PMF

Salicylate synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, MbtI, initiates the biosynthesis of siderophores by converting chorismate to salicylate. Nevertheless, three more distinct activities for wild-type MbtI have been detected in vitro: isochorismate synthase, isochorismate pyruvate lyase, and chorismate mutase. In this work, hybrid Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics methods have been used to get the first simulation of the chorismate mutase activity of MbtI.

Despite the widespread occurrence of chromium toxicity, its molecular mechanism is poorly documented in plants compared to other heavy metals. To investigate the molecular mechanisms that regulate the response of Miscanthus sinensis roots to elevated level of chromium, seedlings were grown for 4 weeks and exposed to potassium dichromate for 3 days. Physiological, biochemical and proteomic changes in roots were investigated. Lipid peroxidation and H2O2 content in roots were significantly increased. Protein profiles analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that 36 protein spots were differentially expressed in chromium-treated root samples. Of these, 13 protein spots were up-regulated, 21 protein spots were down-regulated and 2 spots were newly induced. These differentially displayed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. The identified proteins included known heavy metal-inducible proteins such as carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism, molecular chaperone proteins and novel proteins such as inositol monophosphatase, nitrate reductase, adenine phosphoribosyl transferase, formate dehydrogenase and a putative dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase that were not known previously as chromium-responsive. Taken together, these results suggest that Cr toxicity is linked to heavy metal tolerance and senescence pathways, and associated with altered vacuole sequestration, nitrogen metabolism and lipid peroxidation in Miscanthus roots.► Molecular mechanism of chromium toxicity response is poorly documented in plants. ► Miscanthus sinensis is relatively heavy metal tolerant biomass crop. ► Proteomic analysis was done in M. sinensis root under Cr stress for the first time. ► Several novel Cr-induced proteins were identified along with other known proteins.

By depriving the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) of its leading strategist, the assassination of Abu Mahdi Muhandis, the chief of staff of the PMF, delivered a significant blow to what U.S. officials regard en masse as Iran’s Trojan Horse in Iraq. Building on interviews with PMF commanders and Iraqi officials, this chapter seeks to identify the imminent organizational hazards that arise for the still-amorphous paramilitary structure. Furthermore, the author explores the long-term opportunities for an incremental security sector reform tailored to the specificities of the Iraqi context. For that purpose, the author illustrates the instrumental role of the so-called resistance factions in the formative stages of the PMF, elaborating on the vision of Muhandis for institutional consolidation and concentration of systemic capabilities. In the aftermath of the assassination and subsequent leadership vacuum, the PMF’s main shareholders must act in concert to safeguard the group’s systemic gains. The different centers of gravity had to identify—and most importantly impose—a unifying figure with the authority and credibility to manage the inherited patronage networks. The intra-organizational diversity of opinions along with the factions’ often contradictory agendas would require the newly appointed successor to appease those that are less well-connected and eager to renegotiate their hand within the contested PMF Commission.

Factor analytic tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF), suffer from rotational ambiguity in the results: different solutions (factors) provide equally good fits to the measured data. The PMF model imposes non-negativity of both source profiles and source contributions in order to reduce the rotational problem. Such constraints are generally insufficient to ensure a unique solution. In the Unmix approach, edges of the multidimensional distribution of source contributions define the variable relationships in the factors. The present work extends this idea into an easy-to-use graphical procedure called G space plotting for PMF modeling. Scatter plots are created of pairs of source contribution factors. When factors are plotted in this way, unrealistic rotations appear as oblique edges that define the distribution of points away from one (or both) of the coordinate axes. With a correct rotation, the limiting edges usually coincide with the axes or lay parallel with them. Inspection of the plots helps one in choosing a realistic rotation.

The Gardiner Dam was constructed by PFRA between 1958 and 1968 as the key component of the South Saskatchewan River Project - the largest and most important water resource management facility in Saskatchewan. The spillway was designed to handle a PMF estimated from 1948 and 1954 studies at 18 400 m3/s. Recent dam safety review indicated the need for a re-evaluation of the PMF, utilizing up to date hydrometeorologic information and methods and an updated watershed runoff and routing model. The South Saskatchewan River above Gardiner Dam has a very large basin with complex topography and a wide range
of climate conditions. The probable maximum flood (PMF) was found to result from a combined rainfall and snowmelt event. Because of the complex topography, the PMP was evaluated by extension of the storm separation methodology (SSM) developed for the computation of PMP in mountainous terrain. SSM was used to partition precipitation
according to whether it was generated by atmospheric convergence mechanisms or by lift over orographic barriers. The convergence precipitation components of historical storms were then transposed and maximized to obtain maximum convergence precipitation for the basin and an estimate of the maximized basin orographic precipitation component was added to produce the total PMP. PRISM (Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model) was a key
tool used to distribute temperature and precipitation in space, both horizontally and vertically. The SSARR model was used to develop runoff hydrographs and route them through the various sub-basins to Gardiner
Dam. The SSARR model was selected because it is used for most operational modeling within the South Saskatchewan River Basin by both Sask Water and Alberta Environment. The model calibration was updated for this PMF study.

