The use of deployable military hospitals after hurricanes: lessons from the Hurricane Marilyn response.

Deployable military hospitals are frequently requested to supplement surviving local health care capabilities after disasters. Although some authors have advocated their use after mass casualty events such as earthquakes, previous reports have questioned the appropriateness of deploying these hospitals after destructive storms. These hospitals are relatively slow moving, expensive, and may require the diversion of local resources to support.

Making a difference: the social ecology of social transformation.

A multidisciplinary and multilevel framework for social transformation is proposed, encompassing four foundational goals: capacity-building, group empowerment, relational community-building, and culture-challenge. Intervention approaches related to each goal are presented at the setting, geographic community, and societal levels. Four exemplars of social transformation work are then discussed: the Accelerated Schools Project, Meyerhoff Program, ManKind Project, and women's movement.

The use of NMR residual dipolar couplings in aqueous dilute liquid crystalline medium for conformational studies of complex oligosaccharides.

C-H dipolar coupling values were measured for a natural-abundance sample of the pentasaccharide beta-D-Galp-(1-->3)-[alpha-L-Fucp-(1-->4)]-beta-D-GlcNAcp-(1 -->3)-beta-D- Galp-(1-->4)-beta-D-Glcp ('lacto-N-fucopentaose 2') (LNF-2), in a 7.5% solution of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine-dihexanoyl phosphatidylcholine bicelle liquid crystals oriented in the NMR magnetic field. Interpretation of the dipolar coupling data and NOE confirms the conformational model for the Lewis(a) trisaccharide epitope based on NOE, molecular dynamics simulations, and scalar coupling data and provided new structural information for the remaining residues of the pentasaccharide.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of transurethral radio frequency hyperthermia in the canine prostate: temperature distribution analysis.

The heating pattern of a transurethral radio frequency (RF) applicator and its induced steady-state temperature field in the prostate during transurethral hyperthermia treatment were investigated in this study. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of the electromagnetic energy was first quantified in a tissue-equivalent gel phantom. It was used in conjunction with the Pennes bioheat transfer equation to model the steady-state temperature field in prostate during the treatment.

Conformation of a rigid tetrasaccharide epitope in the capsular polysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae O139.

A newly reported strain of Vibrio cholerae, known as strain O139 Bengal, is the first instance of an encapsulated strain that has caused epidemic cholera. The O-antigenic capsule is the critical antigen for protective immunity. Since mapping of the antigenic epitopes will assist in the development of a protein conjugate vaccine based on the capsular polysaccharide, we have undertaken a study of the three-dimensional conformation of the polysaccharide.

Backbone dynamics of the N-terminal domain of the HIV-1 capsid protein and comparison with the G94D mutant conferring cyclosporin resistance/dependence.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (15)N relaxation methods have been used to characterize the backbone dynamics of the N-terminal core domain of the HIV-1 capsid protein (CA(151)). The domain, which has an unusually flat, triangular shape, tumbles in solution at 28 degrees C with an effective rotational correlation time of 11.5 ns.

Dictyostelium ribosomal protein genes and the elongation factor 1B gene show coordinate developmental regulation which is under post-transcriptional control.

Starvation for amino acids initiates the developmental program in the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum [19, 20]. One of the earliest developmental events is the decline in ribosomal protein synthesis [2, 17, 29, 30]. The ribosomal protein mRNAs are excluded from polysomes with 20 min to 1 h following the removal of nutrients, and their mRNA levels decline sharply at about 9 h into the 24-h developmental cycle [28, 31, 35, 36].

A back-propagation neural network predicts absorption maxima of chimeric human red/green visual pigments.

The absorption spectra of human red and green visual pigments have peak wavelengths, lambda max, that differ by 31 nm, yet the opsins differ in only 15 amino acids. Mutagenesis studies have demonstrated that seven of the 15 amino acids determine the spectral shift. We trained neural networks to predict the lambda max of any red/green chimeric protein.

Solution structure of the chicken cysteine-rich protein, CRP1, a double-LIM protein implicated in muscle differentiation.

The mechanism by which the contractile machinery of muscle is assembled and maintained is not well-understood. Members of the cysteine-rich protein (CRP) family have been implicated in these processes. Three vertebrate CRPs (CRP1-3) that exhibit developmentally regulated muscle-specific expression have been identified.

Gel compression considerations for chromatography scale-up for protein C purification.

