The membrane bound N-terminal domain of human adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor-1 (ARF1)

The small G protein adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor-1 (ARF1) is activated by cell membrane binding of a self-folding N-terminal domain. We present a model of the human ARF1 N-terminal peptide in planar lipid bilayers, determined from neutron lamellar diffraction and circular dichroism data with molecular modelling. This amphipathic domain lies at a shallow membrane depth, ideal for regulation of the ARF1 bio-timer by rapid, reversible membrane binding. The helical region does not elongate upon membrane binding, leaving the connecting flexible linker region's length unchanged.NRC publication: N

The natural resources of Agua Hedionda Lagoon

This report has been prepared under contract to and fully funded by the Office of Biological Services of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The goals and purpose of this federal office are to review the impact on fish and wildlife resources of land, mineral and water development practices, such as offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production; construction of inshore pipeline canals and refineries; power plant construction/operation and urban development. This report, and five other southern California reports, covering Carpinteria Marsh (Santa Barbara County), Anaheim Bay-Huntington Harbor (Orange County), Mugu Lagoon (Ventura County), the Northern Santa Barbara County Coastal Wetlands, and the Nipomo Dunes and Wetlands (San Luis Obispo County), are scheduled to be part of the Department's "Coastal Wetland Series" (see inside front cover). (154 pp.

Child Well-being in the Pacific Rim

This study extends previous efforts to compare the well-being of children using multi-dimensional indicators derived from sample survey and administrative series to thirteen countries in the Pacific Rim. The framework for the analysis of child well-being is to organise 46 indicators into 21 components and organise the components into 6 domains: material situation, health, education, subjective well-being, living environment, as well as risk and safety. Overall, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan have the highest child well-being and Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines the lowest. However, there are substantial variations between the domains. Japan and Korea perform best on the material well-being of children and also do well on health and education but they have the lowest subjective well-being among their children by some margin. There is a relationship between child well-being and GDP per capita but children in China have higher well-being than you would expect given their GDP and children in Australia have lower well-being. The analysis is constrained by missing data particularly that the Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children Survey is not undertaken in any of these countries

London force and energy transportation between interfacial surfaces

With appropriately selected optical frequencies, pulses of radiation propagating through a system of chemically distinct and organized components can produce areas of spatially selective excitation. This paper focuses on a system in which there are two absorptive components, each one represented by surface adsorbates arrayed on a pair of juxtaposed interfaces. The adsorbates are chosen to be chemically distinct from the material of the underlying surface. On promotion of any adsorbate molecule to an electronic excited state, its local electronic environment is duly modified, and its London interaction with nearest neighbor molecules becomes accommodated to the new potential energy landscape. If the absorbed energy then transfers to a neighboring adsorbate of another species, so that the latter acquires the excitation, the local electronic environment changes and compensating motion can be expected to occur. Physically, this is achieved through a mechanism of photon absorption and emission by molecular pairs, and by the engagement of resonance transfer of energy between them. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the possibility of optically effecting such modifications to the London force between neutral adsorbates, based on quantum electrodynamics (QED). Thus, a precise link is established between the transfer of excitation and ensuing mechanical effects