Single Set (single + set)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Stochastic matrix models for conservation and management: a comparative review of methods

ECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 3 2001
John Fieberg
Stochastic matrix models are frequently used by conservation biologists to measure the viability of species and to explore various management actions. Models are typically parameterized using two or more sets of estimated transition rates between age/size/stage classes. While standard methods exist for analyzing a single set of transition rates, a variety of methods have been employed to analyze multiple sets of transition rates. We review applications of stochastic matrix models to problems in conservation and use simulation studies to compare the performance of different analytic methods currently in use. We find that model conclusions are likely to be robust to the choice of parametric distribution used to model vital rate fluctuations over time. However, conclusions can be highly sensitive to the within-year correlation structure among vital rates, and therefore we suggest using analytical methods that provide a means of conducting a sensitivity analysis with respect to correlation parameters. Our simulation results also suggest that the precision of population viability estimates can be improved by using matrix models that incorporate environmental covariates in conjunction with experiments to estimate transition rates under a range of environmental conditions. [source]


1,3-Diethynylallenes: Stable Monomers, Length-Defined Oligomers, Asymmetric Synthesis, and Optical Resolution

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 21 2007
Matthijs K. J. ter Wiel
Abstract A series of differently substituted 1,3-diethynylallenes (DEAs) have been synthesized, confirming that the previously introduced construction protocols tolerate a variety of functional groups. The new DEAs bear at least one polar group to facilitate enantiomer separations on chiral stationary phases and to allow further functionalization. They are thermally and environmentally stable compounds since bulky substituents next to the cumulene moiety suppress the tendency to undergo [2+2] cyclodimerization. A series of length-defined oligomers were obtained as mixtures of stereoisomers by oxidative coupling of a monomeric DEA under Glaser,Hay conditions. The electronic absorption data indicate a lack of extended ,-electron conjugation across the oligomeric backbone due to the orthogonality of the allenic ,-systems. Remarkably, even complex mixtures of stereoisomers only yield one single set of NMR signals, which underlines the low stereodifferentiation in acyclic allenoacetylenic structures. Optical resolution of DEAs represents an amazing challenge, and preliminary results on the analytical level are reported. Asymmetric synthesis by Pd-mediated SN2,-type cross-coupling of an alkyne to an optically pure bispropargylic precursor opens another promising route to optically active allenes with stereoselectivities currently reaching up to 78,% ee. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007) [source]


Single- and dual-porosity modelling of multiple tracer transport through soil columns: effects of initial moisture and mode of application

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2001
T. Kätterer
Summary We investigated the effect of initial moisture contents and mode of application on the displacement of multiple conservative tracers through undisturbed columns of a Humic Gleysol. Bromide was applied at the soil surface and chloride was injected at 5 cm depth. The columns were irrigated with deuterium-enriched water. A dual-porosity model and two single-porosity models were calibrated separately to Br, and Cl, elution curves in the two columns. Elution curves were almost identical for Br, and Cl, under initially wet conditions, whereas the displacement of Br, was faster than that of Cl, in the initially dry column, indicating rapid transport with preferential flow. Only the dual-porosity model described the long-tailing breakthrough of Cl, in the initially dry column adequately. The parameter values giving acceptable fits for ,Br dry' were not compatible with the description of the three other elution curves, which could be adequately modelled with a single set of parameter values. The estimated set of common parameters was validated by comparing with the elution curves of deuterium water, nitrate and sulphate, as well as with resident tracer concentrations at four depths. The results showed that solutes can be displaced much faster when applied at the surface of initially dry soil than when applied to wet soil or when resident in the soil matrix. The simulation results suggest that solute transport under initially dry conditions was governed by preferential flow of infiltration water through macropores by-passing the matrix due to shrinkage cracks and water repellence of matrix surfaces. [source]


Seismic characterization of vertical fractures described as general linear-slip interfaces

GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 2 2003
Vladimir Grechka
ABSTRACT Fluid flow in many hydrocarbon reservoirs is controlled by aligned fractures which make the medium anisotropic on the scale of seismic wavelength. Applying the linear-slip theory, we investigate seismic signatures of the effective medium produced by a single set of ,general' vertical fractures embedded in a purely isotropic host rock. The generality of our fracture model means the allowance for coupling between the normal (to the fracture plane) stress and the tangential jump in displacement (and vice versa). Despite its low (triclinic) symmetry, the medium is described by just nine independent effective parameters and possesses several distinct features which help to identify the physical model and estimate the fracture compliances and background velocities. For example, the polarization vector of the vertically propagating fast shear wave S1 and the semi-major axis of the S1 -wave normal-moveout (NMO) ellipse from a horizontal reflector always point in the direction of the fracture strike. Moreover, for the S1 -wave both the vertical velocity and the NMO velocity along the fractures are equal to the shear-wave velocity in the host rock. Analysis of seismic signatures in the limit of small fracture weaknesses allows us to select the input data needed for unambiguous fracture characterization. The fracture and background parameters can be estimated using the NMO ellipses from horizontal reflectors and vertical velocities of P-waves and two split S-waves, combined with a portion of the P-wave slowness surface reconstructed from multi-azimuth walkaway vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data. The stability of the parameter-estimation procedure is verified by performing non-linear inversion based on the exact equations. [source]


A bounding surface plasticity model for cyclic loading of granular soils

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 14 2005
N. Khalili
Abstract A constitutive model for describing the stress,strain behaviour of granular soils subjected to cyclic loading is presented. The model is formulated using bounding surface theory within a critical state framework. A single set of material parameters is introduced for the complete characterization of the constitutive model. The shape of the bounding surface is based on experimental observations of undrained stress paths for loose samples. A mapping rule which passes through stress reversal points is introduced to depict the stress,strain behaviour during unloading and reloading. The effect of particle crushing is considered through a modified critical state line. Essential features of the model are validated using several experimental data from the literature. Both drained and undrained loading conditions are considered. The characteristic features of behaviour in granular soils subjected to cyclic loading are captured. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Independent evolution of migration on the South American landscape in a long-distance temperate-tropical migratory bird, Swainson's flycatcher (Myiarchus swainsoni)

JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2003
Leo Joseph
Abstract Aim, To understand the evolution of long-distance temperate,tropical migration in a South American bird, Swainson's flycatcher (Myiarchus swainsoni). Methods, A total of 842 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA genes ATPase 8 and 6 were sequenced from forty-nine individuals of the M. swainsoni complex from most of its range. Analyses measured the phylogenetic signal in the data, and tools of population genetics, phylogeography and phylogeny were used to interpret the evolution of the bird and its migration on the South American landscape. Results, Migratory populations in the M. swainsoni complex are not each other's closest relatives. The migratory subspecies M. s. swainsoni, which breeds in south-eastern South America, is not closely related to the rest of the complex. The remaining migratory populations of the subspecies M. s. ferocior and two intergrade populations are extremely closely related to non-migratory populations with which they form a well-supported clade despite substantial morphological differentiation from each other. Within this clade of migrants and non-migrants, net divergence across 4000 km of lowland South America is zero and most diversity is distributed among individuals not populations. Mismatch analyses and significant values of Tajima's D and Fu's Fs suggest the clade has undergone a very recent range expansion. Migration and the shifts of breeding distribution that accompanied its evolution evolved twice within what has recently been considered the polytypic species M. swainsoni. Furthermore, these shifts of range probably occurred at very different times as parts of different southward ,pulses' of humid, Amazonian taxa. Main conclusions, Evolution of temperate-tropical migration in the M. swainsoni complex has been spatio-temporally layered on the South American landscape. The analysis cautions that the historical biogeography underlying a single present-day migration system need not have been driven by a single set of environmental factors operating at one time. We suggest directions for further study of ecology and demography in zones of apparent contact between various migratory and non-migratory populations. [source]


Cladistic and phylogenetic biogeography: the art and the science of discovery

JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2003
Marco G. P. Van Veller
Abstract All methods used in historical biogeographical analysis aim to obtain resolved area cladograms that represent historical relationships among areas in which monophyletic groups of taxa are distributed. When neither widespread nor sympatric taxa are present in the distribution of a monophyletic group, all methods obtain the same resolved area cladogram that conforms to a simple vicariance scenario. In most cases, however, the distribution of monophyletic groups of taxa is not that simple. A priori and a posteriori methods of historical biogeography differ in the way in which they deal with widespread and sympatric taxa. A posteriori methods are empirically superior to a priori methods, as they provide a more parsimonious accounting of the input data, do not eliminate or modify input data, and do not suffer from internal inconsistencies in implementation. When factual errors are corrected, the exemplar presented by M.C. Ebach & C.J. Humphries (Journal of Biogeography, 2002, 29, 427) purporting to show inconsistencies in implementation by a posteriori methods actually corroborates the opposite. The rationale for preferring a priori methods thus corresponds to ontological rather than to epistemological considerations. We herein identify two different research programmes, cladistic biogeography (associated with a priori methods) and phylogenetic biogeography (associated with a posteriori methods). The aim of cladistic biogeography is to fit all elements of all taxon,area cladograms to a single set of area relationships, maintaining historical singularity of areas. The aim of phylogenetic biogeography is to document, most parsimoniously, the geographical context of speciation events. The recent contribution by M.C. Ebach & C.J. Humphries (Journal of Biogeography, 2002, 29, 427) makes it clear that cladistic biogeography using a priori methods is an inductivist/verificationist research programme, whereas phylogenetic biogeography is hypothetico-deductivist/falsificationist. Cladistic biogeography can become hypothetic-deductive by using a posteriori methods of analysis. [source]


