The Structure of Mycophenolic Acid and Studies on Alkyl-Oxygen Bond Fission in Phthalides

The constitution of mycophenolic acid, a mould metabolite of P. brevi-compactum, is dlscussed and its structure confirmed as 4-methyl-5-methoxy-6-(5'-carboxy-3'-methylpent-2'-enyl)-7-hydroxyphthalide by the synthesis of 4-methyl-5:7-dimethoxy-6-carboxy-methylphthalide, a degradation product of the monomethyl ether of the acid and by infrared spectroscopy of the acid and its methyl ether

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Treatment of Alaska-produced food products by ionizing radiation may benefit the seafood and agricultural industries and the Alaskan consumer. A feasibility study to evaluate the potential social and economic benefits and risks as well as the costs of using the process in Alaska on Alaskan products is being coordinated by the Institute of Northern Engineering. A research and development project to determine effects on the quality o f Alaskan products could be the next phase in the introduction o f a new food-preservation technique to Alaska

Image-guided liver surgery: intraoperative projection of computed tomography images utilizing tracked ultrasound

AbstractBackgroundUltrasound (US) is the most commonly used form of image guidance during liver surgery. However, the use of navigation systems that incorporate instrument tracking and three-dimensional visualization of preoperative tomography is increasing. This report describes an initial experience using an image-guidance system with navigated US.MethodsAn image-guidance system was used in a total of 50 open liver procedures to aid in localization and targeting of liver lesions. An optical tracking system was employed to localize surgical instruments. Customized hardware and calibration of the US transducer were required. The results of three procedures are highlighted in order to illustrate specific navigation techniques that proved useful in the broader patient cohort.ResultsOver a 7-month span, the navigation system assisted in completing 21 (42%) of the procedures, and tracked US alone provided additional information required to perform resection or ablation in six procedures (12%). Average registration time during the three illustrative procedures was <1min. Average set-up time was approximately 5min per procedure.ConclusionsThe Explorer™ Liver guidance system represents novel technology that continues to evolve. This initial experience indicates that image guidance is valuable in certain procedures, specifically in cases in which difficult anatomy or tumour location or echogenicity limit the usefulness of traditional guidance methods

Brønsted basicity of the air–water interface

Differences in the extent of protonation of functional groups lying on either side of water–hydrophobe interfaces are deemed essential to enzymatic catalysis, molecular recognition, bioenergetic transduction, and atmospheric aerosol–gas exchanges. The sign and range of such differences, however, remain conjectural. Herein we report experiments showing that gaseous carboxylic acids RCOOH(g) begin to deprotonate on the surface of water significantly more acidic than that supporting the dissociation of dissolved acids RCOOH(aq). Thermodynamic analysis indicates that > 6 H_(2)O molecules must participate in the deprotonation of RCOOH(g) on water, but quantum mechanical calculations on a model air–water interface predict that such event is hindered by a significant kinetic barrier unless OH− ions are present therein. Thus, by detecting RCOO− we demonstrate the presence of OH− on the aerial side of on pH > 2 water exposed to RCOOH(g). Furthermore, because in similar experiments the base (Me)_(3)N(g) is protonated only on pH 1 nm) deeper shear planes probed in electrophoresis, thereby implying the existence of OH− gradients in the interfacial region. This fact could account for the weak OH− signals detected by surface-specific spectroscopies

Why Are Regulations Changed? A Parcel Analysis of Upzoning in Los Angeles

Planners, officials, and neighborhood groups often debate zoning changes, yet there is little empirical evidence explaining why zoning and other land use regulations are changed. I use logistic regression models to examine density-enabling rezoning (“upzoning”) in Los Angeles. I find that upzoning occurs where there are development opportunities combined with limited political resistance. Upzoning is most likely on well-located parcels zoned for low-intensity, nonresidential uses. Meanwhile, homeowners—and particularly homeowners with access to valuable amenities—are associated with regulatory stasis. I conclude by recommending strategies for addressing homeowners’ concerns about higher density housing

Space Shuttle Orbiter Structures and Mechanisms

The Space Shuttle Orbiter has performed exceptionally well over its 30 years of flight experience. Among the many factors behind this success were robust, yet carefully monitored, structural and mechanical systems. From highlighting key aspects of the design to illustrating lessons learned from the operation of this complex system, this paper will attempt to educate the reader on why some subsystems operated flawlessly and why specific vulnerabilities were exposed in others. Specific areas to be covered will be the following: high level configuration overview, primary and secondary structure, mechanical systems ranging from landing gear to the docking system, and windows

A bipolar taxonomy of adult human brain sulcal morphology related to timing of fetal sulcation and trans-sulcal gene expression gradients

We developed a computational pipeline (now provided as a resource) for measuring morphological similarity between cortical surface sulci to construct a sulcal phenotype network (SPN) from each magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in an adult cohort (N=34,725; 45-82 years). Networks estimated from pairwise similarities of 40 sulci on 5 morphological metrics comprised two clusters of sulci, represented also by the bipolar distribution of sulci on a linear-to-complex dimension. Linear sulci were more heritable and typically located in unimodal cortex; complex sulci were less heritable and typically located in heteromodal cortex. Aligning these results with an independent fetal brain MRI cohort (N=228; 21-36 gestational weeks), we found that linear sulci formed earlier, and the earliest and latest-forming sulci had the least between-adult variation. Using high-resolution maps of cortical gene expression, we found that linear sulcation is mechanistically underpinned by trans-sulcal gene expression gradients enriched for developmental processes.</p