Structure of the Ribosomal RNA Decoding Site Containing a Selenium-Modified Responsive Fluorescent Ribonucleoside Probe.

Comprehensive understanding of the structure-function relationship of RNA both in real time and at atomic level will have a profound impact in advancing our understanding of RNA functions in biology. Here, we describe the first example of a multifunctional nucleoside probe, containing a conformation-sensitive fluorophore and an anomalous X-ray diffraction label (5-selenophene uracil), which enables the correlation of RNA conformation and recognition under equilibrium and in 3D. The probe incorporated into the bacterial ribosomal RNA decoding site, fluorescently reports antibiotic binding and provides diffraction information in determining the structure without distorting native RNA fold. Further, by comparing solution binding data and crystal structure, we gained insight on how the probe senses ligand-induced conformational change in RNA. Taken together, our nucleoside probe represents a new class of biophysical tool that would complement available tools for functional RNA investigations

A self-consistent equation of state for nuclear matter

The authors formulate a phenomenological extension of the mean-field theory approach and define a class of thermodynamically self-consistent equations of state for nuclear matter. A new equation of state of this class is suggested and examined in detail

Niman Ranch Pork and the ISU Allee Farm: A Case Study

In 1994, Paul Willis, a hog farmer from northern Iowa, was introduced to Bill Niman, a specialty food supplier in the San Francisco area. After 1 year Willis’ farm was the sole source of Niman Ranch pork. Demand grew. Producers from Iowa set up a 50/50 joint venture and in 1998 created Niman Ranch Pork Company. Niman Ranch Pork now supplies meat for Niman McConnell (Oakland, CA), who distributes to hundreds of restaurants and retailers nationwide. Niman Ranch Pork (Thornton, IA) buys pigs from 210 producers in Iowa and neighboring states. A premium of $6.00/cwt live is paid on each pig, when conventional hog prices are$34–$48/cwt. All pigs are identified by their farm of origin and are tracked for quality control purposes. Meat quality ratings are given to producers based on pH, color, shear force, drip loss, and taste scores

Reprocessing Single-Use Medical Devices: The State of the Debate

Reprocessing single-use medical devices is a growing but controversial industry subject to an increasingly complex and fast-developing set of regulations and a wide range of unresolved legal issues

Okara: A Possible High Protein Feedstuff For Organic Pig Diets

A potential alternative organic protein source is okara. Okara is the residue left from ground soybeans after extraction of the water portion used to produce soy milk and tofu. Satisfying the high protein requirements of young pigs presents a production challenge to organic pork producers. The effect of dietary supplementation of okara was evaluated on the growth performance of young pigs. In four replicates, weaned pigs (21 ± 2 d of age) were allotted to one of three pens. Each pen received one dietary treatment. Treatments were control diet (composed of corn, soybean meal, oats, and essential vitamins and minerals), 2) okara 25% (25% of total diet), 3) okara 50% (50% of total diet). Pigs and feed were weighed at d 0 and at 7 d intervals until completion of each 18 d trial. Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain:feed ratio (G:F) were calculated. Data were analyzed using fixed effect models with repeated measures. Feeding dietary okara to young pigs had no effect on ADG, ADFI, or G:F ratio when compared to control treatment. Diets supplemented with 25% okara increased ADG 14% when compared to diets supplemented with 50% okara. Okara fed at 25% of the diet increased G:F ratio 17% when compared to okara fed at 50% of the diet. Under the conditions of our study dietary okara is a potential high protein organic feedstuff. Inclusion levels of dietary okara up to 25% of the diet could be used with no reduction in ADG, ADFI, or G:F ratio

Effects of Echinacea on Daily Feed Intake of Nursery Pigs with and without PRRS

A demonstration was conducted with nursery pigs by using diets supplemented with Mecadox, no supplementation, and Echinacea. The study lasted for 4 weeks. The nursery pigs were weighed and the feed intake was measured. The results suggested that Echinacea does not suppress feed intake or the weight gain in nursery pigs compared with the no supplement or Mecadox diets. Half of the pigs were inoculated with the PRRS virus in the second week of the study. No major differences in the daily feed intake or weight gain was recorded. Further research in this area is warranted. This study was not replicated and no statistical analysis was conducted. Echinacea may have promise as a substitute additive for pig diets as a subtherapeutic antibiotic, however, more research is needed

Mechanical and hydrologic basis for the rapid motion of a large tidewater glacier 2. Interpretation

The data presented in part 1 of this paper (Meier et al., this issue) are here used to assess the role of water input/output, water storage, and basal water pressure in the rapid movement of Columbia Glacier, Alaska. Consistently high basal water pressures, mostly in the range from 300 kPa below to 100 kPa above the ice overburden pressure, are responsible in an overall way for the high glacier flow velocities (3.5–9 m d^−1), which are due mainly to rapid basal sliding caused by the high water pressure. Diurnal fluctuation in basal water pressure is accompanied by fluctuation in sliding velocity in what appears to be a direct causal relation at the upglacier observation site. The water pressure fluctuation tracks the time-integrated water input (less a steady withdrawal), as expected for the diurnally fluctuating storage of water in the glacier far from the terminus. At the downglacier site, the situation is more complex. Diurnal peaks in water level, which are directly related to intraglacial water storage as well as to basal water pressure, are shifted forward in time by 4 hours, probably as a result of the effect of diurnal fluctuation in water output from the glacier, which affects the local water storage fluctuations near the terminus. Because of the forward shift in the basal water pressure peaks, which at the downglacier site lead the velocity peaks by 6 hours, a mechanical connection between water pressure and sliding there would have to involve a 6-hour (quarter period) delay. However, the nearly identical nature of the diurnal fluctuations in velocity at the two sites argues for a single, consistent control mechanism at both sites. The velocity variations in nondiurnal “speed-up events” caused by extra input of water on the longer timescale of several days are only obscurely if at all correlated with variations in basal water pressure but correlate well with water storage in the glacier. It appears that small variations in water pressure (≤100 kPa) sufficient to produce the observed velocity variations (15–30%) are mostly masked by pressure fluctuations caused by spontaneous local reorganizations of the basal water conduit system on a spatial scale much smaller than the longitudinal coupling length over which basal water pressure is effectively averaged in determining the sliding velocity. At the achieved level of observation the clearest (though not complication free) control variable for the sliding velocity variations is basal water storage by cavitation at the glacier bed