DommiMOE: An implementation of ligand field molecular mechanics in the molecular operating environment

JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2005
Robert J. Deeth
The ligand field molecular mechanics (LFMM) model, which incorporates the ligand field stabilization energy (LFSE) directly into the potential energy expression of molecular mechanics (MM), has been implemented in the "chemically aware" molecular operating environment (MOE) software package. The new program, christened DommiMOE, is derived from our original in-house code that has been linked to MOE via its applications programming interface and a number of other routines written in MOE's native scientific vector language (SVL). DommiMOE automates the assignment of atom types and their associated parameters and popular force fields available in MOE such as MMFF94, AMBER, and CHARMM can be easily extended to provide a transition metal simulation capability. Some of the unique features of the LFMM are illustrated using MMFF94 and some simple [MCl4]2, and [Ni(NH3)n]2+ species. These studies also demonstrate how density functional theory calculations, especially on experimentally inaccessible systems, provide important data for designing improved LFMM parameters. DommiMOE treats Jahn,Teller distortions automatically, and can compute the relative energies of different spin states for Ni(II) complexes using a single set of LFMM parameters. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 26: 123,130, 2005 [source]


Calculation of the vibration frequencies of ,-quartz: The effect of Hamiltonian and basis set

JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 15 2004
C. M. Zicovich-Wilson
Abstract The central-zone vibrational spectrum of ,-quartz (SiO2) is calculated by building the Hessian matrix numerically from the analytical gradients of the energy with respect to the atomic coordinates. The nonanalytical part is obtained with a finite field supercell approach for the high-frequency dielectric constant and a Wannier function scheme for the evaluation of Born charges. The results obtained with four different Hamiltonians, namely Hartree,Fock, DFT in its local (LDA) and nonlocal gradient corrected (PBE) approximation, and hybrid B3LYP, are discussed, showing that B3LYP performs far better than LDA and PBE, which in turn provide better results than HF, as the mean absolute difference from experimental frequencies is 6, 18, 21, and 44 cm,1, respectively, when a split valence basis set containing two sets of polarization functions is used. For the LDA results, comparison is possible with previous calculations based on the Density Functional Perturbation Theory and usage of a plane-wave basis set. The effects associated with the use of basis sets of increasing size are also investigated. It turns out that a split valence plus a single set of d polarization functions provides frequencies that differ from the ones obtained with a double set of d functions and a set of f functions on all atoms by on average less than 5 cm,1. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 25: 1873,1881, 2004 [source]


Low- and high-spin iron (II) complexes studied by effective crystal field method combined with molecular mechanics

JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 14 2003
M. B. Darkhovskii
Abstract A computational method targeted to Werner-type complexes is developed on the basis of quantum mechanical effective Hamiltonian crystal field (EHCF) methodology (previously proposed for describing electronic structure of transition metal complexes) combined with the Gillespie,Kepert version of molecular mechanics (MM). It is a special version of the hybrid quantum/MM approach. The MM part is responsible for representing the whole molecule, including ligand atoms and metal ion coordination sphere, but leaving out the effects of the d -shell. The quantum mechanical EHCF part is limited to the metal ion d -shell. The method reproduces with reasonable accuracy geometry and spin states of the Fe(II) complexes with monodentate and polydentate aromatic ligands with nitrogen donor atoms. In this setting a single set of MM parameters set is shown to be sufficient for handling all spin states of the complexes under consideration. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 14: 1703,1719, 2003 [source]


Another step toward global convergence

JOURNAL OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 6 2008
Kang Cheng
The Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board have worked together to develop a single set of accounting standards for business combinations. It will make things easier for corporate finance and accounting professionals when dealing with domestic versus international acquisitions. However, at first glance, the new FASB standard looks like a total revision of SFAS No. 141. What are the latest changes? © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Design for model parameter uncertainty using nonlinear confidence regions

