Production of polyhydroxy fatty acids from linoleic acid by Clavibacter sp. ALA2

Hydroxy fatty acids are important industrial materials. We isolated a microbial culture, Clavibacter sp. ALA2, which converts linoleic acid to many polyhydroxy fatty acids. Structures of the products were determined as: 12,13,17-trihydroxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic (THOA, main product), 12-[5-ethyl-2-tetrahydrofuranyl]-7,12-dihydroxy-9(Z)-dodecenoic (ETDDA), and 12-[5-ethyl-2-tetrahydrofuranyl]-12-hydroxy-9(Z)-dodecenoic (ETHDA) acid. The yield of THOA was 25% and the relative amount of the products were THOA/ETDDA/ETHDA =9:1.3:1. The structures of the hydroxy unsaturated fatty acids resemble those of plant self-defense substances.     

Self-assembly as a route to one-dimensional lanthanum(Ⅲ) salicylaldimine coordination polymer

The self-assembled formation of a one-dimensional lanthanum salicylald imine coordination polymer was proved by the X-ray diffraction analysis of new l anthanum(Ⅲ) nitrate complex containing N,N’-bis(salicylidene)-1,5-pentanediami ne ligand(H2L) . It was obtained in situ in a one-step,metal-templated condensa tion of salicylaldehyde with 1,5-pentanediamine(cadaverine,biogenic polyamine) and characterized by microanalysis and spectroscopic(IR,ESI-MS,UV-Vis,and 1 H NMR) data. The [La(NO3) 3(μ-H2L) 2]∞ complex displayed 10-coordinate distorted bicapped dodecahedron geometry with unusual coordination pattern of undeprotonat ed salicylaldimines which acted as μ-bridging ditopic ligands using exclusivel y the oxygens as donor atoms with the nitrogen atoms not being involved in the c oordination environment.     

Growth in the organization of behavior over the second year of life.

Conducted behavioral assessments of 38 toddlers during their 2nd yr of life during 10 small-group play sessions and during administration of developmental tests (the Bayley Scales of Infant Development). 34 of the Ss were also observed at age 3.5 yrs in a nursery school setting at follow-up. Results show that there was a significant increase in the consistency and range of reactions in the play groups over the year. There was a trend toward more lawful end-of-year association among responses elicited in the play sessions and the testing sessions. There was a marked end-of-year increase in the ability to predict later functioning in nursery school. It is concluded that although the phenomenon of the emergence of stable individual differences in functioning is real, it has yet to be explained. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consideration of Consulting Psychology/Organizational Educational Principles as they relate to the practice of industrial-organizational psychology and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's Education and Training Guidelines.

This article is written on behalf of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) to present its reactions to the "Principles for Education and Training at the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Level in Consulting Psychology/Organizational" (R. L. Lowman et al, Education and Training Committee, see record 2003-04049-003). An overview of the history and practice of industrial-organizational psychology is provided. The Consulting Principles are then compared with SIOP Education and Training Guidelines (SIOP Guidelines, 1985 and 1999), and recommendations are made for enhancements to the Consulting Principles. The primary recommendation is for the addition of a second tier of competencies focusing on the knowledge, skill, and abilities that underlie the types of work described in the Individual-, Group-, and Organizational-Level Competencies. As an alternative, the Consulting Principles could focus on consulting skills and refer to the appropriate APA divisions regarding specialty areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exopolysaccharide Carbohydrate Structure and Biofilm Formation by Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii Strains Inhabiting Nodules of Trifolium repens Growing on an Old Zn–Pb–Cd-Polluted Waste Heap Area

Heavy metals polluting the 100-year-old waste heap in Bolesław (Poland) are acting as a natural selection factor and may contribute to adaptations of organisms living in this area, including Trifolium repens and its root nodule microsymbionts—rhizobia. Exopolysaccharides (EPS), exuded extracellularly and associated with bacterial cell walls, possess variable structures depending on environmental conditions; they can bind metals and are involved in biofilm formation. In order to examine the effects of long-term exposure to metal pollution on EPS structure and biofilm formation of rhizobia, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii strains originating from the waste heap area and a non-polluted reference site were investigated for the characteristics of the sugar fraction of their EPS using gas chromatography mass-spectrometry and also for biofilm formation and structural characteristics using confocal laser scanning microscopy under control conditions as well as when exposed to toxic concentrations of zinc, lead, and cadmium. Significant differences in EPS structure, biofilm thickness, and ratio of living/dead bacteria in the biofilm were found between strains originating from the waste heap and from the reference site, both without exposure to metals and under metal exposure. Received results indicate that studied rhizobia can be assumed as potentially useful in remediation processes.     

