Proton-coupled electron transfer and tyrosine D of phototsystem II

EPR spectroscopy and isotopic substitution were used to gain increased knowledge about the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism for the reduction of the tyrosine D radical (YD*) in photosystem II. pL dependence (where pL is either pH or pD) of both the rate constant and kinetic isotope effect (KIE) was examined for YD* reduction. Second, the manner in which protons are transferred during the rate-limiting step for YD* reduction at alkaline pL was determined. Finally, high field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to study the effect of pH on the environment surrounding both the tyrosine D radical and the tyrosine Z radical (YZ*). At alkaline pL, it was determined that the proton and electron are both transferred in the rate-limiting step of YD* reduction. At acidic pL, the proton transfer occurs first followed by electron transfer. Proton inventory experiments indicate that there is more than one proton donation pathway available to YD* during PCET reduction at alkaline pL. Additionally, the proton inventory experiments indicate that at least one of those pathways is multiproton. High field EPR experiments indicate that both YD* and YZ* are hydrogen bonded to neutral species. The EPR gx component for YD* is invariant with respect to pH. Analysis of the EPR gx component for Yz* indicates that its environment becomes more electropositive as the pH is increased. This is most likely due to changes in the hydrogen bond strengthPh.D.Committee Chair: Bridgette Barry; Committee Member: Ingeborg Schmidt-Krey; Committee Member: Jake Soper; Committee Member: Nils Kroger; Committee Member: Wendy Kell

XBRL And Its Potential Impact On Events Reporting

Financial accounting and reporting has been criticized for producing untimely, periodic, historical-ly-based, and highly-aggregated financial statements that fall far short of meeting the needs of the financial community. Especially recently, the accounting profession has been roundly criticized for its perceived role in highly publicized audit failures including Enron and WorldCom. Proponents of the events reporting paradigm assert that what is needed is an events reporting sys-tem that reports a wider range of relevant and disaggregated events that are free from the biased value judgments and allocations of management. This paper explores the possible role of Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) in the movement toward such an events reporting approach. The web-based XBRL reporting languages allow for the tagging of web-reported business information to provide meaning and context to the information. XBRL pro-vides a platform-independent vehicle for the efficient exchange of business information. Developing XBRL reporting taxonomies will facilitate multi-company financial comparisons and provide a mechanism for obtaining more detail through drill-down analysis

Notes--\u3ci\u3eNebraska Bird Review\u3c/i\u3e (March 1982)

Notes contain stories of Cattle Egrets viewed on Prairie Dog Waterfowl Production Area near Axtell; Wood Duck broods on Carter Lake in Omaha; a first-year Thayer’s Gull on Lake North near Columbus; a variety of birds (Swamp Sparrow, Great Horned Owl, Cliff Swallows, Savannah Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, Purple Martins, Carolina Wren, Great Blue Heron, Western Kingbird, Prairie Chicken, Sprague’s Pipits, and more) seen in and around the Minden area; and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Verdon Lake in Richardson County

Apoptosis of t(14;18)-positive lymphoma cells by a Bcl-2 interacting small molecule

Overexpression of Bcl-2 protein occurs via both t(14;18)-dependent and independent mechanisms and contributes to the survival and chemoresistance of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. HA14–1 is a nonpeptidic organic small molecule, which has been shown to inhibit the interaction of Bcl-2 with Bax, thereby interfering with the antiapoptotic function of Bcl-2. In this study, we sought to determine the in vitro efficacy of HA14–1 as a therapeutic agent for non-Hodgkin lymphomas expressing Bcl-2. Assessment of cell viability demonstrated that HA14–1 induced a dose- (IC50 = 10 μM) and time-dependent growth inhibition of a cell line (SudHL-4) derived from a t(14;18)-positive, Bcl-2-positive, non-Hodgkin lymphoma. HA14–1 effectively induced apoptosis via a caspase 3-mediated pathway but did not affect either the p38 MAPK or p44/42 MAPK pathways. Western blot analyses of Bcl-2 family proteins and other cell cycle-associated proteins were performed to determine the molecular sequelae of HA14–1-induced apoptosis. The results show down-regulation of Mcl-1 but up-regulation of p27kip1, Bad, Bcl-xL, and Bcl-2 proteins, without change in Bax levels during HA14–1-mediated apoptosis. Our findings further elucidate the cellular mechanisms accompanying Bcl-2 inhibition and demonstrate the potential of Bcl-2 inhibitors as therapeutic agents for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphomas

Regionalisation and Civil Society in a Time of Austerity: The Cases of Manchester and Sheffield

Within the UK and as well as further afield, the spatial delineation of the ’city region’ has seen a renaissance as the de-facto spatial political unit of governance for economic development (Clarke & Cochrane, 2013).  This spatial realignment has been central to the construction of state projects such as the Northern Powerhouse, charged with taking forward the combined agendas of devolution, localism and austerity. The chapter deploys case study research from two city regions (Manchester and Sheffield) to look at the ways in which the city region is being constructed and the different ways in which ‘civil society’ is negotiating its way through this changing governance landscape. It is in this context that the chapter considers how city regions are being built and the ways in which this process is being limited or undermined through austerity