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 8 2001
William C. Rooney
An accurate method presented accounts for uncertain model parameters in nonlinear process optimization problems. The model representation is considered in terms of algebraic equations. Uncertain quantity parameters are often discretized into a number of finite values that are then used in multiperiod optimization problems. These discrete values usually range between some lower and upper bound that can be derived from individual confidence intervals. Frequently, more than one uncertain parameter is estimated at a time from a single set of experiments. Thus, using simple lower and upper bounds to describe these parameters may not be accurate, since it assumes the parameters are uncorrelated. In 1999 Rooney and Biegler showed the importance of including parameter correlation in design problems by using elliptical joint confidence regions to describe the correlation among the uncertain model parameters. In chemical engineering systems, however, the parameter estimation problem is often highly nonlinear, and the elliptical confidence regions derived from these problems may not be accurate enough to capture the actual model parameter uncertainty. In this work, the description of model parameter uncertainty is improved by using confidence regions derived from the likelihood ratio test. It captures the nonlinearities efficiently and accurately in the parameter estimation problem. Several examples solved show the importance of accurately capturing the actual model parameter uncertainty at the design stage. [source]


Effect of anesthetic structure on inhalation anesthesia: Implications for the mechanism

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 6 2008
Michael H. Abraham
Abstract Many previous attempts (e.g., the Meyer,Overton hypothesis) to provide a single set of physical or chemical characteristics that accurately predict anesthetic potency have failed. A finding of a general predictive correlation would support the notion of a unitary theory of narcosis. Using the Abraham solvation parameter model, the minimum alveolar concentration, MAC, of 148 varied anesthetic agents can be fitted to a linear equation in log (1/MAC) with R2,=,0.985 and a standard deviation, SD,=,0.192 log units. Division of the 148 compounds into a training set and a test set shows that log (1/MAC) values can be predicted with no bias and with SD,=,0.20 log units. The two main factors that determine MAC values are compound size and compound hydrogen bond acidity, both of which increase anesthetic activity. Shape has little or no effect on anesthetic activity. Our observations support a unitary theory of narcosis by inhalation anesthetics. A two-stage mechanism for inhalation anesthesia accounts for the observed structural effects of anesthetics. In this mechanism, the first main step is transfer of the anesthetic to the site of action, and the second step is interaction of the anesthetic with a receptor(s). © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 97:2373,2384, 2008 [source]


X-ray diffraction from rectangular slits

JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 4 2002
D. Le Bolloc'h
It is shown that for micrometre-sized beams the X-ray diffraction from slits is a source of strong parasitic background, even for slits of high quality. In order to illustrate this effect, the coherent diffraction from rectangular slits has been studied in detail. A large number of interference fringes with strong visibility have been observed using a single set of slits made of polished cylinders. For very small apertures, asymmetrical slits generate asymmetrical patterns. This pattern is calculated from the theory of electromagnetic field propagation and compared with experiment in the far-field regime. The use of guard slits to remove Fraunhofer diffraction from the beam-defining slits is treated theoretically. Numerical simulations yield the optimum aperture of the guard slits with respect to the distance to the primary slits. Diffraction theory is shown to be essential to understand how to reduce the background-to-signal ratio in high-resolution experiments. [source]


Full genomic amplification and subtyping of influenza A virus using a single set of universal primers

MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
Emi Inoue
ABSTRACT Influenza A virus has eight-segmented RNA molecules as a genome and, among all strains of the virus, both ends of each segment have 13 and 12 nucleotide sequences conserved. In the present study, a simple RT-PCR method to amplify all eight segments of the virus and determine the HA and NA subtype using a single primer set based on the conserved terminal sequences has been established. This method is also capable of detecting subgenomic defective interfering RNA of the influenza A virus. Since the primers used here cope with each and every RNA segment of influenza A virus, this simple RT-PCR method is valuable not only for cloning each gene of the virus, but also for identifying subtypes, including subtypes other than 16 HA and 9 NA subtypes. [source]


Where Does The God Delusion Come from?

