Ultrastructure of the lorica of Trachelomonas Ehr. from the Colombian Amazonia

Dans le présent travail, 37 taxons appartenant au genre #Trachelomonas Ehr. (#Euglenophyta) provenant d'Amazonie Colombienne sont étudiés au microscope électronique à balayage. Nous proposons une nouvelle espèce : #T. duquei et deux nouvelles formes : #T. armata var. #gordeievii fo. #minor et #T. armata var. #spinosa n. fo. (Résumé d'auteur

The Strategic Distribution Management Initiative and its effects on inventory levels and readiness

Until just a few years ago, no organization was tasked with measuring overall effectiveness, design, or optimization of DOD's global supply chain management system. As a result, the Strategic Distribution Management Initiative (SDMI) was created as a joint venture between Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) charged with enterprise level redesign, streamlining, and optimization of the DOD global supply chain. This thesis examines the affects of the SDMI implementation on the Army's two maneuver divisions stationed in the Europe. Specifically, it analyzes affects of SDMI implementation on the eight supply support activities located within the two maneuver divisions in USAREUR. This thesis studies SDMI impacts on inventory levels; inventory turbulence in the SSAs during SDMI implementation; SDMI improvements with respect to readiness; and existing barriers to improving velocity. The research indicates that: (1) expected inventory reductions were not realized following SDMI implementation, (2) inventory turbulence consumes limited resources and is a lucrative target for further improvement, (3) there is no evidence that SDMI increased fleet readiness, and (4) backorder rates and time, along with sub-optimization of pieces of the DOD supply chain, are significant barriers to velocity that still must be broken through.http://archive.org/details/thestrategicdist109455797Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

BioPP: a tool for web-publication of biological networks

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cellular processes depend on the function of intracellular molecular networks. The curation of the literature relevant to specific biological pathways is important for many theoretical and experimental research teams and communities. No current tool supports web publication or hosting of user-developed large scale annotated pathway diagrams. Sharing via web publication is needed to allow real-time access to the current literature pathway knowledgebase, both privately within a research team or publicly among the outside research community. Web publication also facilitates team and/or community input into the curation process while allowing centralized control of the curation and validation process. We have developed new tool to address these needs. Biological Pathway Publisher (BioPP) is a software suite for converting CellDesigner Systems Biology Markup Language (CD-SBML) formatted pathways into a web viewable format. The BioPP suite is available for private use and for depositing knowledgebases into a newly created public repository.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BioPP suite is a web-based application that allows pathway knowledgebases stored in CD-SBML to be web published with an easily navigated user interface. The BioPP suite consists of four interrelated elements: a pathway publisher, an upload web-interface, a pathway repository for user-deposited knowledgebases and a pathway navigator. Users have the option to convert their CD-SBML files to HTML for restricted use or to allow their knowledgebase to be web-accessible to the scientific community. All entities in all knowledgebases in the repository are linked to public database entries as well as to a newly created public wiki which provides a discussion forum.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>BioPP tools and the public repository facilitate sharing of pathway knowledgebases and interactive curation for research teams and scientific communities. BioPP suite is accessible at <url>http://tsb.mssm.edu/pathwayPublisher/broadcast/</url></p

Controlling Internal Pore Sizes in Bicontinuous Polymeric Nanospheres

Complex polymeric nanospheres were formed in water from comb-like amphiphilic block copolymers. Their internal morphology was determined by three-dimensional cryo-electron tomographic analysis. Varying the polymer molecular weight (MW) and the hydrophilic block weight content allowed for fine control over the internal structure. Construction of a partial phase diagram allowed us to determine the criteria for the formation of bicontinuous polymer nanosphere (BPN), namely for copolymers with MW of up to 17?kDa and hydrophilic weight fractions of ?0.25; and varying the organic solvent to water ratio used in their preparation allowed for control over nanosphere diameters from 70 to 460?nm. Significantly, altering the block copolymer hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance enabled control of the internal pore diameter of the BPNs from 10 to 19?nm

Light-induced iodoperfluoroalkylation reactions of carbon-carbon multiple bonds in water

In this work we have undertaken the radical-induced addition of 1-iodo-n-perfluorobutane onto electron-rich alkenes, alkenes with electron withdrawing groups, and alkynes in water, initiated photochemically. The lack of hydrogen donor (i.e.: (Me 3Si) 3SiH) in our reaction medium facilitates a Halogen Atom-transfer reaction (HAT), affording the respective perfluorobutylated alkyl and alkenyl halides (iodides) in good yields in water. We have also found that water exerts a relevant solvent effect on the rates of perfluoroalkyl radical additions onto double and triple bonds. The stereoselectivity of the radical addition reaction of alkynes is studied. The novelty of this work relies on the photochemical generation of fluorinated radicals in water, and the Halogen Atom-transfer addition reactions of iodoperfluoroalkanes onto carbon-carbon unsaturated bonds in water induced by light.Fil: Slodowicz, Mariel Pamela. Universidad de Belgrano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Barata Vallejo, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Vázquez, A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Sbarbati Nudelman, N.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Postigo, Jose Alberto. Universidad de Belgrano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Modeling of Small DC Magnetic Field Response in Trilayer Magnetoelectric Laminate Composites

We consider a magnetoelectric laminate which comprises two magnetostrictive (Ni) layers and an in-between piezoelectric layer (PZT). Using the finite-element method-based software COMSOL, we numerically calculate the induced voltage between the two faces of the PZT piezoelectric layer, by an external homogeneous small-signal magnetic field threading the three-layer Ni/PZT/Ni laminate structure. A bias magnetic field is simulated as being produced by two permanent magnets, as it is done in real experimental setups. For approaching the real materials’ properties, a measured magnetization curve of the Ni plate is used in the computations. The reported results take into account the finite-size effects of the structure, such as the fringing electric field effect and the demagnetization, as well as the effect of the finite conductivity of the Ni layers on the output voltage. The results of the simulations are compared with the experimental data and with a widely known analytical result for the induced magnetoelectric voltage

A Biometric Model for Mineralization of Type-I Collagen Fibrils

The bone and dentin mainly consist of type-I collagen fibrils mineralized by hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanocrystals. In vitro biomimetic models based on self-assembled collagen fibrils have been widely used in studying the mineralization mechanism of type-I collagen. In this chapter, the protocol we used to build a biomimetic model for the mechanistic study of type-I collagen mineralization is described. Type-I collagen extracted from rat tail tendon or horse tendon is self-assembled into fibrils and mineralized by HAP in vitro. The mineralization process is monitored by cryoTEM in combination with two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), which enables in situ and high-resolution visualization of the process