Six unidentified, youngest members of a traditional Küfer guild posing in front of their wine barrels holding the tools of their trade and glasses of wine; Bad Dürkheim Portraits Men

Handwritten description on verso addressed to Herr u. Frau Ernst Weill

A Series of Trifacial Pd6 Molecular Barrels with Porphyrin Walls

Three new nanoscopic trigonal prisms, (tmen)6Pd6(H2L)3](NO3)12 (1), (Meen)6Pd6(H2L)3](NO3)12 (2), and (2,2'-bipy)6Pd6(H2L)3](NO3)12 (3), have been synthesized in excellent yields through single-step metalligand-coordination-driven self-assembly using 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3-pyridyl)porphyrin (H2L) as a donor and cis-blocked PdII 90 degrees acceptors. These complexes were fully characterized by spectroscopic studies and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All of these barrels quantitatively bind ZnII ions in the N4 pockets of the porphyrin walls at room temperature. Their corresponding zinc-embedded complexes, (tmen)6Pd6(ZnL)3](NO3)12 (1?a), (Meen)6Pd6(ZnL)3](NO3)12 (2?a), and (2,2'-bipy)6Pd6(ZnL)3](NO3)12 (3?a), were synthesized under ambient conditions by the post-synthetic binding of ZnII ions into the H2N4 pockets of the porphyrin walls of these complexes. These zinc-embedded complexes were characterized by electronic absorption, fluorescence emission, 1H NMR spectroscopy, as well as elemental analysis. Complexes 13 exhibited considerable microporosity in their solid state. Complex 1 was an efficient adsorbent for nitrogen gas and EtOH, MeOH, and water vapors.

Covalent Postassembly Modification and Water Adsorption of Pd3 Self-Assembled Trinuclear Barrels

Three new ditopic imidazole ligands (2-4) were synthesized in high yields and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. These ligands resulted in the formation of 3 + 6] self-assembled trinuclear barrels (5-7) in quantitative yields by stoichiometric combination of individual ligands and Pd(NO3)(2) in DMSO. All the three assemblies (5-7) were characterized by `H NMR and ESI-MS analysis, and subsequently, structures of the complexes 5 and 6 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Structure analysis reveals the presence of NO3- counter anions in the intermolecular channels/pockets, which could potentially act as H-bonding sites between adsorbed water molecules within the channels. In fact, both the assemblies (5 and 6) showed water uptake (136.58, and 123.78 cm(3) g(-1), respectively) at ambient temperature under maximum allowable humidity. In addition, free aldehyde group present in the bridging ligand in complex 7 provides reactive site for postassembly modification. Herein, Knoevenagel condensation with Meldrum's acid was utilized under mild conditions by targeting aldehyde group appended in prefabricated complex 7 and transformed into a different complex (8) with altered functional group. Such postassembly functionalization enables incorporation of a new functional group without disrupting the integrity of the trifacial structure.

Degradation failure features of chromium-plated gun barrels with a laser-discrete-quenched substrate

The effect of substrate laser-discrete quenching on the degradation failure of chromium-plated gun barrels was metallurgically investigated. The results show that substrate laser-discrete quenching changes the failure patterns of chromium coatings during firing, and some periodic through-thickness cracks in the fired chromium coatings are justly located at original substrate zones between two adjacent laser-quenched tracks. Moreover, chromium coatings and the laser-quenched zones on the substrate are simultaneously degraded in microstructure and property during firing. Furthermore, the periodic structure of the laser-discrete-quenched steel (LDQS) substrate near the breech remains after firing, and the hardness of the fired laser-quenched zones is still higher than that of original substrates. The specific failure features were utilized to illustrate the mechanism of the extended service life of chromium-plated gun barrels with the LDQS substrate. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

An objective method to monitor and quantify texture of salted herring during ripening in barrels at 4°C

Changes in the texture (elastic nature) of the flesh of barrel salted herring during the ripening process at 4°C have been monitored. The method employs the analysis of stress-relaxation curves after compression to half of the sample thickness on an lnstron Model 1112. The parameter 'T/P' for each sample represents the reciprocal of the gradient of a line connecting P and T0.368p. This parameter characteristic of each sample's texture was calculated as the ratio of 'T/P' where, T is the relaxation time and is defined as the time required for a stress at constant strain to decrease to 1/e of its original value, where 'e' is the base of natural logarithms (2.7183). Since 1/e=0.368, the relaxation time is the time required for the force to decay to 36.8% of its original value. P is the peak height of the curve (i.e. the force value at the maximum height). This method was adopted from the bakery industry for testing the degree of gluten development in bread dough. The 'T/P' values obtained over the course of ripening for differently treated salted-herring in barrels ranged between 1 and 12. The trends in 'T/P' value, during ripening period for the different samples, appeared to be parallel changes in texture perceived by sensory observation (subjective measurement), although the heterogeneous nature of the samples gave standard deviations, about the replicate sample mean, around 5%. The method appears promising as an objective measure for monitoring this aspect of the textural quality of barrel salted-herring through ripening if reproducibility of test results can be improved by more careful standardization of sample preparation and test protocol.

Effect of gibbing on protein hydrolysis during the ripening of salted herring at 4°C in polypropylene barrels

Effect of gibbing process on the protein hydrolysis in terms of free alpha amino nitrogen (FAN) content during the ripening of barrel salted herring at low temperature (4°C) was investigated. For this purpose North Sea herring (Clupea harengus) from north-east British coast was salted in polypropylene barrels and allowed to ripen at 4°C. This process of barrel salting was carried out for whole fish in one batch and gibbed fish in another batch. The investigation was performed by using new salt and used salt in separate barrels for each batch of experimental fish. Results of the present study show that protein hydrolysis was significantly higher in the ripened salt-herring produced from whole fish which was found to have more characteristic sensory properties than those produced from gibbed fish. Similar result (proteolysis) was obtained when the investigation was repeated for the spent herring although the spent herring fails to produce a ripened product with the desired characteristic sensory attributes, compared to those of pre-spawning herring.

Monoculture of three native air breathing fishes in homestead ditches and plastic barrels

Six on-farm trials were conducted from 1 August to 23 November 2004 in two different environments such as homestead ditches (10 to 17 square meters) and plastic barrels (240 liters) to develop techniques for nonoculture [sic] of climbing perch, Anabas testudineus, stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis and walking catfish, Clarias batrachus for poor and landless people who have no access to pond. Stocking density for ditch was 10 fry/square meter while that for barrel was 20 fry/cubic meter. The fishes were fed with 3-test diets viz. low-cost formulated feed (rice bran 20%, wheat meal 10%, mustered [sic] oil cake 35%, poultry offal 35%), live foods (chopped snails and clams), and a commercial feed (Saudi-Bangla feed, starter 3: first month and grower-1: subsequent two months) and designated as T1, T2 and T3, respectively. Feeding rate was the same in all the treatments viz. 10% of body weight (first two months), 8% (third month) and 6% (fourth month). T1 and T2 had three replications while T3 had two replications. Water temperature was recorded weekly while fish growth was monitored monthly. After 4 months' rearing, H. fossilis and C. batrachus in ditches and barrels attained higher average weight in T2 followed by T3 and T1 while A. testudineus in barrels also attained higher average weight in T2. The variation in net weight gain by A. testudineus in ditch fed test diets T2 and T3 was not significantly different (P>0.05) though the net gain in both T2 and T3 was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of T1. The yield of climbing perch as obtained from T1, T2 and T3 was 988, 1136 and 1185 kg/ha, respectively while that stinging catfish was 395, 242 and 444 kg/ha and walking catfish was 1605, 2,099 and 1,654 kg/ha respectively. All the three species showed significantly lower growth rate in barrels than in ditches.

Persistence of biological traces in gun Barrels after fatal contact shots

Backspatter from wounds caused by contact shots against a biological target had before been shown to be propelled into firearms' barrels where they can persist and be retrieved from as relevant forensic evidence. Herein, that insight was applied to the investigation of a case of multiple familial homicide with a firearm. Samples of backspatter were collected from the firearm using DNA-free swabs. DNA was extracted from the swabs, and 16 STR systems were PCR-amplified to generate DNA profiles of all victims shot by the firearm. The quality of the resulting DNA profiles was sufficient to exclude the perpetrator as donor and to differentiate the three closely related victims thereby proving that all three victims had been shot by the same firearm from very close or contact distance. A key insight gained from this case was that not only a firearms' barrel inside but other inner surfaces may be charged with profilable DNA.

Bad apples in bad barrels revisited: Cognitive moral development, just world beliefs, rewards, and ethical decision-making

In this study, we test the interactive effect on ethical decision-making of (1) personal characteristics, and (2) personal expectancies based on perceptions of organizational rewards and punishments. Personal characteristics studied were cognitive moral development and belief in a just world. Using an in-basket simulation, we found that exposure to reward system information influenced managers' outcome expectancies. Further, outcome expectancies and belief in a just world interacted with managers' cognitive moral development to influence managers' ethical decision-making. In particular, low-cognitive moral development managers who expected that their organization condoned unethical behavior made less ethical decisions while high cognitive moral development managers became more ethical in this environment. Low cognitive moral development managers also behaved less ethically when their belief in a just world was high.

