Substrate utilization kinetic model for biological treatment process

The applicability of Contois' kinetic equation to aerobic and anaerobic treatments of organic wastes is investigated. A refractory coefficient to account for the nonbiodegradable portion of the organic substrates in the digester is incorporated into the kinetic equation. The kinetic equation is applied to the data for aerobic digestions of organic substrates and for anaerobic treatment of dairy wastes. They all show a very good fit of the kinetic equation to the data. Furthermore, the kinetic parameters and the refractory coefficients are shown to be independent of influent organic substrate concentration. This study confirms previous reports that the effluent quality of biological treatment systems for organic wastes depends on influent organic waste concentration. The effect of temperature on the kinetic parameters and the refractory coefficient for anaerobic treatment of sewage sludge are studied. It shows that the kinetic parameters vary with temperature, while the refractory coefficient remains fairly constant. Equations to predict biodegradable treatment efficiency and volumetric substrate utilization rate are also briefly discussed.     

The nucleotide sequence of rat liver tRNAAsn

The major species of asparagine specific tRNA was isolated from rat liver, degraded to oligonucleotides, and shown to have the nucleotide sequence pG-U-C-U-C-U-G-U-m¹G-m²G-C-G-C- A-A-D-C-G-G-D-X-A-G-C-G-C-m²G-ψ-ψ-C-G-G-C-U-Q-U-U-t⁶A-A-C-C-G- A-A-A-G-m⁷G-D-U-G-G-U-G-G-Z-ψ-C-G-m¹A-G-C-C-C-A-C-C-C-A-G-G-G- A-C-G-C-C-A_OH. Although this tRNA contains several modified nucleotides in their expected positions, it is unique in having X, 3-(3-Amino-3-carboxy-n-propyl)uridine in loop I rather than in loop III; Q, 7-(4,5-cis-dihydroxyl-1-cyclopenten-3-yl-aminomethyl)-7-deazaguanosine in the wobble position of loop II; and Z, an unknown, and presently uncharacterized nucleoside, at position 23 from the 3′ terminus usually occupied by ribothymidine.     

Differentiation of channel models by noise analysis.

Differentiation of membrane channel models based on fluctuation (or noise) analysis is discussed. The theory is particularly useful in distinguishing a single-conductance model (Hodgkin-Huxley formalism) from a multiconductance model. When applied to the frog node of Ranvier, it seems likely that the potassium channels of the membrane may have multiconductance states.     

OLIGOSACCHARIDE STORAGE IN BRAINS FROM PATIENTS WITH FUCOSIDOSIS,GM1-GANGLIOSIDOSIS AND GM2-GANGLIOSIDOSIS (SANDHOFF'S DISEASE)1

Abstract— Analysis of whole autopsy brain from a patient with fucosidosis (α-fucosidase deficiency) revealed minor storage of H-antigen glycolipid [Fuc (α, 1→2) Gal-GlcNAc-Gal-Glc-Ceramide] and a slightly abnormal ganglioside composition in the form of a two-fold elevation of G_M1 and the presence of a fucose-containing glycolipid (a minor component) which co-migrated with G_D1a. The major storage materials in fucosidosis brain were an oligosaccharide (Fuc-Gal-GlcNAc-Man[Fuc-Gal-GlcNAc-Man]-ManGlcNAc) and a disaccharide [Fuc(α, 1→6)-GlcNAc] in the approximate ratio of 5:1. Lesser amounts of a related oligosaccharide (Gal-GlcNAc-Man[Gal-GlcNAc-Man]-Man-GlcNAc) were isolated from the brain of patients with G_M1-gangliosidosis (Types I and II) where the major storage material is known to be G_M1-ganglioside (Gal (β, 1→3)GalNAc(β, 1→4) [NeuNAcf(α, 2→3) Gal(β, 1→4)Glc-Ceramide). Similarly, a related oligosaccharide (GlcNAc-Man [GlcNAc-Man]-Man-GlcNAc) was isolated from the brain of a patient with a total deficiency of N-acetyl-β-d -hexosaminidase (Sandhoff variant of G_M2-gangliosidosis) where the major storage products are known to be G_M2-ganglioside (GalNAc (β 1→4) [NeuNAc (α, 2→3)Gal(β, 1→4)Glc-Ceramine) and its asialo derivative. These studies indicate that glycoproteins containing at least 2 mol of l -fucose per oligosaccharide unit are normally catabolized in human brain. Further, it appears that such glycoproteins are initially catabolized by an endo-N-acetylglucosaminidase to release an oligosaccharide which is then degraded by the sequential action of exo-glycosidases.     

Some self-consistent two-state sliding filament models of muscle contraction.

The general formalism required to treat two-state sliding filament models of muscle contraction, including free energy considerations, is first reviewed and amplified. This formalism is then used to examine, and modify as needed, three models studied previously by Podolsky and Nolan, in which cross-bridge attachment-detachment and ATP turnover are not tightly coupled. No attempt is made here to establish an optimal, self-consistent model of this type because our interest is primarily in methadology rather than in fitting experimental results. But it appears from this preliminary study that such a model, with satisfactory mechanical and thermodynamic properties, could be found. An extremely simple but unrealistic two-state model is also studied which is of interest because it demonstrates the fact that it is possible, in principle at least, for sliding filament models to work with very high thermodynamic efficiencies (50-100 percent). An appendix is included that is concerned with the form of the dependence of certain first-order rate constants on the concentrations of ATP, ADP, and P.