NEW BLACKFRIARS, Issue 1017 2007
Nicholas Lash
Abstract While Richard Dawkins' polemic against religion scores easy points against Christian fundamentalisms, he supposes his target to be much vaster: "I am not attacking any particular version of God or gods. I am attacking God, all gods". Given The God Delusion's lack of extended argument, historical ignorance and unfamiliarity with the literature, the praise it has received from some distinguished scientists is troubling. This essay seeks, first, to examine some of the book's chief weaknesses , its ignorance of the grammar of "God" and of "belief in God"; the crudeness of its account of how texts are best read; its lack of interest in ethics , and, second, to address the question of what it is about the climate of the times that enables so ill-informed and badly argued a tirade to be widely welcomed by many apparently well-educated people. The latter issue is addressed, first, by considering the illusion, unique to the English-speaking world, that there is some single set of procedures which uniquely qualify as "scientific" and give privileged access to truth; second, by examining historical shifts in the senses of "religion"; thirdly, by locating Dawkins' presuppositions concerning both "science" and "religion", his paradoxical belief in progress, and the reception which the book has received, in relation to tensions in our culture signalled, fifty years ago, by C. P. Snow. [source]


Can the cause of aggregation be inferred from species distributions?

OIKOS, Issue 1 2007
Astrid J.A. Van Teeffelen
Species distributions often show an aggregated pattern, which can be due to a number of endo- and exogenous factors. While autologistic models have been used for modelling such data with statistical rigour, little emphasis has been put on disentangling potential causes of aggregation. In this paper we ask whether it is possible to infer sources of aggregation in species distributions from a single set of occurrence data by comparing the performance of various autologistic models. We create simulated data sets, which show similar occupancy patterns, but differ in the process that causes the aggregation. We model the distribution of these data with various autologistic models, and show how the relative performance of the models is sensitive to the factor causing aggregation in the data. This information can be used when modelling real species data, where causes of aggregation are typically unknown. To illustrate, we use our approach to assess the potential causes of aggregation in data of seven bird species with contrasting statistical patterns. Our findings have important implications for conservation, as understanding the mechanisms that drive population fluctuations in space and time is critical for the development of effective management actions for long-term conservation. [source]


Variation in the response of melon genotypes to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis race 1 determined by inoculation tests and molecular markers

PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2003
Y. Burger
Screening of genotypes of melon (Cucumis melo) for resistance to wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis is often characterized by wide variability in their responses to inoculation, even under carefully controlled conditions. The variability at the seedling stage of 17 genotypes susceptible to race 1 was examined in growth-chamber experiments. Disease incidence varied from 0 to 100% in a genotype-dependent manner. Using four combinations of light (60 and 90 µE m,2 s,1) and temperatures of (27 and 31°C), only light intensity showed a statistically significant effect. Marker-assisted selection for fusarium resistance breeding using cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) and sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers were compared using a single set of genotypes that included 24 melon accessions and breeding lines whose genotype regarding the Fom-2 gene was well characterized. The practical value of the markers for discriminating a range of genotypes and clarifying the scoring of phenotypes was also tested using a segregating breeding population which showed codominant SCAR markers to be useful in marker-assisted selection. [source]


Ubiquitous cancer genes: Multipurpose molecules for protein micro-arrays

PROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 1 2006
Brigitte Altenberg
Abstract Multipurpose genes in the human genome which are over-expressed in a large variety of different cancers have been identified. Forty-two of the 19,016,human genes annotated to date (0.2%) are ubiquitously over-expressed in half or more of the 36,investigated human cancers. Of these genes, 15,are involved in protein biosynthesis and folding, six of them in glycolysis. A group of 13,solid tumours over-express almost all (39,42 of 42) ubiquitous cancer genes, suggesting a common mechanism underlying these cancers. Others, such as endocrine cancers, have only a few over-expressed ubiquitous cancer genes. The proteins for which these genes code or the corresponding antibodies are candidates for small protein microarrays aiming at maximum information with only a limited number of proteins. Since the over-expression pattern varies from cancer to cancer, distinction between different cancer classes is possible using one single set of protein or antibody molecules. [source]


Comparison of Indian reference equations for spirometry interpretation

RESPIROLOGY, Issue 5 2007
Ashutosh N. AGGARWAL
Background and objectives: It would be desirable in a large country such as India that a single set of reference equations be used to interpret lung function tests performed across the entire country. This study compared north, west and south reference equations in interpreting spirometry results in north Indian patients. Methods: Spirometric records of 27383 patients aged 16,65 years were assessed. Spirometric values for FVC, FEV1 and FEV1%FVC values derived from north, west and south Indian reference equations were compared. Differences in the lower limit of normal (LLN) were studied across the age and height range of the study group to determine if there was any clinically significant difference in the three derived values. Results: The north and west Indian equations was discordant in 22.1% instances, and the north and south Indian equations in 12.9% instances, with kappa estimates of agreement being 0.626 and 0.781, respectively. Most of the patients with abnormal spirometry using north Indian equations were erroneously interpreted to have normal spirometry using west or south Indian equations. The south Indian equations underpredicted LLN for FVC and FEV1 for most men and women. The west Indian equations underpredicted LLN for FVC and FEV1 in all men, and in younger and short statured women. Conclusions: North, west and south Indian reference equations do not yield equivalent results for spirometry interpretation in north Indian patients. [source]