This work is to establish theoretical and experimental relationships for the scale-up of Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) and Immuno Affinity Chromatography for the low cost production of large quantities of Protein C. The external customer requirements for this project have been established for Protein C deficient people with the goal of providing prophylactic patient treatment. Deep vein thrombosis is the major symptom for protein C deficiency creating the potential problem of embolism transport to important organs, such as, lung and brain.

Preliminary study of biosensor optimization for the detection of protein C.

Methods to develop an immuno-optical biosensor for the detection and monitoring of Protein C (PC) concentrations are described. A tapered quartz fiber is enclosed in a glass tube (capacity approximately 300 microliters) and monoclonal antibody against PC (anti-PC) is immobilized on the surface of this fiber. PC within a sample, when injected into the chamber, will bind to the anti-PC in a specific reaction.

Preparing the way: a qualitative study of high-achieving African American males and the role of the family.

Employed qualitative methods to examine the role of the family in the academic success of very high-achieving African American males. Findings revealed a complex tapestry of family processes and contexts involved in each youth's journey to outstanding academic achievement. Specifically, the combined importance of parental-determined academic engagement, strict discipline, nurturance, and community connectedness appeared to counteract potentially negative contextual influences of neighborhood, peers, schools, and society.

Energetic methods to study bifunctional biotin operon repressor.

Application of a broad range of approaches and techniques to analysis of the functional energetics of the biotin regulatory system has enabled dissection of each of the steps in the assembly of this transcriptional repression complex. Although the molecular details of the interactions are not yet completely understood, the studies described in this article have laid a solid foundation for future studies of the system. The application of kinetic and equilibrium methods to studies of binding of the allosteric effector has allow determination of the kinetic parameters governing the interaction of the protein and ligand.

Structure of a muramic acid containing capsular polysaccharide from the pathogenic strain of Vibrio vulnificus ATCC 27562.

Vibrio vulnificus strains isolated from septicemia cases and from the environment show a wide variety of capsular types. In an attempt to find common structural features which can be correlated with pathogenicity and toxicity, we have determined structures of the capsular polysaccharides (CPS) from several pathogenic strains. We report the complete structure of the polysaccharide from the pathogenic V.

Quasi-linear pH gradients for chromatofocusing using simple buffer mixtures: local equilibrium theory and experimental verification.

Chromatofocusing utilizes internally generate, retained pH gradients to focus proteins into narrow chromatographic bands. One of the characteristics of current chromatofocusing methods is that they use expensive polyampholyte buffers containing large numbers of ill-defined components in order to generate linear or quasi-linear pH gradients. In addition to being costly to use, polyampholyte buffers also tend to associate with proteins and often yield irreproducible gradient shapes.

Solution structure of a zinc domain conserved in yeast copper-regulated transcription factors.

The three dimensional structure of the N-terminal domain (residues 1-42) of the copper-responsive transcription factor Amtl from Candida glabrata has been determined by two-dimensional 1H-correlated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. The domain contains an array of zinc-binding residues (Cys-X2-Cys-X8-Cys-X-His) that is conserved among a family of Cu-responsive transcription factors. The structure is unlike those of previously characterized zinc finger motifs, and consists of a three-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet with two short helical segments that project from one end of the beta-sheet.

A map of the biotin repressor-biotin operator interface: binding of a winged helix-turn-helix protein dimer to a forty base-pair site.

The Escherichia coli biotin repressor is a member of the "winged helix-turn-helix" class of site-specific DNA binding proteins. The protein binds as a dimer to the 40 bp biotin operator sequence. Although the structure of the aporepressor has been solved by X-ray crystallographic techniques, no structure of the holorepressor-DNA complex is yet available.

Active coping and cardiovascular reactivity: a multiplicity of influences.

Objective: Active coping enhances cardiovascular response presumably by beta-adrenergically mediated myocardial activation. This study examined impedance-derived hemodynamic parameters underlying blood pressure response to two laboratory tasks requiring active coping, performed either with or without an appetitive (i.e.

Minimizing nonproductive substrate binding: a new look at glucoamylase subsite affinities.

A subsite model as proposed by Hiromi [Hiromi, K. (1970) Biochem. Biophys.

Bis[2-(4-carboxyphenoxy)carbonylethyl]phosphinic acid (BCCEP): a new reagent for hemoglobin modification.

The synthesis and hemoglobin cross-linking studies of a novel organic reagent, bis[2-(4-carboxyphenoxy)carbonylethyl]phosphinic acid (BCCEP; 2) has been reported. The reagent was synthesized in four steps from hydroxybenzoic acid. The tri-sodium salt of BCCEP was employed to cross-link oxyHb, and the product was purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography.