MHC/self peptide interactions with cognate coreceptor/TCR complexes are central to homeostasis of the T cell repertoire. Recent reports have also underlined the critical role of IL-15/IL-2 cytokines in regulating this homeostatic process. In this study, we investigate mechanisms that regulate potentially autoreactive CD8 cells that have escaped intrathymic selection. These cells, upon exit from...

The efficiency of A* searching depends on the quality of the lower bound estimates of the solution cost. Pattern databases enumerate all possible subgoals required by any solution, subject to constraints on the subgoal size. Each subgoal in the database provides a tight lower bound on the cost of achieving it. For a given state in the search space, all possible subgoals are looked up in the pat...

The structure of the title compound (23DMPBA), C(15)H(14)O(2), resembles those of phenyl benzoate (PBA), 3-methyl-phenyl benzoate (3MePBA), 2,6-dichloro-phenyl benzoate (26DC-PBA) and other aryl benzoates, with similar bond parameters. The dihedral angle between the benzene and benzoyl rings in 23DMPBA is 87.36 (6)°, compared with values of 55.7° in PBA, 79.61 (6)° in 3MePBA and 75.75 (10)° in ...

Proteases have a variety of strategies for selecting substrates in order to prevent uncontrolled protein degradation. A recent crystal structure determination of prolyl oligopeptidase has suggested a way for substrate selection involving an unclosed seven-bladed beta-propeller domain. We have engineered a disulfide bond between the first and seventh blades of the propeller, which resulted in th...

The Archaea domain is ubiquitously distributed and extremely diverse, however, environmental factors that shape archaeal community structure are not well known. Aquatic environments, including the water column and sediments harbor many new uncultured archaeal species from which metabolic and ecological roles remain elusive. Some environments are especially neglected in terms of archaeal diversi...

Cyanoacrylates (CAs) are well-known fast-setting adhesives, which are sold as liquids in the presence of stabilizers. Rapid anionic polymerization on exposure to surface moisture is responsible for instant adhesion. The more difficult, but synthetically more useful radical polymerization is only possible under acidic conditions. Recommendations on the handling of CAs and the resulting polymers ...

Decatungstate W(10)O(32)(4-) heterogenized on a novel hydrophobically-organomodified SBA-15 was proven an efficient, green and reusable catalyst for photooxygenation by oxygen of a range of aryl alkanes to the corresponding ketones under mild conditions.

This work presents two easy ways for preparing nanostructured mesoporous composites by interconnecting and combining SBA-15 with mixed oxides derived from a calcined Mg-Al hydrotalcite. Two different Mg-Al hydrotalcite addition procedures were implemented, either after or during the SBA-15 synthesis (in situ method). The first procedure, i.e., the post-synthesis method, produces a composite mat...

The 8-puzzle is the largest puzzle of its type that can be completely solved. It is simple, and yet obeys a combinatorially large problem space of 9!/2 states. The N x N extension of the 8-puzzle is NP-hard. In the first part of this paper, we present complete statistical data based on an exhaustive evaluation of all possible tile configurations. Our results include data on the expected solutio...

Novel derivatives of chromenone bearing an N -carbamothioyl moiety were synthesized and evaluated for their soybean 15-LOX inhibitory activity. Synthesis of the target compounds was started from 7-hydroxy-2H -chromen-2-one. It was reacted with 1-fluoro-2(4)-nitrobenzene to obtain the corresponding nitrophenoxy-chromenone derivative. Reduction of the nitro group was achieved in the presence of Z...