therefore proposed that ion exchange mechanism dominates Cs sorption when the concentration of surface sorption site exceeds that of Cs, whereas surface complexation is attributed to Cs uptake under alkaline environments. Numerical fitting was conducted using two different strategies to determine concentration of surface sorption sites: the clay model (based on the cation exchange capacity plus surface titration results) and the iron oxide model (where the concentration of sorption sites is proportional to the surface area of argillite). It was found that the clay model led to better fitting than the iron oxide model, which is attributed to more amenable sorption sites (two specific sorption sites along with larger site

  14. CRISPR/Cas9-loxP-Mediated Gene Editing as a Novel Site-Specific Genetic Manipulation Tool.

    PubMed

    Yang, Fayu; Liu, Changbao; Chen, Ding; Tu, Mengjun; Xie, Haihua; Sun, Huihui; Ge, Xianglian; Tang, Lianchao; Li, Jin; Zheng, Jiayong; Song, Zongming; Qu, Jia; Gu, Feng

    2017-06-16

    Cre-loxP, as one of the site-specific genetic manipulation tools, offers a method to study the spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression/inactivation in order to decipher gene function. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted genome engineering technologies are sparking a new revolution in biological research. Whether the traditional site-specific genetic manipulation tool and CRISPR/Cas9 could be combined to create a novel genetic tool for highly specific gene editing is not clear. Here, we successfully generated a CRISPR/Cas9-loxP system to perform gene editing in human cells, providing the proof of principle that these two technologies can be used together for the first time. We also showed that distinct non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) patterns from CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of the targeting sequence locates at the level of plasmids (episomal) and chromosomes. Specially, the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated NHEJ pattern in the nuclear genome favors deletions (64%-68% at the human AAVS1 locus versus 4%-28% plasmid DNA). CRISPR/Cas9-loxP, a novel site-specific genetic manipulation tool, offers a platform for the dissection of gene function and molecular insights into DNA-repair pathways. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. A Common Representational System Governed by Weber's Law: Nonverbal Numerical Similarity Judgments in 6-Year-Olds and Rhesus Macaques

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jordan, Kerry E.; Brannon, Elizabeth M.

    2006-01-01

    This study compared nonverbal numerical processing in 6-year-olds with that in nonhuman animals using a numerical bisection task. In the study, 16 children were trained on a delayed match-to-sample paradigm to match exemplars of two anchor numerosities. Children were then required to indicate whether a sample intermediate to the anchor values was…

  16. Optimization of Photoactive Protein Z for Fast and Efficient Site-Specific Conjugation of Native IgG

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Antibody conjugates have been used in a variety of applications from immunoassays to drug conjugates. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that in order to maximize an antibody’s antigen binding ability and to produce homogeneous antibody-conjugates, the conjugated molecule should be attached onto IgG site-specifically. We previously developed a facile method for the site-specific modification of full length, native IgGs by engineering a recombinant Protein Z that forms a covalent link to the Fc domain of IgG upon exposure to long wavelength UV light. To further improve the efficiency of Protein Z production and IgG conjugation, we constructed a panel of 13 different Protein Z variants with the UV-active amino acid benzoylphenylalanine (BPA) in different locations. By using this panel of Protein Z to cross-link a range of IgGs from different hosts, including human, mouse, and rat, we discovered two previously unknown Protein Z variants, L17BPA and K35BPA, that are capable of cross-linking many commonly used IgG isotypes with efficiencies ranging from 60% to 95% after only 1 h of UV exposure. When compared to existing site-specific methods, which often require cloning or enzymatic reactions, the Protein Z-based method described here, utilizing the L17BPA, K35BPA, and the previously described Q32BPA variants, represents a vastly more accessible and efficient approach that is compatible with nearly all native IgGs, thus making site-specific conjugation more accessible to the general research community. PMID:25121619

