Conserved sequence motifs among bacterial, eukaryotic, and archaeal phosphatases that define a new phosphohydrolase superfamily

Members of a new molecular family of bacterial nonspecific acid phosphatases (NSAPs), indicated as class C, were found to share significant sequence similarities to bacterial class B NSAPs and to some plant acid phosphatases, representing the first example of a family of bacterial NSAPs that has a relatively close eukaryotic counterpart. Despite the lack of an overall similarity, conserved sequence motifs were also identified among the above enzyme families (class B and class C bacterial NSAPs, and related plant phosphatases) and several other families of phosphohydrolases, including bacterial phosphoglycolate phosphatases, histidinol-phosphatase domains of the bacterial bifunctional enzymes imidazole-glycerolphosphate dehydratases, and bacterial, eukaryotic, and archaeal phosphoserine phosphatases and threalose-6-phosphatases. These conserved motifs are clustered within two domains, separated by a variable spacer region, according to the pattern [FILMAVT]-D-[ILFRMVY]-D-[GSNDE]-[TV]-[ILVAM]-[AT S VILMC]-X-?YFWHKR)-X-?YFWHNQ?-X( 102,191)-?KRHNQ?-G-D-?FYWHILVMC?-?QNH?-?FWYGP?-D -?PSNQYW?. The dephosphorylating activity common to all these proteins supports the definition of this phosphatase motif and the inclusion of these enzymes into a superfamily of phosphohydrolases that we propose to indicate as "DDDD" after the presence of the four invariant aspartate residues. Database searches retrieved various hypothetical proteins of unknown function containing this or similar motifs, for which a phosphohydrolase activity could be hypothesized.     

Further studies on the influence of genotype and dietary protein on the performance of broilers

An experiment was conducted to quantify genetic differences in response to dietary protein level of male vs female broilers. Broilers (1 d old) from a "high-yield" strain cross (Ross x Ross 208) and a "fast-growing" strain cross (Peterson x Arbor Acres) were placed on fresh pine shavings in floor pens. From Day 0 to 18, all birds were fed a 23% CP starter diet. During Days 18 to 53 male birds were fed either a 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, or 26% CP diet (3,200 kcal ME/kg) and female birds were fed the 16, 20, or 24% CP diet. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were noted in the performance of the different strains. Ross x Ross 208 male birds had a higher body weight (3.37 vs 3.16 kg), higher feed intake (7.08 vs 6.78 kg), higher breast yield (31.76 vs 29.25%), higher carcass yield (73.90 vs 71.85%), and a lower adjusted feed conversion ratio (FCR; 2.10 vs 2.16 g:g) than Peterson x Arbor Acres males at 53 d of age. As compared to Peterson x Arbor Acres females, Ross x Ross 208 female broilers also had a higher body weight (2.68 vs 2.55 kg), higher breast meat yield (33.61 vs 30.80%), higher carcass yield (75.31 vs 73.91%), and lower adjusted FCR (1.97 vs 2.04 g:g). Qualitative differences in the response of these strains were confirmed and better qualitative data is presented that can be used to predict the important output parameters from the import inputs in broiler production.     

A complexity measure for selective matching of signals by the brain

We have previously derived a theoretical measure of neural complexity (CN) in an attempt to characterize functional connectivity in the brain. CN measures the amount and heterogeneity of statistical correlations within a neural system in terms of the mutual information between subsets of its units. CN was initially used to characterize the functional connectivity of a neural system isolated from the environment. In the present paper, we introduce a related statistical measure, matching complexity (CM), which reflects the change in CN that occurs after a neural system receives signals from the environment. CM measures how well the ensemble of intrinsic correlations within a neural system fits the statistical structure of the sensory input. We show that CM is low when the intrinsic connectivity of a simulated cortical area is randomly organized. Conversely, CM is high when the intrinsic connectivity is modified so as to differentially amplify those intrinsic correlations that happen to be enhanced by sensory input. When the input is represented by an individual stimulus, a positive value of CM indicates that the limited mutual information between sensory sheets sampling the stimulus and the rest of the brain triggers a large increase in the mutual information between many functionally specialized subsets within the brain. In this way, a complex brain can deal with context and go "beyond the information given."     

