NADPH

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate

    Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, is abbreviated as NADP⁺ . It is a cofactor used in anabolic reactions, such as lipid and nucleic acid synthesis, which require NADPH as a reducing agent (http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)

     NADP is oxidized and NADPH is reduced.

Nadp
Formula: C₂₁H₂₉N₇O

Nadph
Formula:C₂₁H₂₉N₇O₁₇P₃

Let's take a look at each component.

Nicotinamide- 
also known as niacinamide, is a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble solid.
C ₆ H ₆ N ₂ O
, is the amide of nicotinic acid, and a component of the vitamin-B complex,found in meat, liver, fish, whole wheat, and eggs.  It is a primary amide. This chemical is not related to nicotine.

Adenine- 
a compound that is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acids. Adenine is a purine derivative. It is paired with thymine in double-stranded DNA.

Dinucleotide- 
a nucleotide is a compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group. Nucleotides form the basic structural units of nucleic acids such as DNA. The prefix "di-" means the nucleotide consists of two units.  Each unit is composed of a phosphate, a pentose, and a purine or pyrimidine base.

Phosphate- A salt of phosphoric acid (http://www.chemspider.com/).

The Biology of NADPH-

     Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate acts as a reducing agent in certain anabolic reactions.  NADPH is the reduced form of NADP⁺.  It is a coenzyme.  NADP⁺ has an additional phosphate on the 2' position of the ribose ring, attached to the adenine. NADPH forms when NADP⁺ molecules gain an electron from hydrogen.

     NADP + H¹-> NADPH

     It is an electron carrier in a number of reactions, including lipid synthesis, cholesterol synthesis, fatty acid chain elongation, and nucleic acid synthesis. The electron carrier is alternately oxidized (NADP-) and reduced (NADPH).

Chemical name-
adenosine 5'-(trihydrogen diphosphate), 2'-(dihydrogen phosphate), P'-5'-ester with 3-(aminocarbonyl)-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylpyridinium, inner salt.

Why this chemical is important?

     In plants, NADPH is present during photosynthesis.  NADPH is produced by ferredoxin-NADP⁺ reductase  in the last step of the electron chain of the light reactions.

     It is also used as reducing power for the biosynthetic reactions in the Calvin Cycle to assimilate carbon dioxide.

     In animals, NADPH is abundant during the pentose phosphate pathway.

     In fat, and liver, the isocitrate dehydrogenase mechanism has vast quantities of NADPH.

     In mitochondria, NADH kinase produces NADPH and ADP, using NADH and ATP as substrates.

     NADPH provides the reducing equivalents for biosynthetic reactions and the oxidation-reduction involved in protecting against the toxicity of ROS (reactive oxygen species), allowing the regeneration of GSH (reduced glutathione).

     The NADPH system generates free radicals in immune cells. These radicals are used to destroy pathogens in a process termed the respiratory burst. It is the source of reducing equivalents for cytochrome P450 hydroxylation of aromatic compounds, steroids, alcohols, and drugs.

NADPH

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate

Fresh Air from House plants

    

 

Have you ever felt like you could suffocate from the lack of fresh air in your home?  There isn’t biological weapon of mass destruction on the news.  You had a technician check the air quality in your home; no unscented gas leaks.  What’s the problem?

Your home needs some house plants.

Provide the environment with some natural greenery.  Beautify homes and apartments by decorating with succulents, cacti, ferns, lilies, runners, ficuses, etc. 

Healthy plants are extraordinary additions to your style.  Old plants, though, send a negative message.  Are your plants displaying yellowed leaves, dropped leaves or bears no new growth?  The plant is not receiving proper care.

          “All house plants have different watering, fertilizer and light needs, and understanding the needs of each plant is the key to house plant growth (http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookPLANTHORM.html)”

First of all, locate sufficient light. If your house plant is failing to thrive, it may not be receiving adequate light to stimulate new growth. Add extra light with an incandescent or fluorescent plant light if you don't have enough natural light.

Make sure the environment is temperature efficient, from 58° to 86° F, because too high or too low can cause stunted plant growth.

Keep the plant watered regularly.  Cactus and succulents obviously don’t need much water. Upon the touch, the soil should feel cold, moist or wet.  Soil particles should stick to your finger.  The soil will be crumbly and dusty when it is time to water it.  A rule of thumb is to add water until liquid flows out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the plant container.

 

Miracle gro will provide minor miracles to your plants when utilized correctly.  You should fertilize house plants during their growing season using 20-20-20 fertilizer. Do not fertilize them during the winter since this is their dormant season. Apply the fertilizer following the manufacturer's recommendations based upon the size and type of plant.  Plant fertilizers include hormone.   Plants have five classes of hormones, auxins, bibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, and ethylene.  Auxins promote stem elongation, inhibit growth of lateral buds, and promote cell elongation.

