Two geometrical isomers of linoleic acid: Improved total syntheses

The total syntheses of 9(Z),12(E)- and 9(E),12(Z)-octadecadienoic acids have been carried out. A useful intermediate in both syntheses, 8-bromo-octanoic acid, recently has become available from commercial sources. This compound has been used to expedite the preparation of these isomers. The remaining carbon atoms were derived from propargyl alcohol along with either 1-heptyne or acetylene and 1-bromopentane. Because the overall yield for each sequence was roughly 15% and there were no extraordinary reaction conditions in any of the synthetic steps, the compounds could be prepared readily in multiple gram quantities. The syntheses of the two compounds were supported by data from a variety of spectroscopic techniques.     

High Throughput Primer Walking of cDNA Clones

Primer walking of cloned DNA is a standard research tool. It has been used in the past to determine the sequence of individual clones of interest. With the expansion of DNA sequencing capacity the need to be able to walk larger numbers of clones has become necessary. Our laboratory is a mid-sized genomics facility. In conjunction with the Advanced Biomedical Computing Center (ABCC) we have developed methods for automating the primer selection, DNA sequencing, contig assembly and sequence analysis for clones arrayed in microtiter format. This approach has allowed us to walk 475 clones (five microtiter plates) selected from a cDNA library.     

Terrorism in the 1990s

Terrorism: A Reference Handbook, Stephen Atkins, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO (1992), 199 pp. Terrorism: Roots, Impact, Responses, Lawrence Howard (Ed.), Prager, New York (1992), 193 pp. Hostage-Taking Terrorism: Incident Response Strategy, Alastair MacWillson, St Martins, New York (1992), 263 pp.     

Psychiatric evaluation in accordance with the transsexualism regulation. An experience-based plea for guidelines and against arbitrary bias

Today patients want to change their Christian names not so much for social support but in order to obtain sex change operations. For this reason among others we caution against casual and careless evaluations and plead for conscientiousness and thoroughness. The spectrum of 16 evaluation cases in the year 1995 is presented. Following this and looking for guiding principles, the most important aspects are discussed: the dilatable frame of the written law, the examiner's diagnostic process, the duty of being well informed, reconstruction of development as the first goal of examination, real-life self-testing and therapy, the obligation to report one's own findings, change of Christian name and indication of operation, evaluation for gender changing, problems of the judge-expert relationship and of future development.     

A new eicosapentaenoic acid formed from arachidonic acid in the coralline red algaeBossiella orbigniana

Aqueous extracts of the coralline red algaeBossiella orbigniana have been shown to catalyze the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid to a previously unreported ω6 eicosapentaenoic acid product. This unique fatty acid contains a conjugated tetraene with absorption maxima at 293, 306, and 321 nm, and was identified by spectral methods as 5(Z),8(Z),10(E),12(E),14(Z)-eicosapentaenoic acid. The compound was given the trivial name bosseopentaenoic acid. Under experimental conditions, production of bosseopentaenoic acid was linear up to 2 hr and dioxygen was consumed. Bosseopentaenoic acid, along with several other conjugated tetraenes, was also present in the algae endogenously as revealed by a comparison of the ultraviolet (UV) spectra and the high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) pattern of the purified product and the organic extract ofBossiella.     

The economic impact of uncertainties associated with energy-saving technologies

We will analyze the economic sensitivity of new energy-saving technologies to weather, future energy price, and system lifetime uncertainties. Graphical rate of return analysis is employed. A representative residential solar water heating investment is analyzed to illustrate the impact of uncertainties. The wide range of reasonable rates of return found suggests some considerations for policy makers and some areas of future research.     

Optimal control of auxiliary heating of passive-solar-heated buildings

Previous papers have demonstrated that low-cost off-peak electricity can be used to provide auxiliary heating for a passive-solar-heated residence. This paper describes the development of optimal control strategies for the operation of this auxiliary heating system. The temperature in the residence throughout the day as determined by computer simulation is presented for several optimal and conventional control strategies. The optimal control strategies improved the temperature control in the building compared to the conventional strategies. All strategies were shown to depend heavily on weather prediction. Computer simulations showed that errors in weather prediction had a small effect on heating cost and a large effect on being able to maintain the desired indoor temperature.