This study aimed to characterize spatial/temporal variations of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a
community-scale monitoring approach and identify the main sources of concern in Paterson, NJ, an urban area with mixed sources of VOCs. VOC samples were simultaneously collected from three local source-dominated (i.e., commercial, industrial, and mobile) sites in Paterson and one background site in Chester, NJ (located ,58 km southwest of Paterson). Samples were collected using the EPA TO-15 method from midnight to midnight, one in every sixth day over one year. Among the 60 analyzed VOCs, ten VOCs (acetylene, benzene, dichloromethane, ethylbenzene, methyl ethyl ketone, styrene, toluene, m,pxylene,
o-xylene, and p-dichlorobenzene) were selected to examine their spatial/temporal variations. All of the 10 VOCs in
Paterson were significantly higher than the background site (p,0.01). Ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene, and dichlorobenzene measured at the commercial site were significantly higher than the industrial/mobile sites (p,0.01). Seven VOCs (acetylene, benzene, dichloromethane, methyl ethyl ketone, styrene, toluene, and p-dichlorobenzene) were
significantly different by season (p,0.05), that is, higher in cold seasons than in warm seasons. In addition,
dichloromethane, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene were significantly higher on weekdays than weekend days (p,0.05). These results are consistent with literature data, indicating the impact of anthropogenic VOC sources on air pollution in Paterson. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis was applied for 24-hour integrated VOC measurements in Paterson over one year and identified six contributing factors, including motor vehicle exhausts (20%), solvents uses (19%), industrial emissions (16%), mobile+stationery sources (12%), small shop emissions (11%), and others (22%). Additional locational analysis confirmed the identified sources were well matched with point sources located upwind in Paterson. The study
demonstrated the community-scale monitoring approach can capture spatial variation of VOCs in an urban community with mixed VOC sources. It also provided robust data to identify major sources of concern in the community.

This paper presents a method of obtaining the right PMF hydrograph for a Kenyir catchment, which, in the case of a dam safety study, is the hydrological step, of determining the input hydrograph. Design floods for Kenyir dam is based on the probable maximum flood (PMF) which results from the probable maximum precipitation (PMP) using hydrometeorological method involving maximisation and transposition of historic storms. The PMF is defined as the flood that may be expected from the most severe combination of critical meteorological and hydrologic conditions. The method used to determine the PMF is deterministic approach, which uses Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) as the meteorological input. The deterministic method of calculation of PMF consists of the transformation of the PMP with a rainfall-runoff deterministic model into a runoff hydrograph. For the hydrologic modeling studies the new version of HEC-HMS hydrologic modeling software released in April 2006 by US Army Corps of...

We studied in this work the performance of the new ultrasonic multiprobe in terms of throughput, handling and robustness. The study was conducted using the multiprobe to speed two different proteomics workflows. The "classic" method relaying on overnight protein digestion (12h), was used as the standard procedure. This work clearly shows the importance of testing variables such as ultrasonic amplitude and ultrasonic time when adapting an ultrasonic-based treatment to a new ultrasonic device. The results here presented also shown and confirm the advantage of speed up sample treatment workflows with the aid of ultrasonic energy in combination with a 96-well plate. The methods compared were similar in terms of robustness, but the desalting free method was the fastest, requiring only 2 min/sample for completion. In addition it was also the simplest in terms of handling, since no desalting step was needed. The following standard proteins were successfully identified using the methods studied: bovine serum albumin, alpha-lactalbumin, ovalbumin, carbonic anhydrase, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A, catalase, chymotrypsinogen A. As case study, the identification of the protein Split-Soret cytochrome c from D. desulfuricans ATCC 27774 was carried out.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is involved in a wide range of functions in the nucleus. However, a substantial amount of PCNA is also present in the cytoplasm, although their function is unknown. Here we show, through Far-Western blotting and mass spectrometry, ...

A fibrino(geno)lytic nonhemorrhagic metalloproteinase (BleucMP) was purified from Bothrops leucurus snake venom by two chromatographic steps procedure on DEAE-Sephadex A-25 followed by CM-Sepharose Fast Flow column. BleucMP represented 1.75% (w/w) of the crude venom and was homogeneous on SDS-PAGE. BleucMP analyzed by MALDI TOF/TOF, showed a molecular mass of 23,057.54Da and when alkylated and reduced, the mass is 23,830.40Da. Their peptides analyzed in MS (MALDI TOF\TOF) showed significant score when compared with those of other proteins by NCBI-BLAST2 alignment display. As regards their proteolytic activities, BleucMP efficiently acted on fibrinogen, fibrin, and was inhibited by EDTA and 1.10-phenanthroline. This enzyme was also able to decrease significantly the plasma fibrinogen level provoking blood incoagulability, however was devoid of hemorrhagic activity when tested in the mice skin and did not induce relevant biochemical, hematological and histopathological alterations in ...