 

Auxins are produced after plant nutrition.  Auxin increases the activity of proton pumps.  The cell wall becomes more acidic.  Wedge-shaped expansins, activated by low pH, separate cellulose micorofibrils from cross-linking polysaccharides.  The exposed cross-linking polysaccharides are now more accessible to cell wall enzymes.  The enzymatic cleaving of the cross-linking polysaccharides allows the microfibrils to slide.  The extensibility of the cell wall is increased.  Turgor causes the cell to expand.  With the cellulose loosened, the cell can elongate.

 

When the summer months approach, move plants outside during the summer in order to expose them to natural sunlight and air.

 

Do not keep plants outside if temperatures fall below 40 F.

          “How pure is the air you breathe? Plants are the lungs of the earth: they produce the oxygen that makes life possible, add precious moisture, and filter toxins. Houseplants can perform these essential functions in your home or office with the same efficiency as a rainforest in our biosphere (http://www.amazon.com/How-Grow-Fresh-Air-Plants/dp/0140262431).”

Don’t suffocate in your own home.  Get some nice house plants.

FISCAL CLIFF jumping.

The media has built up the huge cliff for us all to jump off of just after a new year celebration full of calamity.

The government, on the other hand has been working hard to put an elevator on that cliff, so we wouldn’t have to jump.  The elevator was composed that weekend by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Mitch McConnel.

The cliff was originally constructed by the preceding Bush administration through a variety of tax changes. 

Where we stand, now:

The Bush-era income tax rates will be permanently extended for all income up to $400,000, and $450,000 if you are married. Bush tax cuts that apply to income above those levels will expire.  The compromise bill, from Biden and McConnel, would also preserve the expanded parameters for the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit for 5 more years.

The income exemption levels for the Alternative Minimum Tax for inflation have been permanently adjusted.  The Biden-McConnell compromise will reinstate limitations on how much those making $250,000, and married couples making $300,000, may take in itemized deductions and personal exemptions. The bill will extend ,two more years,  several tax breaks for businesses, including a production tax credit for developers of wind projects, the research and development tax credit, and a measure allowing for bonus depreciation. The compromise bill will extend for one or two years a few "temporary" tax breaks for individuals that regularly are extended. These include an option to deduct state and local sales taxes in place of state and local income taxes; and a deduction for elementary and secondary school teachers for certain expenses. The legislation will preserve the current estate tax exemption level of $5.12 million but index it to inflation for future years. And it will raise the top rate to 40% from 35% currently. The bill will continue a federal extension of unemployment benefits for one year. The Biden-McConnell compromise will prevent a scheduled 27% cut in reimbursement for Medicare services for one year. The so-called "doc fix" will boost the deficit by $31 billion.

The new deficit is a different story.  Put on your thinking caps, U.S. government.

Windows 8. Seems like Windows 7 just came out, yesterday.

“Microsoft bills Windows 8 as a “re-imagining” of the personal computer market’s dominant operating system”, (Poll: Scant demand for Microsoft’s Windows 8, http://www.azcentral.com/news/free/20121028microsoft-windows-8-poll-scant-demand.html

Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer , Sun Oct 28, 2012 12:44 PM).

                “Re-imagining” is one of those words that sound like it has never been used before.  So, what would be the term for imagining a subject approximately three or more times?  Also, it sounds a lot like AT&T with their “rethink” term usage.

                In the survey lead by Liedtke, it is apparent that a very high percentage of individuals don’t want to upgrade, yet.  What good reasons are there to upgrade?

Upgrade worries:

1.       A virus submissioned your harddrive.  Some known viruses were Stuxnet, Ram nit, Webmoner, and several other types of viruses which were all tough to eradicate.

2.       Your laptop is old and ugly.

3.       The speed is gone.

4.       The number 8 is your lucky number.

5.       You’ve upgraded everything else, already.

According to Microsoft, the best reasons to upgrade to Windows 8 include (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/meet):

1.       Start screen sliding tiles.

2.       Picture password.

3.       The Surface.

4.       Swipe and snap multitasking.

5.       Streamlined apps from the Windows Store.

                The price, $39.99, isn’t that bad for the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro.  Keep in mind that this deal is only good from October 26, 2012 until January 31, 2013.  The pack is limited to five upgrade licenses per customer.  The price, as small as it is, must still offer help from Windows 7.  Not too many people complained about Windows 7.  My laptop still has the Windows 7 sticker on it.

What would be a cool addition is a “share” button on everything.  Control + share; then, you get a wide array of avenues.  You know, make it faster and easier to get the file where it should be.

Just a month ago, the computer stores were offering devices with Windows 7 like it was the ultimate option.  Some people hadn’t even heard of Windows 8 until stores put the new ads out.  Those ads function as the Windows 8 advertisement.  Everybody knows about the upgrade package, now.

Go research Windows 8.  Is your wallpaper getting redundant?

http://www.youtube.com/user/swegigonbup#p/a/u/1/yxl9w9ME53M

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!