Comments on "the interpretation of the EPR and Mossbauer spectra of two-iron, one-electron iron-sulfur proteins"

Evidence is presented indicating that the note mentioned in the title is incorrect in two important aspects. 1.) According to our results of ENDOR spectroscopy and computer simulations of Mossbauer spectra, the conclusions drawn are based on an erroneous interpretation of the Mossbauer spectra. 2.) According to quotations from the literature, previous interpretations of experimental data on iron-sulfur proteins are incorrectly represented.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33508/1/0000005.pd

The two-iron ferredoxins in spinach, parsley, pig adrenal cortex, Azotobacter vinelandii, and Clostridium pasteurianum: Studies by magnetic field Mossbauer spectroscopy

The two-iron ferredoxins from spinach, parsley, Azotobacter vinelandii, Clostridium pasteurianum and the pig adrenal cortex were investigated by Mossbauer spectroscopy at temperatures from 4 to 256[deg]K and in magnetic fields up to 46 kGauss. Computational programs were devised to allow comparison of the experimental data with computer-simulated spectra in order to facilitate identification of the experimental spectral detail with specific Mossbauer spectroscopic parameters (quadrupole splittings, isomer shifts and nuclear hyperfine and nuclear Zeeman interactions). The results of the analysis permit the following properties of the active center to be established directly as the result of these experiments: 1. 1. In the oxidized forms of the proteins, each iron is in the high spin (S = 5/2) ferric state, spin-coupled to produce a resultant molecular diamagnetism for the protein at temperatures below 100[deg]K.2. 2. In the reduced state of the protein, the active center contains a single ferric site, retaining many properties of the ferric iron in the oxidized protein, but spincoupled to a high spin (S = 2) ferrous site, producing a molecular paramagnetism due to a net electron spin of one half at low temperatures (S = 1/2).3. 3. In spinach and parsley ferredoxins, the ligand symmetry around the ferrous site in the reduced form of the proteins is tetrahedral with measurable axial and rhombic distortions.4. 4. The iron sites in both the oxidized and reduced forms of all the proteins studied are similar, with the possible exception that the ligand symmetry at the ferrous site in the reduced form of the two-iron ferredoxins from C. pasteurianum, A. vinelandii (Azotobacter I and II), and pig adrenal cortex has not been characterized as being square planar or tetrahedral, although octahedral symmetry has been excluded.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33534/1/0000033.pd

The iron electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) of two-iron ferredoxins from spinach, parsley, pig adrenal cortex and Pseudomonas putida

The iron electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectra of reduced iron-sulfur proteins (two-iron ferredoxins) from spinach, parsley, pig adrenal cortex and Pseudomonas putida unequivocally show two inequivalent iron atoms at the active sites of each of these proteins. The frequencies of the ENDOR lines establish the total electronic spin in the ground state to be . The principal values of the hyperfine tensor have been determined for each of the iron atoms and these values are consistent with and lend considerable support to the model of a high-spin Fe(III) atom and a high-spin Fe(II) atom antiferromagnetically coupled to form an system. The measured principal axis components of the effective hyperfine tensors for are as follows (1 and 2 refer to the inequivalent iron sites): These data are consistent with Site 1 being ferric and Site 2, ferrous iron. The primes indicate that the A-tensor principal axes for Site 1 (Fe(III)) are apparently rotated about the x-axis with respect to the g-tensor axes by an angle [theta] (20[deg] [les] [theta] [les] 40[deg]). The orientations of the A-tensors for Site 2 (Fe(II)) have not been determined and hence the values presented are the observed values of the A-tensors along the x, y, and z-axes of the g-tensor for this complex.A brief introduction to the theory of ENDOR is given.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33533/1/0000032.pd

The ethics of practical reasoning : exploring the terrain

Social work has been under sustained scrutiny regarding the quality of decision-making. The assumption is that social workers make poor quality decisions. And yet our knowledge and understanding of how social workers make decisions is, at best, partial. In our view, examination of practitioner decision-making will be enhanced by considering the role that ethics plays in practical judgement in practice. Although there has been significant work regarding the role of values and ethics in practice, this work tends to idealise morality setting up external standards by which practice is judged. In this paper, we will argue that ethics in practice needs to be understood as more than simply operationalise ideal standards, ethics also entails critical engagement with social and ethical issues and can challenge idealised statements of values. We outline the idea of the ethical dimension of practical reasoning, consider its relationship to professional discretion, judgments and decision-making in order to provide a clear focus for this research agenda, and identify the practical challenges researching ethics in professional decision-making entails

