Spectroscopic Observation of the Formyl Cation in a Condensed Phase

The formyl cation, HCO+, has long been believed to be an important intermediate in the chemistry of carbon monoxide (CO) in acidic environments, but its spectroscopic observation in solution has been elusive. This species was generated by the reaction of CO with the liquid superacid hydrofluoric acid-antimony pentafluoride (HF-SbF5) under pressure and was observed by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy. Equilibria between CO in the gas phase, CO dissolved in HF-SbF5, the SbF5 adduct of formyl fluoride, and HCO+ associated with several equilibrating anions of the type [SbxF5x+1]- are proposed to describe the system.     

Redesigning trypsin: alteration of substrate specificity

A general method for modifying eukaryotic genes by site-specific mutagenesis and subsequent expression in mammalian cells was developed to study the relation between structure and function of the proteolytic enzyme trypsin. Glycine residues at positions 216 and 226 in the binding cavity of trypsin were replaced by alanine residues, resulting in three trypsin mutants. Computer graphic analysis suggested that these substitutions would differentially affect arginine and lysine substrate binding of the enzyme. Although the mutant enzymes were reduced in catalytic rate, they showed enhanced substrate specificity relative to the native enzyme. This increased specificity was achieved by the unexpected differential effects on the catalytic activity toward arginine and lysine substrates. Mutants containing alanine at position 226 exhibited an altered conformation that may be converted to a trypsin-like structure upon binding of a substrate analog.     

Predatory Dinosaurs from the Sahara and Late Cretaceous Faunal Differentiation

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) fossils discovered in the Kem Kem region of Morocco include large predatory dinosaurs that inhabited Africa as it drifted into geographic isolation. One, represented by a skull approximately 1.6 meters in length, is an advanced allosauroid referable to the African genus Carcharodontosaurus. Another, represented by a partial skeleton with slender proportions, is a new basal coelurosaur closely resembling the Egyptian genus Bahariasaurus. Comparisons with Cretaceous theropods from other continents reveal a previously unrecognized global radiation of carcharodontosaurid predators. Substantial geographic differentiation of dinosaurian faunas in response to continental drift appears to have arisen abruptly at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous.     

A modification for the theoretical infiltration equations based on physical properties of the soil

A modification based on capillary flow type was proposed for three theoretical infiltration equations accounting for the physical properties of the soil. The equations were (a) Green and Ampt, (b) Fletcher, and (c) Fok and Hansen. The derived modified equations were tested by computer programs on four undisturbed field soils on which the mass infiltration and soil properties had been measured. Of the three equations, (b) exhibited the best adherence to the data points and (a) and (c) were reasonably good. In general, the types of relations revealed by the field measurements were such as would tend to linearize if the log of the mass infiltration was plotted against the log of time. The breaks exhibited by some of the soils could be explained by changes in the soil properties at that point.     

Teratogenic effect of acetohydroxamic acid in clinically normal beagles

Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA), a potent urease inhibitor used for treatment of infection-induced struvite urolithiasis, was teratogenic after administration of 25 mg of AHA/kg of body weight/day orally to 5 clinically normal Beagles from the onset of proestrus until parturition. Thirty pups exposed to AHA in utero developed anomalies of the skeletal system, heart, and ventral midline. Cardiac anomalies included atrial septal defects (20%), ventricular septal defects (3%), and atrial and ventricular septal defects (3%). Skeletal anomalies included coccygeal hemivertebrae and fused coccygeal vertebrae (50%), supernumerary vertebrae (67%), supernumerary ribs (50%), duplicated sternebrae (3%), and lumbar hemivertebrae (3%). Defects of the ventral midline of the abdominal wall occurred in 20% of AHA-exposed pups. Other abnormalities included retarded growth, high neonatal mortality, and a decreased number of circulating RBC, compared with those in 30 control pups born to 5 Beagles given a placebo. Adverse effects of AHA in pregnant Beagles were limited to morphologic alterations (Howell-Jolly bodies, spherocytes, and target cells) in a small number of circulating RBC. Slight neutrophilic leukocytosis and monocytosis occurred between 0 and 30 days of pregnancy in dogs given AHA, compared with those in controls. Seemingly, AHA did not influence fertility, conception rate, or length of gestation.