Case study analysis for the development and implementation of sustainable housing in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Rapid urbanization in developing countries is putting stress on current infrastructure, which is resulting in the rapid consumption of natural resources to cope with the increasing demand of the population. Saudi Arabia is one of the developing countries facing rapid urbanization where its infrastructure is facing a huge demand by the increasing urbanization levels of its major cities. Developing sustainable housing in Saudi Arabia is a must for the preservation of resources for future generations of the region and of the world. In the coming years, several resources (such as fossil fuels and natural water) will be facing shortage if not managed properly. Providing electricity for housing in Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest challenges facing the country, where it is estimated that by 2050 energy demand in the Kingdom will be approximately 120 GW, and to meet this growing demand, 8 million barrels of oil per day will be required. However, implementation of Sustainable Housing in Saudi is still problematic to reach the desired goals of various key Saudi stakeholders. This paper analyses three case studies that have adopted sustainable construction methods and compares them to traditional non-sustainable houses. The outcome suggests that there is a viable chance for development of sustainable housing in the region if supported by the government with less red tape to deal with. This paper recommends that the Saudi governments should mandate new laws to reduce the overall consumption of energy and water to reduce the overall consumption of natural resources to secure the future generation’s demand of natural resources.

Electron cryo-microscopy studies of bacteriophage phi8 and archaeal virus SH1

Symmetry is a key principle in viral structures, especially the protein capsid shells. However, symmetry mismatches are very common, and often correlate with dynamic functionality of biological significance. The three-dimensional structures of two isometric viruses, bacteriophage phi8 and the archaeal virus SH1 were reconstructed using electron cryo-microscopy. Two image reconstruction methods were used: the classical icosahedral method yielded high resolution models for the symmetrical parts of the structures, and a novel asymmetric in-situ reconstruction method allowed us to resolve the symmetry mismatches at the vertices of the viruses. Evidence was found that the hexameric packaging enzyme at the vertices of phi8 does not rotate relative to the capsid. The large two-fold symmetric spikes of SH1 were found not to be responsible for infectivity. Both virus structures provided insight into the evolution of viruses. Comparison of the phi8 polymerase complex capsid with those of phi6 and other dsRNA viruses suggests that the quaternary structure in dsRNA bacteriophages differs from other dsRNA viruses. SH1 is unusual because there are two major types of capsomers building up the capsid, both of which seem to be composed mainly of single beta-barrels perpendicular to the capsid surface. This indicates that the beta-barrel may be ancestral to the double beta-barrel fold.

Substrate Selectivity and Molecular Adaptation in the Outer Membrane Proteases of Yersinia pestis and Salmonella enterica

Proteolysis is important in bacterial pathogenesis and colonization of animal and plant hosts. In this work I have investigated the functions of the bacterial outer membrane proteases, omptins, of Yersinia pestis and Salmonella enterica. Y. pestis is a zoonotic pathogen that causes plague and has evolved from gastroenteritis-causing Yersinia pseudotuberculosis about 13 000 years ago. S. enterica causes gastroenteritis and typhoid fever in humans. Omptins are transmembrane β-barrels with ten antiparallel β-strands and five surface-exposed loops. The loops are important in substrate recognition, and variation in the loop sequences leads to different substrate selectivities between omptins, which makes omptins an ideal platform to investigate functional adaptation and to alter their polypeptide substrate preferences. The omptins Pla of Y. pestis and PgtE of S. enterica are 75% identical in their amino acid sequences. Pla is a multifunctional protein with proteolytic and non-proteolytic functions, and it increases bacterial penetration and proliferation in the host. Functions of PgtE increase migration of S. enterica in vivo and bacterial survival in mouse macrophages, thus enhancing bacterial spread within the host. Mammalian plasminogen/fibrinolytic system maintains the balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis and participates in several cellular processes, e.g., cell migration and degradation of extracellular matrix proteins. This system consists of activation cascades, which are strictly controlled by several regulators, such as plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), α2-antiplasmin (α2AP), and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI). This work reveals novel interactions of the omptins of Y. pestis and S. enterica with the regulators of the plasminogen/fibrinolytic system: Pla and PgtE inactivate PAI-1 by cleavage at the reactive site peptide bond, and degrade TAFI, preventing its activation to TAFIa. Structure-function relationship studies with Pla showed that threonine 259 of Pla is crucial in plasminogen activation, as it prevents degradation of the plasmin catalytic domain by the omptin and thus maintains plasmin stability. In this work I constructed chimeric proteins between Pla and Epo of Erwinia pyrifoliae that share 78% sequence identity to find out which amino acids and regions in Pla are important for its functions. Epo is neither a plasminogen activator nor an invasin, but it degrades α2AP and PAI-1. Cumulative substitutions towards Pla sequence turned Epo into a Pla-like protein. In addition to threonine 259, loops 3 and 5 are critical in plasminogen activation by Pla. Turning Epo into an invasin required substitution of 31 residues located at the extracellular side of the Epo protein above the lipid bilayer, and also of the β1-strand in the N-terminal transmembrane region of the protein. These studies give an example of how omptins adapt to novel functions that advantage their host bacteria in different ecological niches.