Synthesis of an Amide-Based Extended Heterocyclic System Capable of Hydrogen Bonding to Both the Adenine and Uracil in dsRNA for RNA Recognition Using PNA

The majority of information known about RNA is centered around coding RNA for its role in synthesizing proteins from DNA. However, noncoding RNA is also biologically relevant, showing importance in gene expression and catalyzing reactions. Peptide Nucleic Acids, or PNAs, are a promising tool that can be used to study noncoding RNA. PNAs can bind to double-stranded RNA forming a triple helix and are highly selective for specific sequences of dsRNA. A current limitation of PNA as a ligand is that traditional nucleobases only bind with high affinity to single purine residues on the RNA, as triplex formation relies on the two hydrogen bonding sites offered by purines as opposed to only one offered by pyrimidines. More recent developments in our group and others have shown that synthetic nucleobases may be used to increase both affinity and selectivity. We have synthesized a uracil nucleobase modified to bind both the adenine and the uracil of the A-U base pair by adding a benzamide moiety to isoorotic acid. Computations suggest that this will increase the affinity of binding and make PNA relevant for use in dsRNA sequences containing both purine and pyrimidine bases

Why Toyota and Honda Topped the 2002 J.D. Power Quality Study

Toyota again topped the annual J. D. Power and Associates quality study released in late May of 2002. Toyota scored the highest mark ever with l 07 defects per l 00 vehicles, while Honda came in second with 113 defects. The study was based on responses of approximately 65,000 new car owners queried during their first 90-days of ownership. These results do not surprise us, as we have been fortunate to make numerous sojourns to the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, and observe the manufacturing processes. These trips were normally facilitated by a former Japanese student of ours, Minako Yanke, CPA, who personally knew individuals in higher management. In addition, several of our students are employed at the Honda manufacturing plant in Marysville, Ohio. Journeys to Marysville in conjunction with discussions with these students led us to believe that Toyota and Honda possess several similar management philosophies that account for their success. It is our conclusion that success for these companies derives from company cultures that foster associate (employee) involvement with the goals of the organization, human (employee) development, and adaptation for improvement. These company cultures incorporate user-oriented (as opposed to control-oriented) accounting systems and elaborate systems for motivating, generating, and using associate ideas for process improvements. The company cultures are dependent upon employing the highest quality of associates. The purpose of this article is to examine these complementary aspects of an effective company culture

Analysis of Response Rates to a Mailed Questionnaire

Vocational-Technical and Career Educatio

Effect of Iodine on Mercury Concentrations in Dental-unit Wastewater

Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver, tin, and copper. Mercury typically makes up about 50% of it. The amalgam is used to provide the dental patient with a strong durable filling. Some of the dental amalgam may end up in the dental wastewater along with the water used for rinsing. Iodine is often used to control bacteria in dental-unit fresh waterlines. Could Iodine effect mercury concentrations in the wastewater?ISTC partnered with researchers at the Naval Institute for Dental and Biomedical Research to answer that question. Full results appear in Stone, Mark E., et al (2006). "Effect of Iodine on Mercury Concentrations in Dental-unit Wastewater." Dental Materials 22(2), 119-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2005.04.009.Ope

Arsenic Speciation in Arsenic-Rich Brazilian Soils from Gold Mining Sites under Anaerobic Incubation

Arsenic enters the environment naturally though rock weathering but its concentrations can be dramatically increased by human activity such as mining. ISTC’s senior chemist, John Scott, and collaborators from the Federal University of Viçosa (Brazil), Illinois State Geological Survey, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign teamed up to find the arsenic release pathways in arsenic rich soils at gold mining sites in Brazil. Full research results available in de Mello, J.W.V., Talbott, J.L., Scott, J. et al. (2007). "Arsenic speciation in arsenic-rich Brazilian soils from gold mining sites under anaerobic incubation." Environmental Science and Pollution Research - International 14(6), 388-396. https://doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.08.330Ope

Transcriptomic and bioinformatics analysis of the early time-course of the response to prostaglandin F2 alpha in the bovine corpus luteum

RNA expression analysis was performed on the corpus luteum tissue at five time points after prostaglandin F2 alpha treatment of midcycle cows using an Affymetrix Bovine Gene v1 Array. The normalized linear microarray data was uploaded to the NCBI GEO repository (GSE94069). Subsequent statistical analysis determined differentially expressed transcripts ± 1.5-fold change from saline control with P ≤ 0.05. Gene ontology of differentially expressed transcripts was annotated by DAVID and Panther. Physiological characteristics of the study animals are presented in a figure. Bioinformatic analysis by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was curated, compiled, and presented in tables. A dataset comparison with similar microarray analyses was performed and bioinformatics analysis by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, DAVID, Panther, and String of differentially expressed genes from each dataset as well as the differentially expressed genes common to all three datasets were curated, compiled, and presented in tables. Finally, a table comparing four bioinformatics tools’ predictions of functions associated with genes common to all three datasets is presented. These data have been further analyzed and interpreted in the companion article “Early transcriptome responses of the bovine mid-cycle corpus luteum to prostaglandin F2 alpha includes cytokine signaling” [1]