Abstract: An isolated mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) polypeptide, or functional portion thereof, having one or more mutations that alter the solubility or crystal-forming properties and confer the ability to generate soluble protein complexes with the MR and ligands that only weakly bind the native polypeptide, and a polynucleotide encoding it are disclosed. Representative mutations are C808S and S810L substitutions. Expression of the MR polypeptide in E. coli is also provided. A solved three-dimensional crystal structure of an MR ligand binding domain polypeptide is also disclosed, along with a crystalline form of the MR ligand binding domain polypeptide.

Abstract: A method for determining a write inhibit threshold value for at least one head of a file during the file manufacturing process is disclosed. The method includes qualifying a test track for use in the determining of the write inhibit threshold value. The method further includes performing a write inhibit threshold determination process to obtain the write inhibit threshold value and then storing the write inhibit threshold value for use with the at least one head of the file.

Abstract: A method for determining a write inhibit threshold value for at least one head of a file during the file manufacturing process is disclosed. The method includes qualifying a test track for use in the determining of the write inhibit threshold value. The method further includes performing a write inhibit threshold determination process to obtain the write inhibit threshold value and then storing the write inhibit threshold value for use with the at least one head of the file.

Abstract: Isolated corepressor peptides derived from a nuclear receptor interacting motif of corepressor Nuclear Receptor Corepressor (NCoR) or Silencing Mediator of Retinoid and Thyroid receptors (SMRT) are provided which binds to nuclear receptor ligand binding domains. Methods of using these peptides to evaluating selectivity of a ligand for a nuclear receptor subtype and quantitatively profiling selectivity of a test compound for a nuclear receptor are also provided.

Abstract: A method of modifying a test nuclear receptor (NR) polypeptide is disclosed. The method provides a test NR polypeptide sequence having a characteristic that is targeted for modification; aligning the test NR polypeptide sequence with at least one reference NR polypeptide sequence for which an X-ray structure is available; building a three-dimensional model for the test NR polypeptide using the three-dimensional coordinates of the X-ray structure(s) of at least one reference polypeptide and its sequence alignment with the test NR polypeptide sequence; examining the three-dimensional model of the test NR polypeptide sequence for characteristic differences with the reference polypeptide; and mutating at least one amino acid residue in the test NR polypeptide sequence at a characteristic difference, whereby the test NR polypeptide is modified.

Abstract: A generic manufacturer-independent method to produce a metric of hard disk drive performance includes executing accesses from a reference sector on disk to several equidistantally-spaced target sectors, and recording the times of the accesses. These times are then ordered and used to generate shortest access times along with probabilities of achieving those access times, losing a disk revolution while accessing the target sector, and losing a disk revolution while executing a read/write operation.