Virus-induced gene silencing in tomato

THE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 6 2002
Yule Liu
Abstract We have previously demonstrated that a tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-based vector can be used in virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to study gene function in Nicotiana benthamiana. Here we show that recombinant TRV infects tomato plants and induces efficient gene silencing. Using this system, we suppressed the PDS, CTR1 and CTR2 genes in tomato. Suppression of CTR1 led to a constitutive ethylene response phenotype and up-regulation of an ethylene response gene, CHITINASE B. This phenotype is similar to Arabidopsis ctr1 mutant plants. We have constructed a modified TRV vector based on the GATEWAY recombination system, allowing restriction- and ligation-free cloning. Our results show that tomato expressed sequence tags (ESTs) can easily be cloned into this modified vector using a single set of primers. Using this vector, we have silenced RbcS and an endogenous gene homologous to the tomato EST cLED3L14. In the future, this modified vector system will facilitate large-scale functional analysis of tomato ESTs. [source]


An Expedient Synthesis of the Repeating Unit of the Acidic Polysaccharide of the Bacteriolytic Complex of Lysoamidase,

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 3 2005
Remy E. J. N. Litjens
Abstract The first synthesis of the trisaccharide repeating unit of the acidic polysaccharide of the bacteriolytic complex of lysoamidase is presented. The construction is based on a linear glycosylation strategy that starts from the reducing end and employs thio- and selenoglycosides in a highly stereoselective manner by a single set of activation conditions. The thus-formed trisaccharide is selectively deprotected and oxidised, after which a final deprotection step furnishes the desired repeating unit. [source]


Interaction of Ru(II) Complex with Yeast tRNA Studied by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry

CHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2005
Xu Hong
Abstract The interaction of metal complex with RNA has been studied by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) for the first time. ITC experiments show that complex [Ru(phen)2MPIP]2+ {phen=1,10-phenanthroline, MPIP=2-(4-methylphenyl)imidazo[4,5- f]-1,10-phenanthroline} interacts with yeast tRNA in terms of a model for a single set of identical sites through intercalation, which is consistent with our previous observation obtained from spectroscopic methods, and this binding process was driven by a moderately favorable enthalpy decrease in combination with a moderately favorable entropy increase, suggesting that ITC is an effective method for deep studying the interactions of metal complexes with RNA. [source]


Accuracy of a computerized tomography-guided template-assisted implant placement system: an in vitro study

CLINICAL ORAL IMPLANTS RESEARCH, Issue 10 2009
Jacob Horwitz
Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of computer-assisted 3D planning and implant insertion using computerized tomography (CT). Materials and methods: Nine implants were planned on pre-operative CTs of six resin models, which were acquired with radiographic templates, using a planning software (E implants). Each resin model contained three pre-existing control implants (C implants). Radiographic templates were converted into operative guides containing 4.8-mm-diameter titanium sleeves. A single set of insertable sleeves was used for consecutively drilling the six models, followed by implant insertion through the guide sleeves. Models were further divided into group A (the first three models) and group B (the last three models). Post-operative CTs were used to compare implant positions with pre-operative planned positions. Statistical analysis included the Mann,Whitney U test for E and C implants and the Wilcoxon's signed ranks test for groups A and B. Results: The mean apex depth deviations for E and C implants [0.49 mm±0.36 standard deviation (SD) and 0.32 mm±0.21 SD, respectively], and the mean apex radial deviations (0.63 mm±0.38 SD and 0.49 mm±0.17 SD, respectively) were similar (P>0.05). The mean angulation deviations for E and C implants were 2.17±1.06°SD and 1.33±0.69°SD, P<0.05. E implant deviations of all the parameters in group A were significantly smaller than E implant deviations in group B. Conclusions: Computer-assisted implant planning and insertion provides good accuracy. Deviations are mainly related to system and reproducibility errors. Multiple use of drills and titanium sleeves significantly reduces system accuracy. [source]