THE NATURE OF ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT-INDUCED STRAND BREAKAGE IN DNA CONTAINING BROMOURACIL

Abstract— Single-strand breaks are produced in the phosphodiester backbone of ultraviolet-light-irradiated 5–bromodeoxyuridine-containing DNA (BU-DNA) after treatment with alkali. No radiation dependent breakage is observed in thymine-containing DNA (thy-DNA). The relative yields of breaks terminated by 5'-hydroxyl and 5'-phosphate groups was determined by measuring the rate of phosphorylation achieved with polynucleotide kinase in BU-DNA single strands before and after treatment with alkaline phosphatase. The ratio of 5'-phosphate to 5' hydroxyl groups ranged from 2.3 to 2.9 in different experiments. When cysteamine was present during irradiation no new end groups were produced.
In order to identify the nucleoside(s) at the 5'-termini, phosphate groups were removed with alkaline phosphatase and the 5'-hydroxyl groups were phosphorylated with polynucleotide kinase. Electrophoresis of enzymatic digests showed a single ³²P-labeled component migrating more rapidly than any of the four usual 5'-mononucleotides. Upon column chromatography this component resolved into a major peak coincident with 5'-dUMP and a lesser unidentified constituent. No 5'-dBUM³²P was observed among these nucleotides.     

Polymerizable derivatives of long-chain fatty acids. IV. Vinyl esters

Contrary to some published reports, the vinyl esters of saturated fatty acids polymerize readily and rapidly. Vinyl oleate, when present in excess of 5%, and oxygen exert marked retarding effects. Techniques are described for the free-radical-initiated polymerization of the vinyl esters of caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids in bulk, dispersion, solution, and emulsion. Some data are given for polymerization in the presence of chain-transfer agents, such as carbon tetrachloride, dodecylmercaptan, and ethylbenzene. Conditions are reported for obtaining degrees of polymerization from about 2 (when chain-transfer agents are employed) to 10,000 (weight average). The weight average degree of polymerization increases markedly as the conversion increases, particularly above 80%. Even up to extremely high conversions, soluble polymers are obtained in most cases. Solubility characteristics, transition point data, molecular weights (osmometric and light-scattering), and isolation and purification techniques are also reported.     

Melting Point and Composition Distribution of Polyolefins by Fractionation

The fractionation technique described in this paper was used to characterize the melting-point, monomer, and blocking distributions for polymers and copolymers. It is different from the molecular-weight fractionation technique in that the fractions are obtained by using a single solvent to extract the solid polymer below its melting point at stepwise-increasing temperatures. The reproducibility of this technique is excellent, and the technique is sufficient to distinguish pellet-to-pellet variation in a commercially available polypropylene. It was used to show the influence of preparation variables on the melting-point distributions of polyethylene and polypropylene and on the monomer and blocking distribution of copolymers, and to distinguish copolymers from blends.     

OPTIMAL FISH HARVESTING FOR A POPULATION MODELED BY A NONLINEAR PARABOLIC PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION

As the human population continues to grow, there is a need for better management of our natural resources in order for our planet to be able to produce enough to sustain us. One important resource we must consider is marine fish populations. We use the tool of optimal control to investigate harvesting strategies for maximizing yield of a fish population in a heterogeneous, finite domain. We determine whether these solutions include no‐take marine reserves as part of the optimal solution. The fishery stock is modeled using a nonlinear, parabolic partial differential equation with logistic growth, movement by diffusion and advection, and with Robin boundary conditions. The objective for the problem is to find the harvest rate that maximizes the discounted yield. Optimal harvesting strategies are found numerically.     

THE AVAILABILITY OF SOLAR RADIATION BELOW 290 nm AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN PHOTOMODIFICATION OF POLYMERS

Abstract— On a percentage basis, ozone is a very minor component of the atmosphere; at STP it would make a layer only about 2 mm thick. On almost every other basis (biological, meteorological, paleontological, photochemical, etc.) it is a major component, due mainly to the tremendous reduction in solar ultraviolet flux which it causes in the 220–290 nm region. Since no data are available for Λ < 285 nm, a rational basis for estimating the flux reaching the earth's surface in this region is discussed. Variations in ozone concentration are of great importance, and it is possible to have more radiation with Λ < 270 nm fall on a surface in one extreme day than in several years of typical days. Often, persons involved in studies of polymer degradation by sunlight mention that a negligible fraction (1 ppm) of the radiant flux reaching the earth's surface is associated with wavelengths below 290 nm and infer that studies at shorter wavelengths will not be of much practical value. Such inferences are questionable for at least two reasons. (1) The quantum flux density below 290 nm is about 10¹⁶ photons cm^-2 month^-1, so that considerable long-term damage is possible since most of the flux will be absorbed in a layer only a few microns thick. (2) Even if solar radiation below 290 nm were completely absent, the existence of correlations between absorption peaks in the near ultraviolet and visible, and in the infrared with ionization potentials typically 6–12 eV or 200-100 nm) is evidence that we may expect studies in the ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to provide important clues to the problem of improving the resistance of polymers to sunlight.     

CHANGES IN TOTAL DIFFUSE SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE OF AMINO ACIDS AND PROTEINS AFTER ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION

Abstract— Total diffuse reflectance spectra of air-dried surfaces of free and neutralized amino acid preparations before and after irradiation in vitro are reported. It was found that some free or neutralized amino acid surfaces underwent modification which resulted in changes in the diffuse reflectance spectra after U.V. exposure. It is suggested that these reflectance changes result from transformations in the side chains of the amino acids and that the transformations may differ from those occurring when amino acids in solution are irradiated. Histidine, cystine, hydroxyproline and some protein surfaces showed changes in reflectance of 330–400 nm light similar to those reported in skin after U.V. irradiation in viuo.     

A STUDY OF THE PHOTODYNAMIC EFFICIENCIES OF SOME EYE LENS CONSTITUENTS

We have studied the photochemical quantum yields of singlet oxygen production (using the RNO bleaching method) and superoxide production (using the EPR-spin trapping method and the SOD-inhibitable ferricytochrome c reduction spectral assay) of kynurenine (Ky), N-formylkynurenine (NFK), 3-hydroxykynurenine (3HK), kynurenic acid (KUA), and the flavins, riboflavin (RF) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN). Such a study of the photodynamic efficiencies is important since these compounds appear endogenously in the eye. The singlet oxygen quantum yields of the flavins and KUA are high, while Ky and 3HK generate no detectable amounts of singlet oxygen. The superoxide quantum yields of the sensitizers are low compared to their singlet oxygen, and Ky and 3HK produce no detectable amounts of superoxide. The production of the superoxide radical is enhanced in the presence of electron donor molecules such as EDTA and NADH. These results suggest that the production of oxyradicals in the lens may be modulated by the presence of endogenous electron donor molecules such as the coenzymes NADH and NADPH, which are present in significant amounts in some lenses. They also suggest that Ky and 3HK, which are known to be present in aged lenses, might play a protective rather than a deleterious role in the eye.