A new organic electrooptic crystal:2,6-dibromo-N-methyl-4-nitroaniline (DBNMNA)

A new organic electrooptic crystal, 2,6-dibromo-N-methyl-4-nitroaniline, is reported. The crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction (orthorhombic, space group Fdd2, point group mm2, Z=16, a=11.745 Å, b=29.640 Å, c=10.807 Å). The refractive indexes were measured at several wavelengths between 500 and 1100 nm (at 632.8 nm, n_a=1.90, n_b=1.62, and n_c=1.48) and fit the data to a single oscillator Sellmeier equation. A report is presented on measurements of the linear electrooptic effect, yielding the combined coefficients n_a ³r₁₃-n_c³ r₃₃, as well as the first known measurements of the quadratic electrooptic effect in an organic crystal, yielding the coefficients r₄₂ and r₅₁ at 514.5, 632.8, and 810 nm. Good agreement is found between the observed dispersion in the electrooptic coefficients and that predicted by the simple two-level dispersion model     

Comparison of some blood parameters of captured and farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus) hinds

In studies on the adaptation of red deer (Cervus elaphus) to farm conditions, some blood parameters of 3- to 9-year-old captured and farmed hinds were compared. The test variable included blood plasma creatine kinase (CK), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities, the concentrations of glucose, urea, total protein (TP), serum cortisol, haemoglobin (Hb), and the blastogenic transformation of lymphocytes upon stimulation by the nonspecific mitogens Phaseolus vulgaris (PHA) and Concanavalin A (ConA) in the lymphocyte stimulation test (LST). The effects exerted by probiotic preparation (Ascogen) on the same parameters were studied in farmed deer. In hinds that had been kept under farm conditions for 10 months, CK activity was lower (P < 0.05) and blood urea concentration higher (P < 0.001) than at the time of capture, while their blood glucose concentration exceeded (P < 0.01) that of farmed hinds. Hinds treated with Ascogen had lower ALT activity (P < 0.001) and showed a higher increase in PHA-induced blastogenic transformation of lymphocytes than the control hinds.     

The role of stimulus comparison in perceptual learning: an investigation with the domestic chick

In two experiments an imprinting procedure was used to familiarize chicks with two stimuli, A and B, that subsequently served as the discriminanda in a simultaneous discrimination. On the first day of each experiment, subjects either received presentations of A and B that were intermixed within a session (mixed exposure) or presentations of A in one session and of B in another (separate exposure). For half of the subjects in each of the exposure conditions, A and B differed in both colour and form; for the remainder A and B differed in form alone. On the second day of the experiments, the chicks were placed into a cool test apparatus and given training in which approaching A was rewarded by the delivery of a stream of warm air, but approaching B was not. Acquisition of this discrimination was more rapid when A and B differed in two respects than when they differed in form alone. When A and B differed in both colour and form, the heat-reinforced discrimination was acquired more rapidly after separate exposure than after mixed exposure; but when A and B differed in form alone, discrimination learning was more rapid following mixed exposure than separate exposure. The latter finding, that the opportunity to compare stimuli differing in only one dimension facilitates subsequent discrimination learning, is consistent with earlier suggestions (Gibson, 1969) regarding the conditions that promote perceptual learning.     

Therapist Satisfaction With Four Manual-Based Treatments on a National Multisite Trial: An Exploratory Study.

Ratings by 44 therapists in 4 modalities (cognitive, supportive-expressive, individual drug counseling, and group drug counseling) were obtained during one of the largest outcome trials ever conducted, the National Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study. Views of the treatments, desired changes, and influences on implementation were studied. Therapists were highly positive about the treatments. However, their likelihood of using them in the future without modification was low, and they viewed them as too short. Supervision was perceived as more important than manuals and taping of sessions as more important than adherence scales. It took therapists an average of 8 months to feel comfortable with the treatments. New learning was therapists' primary motivation, more than extrinsic factors such as pay. Supportive-expressive therapists reported the most negative views, among modalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distribution and elimination of fumonisin analogues in weaned piglets after oral administration of Fusarium verticillioides fungal culture

The distribution and elimination of fumonisins after oral administration of 50 mg FB₁, 20 mg FB₂ and 5 mg FB₃ per animal day^-1 for 22 days was studied in weaned barrows. At the end of the trial, the lung, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, brain, serum, bile, muscle, fat, urine and faeces samples were collected and their content of fumonisins (FB₁, FB₂) determined by LC-MS. The highest FB₁ concentrations were found in the liver (99.4 ± 37.5 ng g^-1) and kidneys (30.6 ± 10.1 ng g^-1), whilst the highest average amount of FB₂ was in the liver (1.4 ± 2.3 ng g^-1) and fat (2.6 ng g^-1 ± 4.8) samples. Comparing the FB₁/FB₂ ratio in different organs (19/1), it was found that the ratio in the abdominal and subcutaneous fat samples (4/1) was markedly different from those in all other tissues, namely the relative proportion of FB₂ was higher in latter cases. Of the total quantity of FB₁, the 13% taken up during 5 days was excreted unchanged with the faeces and urine. On average, in the urine and faeces, FB₁ was detected in nine- and 14-fold quantities, as compared with FB₂.     

α‐L‐Rhamnosyl‐β‐D‐glucosidase (Rutinosidase) from Aspergillus niger: Characterization and Synthetic Potential of a Novel Diglycosidase

We report the first heterologous production of a fungal rutinosidase (6‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosidase) in Pichia pastoris. The recombinant rutinosidase was purified from the culture medium to apparent homogeneity and biochemically characterized. The enzyme reacts with rutin and cleaves the glycosidic linkage between the disaccharide rutinose and the aglycone. Furthermore, it exhibits high transglycosylation activity, transferring rutinose from rutin as a glycosyl donor onto various alcohols and phenols. The utility of the recombinant rutinosidase was demonstrated by its use for the synthesis of a broad spectrum of rutinosides of primary (saturated and unsaturated), secondary, acyclic and phenolic alcohols as well as for the preparation of free rutinose. Moreover, the α‐L ‐rhamnosidase‐catalyzed synthesis of a chromogenic substrate for a rutinosidase assay – para‐nitrophenyl β‐rutinoside – is described.

     

Structural Basis for Antimicrobial Activity of Lasiocepsin

Lasiocepsin is a unique 27‐residue antimicrobial peptide, isolated from Lasioglossum laticeps (wild bee) venom, with substantial antibacterial and antifungal activity. It adopts a welldefined structure consisting of two α‐helices linked by a structured loop. Its basic residues form two distinct positively charged regions on the surface whereas aliphatic side chains contribute to solvent‐accessible hydrophobic areas, thus emphasising the amphipathic character of the molecule. Lasiocepsin structurally belongs to the ShK family and shows a strong preference for anionic phospholipids; this is further augmented by increasing concentrations of cardiolipin, such as those found at the poles of bacterial cells. The membrane‐permeabilising activity of the peptide is not limited to outer membranes of Gram‐negative bacteria. The peptide interacts with phospholipids initially through its N terminus, and its degree of penetration is strongly dependent on the presence of cardiolipin.