How to increase earthquake and home fire preparedness: the fix-it intervention

Published, evaluated community intervention studies concerning natural hazard preparedness are rare. Most lack a rigorous methodology, thereby hampering the development of evidence-based interventions. This paper describes the rationale and methodology of a cross-cultural, longitudinal intervention study on earthquake and home fire preparedness, termed fix-it. The aim is to evaluate whether and how the intervention brings about behaviour change in the targeted communities in two coastal cities with high seismic risk: Seattle, USA and Izmir, Turkey. Participants are adult residents of these cities. The intervention group attends a 6-h workshop, which focuses on securing items in the household. The control group does not attend the workshop. All participants complete baseline and post-intervention, as well as 3- and 12-month follow-up assessments. The primary outcome measure is an observational measure of nine preparedness items for earthquake and fire in participants’ homes. This is evaluated alongside participants’ self-reports concerning their preparedness levels. Secondary outcomes are changes in levels of self-efficacy, perceived outcome, trust, corruption, empowerment, anxiety and social cohesion. Results from the first of the studies, conducted in Seattle in September 2015, indicate that while the fix-it intervention is effective, in the longer term, multi-hazard preparedness is increased by the mere act of going into people’s homes to observe their preparedness levels along with assessing self-reported preparedness and sociopsychological orientation towards natural hazards. This protocol and study aim to augment the empirical literature on natural hazard preparedness, informing national and international policy on delivery of evidence-based community interventions to promote multi-hazard preparedness in households

The effect of long term combined yoga practice on the basal metabolic rate of healthy adults

BACKGROUND: Different procedures practiced in yoga have stimulatory or inhibitory effects on the basal metabolic rate when studied acutely. In daily life however, these procedures are usually practiced in combination. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the net change in the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of individuals actively engaging in a combination of yoga practices (asana or yogic postures, meditation and pranayama or breathing exercises) for a minimum period of six months, at a residential yoga education and research center at Bangalore. METHODS: The measured BMR of individuals practicing yoga through a combination of practices was compared with that of control subjects who did not practice yoga but led similar lifestyles. RESULTS: The BMR of the yoga practitioners was significantly lower than that of the non-yoga group, and was lower by about 13 % when adjusted for body weight (P < 0.001). This difference persisted when the groups were stratified by gender; however, the difference in BMR adjusted for body weight was greater in women than men (about 8 and 18% respectively). In addition, the mean BMR of the yoga group was significantly lower than their predicted values, while the mean BMR of non-yoga group was comparable with their predicted values derived from 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU predictive equations. CONCLUSION: This study shows that there is a significantly reduced BMR, probably linked to reduced arousal, with the long term practice of yoga using a combination of stimulatory and inhibitory yogic practices

Unrequested Findings on Cardiac Computed Tomography: Looking Beyond the Heart

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of clinically relevant unrequested extra-cardiac imaging findings on cardiac Computed Tomography (CT) and explanatory factors thereof. Methods: A systematic review of studies drawn from online electronic databases followed by meta-analysis with metaregression was performed. The prevalence of clinically relevant unrequested findings and potentially explanatory variables were extracted (proportion of smokers, mean age of patients, use of full FOV, proportion of men, years since publication). Results: Nineteen radiological studies comprising 12922 patients met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of clinically relevant unrequested findings was 13 % (95 % confidence interval 9–18, range: 3–39%). The large differences in prevalence observed were not explained by the predefined (potentially explanatory) variables. Conclusions: Clinically relevant extra-cardiac findings are common in patients undergoing routine cardiac CT, and their prevalence differs substantially between studies. These differences may be due to unreported factors such as different definitions of clinical relevance and differences between populations. We present suggestions for basic reporting whic

Do Rapoport's Rule, Mid-Domain Effect or Environmental Factors Predict Latitudinal Range Size Patterns of Terrestrial Mammals in China?

BACKGROUND: Explaining species range size pattern is a central issue in biogeography and macroecology. Although several hypotheses have been proposed, the causes and processes underlying range size patterns are still not clearly understood. In this study, we documented the latitudinal mean range size patterns of terrestrial mammals in China, and evaluated whether that pattern conformed to the predictions of the Rapoport's rule several analytical methods. We also assessed the influence of the mid-domain effect (MDE) and environmental factors on the documented range size gradient. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Distributions of 515 terrestrial mammals and data on nine environmental variables were compiled. We calculated mean range size of the species in each 5° latitudinal band, and created a range size map on a 100 km×100 km quadrat system. We evaluated Rapoport's rule according to Steven's, mid-point, Pagel's and cross-species methods. The effect of the MDE was tested based on a Monte Carlo simulation and linear regression. We used stepwise generalized linear models and correlation analyses to detect the impacts of mean climate condition, climate variability, ambient energy and topography on range size. The results of the Steven's, Pagel's and cross-species methods supported Rapoport's rule, whereas the mid-point method resulted in a hump-shaped pattern. Our range size map showed that larger mean latitudinal extents emerged in the mid-latitudes. We found that the MDE explained 80.2% of the range size variation, whereas, environmental factors accounted for <30% of that variation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Latitudinal range size pattern of terrestrial mammals in China supported Rapoport's rule, though the extent of that support was strongly influenced by methodology. The critical factor underlying the observed gradient was the MDE, and the effects of climate, energy and topography were limited. The mean climate condition hypothesis, climate variability hypothesis, ambient energy hypotheses and topographical heterogeneity hypotheses were not supported