Conversion of single-stranded oligonucleotides into cloned duplexes and its consecutive application to short artificial genes.

A general method to convert single-stranded, chemically synthesized oligonucleotides into cloned duplexes is described. Oligonucleotides supplied with 3'-terminal extensions that are complementary to 3'-protruding ends obtained by certain restriction enzymes can be cloned either directly or with the help of an adapter molecule into double-stranded vectors. Two methods have also been developed for consecutive cloning applications. According to these methods, the synthetic oligonucleotides (and their enzymatically prepared complementary strands) are joined, one after the other, inside a cloning vector, each joining requiring one cloning step. Synthetic genes are thus built up from oligonucleotides corresponding to only one strand of the DNA. The sequential assembly of the cloned duplex takes place in the 5' to 3' direction. Each oligonucleotide is supplied with a four-nucleotide-long 3'-terminal extension, but this sequence is eliminated when the joining takes place, leaving no limiting sequence between the oligonucleotides. The two consecutive cloning methods, the adapter and the polycloning site methods, are illustrated by the assembly of short artificial genes.     

The magnetic properties of Be-codoped GaMnN grown via molecular beam epitaxy

GaMnN and Be-codoped GaMnN were grown via molecular beam epitaxy using a single GaN precursor and their structural and magnetic properties were examined. X-ray diffraction and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements revealed that the grown layers are homogeneous without precipitates. The saturation magnetization of GaMnN has increased from ∼4 to ∼16 emu/cm³ via codoping of Be. The d–d exchange interaction between Mn atoms was discussed for the ferromagnetism of GaMnN.     

Oil Migration in Chocolate

Oil migration in filled chocolates limits shelf life due to texture changes and loss of visual appeal. Spatial and temporal oil concentration changes of a two-layer chocolate and peanut butter filling system, which models a filled chocolate, were monitored by magnetic resonance imaging. Formulations of chocolate varied with respect to particle size, milk fat content and emulsifier level. Sorption-time experimental data was used to establish the best fit diffusion coefficient for a Fickian diffusion model. On the basis of the comparison of spatial experimental data to the model, Fickian diffusion alone does not account for oil migration. Authors' address: Michael J. McCarthy, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA     

Large Sample Properties of Mixture Models with Covariates for Competing Risks

We study the large-sample properties of a class of parametric mixture models with covariates for competing risks. The models allow general distributions for the survival times and incorporate the idea of long-term survivors. Asymptotic results are obtained under a commonly assumed independent censoring mechanism and some modest regularity conditions on the survival distributions. The existence, consistency, and asymptotic normality of maximum likelihood estimators for the parameters of the model are rigorously derived under general sufficient conditions. Specific conditions for particular models can be derived from the general conditions for ready check. In addition, a likelihood-ratio statistic is proposed to test various hypotheses of practical interest, and its asymptotic distribution is provided.     

Neocompact Sets and the Fixed Point Property

We use a newly introduced concept of neocompactness to study problems from metric fixed point theory. In particular, we give a sufficient condition for a superreflexive Banach space X to have the fixed point property and obtain shorter proofs of some well-known results in that theory.     

SECOND BEST TAXES AND QUOTAS IN NITROGEN REGULATION

This paper investigates second best policies to regulate nitrogen leaching. When the policy maker controls the total nitrogen use, an overall tax is superior to an action equivalent overall quota. When the goal is to regulate the expected level of nitrogen leaching, expected profit of a risk neutral farmer is greater under an overall tax than under an overall quota under a reasonable condition. The welfare ranking of action equivalent taxes and quotas for a risk averse farmer is generally ambiguous. In the numerical analyses, overall taxes turned out to be superior to overall quotas with both targets, despite a very high value of absolute risk aversion, 0.01. These results suggest that an overall tax is probably a superior policy to an overall quota to regulate expected total nitrogen use or expected nitrogen leaching for risk neutral and most of risk averse farmers.     

Copper-D-penicillamine complex as potential contrast agent for MRI.

In vitro and in vivo proton T1 data are reported that demonstrate that the paramagnetic copper-D-penicillamine complex can be applied as a potential contrast agent to magnetic resonance imaging.     

Specific carbon-13 labelling of leucine residues in human growth hormone.

Biosynthetic human growth hormone specifically 13C-labelled in the carbonyl positions of all 26 leucine residues has been obtained by recombinant DNA techniques using 13C-labelled leucine and an E. coli strain that requires leucine. It is shown that, on the whole, the labelling is specific with no significant mislabelling as would have been the case had the 13C-labelled leucine been metabolized.     

Analysis of fragrance compounds in blood samples of mice by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, GC/FTIR and GC/AES after inhalation of sandalwood oil.

After inhalation experiments with sandalwood oil and the pure fragrance compounds coumarin and alpha-terpineol, substances were detected and measured in the blood samples of test animals (mice) using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (MID) in connection with GC/FTIR (SWC), GC/AES (carbon and oxygen trace) and flame ionization detection/gas chromatography. Using tiglinic acid benzyl ester as the internal standard the following concentrations in serum could be found: alpha-santalol 6.1 ng/mL, beta-santalol 5.3 ng/mL and alpha-santalene 0.5 ng/mL. In separate inhalation experiments with coumarin and with alpha-terpineol the corresponding concentrations were 7.7 ng/mL and 6.9 ng/mL, respectively.