Bright Spots, Structure, and Magmatism in Southern Tibet from INDEPTH Seismic Reflection Profiling

INDEPTH seismic reflection profiling shows that the decollement beneath which Indian lithosphere underthrusts the Himalaya extends at least 225 kilometers north of the Himalayan deformation front to a depth of approximately 50 kilometers. Prominent reflections appear at depths of 15 to 18 kilometers near where the decollement reflector apparently terminates. These reflections extend north of the Zangbo suture to the Damxung graben of the Tibet Plateau. Some of these reflections have locally anomalous amplitudes (bright spots) and coincident negative polarities implying that they are produced by fluids in the crust. The presence of geothermal activity and high heat flow in the regions of these reflections and the tectonic setting suggest that the bright spots mark granitic magmas derived by partial melting of the tectonically thickened crust.     

Structure-activity relationships among the imidazolinone herbicides

The structure of the imidazolinone herbicides consists of three distinct moieties: the imidazolinone ring, the carboxylic acid and the backbone. The effect of changes in each of these on herbicidal activity, crop selectivity and AHAS enzyme inhibition has been studied. Though both whole-plant and enzyme activity were drastically affected by changes in the carboxylic acid or imidazolinone ring portions of the molecule, a variety of backbones and of substituents on the backbones afforded good activity. Methyl-isopropyl was found to be the best combination of substituents on the imidazolinone ring. While pyridine backbones generally gave the most active herbicides, benzene backbones led to the strongest enzyme inhibition. A QSAR study in the pyridine series generated two equations which proved useful for guiding the analog program toward the synthesis of potent heteropyridyl compounds. Selectivity in wheat is dependent upon differences in the rate of metabolism of key groups. Rapid metabolism of either the imidazolinone ring or backbone alkyl groups occurs rapidly in soybeans compared with susceptible weeds.     

Modeling root absorption and translocation of 5-substituted analogs of the imidazolinone herbicide,imazapyr

Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) were developed between the physicochemical parameters of the 5-substituent of a series of analogs of the imidazolinone herbicide, imazapyr, and root absorption, translocation, inhibition of acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS), and herbicidal activity of the analogs. An optimum substituent lipophilicity (π = 1.85–2–3) for root absorption was identified for corn (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Translocation from roots to shoots was greatest for those analogs having either highly nonpolar or highly polar 5-substituents, indicating that both symplastic and apopiastic mechanisms may be functioning. In addition, translocation from roots was positively correlated with electron-withdrawing parameters of the 5-substituent, and a possible mechanism governing this relationship is discussed. Modeling in vitro AHAS inhibition was not successful, but models were developed for herbicidal activity as measured in an Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Hevnh. bioassay. The whole-plant models described an optimum substituent lipophilicity (π = 0 71) which probably reflected the influence of this parameter on the component processes of absorption and translocation. Whole-plant activity was also greater for analogs having electron-donating 5-substituents; this result suggests that electron donation may be important for metabolism, or more likely, for AHAS inhibition.     

Climate Change During the Last Deglaciation in Antarctica

Greenland ice core records provide clear evidence of rapid changes in climate in a variety of climate indicators. In this work, rapid climate change events in the Northern and Southern hemispheres are compared on the basis of an examination of changes in atmospheric circulation developed from two ice cores. High-resolution glaciochemical series, covering the period 10,000 to 16,000 years ago, from a central Greenland ice core and a new site in east Antarctica display similar variability. These findings suggest that rapid climate change events occur more frequently in Antarctica than previously demonstrated.     

INDEPTH Wide-Angle Reflection Observation of P-Wave-to-S-Wave Conversion from Crustal Bright Spots in Tibet

Three-component wide-angle seismic data acquired in southern Tibet during Project INDEPTH show strong P-to-S converted reflections from reflectors that are aligned at a depth of approximately 15 kilometers beneath the northern Yadong-Gulu rift. These converted reflections are locally higher in amplitude than the corresponding P-wave reflections. Modeling of reflection mode conversion as a function of incidence angle indicates that this condition obtains for a reflector that is a solid over fluid interface; it is not typical of a solid-solid interface. The likely candidates for a fluid trapped within the crystalline crust of southern Tibet are granitic magma and water (brine).     

Generation of an LFA-1 antagonist by the transfer of the ICAM-1 immunoregulatory epitope to a small molecule

The protein-protein interaction between leukocyte functional antigen-1 (LFA-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is critical to lymphocyte and immune system function. Here, we report on the transfer of the contiguous, nonlinear epitope of ICAM-1, responsible for its association with LFA-1, to a small-molecule framework. These LFA-1 antagonists bound LFA-1, blocked binding of ICAM-1, and inhibited a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) with potency significantly greater than that of cyclosporine A. Furthermore, in comparison to an antibody to LFA-1, they exhibited significant anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. These results demonstrate the utility of small-molecule mimics of nonlinear protein epitopes and the protein epitopes themselves as leads in the identification of novel pharmaceutical agents.     

Molecular cloning of two types of GAP complementary DNA from human placenta

The ras p21 GTPase-activating protein (GAP) was purified from human placental tissue. Internal amino acid sequence was obtained from this 120,000-dalton protein and, by means of this sequence, two types of complementary DNA clones were isolated and characterized. One type encoded GAP with a predicted molecular mass of 116,000 daltons and 96% identity with bovine GAP. The messenger RNA of this GAP was detected in human lung, brain, liver, leukocytes, and placenta. The second type appeared to be generated by a differential splicing mechanism and encoded a novel form of GAP with a predicted molecular mass of 100,400 daltons. This protein lacks the hydrophobic amino terminus characteristic of the larger species, but retains GAP activity. The messenger RNA of this type was abundantly expressed in placenta and in several human cell lines, but not in adult tissues.