The Coastal Natural Hazards Policy Working Group: The Move to Update Oregon's Coastal Hazards Management

This paper will attempt to evaluate the prospects of the PWG's success based on their process so far, using models of policy development and implementation from Kingdon (1984), Putt and Springer (1989), and Sabatier and Mazmanian (1983). Because the PWG's work is not finished, the evaluation may help the group improve on weaknesses; increasing their chances of getting their recommendations accepted. Although the desired outcome is complete adoption of the recommendations, partial implementation may also be considered a success for the group. The recommendations will apply to issues that can 'stand alone,' such as emergency management and land use policy. These recommendations will be submitted for adoption at different levels of government, and each one implemented can be considered a partial success for the PWG. The paper will detail more fully the hazards and political framework the PWG evaluated, then discuss the criteria for success using several different policy models. An evaluation of the PWG's work using the criteria will follow. Several of the criteria used to evaluate the PWG's process include: the credibility of the process, the representativenesss of the group, the involvement and support of the public, the presence of visible and hidden participants, and whether the process was carried out correctly by the group. The actual recommendations of the group will not be evaluated as the author was not involved in the latter stages of the PWG's process. However, the major issues the group discussed may appear throughout the paper

Thermophoretic melting curves quantify the conformation and stability of RNA and DNA

Measuring parameters such as stability and conformation of biomolecules, especially of nucleic acids, is important in the field of biology, medical diagnostics and biotechnology. We present a thermophoretic method to analyse the conformation and thermal stability of nucleic acids. It relies on the directed movement of molecules in a temperature gradient that depends on surface characteristics of the molecule, such as size, charge and hydrophobicity. By measuring thermophoresis of nucleic acids over temperature, we find clear melting transitions and resolve intermediate conformational states. These intermediate states are indicated by an additional peak in the thermophoretic signal preceding most melting transitions. We analysed single nucleotide polymorphisms, DNA modifications, conformational states of DNA hairpins and microRNA duplexes. The method is validated successfully against calculated melting temperatures and UV absorbance measurements. Interestingly, the methylation of DNA is detected by the thermophoretic amplitude even if it does not affect the melting temperature. In the described setup, thermophoresis is measured all-optical in a simple setup using a reproducible capillary format with only 250 nl probe consumption. The thermophoretic analysis of nucleic acids shows the technique’s versatility for the investigation of nucleic acids relevant in cellular processes like RNA interference or gene silencing

A comparison of the self-association behavior of the plant cyclotides kalata B1 and kalata B2 via analytical ultracentrifugation

The recently discovered cyclotides kalata B1 and kalata B2 are miniproteins containing a head-to-tail cyclized backbone and a cystine knot motif, in which disulfide bonds and the connecting backbone segments form a ring that is penetrated by the third disulfide bond. This arrangement renders the cyclotides extremely stable against thermal and enzymatic decay, making them a possible template onto which functionalities can be grafted.We have compared the hydrodynamic properties of two prototypic cyclotides, kalata B1 and kalata B2, using analytical ultracentrifugation techniques. Direct evidence for oligomerization of kalata B2 was shown by sedimentation velocity experiments in which a method for determining size distribution of polydisperse molecules in solution was employed. The shape of the oligomers appears to be spherical. Both sedimentation velocity and equilibrium experiments indicate that in phosphate buffer kalata B1 exists mainly as a monomer, even at millimolar concentrations. In contrast, at 1.6 mM, kalata B2 exists as an equilibrium mixture of monomer (30%), tetramer (42%), octamer (25%), and possibly a small proportion of higher oligomers. The results from the sedimentation equilibrium experiments show that this self-association is concentration dependent and reversible. We link our findings to the three-dimensional structures of both cyclotides, and propose two putative interaction interfaces on opposite sides of the kalata B2 molecule, one involving a hydrophobic interaction with the Phe(6), and the second involving a charge-charge interaction with the Asp(25) residue. An understanding of the factors affecting solution aggregation is of vital importance for future pharmaceutical application of these molecules