Strategies for Oligoribonucleotide Synthesis According to the Phosphoramidite Method

Advances in oligoribonucleotide synthesis have lagged behind those in oligodeoxyribonucleotide synthesis because of the difficulty in identifying orthogonal protecting groups for the 2′‐ and 5′‐hydroxyls. Adaptation of the phosphoramidite method for DNA synthesis to RNA synthesis has greatly improved our understanding of RNA. It allows site‐specific introduction of modified nucleosides to any position in an RNA molecule, as well as introduction of variations at multiple sites in the molecule. This overview discusses issues that are relevant to RNA synthesis by the phosphoramidite approach, including supports used, activation of the ribonucleoside phosphoramidites, and protection of the nucleobase, phosphate, and 2′‐ and 5′‐hydroxyls.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143793/1/cpnc0305.pd

Growth performance of nursery pigs fed BIOSAF yeast, alone or in combination with an in-feed antimicrobial

Swine research, 2005 is known as Swine day, 2005A total of 280 pigs were used in a 28-d growth study to evaluate the effects of feeding the antimicrobial carbadox, BIOSAF (0.4%), and the combination of carbadox and BIOSAF yeast (0.15%) in nursery pig diets. Over the length of the entire trial, pigs fed the diet containing carbadox alone had greater ADG than did pigs fed the control diet or the diet containing 0.4% BIOSAF. Overall, pigs fed the diet containing both carbadox and 0.15% BIOSAF had greater ADG than did pigs fed the control diet or the diet containing 0.4% BIOSAF (P<0.04), although their growth performance did not differ from that of pigs fed carbadox alone. Antibody titers in response to routine vaccination against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae were not affected by dietary treatment. There was no evidence that BIOSAF improved growth performance of nursery pigs, either alone or in combination with the carbadox. It is possible that the interactive effects of BIOSAF that have been reported for other in-feed antibiotics are not present when BIOSAF is combined with carbadox, or perhaps interactive effects are only observed when carbadox itself exerts a more potent stimulation of ADG in nursery pigs

Correlation lengths and E_8 mass spectrum of the dilute A_3 lattice model

The exact perturbation approach is used to derive the elementary correlation lengths $\xi_i$ and related mass gaps $m_i$ of the two-dimensional dilute A_L lattice model in regimes 1 and 2 for L odd from the Bethe Ansatz solution. In regime 2 the A_3 model is the E_8 lattice realisation of the two-dimensional Ising model in a magnetic field at T=T_c. The calculations for the A_3 model in regime 2 start from the eight thermodynamically significant string types found in previous numerical studies. These string types are seen to be consistent in the ordered high field limit. The eight masses obtained reduce with the approach to criticality to the E_8 masses predicted by Zamolodchikov, thus providing a further direct lattice determination of the E_8 mass spectrum.Comment: 57 pages, Latex, Elsevier style file

Longitudinal metabolic and gut bacterial profiling of pregnant women with previous bariatric surgery

Objective Due to the global increase in obesity rates and success of bariatric surgery in weight reduction, an increasing number of women now present pregnant with a previous bariatric procedure. This study investigates the extent of bariatric-associated metabolic and gut microbial alterations during pregnancy and their impact on fetal development. Design A parallel metabonomic (molecular phenotyping based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and gut bacterial (16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing) profiling approach was used to determine maternal longitudinal phenotypes associated with malabsorptive/mixed (n=25) or restrictive (n=16) procedures, compared with women with similar early pregnancy body mass index but without bariatric surgery (n=70). Metabolic profiles of offspring at birth were also analysed. Results Previous malabsorptive, but not restrictive, procedures induced significant changes in maternal metabolic pathways involving branched-chain and aromatic amino acids with decreased circulation of leucine, isoleucine and isobutyrate, increased excretion of microbial-associated metabolites of protein putrefaction (phenylacetlyglutamine, p-cresol sulfate, indoxyl sulfate and p-hydroxyphenylacetate), and a shift in the gut microbiota. The urinary concentration of phenylacetylglutamine was significantly elevated in malabsorptive patients relative to controls (p=0.001) and was also elevated in urine of neonates born from these mothers (p=0.021). Furthermore, the maternal metabolic changes induced by malabsorptive surgery were associated with reduced maternal insulin resistance and fetal/birth weight. Conclusion Metabolism is altered in pregnant women with a previous malabsorptive bariatric surgery. These alterations may be beneficial for maternal outcomes, but the effect of elevated levels of phenolic and indolic compounds on fetal and infant health should be investigated further

