Publications by authors named "Brian Nichols"

Lewis basic substrates, such as vinylphosphines and enamines, can be problematic for transition-metal catalysed hydrofunctionalization reactions due to their propensity to ligate and deactivate transition-metal catalysts as well as form direct Lewis adducts with reaction partners. While exploring rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration of diphenylvinylphosphine with pinacolborane, we found that a high degree of regiocontrol could be achieved without the need to diminish the Lewis basicity of the phosphine by oxidation or prior-protection. At slightly elevated temperature, a high yield of the previously unreported branched regioisomer, 1-pinacolatoborono-1-diphenylphosphinoethane, was achieved with regioselectivity greater than 10 : 1 using [Rh(COD)Cl]2 as the catalyst and AgOTf as a catalytic additive.

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Apoptosis is a powerful host cell defense to prevent viruses from completing replication. Poxviruses have evolved complex means to dampen cellular apoptotic responses. The poxvirus, Molluscum Contagiosum Virus (MCV), encodes numerous host interacting molecules predicted to antagonize immune responses.

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A new method, near-infrared laser desorption/ionization aerosol mass spectrometry (NIR-LDI-AMS), is described for the real time analysis of organic aerosols at atmospherically relevant mass loadings. Use of a single NIR laser pulse to vaporize and ionize particle components deposited on an aluminum probe results in minimal fragmentation to produce exclusively intact pseudomolecular anions at [M-H](-). Limits of detection (total particulate mass sampled) for oxidized compounds of relevance to atmospheric primary and secondary organic aerosol range from 89 fg for pinic acid to 8.

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pABA (p-aminobenzoate) is a precursor of folates and, besides esterification to glucose, has no other known metabolic fate in plants. It is synthesized in two steps from chorismate and glutamine, the first step being their conversion into glutamate and ADC (4-aminodeoxychorismate). In Escherichia coli, two proteins forming a heterodimeric complex are required for this reaction, but, in plants and lower eukaryotes, a single protein is involved.

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Sulfa drugs are ubiquitous antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections and diseases caused by eukaryotes, such as Pneumocystis carinii, the leading cause of pneumonia (PCP) in HIV patients. A daily regimen of sulfonamides and multivitamins including vitamin B3 is also recommended for persons with HIV. We show that exogenous vitamin B3 (nicotinate) confers resistance to sulfa drugs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a model for P.

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Purpose: To determine the effectiveness and side effects of full-time occlusion for the treatment of amblyopia.

Methods: Patients with unilateral amblyopia secondary to strabismus, anisometropia, or a combination of the two were retrospective reviewed. All patients had full-time occlusion encompassing 24 hours per day or all waking hours, followed to a defined endpoint.

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In plants, the last step in the synthesis of p-aminobenzoate (PABA) moiety of folate remains to be elucidated. In Escherichia coli, this step is catalyzed by the PabC protein, a beta-lyase that converts 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate (ADC)--the reaction product of the PabA and PabB enzymes--to PABA and pyruvate. So far, the only known plant enzyme involved in PABA synthesis is ADC synthase, which has fused domains homologous to E.

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It is not known how plants synthesize the p-aminobenzoate (PABA) moiety of folates. In Escherichia coli, PABA is made from chorismate in two steps. First, the PabA and PabB proteins interact to catalyze transfer of the amide nitrogen of glutamine to chorismate, forming 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate (ADC).

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Background: Uncomplicated urinary tract infection (uUTI) typically affects immunocompetent, anatomically normal women. Escherichia coli (E. coli) accounts for approximately 80% of cases.

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