The history of religious education among negro baptists

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston Universit

Strategies of Small Business Owners to Acquire Federal Government Contracts

Small business owners are not acquiring U.S. federal government contracts at the government established target rate. The government\u27s small business procurement goals remain unmet, which represents an underutilized source of revenues for many small business owners. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies of 3 small business owners operating in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to acquire federal government contracts to increase profitability. The thematic findings were in the context of the resource-based view as the conceptual framework. The participants answered questions in semistructured interviews and provided organizational documents for review. Triangulation of multiple data sources and the constant comparative data analysis method led to 3 major themes: planning to target both government and commercial civilian customers through a top-down approach; developing core competencies including backgrounds and experiences and staffing choices to improve chances of success in obtaining government contracts; and knowing the company\u27s audience, assets, and niche, which encompassed essential knowledge stemming from education and training oriented toward successful government contract work. Findings included the importance of planning before embarking on a process to bid for government contracts. Application of the findings may lead to a social change of higher small business revenues and lower unemployment, support for innovation, stimulation of the economy, and increased tax revenues to sustain government programs that can benefit society in genera

Arginase from kiwifruit: properties and seasonal variation

The in vitro activity of arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) was investigated in youngest-mature leaves and roots (1-3 mm diameter) of kiwifruit vines (Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa) during an annual growth cycle, and enzyme from root material partially purified. No seasonal trend in the specific activity of arginase was observed in roots. Measurements in leaves, however, rose gradually during early growth and plateaued c. 17 weeks after budbreak. Changes in arginase activity were not correlated with changes in the concentration of arginine (substrate) or glutamine (likely end-product of arginine catabolism) in either tissue during the growth cycle. Purification was by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The kinetic properties of the enzyme, purified 60-fold over that in crude extracts, indicated a pH optimum of 8.8, and a Km (L-arginine) of 7.85 mM. Partially-purified enzyme was deactivated by dialysis against EDTA, and reactivated in the presence of Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺

Inhibition of HIV replication by amino-sugar derivatives

AbstractThe plant alkaloids castanospermine, dihydroxymethyldihydroxypyrrolidine and deoxynojirimycin have recently been shown to have potential anti-HIV activity [(1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 8120–8124; (1987) Nature 330, 74–77; (1987) Lancet i, 1025–1026]. They are thought to act by inhibiting α-glucosidase I, an enzyme involved in the processing of N-linked oligosaccharides on glycoproteins. We report here the relative efficacy of a spectrum of amino-sugar derivatives as inhibition of HIV cytopathicity. Several α-glucosidase inhibitors and α-fucosidase inhibitors were found to be active at concentrations which were non-cytotoxic

Improved synthesis and biological evaluation of an acyclic thiosangivamycin active against human cytomegalovirus

We previously described the synthesis and in vitro antiviral activity of an acyclic thiosangivamycin analog (Gupta et al., 1989a). In order to extend these initial studies, a new, multi-gram synthesis of 4-amino-7-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl]pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-5-thiocarboxamide (compound 229) was achieved in 5 steps from the known 5-amino-2-bromo-3,4-dicyanopyrrole in good overall yield. In plaque reduction assays with HCMV, compound 229 had an IC50 of 7 [mu]M; in yield reduction assays the IC90 was 25 [mu]M. The compound was less active against MCMV, HSV-1, HSV-2, and least active against VZV. Concentrations of compound 229 up to 32 [mu]M did not affect the growth of KB cells for incubation periods up to 72 h. At 100 [mu]M, a prolongation in population doubling time from 21 h (untreated) to 35 h was noted. This inhibition, however, was reversible upon removal of the compound suggesting the inhibition was cytostatic rather than cytotoxic. Flow cytometric studies with compound 229 in HFF cells revealed an accumulation of cells in S phase and a concurrent loss of cells in G2/M phase, suggesting an early S phase blockage. We conclude there is adequate separation between antiviral activity and cytotoxicity to merit further work with this class of pyrrolopyrimidines.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29951/1/0000311.pd

Minimal in vivo efficacy of iminosugars in a lethal Ebola virus guinea pig model

The antiviral properties of iminosugars have been reported previously in vitro and in small animal models against Ebola virus (EBOV); however, their effects have not been tested in larger animal models such as guinea pigs. We tested the iminosugars N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ) and N-(9-methoxynonyl)-1deoxynojirimycin (MON-DNJ) for safety in uninfected animals, and for antiviral efficacy in animals infected with a lethal dose of guinea pig adapted EBOV. 1850 mg/kg/day NB-DNJ and 120 mg/kg/day MON-DNJ administered intravenously, three times daily, caused no adverse effects and were well tolerated. A pilot study treating infected animals three times within an 8 hour period was promising with 1 of 4 infected NB-DNJ treated animals surviving and the remaining three showing improved clinical signs. MON-DNJ showed no protective effects when EBOV-infected guinea pigs were treated. On histopathological examination, animals treated with NB-DNJ had reduced lesion severity in liver and spleen. However, a second study, in which NB-DNJ was administered at equally-spaced 8 hour intervals, could not confirm drug-associated benefits. Neither was any antiviral effect of iminosugars detected in an EBOV glycoprotein pseudotyped virus assay. Overall, this study provides evidence that NB-DNJ and MON-DNJ do not protect guinea pigs from a lethal EBOV-infection at the dose levels and regimens tested. However, the one surviving animal and signs of improvements in three animals of the NB-DNJ treated cohort could indicate that NB-DNJ at these levels may have a marginal beneficial effect. Future work could be focused on the development of more potent iminosugars

RSV604, a Novel Inhibitor of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Replication

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections worldwide, yet no effective vaccine or antiviral treatment is available. Here we report the discovery and initial development of RSV604, a novel benzodiazepine with submicromolar anti-RSV activity. It proved to be equipotent against all clinical isolates tested of both the A and B subtypes of the virus. The compound has a low rate of in vitro resistance development. Sequencing revealed that the resistant virus had mutations within the nucleocapsid protein. This is a novel mechanism of action for anti-RSV compounds. In a three-dimensional human airway epithelial cell model, RSV604 was able to pass from the basolateral side of the epithelium effectively to inhibit virus replication after mucosal inoculation. RSV604, which is currently in phase II clinical trials, represents the first in a new class of RSV inhibitors and may have significant potential for the effective treatment of RSV disease

Peace in the City

Peace in Central Park amid the chaos of New York Cityhttps://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/library_photo_contest_fall_2017/1027/thumbnail.jp