Trivial and normative? Online fieldwork within YouTube’s beauty community

In this article, I discuss methodological understandings around qualitative research and online ethnographic practice to bring forward a reflexive account on the particularities of doing fieldwork on YouTube. I draw from a multiyear ethnographic examination of YouTube’s beauty community that sought to understand online popularity framed by local norms and practices and shed light into the local significance of knowledge, expertise, and self-development. I argue for an epistemological perspective that acknowledges the diversity of viable, conceivable fieldwork experiences while distancing from prescriptive modes of argumentation. I propose seeing fieldwork in and through its richness and predicaments, persistently naturalistic while interpretive. I approach online popularity, fandom, and even YouTube itself from a perspective that tolerates ambivalence, contradictions, and embraces the complexity of social worlds and human interaction

Characterization, Leaching, and Filtration Testing for Tributyl Phosphate (TBP, Group 7) Actual Waste Sample Composites

.A testing program evaluating actual tank waste was developed in response to Task 4 from the M-12 External Flowsheet Review Team (EFRT) issue response plan. The bulk water-insoluble solid wastes that are anticipated to be delivered to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) were identified according to type such that the actual waste testing could be targeted to the relevant categories. Eight broad waste groupings were defined. Samples available from the 222S archive were identified and obtained for testing. The actual waste-testing program included homogenizing the samples by group, characterizing the solids and aqueous phases, and performing parametric leaching tests. The tributyl phosphate sludge (TBP, Group 7) is the subject of this report. The Group 7 waste was anticipated to be high in phosphorus as well as aluminum in the form of gibbsite. Both are believed to exist in sufficient quantities in the Group 7 waste to address leaching behavior. Thus, the focus of the Group 7 testing was on the removal of both P and Al. The waste-type definition, archived sample conditions, homogenization activities, characterization (physical, chemical, radioisotope, and crystal habit), and caustic leaching behavior as functions of time, temperature, and hydroxide concentration are discussed in this report. Testing was conducted according to TP-RPP-WTP-467

The insect, Galleria mellonella, is a compatible model for evaluating the toxicology of okadaic acid

The polyether toxin, okadaic acid, causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning in humans. Despite extensive research into its cellular targets using rodent models, we know little about its putative effect(s) on innate immunity. We inoculated larvae of the greater waxmoth, Galleria mellonella, with physiologically relevant doses of okadaic acid by direct injection into the haemocoel (body cavity) and/or gavage (force-feeding). We monitored larval survival and employed a range of cellular and biochemical assays to assess the potential harmful effects of okadaic acid. Okadaic acid at concentrations >75 ng/larva (>242 µg/kg) led to significant reductions in larval survival (>65%) and circulating haemocyte (blood cell) numbers (>50%) within 24 h post-inoculation. In the haemolymph, okadaic acid reduced haemocyte viability and increased phenoloxidase activities. In the midgut, okadaic acid induced oxidative damage as determined by increases in superoxide dismutase activity and levels of malondialdehyde (i.e., lipid peroxidation). Our observations of insect larvae correspond broadly to data published using rodent models of shellfish poisoning toxidrome, including complementary LD50 values; 206–242 μg/kg in mice, ~239 μg/kg in G. mellonella. These data support the use of this insect as a surrogate model for the investigation of marine toxins, which offers distinct ethical and financial incentives

Auditory cortical deactivation during speech production and following speech perception An EEG investigation of the temporal dynamics of the auditory alpha rhythm

Sensorimotor integration (SMI) across the dorsal stream enables online monitoring of speech. Jenson et al. (2014) used independent component analysis (ICA) and event related spectral perturbation (ERSP) analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) data to describe anterior sensorimotor (e.g., premotor cortex, PMC) activity during speech perception and production. The purpose of the current study was to identify and temporally map neural activity from posterior (i.e., auditory) regions of the dorsal stream in the same tasks. Perception tasks required "active" discrimination of syllable pairs Vba/ and /da/) in quiet and noisy conditions. Production conditions required overt production of syllable pairs and nouns. ICA performed on concatenated raw 68 channel EEG data from all tasks identified bilateral "auditory" alpha (a) components in 15 of 29 participants localized to pSTG (left) and pMTG (right). ERSP analyses were performed to reveal fluctuations in the spectral power of the is rhythm clusters across time. Production conditions were characterized by significant is event related synchronization (ERS; pFDR < 0.05) concurrent with EMG activity from speech production, consistent with speechinduced auditory inhibition. Discrimination conditions were also characterized by is ERS following stimulus offset. Auditory is ERS in all conditions temporally aligned with PMC activity reported in Jenson et al. (2014). These findings are indicative of speechinduced suppression of auditory regions, possibly via efference copy. The presence of the same pattern following stimulus offset in discrimination conditions suggests that sensorimotor contributions following speech perception reflect covert replay, and that covert replay provides one source of the motor activity previously observed in some speech perception tasks. To our knowledge, this is the first time that inhibition of auditory regions by speech has been observed in real-time with the ICA/ERSP technique