Electron-stimulated desorption of D (H) from condensed D2O (H2O) films

The electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of D⁻ and H⁻ ions from condensed D₂O and H₂O films is investigated. Three low-energy peaks are observed in the ESD anion yield, which are identified as arising from excitation of ²B₁, ²A₁ and ²B₂ dissociative electron attachment (DEA) resonances. Additional structure is observed between 18 and 32 eV, which may be due to ion pair formation or to DEA resonances involving the 2a₁ orbital. The ion yield resulting from excitation of the ²B₁ resonance increases as the film is heated. We attribute the increase in the ion yield to thermally induced hydrogen bond breaking near the surface, which enhances the lifetimes of the excited states that lead to desorption.     

Parallel processing of remotely sensed data: Application to the ATSR-2 instrument

Massively parallel computational paradigms can mitigate many issues associated with the analysis of large and complex remotely sensed data sets. Recently, the Beowulf cluster has emerged as the most attractive, massively parallel architecture due to its low cost and high performance. Whereas most Beowulf designs have emphasized numerical modeling applications, the Parallel Image Processing Environment (PIPE) specifically addresses the unique requirements of remote sensing applications. Automated, parallelization of user-defined analyses is fully supported. A neural network application, applied to Along Track Scanning Radiometer-2 (ATSR-2) data shows the advantages and performance characteristics of PIPE.     

A comparison of double-focusing sector field ICP-MS, ICP-OES and octopole collision cell ICP-MS for the high-accuracy determination of calcium in human serum

Human serum is routinely measured for total calcium content in clinical studies. A definitive high-accuracy and low-uncertainty method is required for reference measurements to underpin medical diagnoses. This study presents a novel octopole collision cell ICP-MS, high-accuracy, methodology and comparison of that technique with double-focusing sector field ICP-MS and an ICP-OES method. Double-matched isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) was employed for ICP-MS techniques and an exact matching bracketing technique using scandium as an internal standard was used for ICP-OES analysis. Medium resolution mode was utilised for double-focusing sector field ICP-MS analysis to resolve the dominant interferences on the ⁴⁴Ca/⁴²Ca isotope pair. Hydrogen reaction gas was employed to chemically resolve a number of polyatomic interferences predominantly through charge transfer reactions in the octopole collision cell. Comparison data presented for NIST CRM 909b human serum analysis from all three techniques demonstrates highest accuracy (99.6%) and lowest uncertainty (1.1%) for octopole collision cell ICP-MS. Data from ICP-OES using a non-IDMS technique produces comparably accurate data and low-uncertainties. The much higher total expanded uncertainties for double-focusing sector field ICP-MS compared with octopole collision cell data are explained by lower precision on the measurement of the ⁴⁴Ca/⁴²Ca isotope ratio. Data for octopole collision cell ICP-MS submitted for an international blind trial comparison (CCQM K-14) demonstrated excellent agreement with the mean of all participants with a low expanded uncertainty.     

Proteomic analysis of colonic crypts from normal, multiple intestinal neoplasia and p53-null mice: a comparison with colonic polyps

In order to observe cellular changes caused by mutation of the tumor suppressors, APC and p53, we have generated protein expression profiles of mouse colon epithelial cells using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Crypts, polyps and stroma were isolated from normal, multiple intestinal neoplasia (MIN) and p53-null mice, each with a C57Black/6J background, and subjected to 2-DE in two separate pH ranges (pH 3-10 and pH 6-11). No significant differences in protein expression patterns were observed between the normal, MIN and p53-null colon epithelial crypts. However, 64 proteins from the MIN polyps showed a 2-fold or greater difference in intensity that was statistically significant as assessed by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test (p < or = 0.05). Of these, calreticulin, carbonic anhydrase I and a new member of the glutathione-S-transferase theta family of proteins have so far been identified using an in-gel digestion protocol coupled with reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) ion-trap mass spectrometry. In addition, 38 marker proteins have been identified in a continuing effort to generate a comprehensive 2-DE database of proteins expressed by mouse colon epithelial cells (these databases are available at http://www.ludwig.edu.au/jpsl/jpslhome. html).     

Vertical excitation as a transient phenomenon

For a particular model with two electronic states, each with two vibrations, the dipole correlation function governing electronic absorption is e ^?iωOt cosγt with spectrum ω ₀±γ. The function starts as e ^?iωOt (γ?ω ₀), with Fourier transform peaking around ω ₀ instead of ω ₀±γ, and this is associated with vertical excitation. After a time t～2/γ the spectrum goes over into the normal one. As a generalization, a procedure is outlined for characterizing the state reached first after interaction with light is initiated. Finally it is suggested that one can understand aspects of internal conversion by analogy with the case of vertical excitation.     

Shift to Pseudomonic acid B production in P. fluorescens NCIMB10586 by mutation of mupirocin tailoring genes mupO, mupU, mupV, and macpE

Mupirocin, a polyketide-derived antibiotic from Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB10586, is a mixture of pseudomonic acids (PA) that target isoleucyl-tRNA synthase. The mup gene cluster encodes both type I polyketide synthases and monofunctional enzymes that should play a role during the conversion of the product of the polyketide synthase into the active antibiotic (tailoring). By in-frame deletion analysis of selected tailoring open-reading frames we show that mupQ, mupS, mupT, and mupW are essential for mupirocin production, whereas mupO, mupU, mupV, and macpE are essential for production of PA-A but not PA-B. Therefore, PA-B is not simply produced by hydroxylation of PA-A but is either a precursor of PA-A or a shunt product. In the mupW mutant, a new metabolite lacking the tetrahydropyran ring is produced, implicating mupW in oxidation of the 16-methyl group.