Photofragment Translational Spectroscopy of Propargyl Radicals at 248 nm

The photodissociation of propargyl radical, C{sub 3}H{sub 3}, and its perdeuterated isotopolog was investigated using photofragment translational spectroscopy. Propargyl radicals were produced by 193 nm photolysis of allene entrained in a molecular beam expansion, and then photodissociated at 248 nm. photofragment time-of-flight spectra were measured at a series of laboratory angles using electron impact ionization coupled to a mass spectrometer. Data for ion masses corresponding to C{sub 3}H{sub 2}{sup +}, C{sub 3}H{sup +}, C{sub 3}{sup +}, and the analogous deuterated species show that both H and H{sub 2} loss occur. The translational energy distributions for these processes have average values <E{sub T}> = 5.7 and 15.9 kcal/mol, respectively, and are consistent with dissociation on the ground state following internal conversion, with no exit barrier for H loss but a tight transition state for H{sub 2} loss. The translational energy distribution for H atom loss is similar to that in previous work on propargyl in which the H atom, rather than the heavy fragment, was detected. The branching ratio for H loss/H{sub 2} loss was determined to be 97.6/2.4 {+-} 1.2, in good agreement with RRKM results

A Sensitive High-Throughput Assay for Evaluating Host-Pathogen Interactions in Cryptococcus neoformans Infection

Background: Cryptococcus neoformans causes serious disease in immunocompromised individuals, leading to over 600,000 deaths per year worldwide. Part of this impact is due to the organism’s ability to thwart what should be the mammalian hosts ’ first line of defense against cryptococcal infection: internalization by macrophages. Even when C. neoformans is engulfed by host phagocytes, it can survive and replicate within them rather than being destroyed; this ability is central in cryptococcal virulence. It is therefore critical to elucidate the interactions of this facultative intracellular pathogen with phagocytic cells of its mammalian host. Methodology/Principal Findings: To accurately assess initial interactions between human phagocytic cells and fungi, we have developed a method using high-throughput microscopy to efficiently distinguish adherent and engulfed cryptococci and quantitate each population. This method offers significant advantages over currently available means of assaying hostfungal cell interactions, and remains statistically robust when implemented in an automated fashion appropriate for screening. It was used to demonstrate the sensitivity of human phagocytes to subtle changes in the cryptococcal capsule, a major virulence factor of this pathogen. Conclusions/Significance: Our high-throughput method for characterizing interactions between C. neoformans and mammalian phagocytic cells offers a powerful tool for elucidating the relationship between these cell types durin

Digital Information Literacy: A Case Study in Oslo Public Library

This paper examines the digital information literacy (DIL) of public library professionals in Norway and explores the ways to improve their skills as well as identify barriers to improvement. The case study method was used and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with twenty public library professionals. The knowledge sharing approach was visible among the staff, but the slow adaptation of technology, and organizational, personal, and technological barriers were hindering the DIL development. Online training modules, mapping the staff competencies, assessment of the staff needs, advanced and customized training programs, long-term strategies, and decentralized initiatives were suggested for the improvement of DIL