The toxicity in vitro of titanium dioxide nanoparticles modified with noble metals on mammalian cells

The aim of the presented work was to evaluate the effect of modification of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with noble metals and their oxides on selected mammalian cells. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles modified with Au, Ag, Pd, Ag₂O, and PdO with reference to the unmodified TiO₂ nanoparticles were presented. The evaluation of cytotoxic activity of the tested nanocomposite particles was carried out using three cell lines: Caco-2 colorectal epithelial adenocarcinoma cells, BJ normal human skin fibroblasts, and L929 mouse fibroblasts. The in vitro studies included determination of cell viability after 24 and 48 hours of exposure to the nanocomposite particles, using the MTT assay, as well as flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC staining. Our results indicate that irrespectively of the kind of cell line and assay used, nanoparticles of unmodified titanium dioxide as well as those with addition of gold and palladium have a slight impact on cell viability at the investigated concentration range (10-200 μg/mL). Nanoparticles with addition of silver (Ag and Ag₂O), were found to have significantly higher toxic effect, the level of which varied depending on the cell line and assay used.     

Silicon carbide matrix composites reinforced with two-dimensional titanium carbide – Manufacturing and properties

Within this paper, it is explored how two-dimensional Ti₂C sheets addition affects silicon carbide matrix composites in terms of the microstructure and mechanical properties. In order to consolidate the powder mixtures, powder metallurgy processing followed by Spark Plasma Sintering was performed to prepare the sinters. According to our knowledge, this is the first attempt to apply delaminated MXene phases as a reinforcing phases of ceramic matrix composites. The delaminated MXene phases were characterized using a high-resolution transmission microscope (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Significant improvement of the fracture toughness and hardness for the composites reinforced with 1.5?wt% 2D Ti₂C compared to the reference sample were observed. It is expected that the applied reinforcing phase will have an influence on the fracture mechanism, and so this has also been investigated. Two of the main mechanisms of crack propagations (crack deflection and bridging) were observed.     

Molecular Docking Reveals the Binding Modes of Anticancer Alkylphospholipids and Lysophosphatidylcholine within the Catalytic Domain of Cytidine Triphosphate: Phosphocholine Cytidyltransferase

Alkylphospholipids are synthetic analogues of endogenous phosphatidylcholines with a remarkable ability: induce the selective apoptosis of exponentially growing tumor cells. One hypothesis concerning their mechanism of action is the inhibition of cytidine triphosphate:phosphocholine cytidyltransferase (CCT), which would significantly suppress the phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis to trigger apoptosis. Herein, homology modeling, docking simulations, and the analyses of molecular interaction fields are used to suggest the most probable binding modes of four alkylphospholipids (edelfosine, erucylphosphocholine, perifosine, and miltefosine) and lysophosphatidylcholine at the catalytic domain of human CCT. All compounds display bind modes in agreement with the corresponding groups found in the CCT substrate, phosphocholine, while their binding strengths are increased because of the interaction of the alkyl chains with hydrophobic residues from the M domain of the protein. Analyses of the geometry of the CCT binding‐site also suggest that small groups, such as benzyl/2‐phenylethyl ethers or equivalent heterocycles, could replace the O‐methyl group in edelfosine to yield even better inhibitors. It is believed this study can guide the development of new alkylphospholipids with an improved profile for the inhibition of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis, a critical component for cell cycle progression that can be explored in cancer chemotherapy. Practical Applications: Studies focusing on the interactions between small ligands and their protein targets are decisive for the comprehension of how conformational changes in the macromolecular structure dictates the biological activity and, consequently, how they can be explored in drug discovery. Most of the current studies on alkylphospholipids focuses on their physicochemical interactions with cholesterol and sphingolipids in lipid rafts that, because of the variability and complexity of the membrane phases, hardly can provide structural data in the X‐ray crystallography assays necessary for molecular modeling studies. Therefore, by exploring the inhibition of human cytidine triphosphate:phosphocholine cytidyltransferase as an alternative and, probably, complementary hypothesis to the membrane rafts, a helpful strategy can be provided to overcome the clinical limitations of alkylphospholipids.     

Rhyme and reason: Analyses of dual retrieval cues.

If and only if each single cue uniquely defines its target, an independence model based on fragment theory can predict the strength of a combined dual cue from the strengths of its single cue components. If the single cues do not each uniquely define their target, no single monotonic function can predict the strength of the dual cue from its components; rather, what matters is the number of possible targets. The probability of generating a target word was .19 for rhyme cues, .14 for category cues, and .97 for rhyme-plus-category dual cues. Moreover, some pairs of cues had probabilities of producing their targets of .03 when used individually and 1.00 when used together, whereas other pairs had moderate probabilities individually and together. The results, which are interpreted in terms of multiple constraints limiting the number of responses, show why rhymes, which play a minimal role in laboratory studies of memory, are common in real-world mnemonics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)