Cystein-Mutanten der Cu,Zn-Superoxiddismutase und ihre Anwendung in Proteinelektroden für die Detektion von freien Sauerstoffradikalen

Das Enzym Superoxiddismutase (SOD) bietet wegen seiner hohen Reaktionsrate und seiner extrem hohen Substratspezifi tät große Vorteile für eine Anwendung als Superoxidbiosensor. In dieser Arbeit wurden durch molekularbiologische Methoden Mutanten der humanen Cu,Zn-SOD gewonnen, welche ein oder zwei zusätzliche Cystein-Reste enthielten, die eine einfache Immobilisierung des Proteins durch Bindung des Cystein-Schwefels auf Goldelektroden ermöglichten. Sechs solcher Mutanten wurden entworfen, exprimiert, aufgereinigt und elektrochemisch charakterisiert. Alle Mutanten konnten durch einen einfachen Inkubationsschritt auf Goldelektroden gebunden werden und zeigten ein quasi-reversibles elektrochemisches Ansprechen. Für eine Mutante wurde die Anwendung als Superoxidsensor genauer untersucht und für beide Teilreaktionen der Dismutation ein Ansprechen des Sensors auf das Radikal gefunden. Bei Verwendung einer Teilreaktion konnte die Empfindlichkeit herkömmlicher Monoschichtsensoren um etwa eine Größenordnung übertroffen werden

Electron attachment to valence-excited CO

The possibility of electron attachment to the valence $^{3}\Pi$ state of CO is examined using an {\it ab initio} bound-state multireference configuration interaction approach. The resulting resonance has $^{4}\Sigma^{-}$ symmetry; the higher vibrational levels of this resonance state coincide with, or are nearly coincident with, levels of the parent $a^{3}\Pi$ state. Collisional relaxation to the lowest vibrational levels in hot plasma situations might yield the possibility of a long-lived CO$^-$ state.Comment: Revtex file + postscript file for one figur

The Effect of Varying Levels of Depressive Symptoms on Mindfulness Acquisition: An Exploratory Study

Research and clinical theory increasingly suggest that mindfulness may be an effective clinical intervention for a myriad of mental illnesses. However, there is debate in the field as to whether or not mindfulness-based programs may be beneficial for treatment of active depression. Those cautioning against the use of mindfulness-based programs suggest that the cognitive demands of a meditation practice may be too difficult for those with acute depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether differences exist between individuals with varying levels of depressive symptoms in the ability to acquire mindfulness skills. Data comes from a two-week, longitudinal study in which undergraduates, with a range of depressive symptoms, engaged in a breath-focused mindfulness exercise every other day. Self-reported trait mindfulness, state mindfulness, depressive symptoms, rumination, and sleep quality were measured at various time points over the two-week study period. Multilevel modeling was used for main analyses. Results suggest individuals with more acute, depressive symptoms may be able to successfully acquire trait mindfulness skills, as well as receive an adjunctive benefit such as a reduction in depressive symptoms over time, and reduced rumination and increased sleep quality. Limitations and future directions are addressed

A Time-Variant Value-Focused Methodology for Supporting Pre-Acquisition

Military operations are dynamic in nature, as time-dependent requirements or adversary actions can contribute to differing levels of mission performance among systems. Future military operations commonly use multi-criteria decision analysis techniques that rely on value-focused thinking (VFT) to analyze and ultimately rank alternatives during the Analysis of Alternatives phase of the acquisition process. Traditional VFT approaches are not typically employed with the intention of analyzing time-variant performance of alternatives. In this research, a holistic approach towards integrating fundamental practices such as VFT, systems architecture, and modeling and simulation is used to analyze time-dependent data outputs of an alternative’s performance within an operational environment. Incorporating this approach prior to Milestone A of the acquisition process allows for the identification of time-based capability gaps and additional dynamic analysis of possible alternatives that can be implemented as a flexible means of assessment. As part of this research, the pre-acquisition methodology is implemented with a hypothetical multi-domain Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance mission in order to exemplify multiple time-dependent analysis possibilities

Reaction rates for Neutron Capture Reactions to C-, N- and O-isotopes to the neutron rich side of stability

The reaction rates of neutron capture reactions on light nuclei are important for reliably simulating nucleosynthesis in a variety of stellar scenarios. Neutron capture reaction rates on neutron-rich C-, N-, and O-isotopes are calculated in the framework of a hybrid compound and direct capture model. The results are tabulated and compared with the results of previous calculations as well as with experimental results.Comment: 33 pages (uses revtex) and 9 postscript figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethno-medicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK

Studies have shown that a significant proportion of people with epilepsy use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM use is known to vary between different ethnic groups and cultural contexts; however, little attention has been devoted to inter-ethnic differences within the UK population. We studied the use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine in a sample of people with epilepsy of South Asian origin living in the north of England

Migraine aura: retracting particle-like waves in weakly susceptible cortex

Cortical spreading depression (SD) has been suggested to underlie migraine aura. Despite a precise match in speed, the spatio-temporal patterns of SD and aura symptoms on the cortical surface ordinarily differ in aspects of size and shape. We show that this mismatch is reconciled by utilizing that both pattern types bifurcate from an instability point of generic reaction-diffusion models. To classify these spatio-temporal pattern we suggest a susceptibility scale having the value [sigma]=1 at the instability point. We predict that human cortex is only weakly susceptible to SD ([sigma]<1), and support this prediction by directly matching visual aura symptoms with anatomical landmarks using fMRI retinotopic mapping. We discuss the increased dynamical repertoire of cortical tissue close to [sigma]=1, in particular, the resulting implications on migraine pharmacology that is hitherto tested in the regime ([sigma]>>1), and potentially silent aura occurring below a second bifurcation point at [sigma]=0 on the susceptible scale

Now or Later: A Simple Policy for Effective Dual Sourcing in Capacitated Systems

We examine a possibly capacitated, periodically reviewed, single-stage inventory system where replenishment can be obtained either through a regular fixed lead time channel, or, for a premium, via a channel with a smaller fixed lead time. We consider the case when the unsatisfied demands are backordered over an infinite horizon, introducing the easily implementable, yet informationally rich dual-index policy. We show very general separability results for the optimal parameter values, providing a simulation-based optimization procedure that exploits these separability properties to calculate the optimal inventory parameters within seconds. We explore the performance of the dual-index policy under stationary demands as well as capacitated production environments, demonstrating when the dual-sourcing option is most valuable. We find that the optimal dual-index policy mimics the behavior of the complex, globally optimal state-dependent policy found via dynamic programming: the dual-index policy is nearly optimal (within 1% or 2%) for the majority of cases, and significantly outperforms single sourcing (up to 50% better). Our results on optimal dual-index parameters are generic, extending to a variety of complex and realistic scenarios such as nonstationary demand, random yields, demand spikes, and supply disruptions