  17. Optimization of photoactive protein Z for fast and efficient site-specific conjugation of native IgG.

    PubMed

    Hui, James Z; Tsourkas, Andrew

    2014-09-17

    Antibody conjugates have been used in a variety of applications from immunoassays to drug conjugates. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that in order to maximize an antibody's antigen binding ability and to produce homogeneous antibody-conjugates, the conjugated molecule should be attached onto IgG site-specifically. We previously developed a facile method for the site-specific modification of full length, native IgGs by engineering a recombinant Protein Z that forms a covalent link to the Fc domain of IgG upon exposure to long wavelength UV light. To further improve the efficiency of Protein Z production and IgG conjugation, we constructed a panel of 13 different Protein Z variants with the UV-active amino acid benzoylphenylalanine (BPA) in different locations. By using this panel of Protein Z to cross-link a range of IgGs from different hosts, including human, mouse, and rat, we discovered two previously unknown Protein Z variants, L17BPA and K35BPA, that are capable of cross-linking many commonly used IgG isotypes with efficiencies ranging from 60% to 95% after only 1 h of UV exposure. When compared to existing site-specific methods, which often require cloning or enzymatic reactions, the Protein Z-based method described here, utilizing the L17BPA, K35BPA, and the previously described Q32BPA variants, represents a vastly more accessible and efficient approach that is compatible with nearly all native IgGs, thus making site-specific conjugation more accessible to the general research community.

  18. A METHOD FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF SITE-SPECIFIC TAUTOMERIC AND ZWITTERIONIC MICROSPECIES EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    We describe a method for the individual measurement of simultaneously occurring, unimolecular, site-specific "microequilibrium" constants as in, for example, prototropic tautomerism and zwitterionic equilibria. Our method represents an elaboration of that of Nygren et al. (Anal. ...

  19. Site-specific Interaction Mapping of Phosphorylated Ubiquitin to Uncover Parkin Activation*♦

    PubMed Central

    Yamano, Koji; Queliconi, Bruno B.; Koyano, Fumika; Saeki, Yasushi; Hirokawa, Takatsugu; Tanaka, Keiji; Matsuda, Noriyuki

    2015-01-01

    Damaged mitochondria are eliminated through autophagy machinery. A cytosolic E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin, a gene product mutated in familial Parkinsonism, is essential for this pathway. Recent progress has revealed that phosphorylation of both Parkin and ubiquitin at Ser65 by PINK1 are crucial for activation and recruitment of Parkin to the damaged mitochondria. However, the mechanism by which phosphorylated ubiquitin associates with and activates phosphorylated Parkin E3 ligase activity remains largely unknown. Here, we analyze interactions between phosphorylated forms of both Parkin and ubiquitin at a spatial resolution of the amino acid residue by site-specific photo-crosslinking. We reveal that the in-between-RING (IBR) domain along with RING1 domain of Parkin preferentially binds to ubiquitin in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Furthermore, another approach, the Fluoppi (fluorescent-based technology detecting protein-protein interaction) assay, also showed that pathogenic mutations in these domains blocked interactions with phosphomimetic ubiquitin in mammalian cells. Molecular modeling based on the site-specific photo-crosslinking interaction map combined with mass spectrometry strongly suggests that a novel binding mechanism between Parkin and ubiquitin leads to a Parkin conformational change with subsequent activation of Parkin E3 ligase activity. PMID:26260794

  20. Carbon budgets of thirteen years at the FLUXNET cropland site Oensingen, Switzerland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Emmel, Carmen; Revill, Andrew; Hörtnagl, Lukas; Eugster, Werner

    2017-04-01

    The FLUXNET cropland site at Oensingen, Switzerland (CH-Oe2) is located on the Swiss Plateau, which is representative for the average domain of agricultural crop production in Switzerland. The site is managed under the low pesticide integrated production (IP) farming protocol and features a crop rotation focusing on winter wheat, but also includes winter barley, rapeseed, peas and potatoes as well as intermediate cover crops. Thirteen years of eddy covariance and meteorological measurements are available for the site. The carbon imports through manure applications and sowing, along with the exports through harvests, were quantified. In this study, we analyze the carbon budgets of all crop types and measurement years. These results will be compared to changes in soil carbon content. We will answer the questions: (1) Has the crop rotation and field management resulted in a net carbon source or sink? (2) To what extent are the different crop types linked to net carbon exchanges? (3) What are the climatic potential drivers for the interannual cropland carbon budget? (4) Is the carbon budget reflected in the changes in soil carbon content?