Non-perturbative gauge superpotentials from supergravity

We study U(N) SQCD with N_f <= N flavors of quarks and antiquarks by engineering it with a configuration of fractional D3-branes on a C^3 / Z_2 x Z_2 orbifold. In particular we show how the moduli space of the gauge theory naturally emerges from the classical geometry produced by the D3-branes, and how the non-perturbatively generated superpotential is recovered from geometrical data.Comment: LaTeX, 18 pages, 4 figures; v2: published version with minor changes and an added referenc

Women, men and coronary heart disease: a review of the qualitative literature

Aim. This paper presents a review of the qualitative literature which examines the experiences of patients with coronary heart disease. The paper also assesses whether the experiences of both female and male patients are reflected in the literature and summarizes key themes. Background. Understanding patients' experiences of their illness is important for coronary heart disease prevention and education. Qualitative methods are particularly suited to eliciting patients' detailed understandings and perceptions of illness. As much previous research has been 'gender neutral', this review pays particular attention to gender. Methods. Published papers from 60 qualitative studies were identified for the review through searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PREMEDLINE, PsychINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index and Web of Science using keywords related to coronary heart disease. Findings. Early qualitative studies of patients with coronary heart disease were conducted almost exclusively with men, and tended to generalize from 'male' experience to 'human' experience. By the late 1990s this pattern had changed, with the majority of studies including women and many being conducted with solely female samples. However, many studies that include both male and female coronary heart disease patients still do not have a specific gender focus. Key themes in the literature include interpreting symptoms and seeking help, belief about coronary 'candidates' and relationships with health professionals. The influence of social roles is important: many female patients have difficulties reconciling family responsibilities and medical advice, while male patients worry about being absent from work. Conclusions. There is a need for studies that compare the experiences of men and women. There is also an urgent need for work that takes masculinity and gender roles into account when exploring the experiences of men with coronary heart disease

Manure and fertilizer effects on carbon balance and organic and inorganic carbon losses for an irrigated corn field

Data collected from both artificially and field (naturally) weathered biochar suggest that a potentially significant pathway of biochar disappearance is through physical breakdown of the biochar structure. Through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) we characterized this physical weathering which increased structural fractures and possessed higher numbers of liberated biochar fragments. This was hypothesized to be due to the graphitic sheet expansion accompanying water sorption coupled with comminution. These fragments can be on the micro and nano-scale, but are still carbon-rich particles with no detectable alteration in the oxygen to carbon ratio of the original biochar. However, these particles are now easily dissolved and could be moved by infiltration. There is a need to understand how to produce biochars that are resistant to physical degradation in order to maximize long-term biochar C-sequestration potential within soil systems

Dementia in late-onset epilepsy: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of dementia after the development of late-onset epilepsy. METHODS: We used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort study, which started in 1987 to 1989 with 15,792 mostly Black and White men and women from 4 US communities. We identified late-onset epilepsy (LOE; seizures starting at age 67 or later) from linked Medicare claims data. We used a Cox proportional hazards regression model to evaluate associations between LOE and dementia through 2017 as ascertained from neuropsychological testing, interviews, and hospital discharge surveillance, and we used multinomial logistic regression to assess the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in the subset with full neuropsychological assessments available. We adjusted for demographics and vascular and Alzheimer disease risk factors. RESULTS: Of 9,033 ARIC participants with sufficient Medicare coverage data (4,980 [55.1%] female, 1993 [22.1%] Black), 671 met the definition of LOE. Two hundred seventy-nine (41.6%) participants with and 1,408 (16.8%) without LOE developed dementia (p < 0.001). After a diagnosis of LOE, the adjusted hazard ratio for developing subsequent dementia was 3.05 (95% confidence interval 2.65-3.51). The median time to dementia ascertainment after the onset of LOE was 3.66 years (quartile 1-3, 1.28-8.28 years). INTERPRETATION: The risk of incident dementia is substantially elevated in individuals with LOE. Further work is needed to explore causes for the increased risk of dementia in this growing population

Ultraviolet light photosensitivity in Ge-doped silica fibers: wavelength dependence of the light-induced index change.

A novel technique is reported for detecting permanent and transient light-induced refractive-index changes (photosensitivity) in optical fibers. The index change is detected by irradiating one arm of an unbalanced Mach–Zehnder fiber interferometer with UV light, thereby changing its optical path length. From a measurement of the change in the spectral response of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer, the change in the fiber core index as a function of wavelength can be determined. The equilibrium change in the core index is found to have an almost constant value of approximately 2.3 × 10−5 over the measured wavelength range of 700 to 1400 nm