A knowledge-based analysis of global function computation

Consider a distributed system N in which each agent has an input value and each communication link has a weight. Given a global function, that is, a function f whose value depends on the whole network, the goal is for every agent to eventually compute the value f (N). We call this problem global function computation. Various solutions for instances of this problem, such as Boolean function computation, leader election, (minimum) spanning tree construction, and network determination, have been proposed, each under particular assumptions about what processors know about the system and how this knowledge can be acquired. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for the problem to be solvable that generalizes a number of well-known results (Attyia et al. in J ACM 35(4):845–875, 1988; Yamashita and Kameda in IEEE Trans Parallel Distrib Syst 7(1):69–89, 1996; Yamashita and Kameda in IEEE Trans Parallel Distrib Syst 10(9):878–887, 1999). We then provide a knowledge-based (kb) program (like those of Fagin et al. (Reasoning about knowledge, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1995, Distrib Comput 10(4):199–225, 1997)) that solves global function computation whenever possible. Finally, we improve the message overhead inherent in our initial kb program by giving a counterfactual belief-based program (Halpern and Moses in Distrib Comput 17(2):91–106, 2004) that also solves the global function computation whenever possible, but where agents send messages only when they believe it is necessary to do so. The latter program is shown to be implemented by a number of well-known algorithms for solving leader election.     

Dealing with logical omniscience: Expressiveness and pragmatics

We examine four approaches for dealing with the logical omniscience problem and their potential applicability: the syntactic approach, awareness, algorithmic knowledge, and impossible possible worlds. Although in some settings these approaches are equi-expressive and can capture all epistemic states, in other settings of interest (especially with probability in the picture), we show that they are not equi-expressive. We then consider the pragmatics of dealing with logical omniscience—how to choose an approach and construct an appropriate model.     

l/sub 1/-suboptimal pole placement design

We incorporate an arbitrary number of "candidate" positive distinct poles into the scalar l/sub 1/ optimization framework in order to obtain low-order rational suboptimal solutions to constrained l/sub 1/ optimization problems. Our approach uses a single linear program to minimize an upper bound on the l/sub 1/ norm and gives a solution which uses only the best out of the prespecified poles. Rational suboptimal solutions to a scalar two-block problem are obtained similarly.     

Action of levorin on glucose transport in the rat small intestine

The technique of accumulating preparation of the mucosa and "turned out sac" was used to show that levorin, a polyenic antibiotic in a concentration of 10(-6) M, lowered the transport rate and accumulation of glucose by the epithelial cells of the rat thin intestine under conditions of oxygenation. Suppression of the glucose transport in the first stages resulted in partial inhibition of the transmembrane transfer. It is suggested that levorin suppression of the glucose transport through the erythrocyte apical membrane in the thin intestine is associated with a decrease in the electrochemical gradient of Na+.     

Keyboard design through physiological strain measurements

The physiologically tolerable range of positions for the joints of the upper extremities have been investigated for typing tasks by recording the myoelectric activities of the involved muscles. For long-term typing tasks a split keyboard is recommended allocating a key field to each hand. The fields should be rotated against each other in the horizontal plane and inclined laterally.     

A sensitive method for the determination of amitriptyline and nortriptyline in human plasma

The kinetics of the male gametogenesis during the pregonadal period, prespermatogenesis, and "early" spermatogenesis has been described in detail. Concerning spermatogenesis in the adult individual reference is made to the articles of Courot, Hochereau-de Reviers and Ortavant (1970) and of Clermont (1972). The comparison of female and male gametogenesis (Fig. 1) shows that the "gonia stage" (asterisks) of the female germ cells is limited to one proliferation wave only, whereas the "gonia stage" of the male germ cells consists of a first proliferation wave, comparable to that of oogonia, a preparative phase to initiate spermatogenesis, and a second proliferation wave with renewal and differentiation of the spermatogonia. Germ cells in the "gonia stage" are highly sensitive towards ionising radiation and cytostatic drugs.     

Static postural control in children

The purpose of this study was to investigate "static" balance characteristics in four and eight year old children performing six developmental tasks leading to upright stance. The data were evaluated with electromyographic, center of gravity and photographic procedures. The results of the study indicated that the older age group of children demonstrated higher degrees of motor control in all the balance tasks involving upper and/or lower extremity support of the trunk. The eight year old children showed less postural sway, more definitive muscular localizations and smaller degrees of motor activity occurring during the execution of the developmental tasks.