Metal-Templated Design of Chemically Switchable Protein Assemblies with High-Affinity Coordination Sites

To mimic a hypothetical pathway for protein evolution, we previously tailored a monomeric protein (cyt cb₅₆₂) for metal-mediated self-assembly, followed by re-design of the resulting oligomers for enhanced stability and metal-based functions. We show that a single hydrophobic mutation on the cyt cb₅₆₂ surface drastically alters the outcome of metal-directed oligomerization to yield a new trimeric architecture, (TriCyt1)_3. This nascent trimer was redesigned into second and third-generation variants (TriCyt2)₃ and (TriCyt3)₃ with increased structural stability and preorganization for metal coordination. The three TriCyt variants combined furnish a unique platform to 1) provide tunable coupling between protein quaternary structure and metal coordination, 2) enable the construction of metal/pH-switchable protein oligomerization motifs, and 3) generate a robust metal coordination site that can coordinate all mid-to-late first-row transition-metal ions with high affinity.     

Templated construction of a Zn-selective protein dimerization motif

Here, we report that the approach of metal-templated ligand synthesis can be applied to construct a dimeric protein assembly ((BMOE)RIDC1(2)), which is stabilized by noncovalent interactions and flexible covalent cross-linkers around the Zn templates. Despite its flexibility, (BMOE)RIDC1(2) selectively binds Zn(II) over other divalent metals and undergoes dimerization upon metal binding. Such simultaneous fulfillment of plasticity and selectivity is a hallmark of cellular signaling events that involve ligand/metal-induced protein dimerization.     

Dynamic analysis and synchronization control of an unusual chaotic system with exponential term and coexisting attractors

This paper reports a new four-dimensional chaotic system consisting of an exponential nonlinear term, two quadratic nonlinear terms and five linear terms. The system has only one equilibrium and performs stability, periodicity and chaos with the variation of the parameters. It losses its stability with the occurrence of Hopf bifurcation and goes into chaos via period-doubling bifurcation. One more interesting feature of the system is that it can generate multiple coexisting attractors for different initial conditions, such as two strange attractors with one limit cycle, one strange attractor with two limit cycles, etc. The dynamic properties of the system are presented by numerical simulation includes bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponent spectrum and phase portraits. An electronic circuit is constructed to implement the chaotic attractor of the system. Based on the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) method, the synchronization control of the system is investigated.     

A strange novel chaotic system with fully golden proportion equilibria and its mobile microcomputer-based RNG application

A strange novel three-dimensional quadratic continuous autonomous chaotic system with fully golden proportion equilibria is proposed. It has only seven terms, three quadratic nonlinearities and one parameter ‘a’. The system equations have four equilibrium points and very interestingly all the equilibrium points have fully golden proportion values. Besides, this chaotic system has hidden amplitude control properties. The dynamic analyses of the system are presented such as equilibrium points, dissipativity, Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation diagrams, phase portraits and hidden amplitude control properties. Later, electronic circuit of the system is simulated in software and implemented in real environment. Finally, microcomputer-based random number generator (RNG) application and its NIST-800-22 tests are executed as another real-time application.     

Modified jerk system with self-exciting and hidden flows and the effect of time delays on existence of multi-stability

In this paper, we report a new chaotic jerk system which shows self-excited and hidden oscillations depending on its parameters. Dynamic analysis shows that the proposed system exhibits multi-stability and coexisting attractors. To study the effect of time delays on the multi-stability feature of the system, we introduce multiple time delays in the third state variable. Investigation of dynamical properties of the time-delayed system shows the disappearance of multi-stability. Such a feature has not been reported earlier in the literatures.     

Chaos-based application of a novel no-equilibrium chaotic system with coexisting attractors

Nonlinear Dynamics - Novel chaotic system designs and their engineering applications have received considerable critical attention. In this paper, a new three-dimensional chaotic system and its...     

The effects of vowels on voice perturbation measures

This study examines voice perturbation parameters of the sustained [a] in English and of the eight vowels in Turkish to discover whether any difference exists between these languages, and whether a correlation exists between voice perturbation parameters and articulatory and acoustic properties of the Turkish vowels. Eight Turkish vowels uttered by 26 healthy nonsmoker volunteer males who are native Turkish speakers were compared with a voice database that includes samples of normal and disordered voices belonging to American English speakers. Fundamental frequencies, the first and second formants, and perturbation parameters, such as jitter percent, pitch perturbation quotient, shimmer percent, and amplitude perturbation quotient of the sustained vowels, were measured. Also, the first and second formants of the sustained [a] in English were measured, and other parameters have been obtained from the database. When the voice perturbation parameters in Turkish and English were compared, statistically significant differences were not found. However, when Turkish vowels compared with each other, statistically significant differences were found among perturbation values. Categorical comparisons of the Turkish vowels like high-low, rounded-unrounded, and front-back revealed significant differences in perturbation values. In correlation analysis, a weak linear inverse relation between jitter percent and the first formant (r=-0.260, p<0.05) was found.     

Structure and properties of diphenylacetylbenzo-12-crown-4

It has been shown by x-ray structural examination and IR spectroscopy that conformations of diphenylacetylbenzo-12-crown-4 in which the lone pairs of oxygen are oriented on opposite sides of the plane of the macrocycle are stabilized in the crystal and in solution. From a comparison with the structure and anticonvulsant activity of benzo-12-crown-4 with those of its acetyl and diphenylacetyl derivatives, it is suggested that a condition for the possition of this type of activity is the presence of a conformation of the macrocycle in which the lone pairs of the three oxygen atoms are located on the same side.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2020–2023, September, 1989.The authors thank N. V. Lukoyanov and G. I. Van'kin for carrying out the biological tests with DPA-B12C4.     

Ceramide and Cerebroside from the stem bark of Ficus mucuso (Moraceae)

Two new sphingolipids mucusamide (1) and mucusoside (2) have been isolated from methanol soluble part of the stem bark of Ficus mucuso WELW., together with fifteen known secondary metabolites including cellobiosylsterol (3), β-sitosterol (4), stigmasterol (5), β-sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), lupeol acetate (7), ursolic acid (8), procatechuic acid (9), 2-methyl-5,7-dihydroxychromone 8-C-β-D-glucoside (10), apigenin (11), (-)-epicatechin (12), (+)-catechin (13), N-benzoyl-L-phenylalanilol (14), α-acetylamino-phenylpropyl α-benzoylamino-phenylpropionate (15), asperphenamate (16) and bejaminamide (17). Structures of compounds 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods.     

Integrated cellular manufacturing systems design with production planning and dynamic system reconfiguration

This paper presents and analyzes a comprehensive model for the design of cellular manufacturing systems (CMS). A recurring theme in research is a piecemeal approach when formulating CMS models. In this paper, the proposed model, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the most comprehensive one to date with a more integrated approach to CMS design, where production planning and system reconfiguration decisions are incorporated. Such a CMS model has not been proposed before and it features the presence of alternate process routings, operation sequence, duplicate machines, machine capacity and lot splitting. The developed model is a mixed integer non-linear program. Linearization procedures are proposed to convert it into a linearized mixed integer programming formulation. Computational results are presented by solving some numerical examples, extracted from the existing literature, with the linearized formulation.