Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) are simple, convenient, and noninvasive indices of respiratory muscle strength at the mouth, but standards are not clearly established. We review recent literature, update the 2002 American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society statement, and propose as the best choice using a flanged mouthpiece for reference value...

In Plasmodium falciparum, the formation of isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate, central intermediates in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids, occurs via the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway. Fosmidomycin is a specific inhibitor of the second enzyme of the MEP pathway, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase. We analyzed the effect of fosmidomycin on the levels of e...

Multi Expression Programming (MEP) [17, 18, 24, 25] is a Genetic Programming variant that uses a linear representation of chromosomes. MEP individuals are strings of genes encoding complex computer programs. When MEP individuals encode expressions, their representation is similar to the way in which compilers translate C or Pascal expressions into machine code [2]. A unique MEP feature is the a...

Isoprenoids are a large family of compounds synthesized by all free-living organisms. In most bacteria, the common precursors of all isoprenoids are produced by the MEP (methylerythritol 4-phosphate) pathway. The MEP pathway is absent from archaea, fungi and animals (including humans), which synthesize their isoprenoid precursors using the completely unrelated MVA (mevalonate) pathway. Because ...

The major excreted protein of malignantly transformed mouse fibroblasts (MEP), which is the precursor to lysosomal cathepsin L, was used to study the effect of exogenous acid proteases on antigen processing. When MEP and native pigeon cytochrome c were added to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing transfected major histocompatability complex class II gene products, the antigen-specific ...

Popular media events of today are likely to attract a big, live audience. Being part of a huge cricket audience, for example, knowing that the event is broadcast to perhaps millions of people, is a truly arousing experience. But the size of the audience and the complexity of events do not come without drawbacks. Spectators find it difficult to be at the right spot at the right time and to grasp...

BACKGROUND Reactions of vaccinia topoisomerase and the tyrosine site-specific recombinase Flp with methylphosphonate (MeP) substituted DNA substrates, have provided important insights into the electrostatic features of the strand cleavage and strand joining steps catalyzed by them. A conserved arginine residue in the catalytic pentad, Arg-223 in topoisomerase and Arg-308 in Flp, is not essentia...

Deliberate and natural outbreaks of infectious disease underscore the necessity of effective vaccines and antimicrobial/antiviral therapeutics. The prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains and the ease by which antibiotic resistant bacteria can be intentionally engineered further highlights the need for continued development of novel antibiotics against new bacterial targets. Isoprenes are a ...

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) gives rise to muscle responses, known as motor evoked potentials (MEP), through activation of the motor pathways. Voluntary contraction causes facilitation of MEPs, which consists of shortening MEP latency, increasing MEP amplitude and widening MEP duration. While an increase in excitability of alpha motorneurons and the corticospinal tract can easily exp...

The recently developed maximum entropy production (MEP) model, an alternative parameterization of surface heat fluxes, is incorporated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. A pair of WRF cloud-resolving experiments (5 km grids) using the bulk transfer model (WRF default) and the MEP model of surface heat fluxes are performed to hindcast the October Madden-Julian oscillation (MJ...