Fearless: Bruce Larson and Alice Carter

This Monday, Professor of political science and public policy, Bruce Larson, Assistant Director of Development, Alumni, and Parent Relations, and Technology, Alice Carter, and daughter Lily Larson will be leaving for a semester in Beijing, China. Professor Larson will be joining the ranks of Gettysburg College’s Fulbright recipients, teaching two courses at the China Foreign Affairs University while conducting his research

GST distribution review: final report

The Panel conducting the Review was asked to consider whether the current approach to distributing the GST (according to the principle of horizontal fiscal equalisation, hereafter referred to as HFE) would ensure that Australia is best placed to respond to the expected significant structural changes in the economy and would maintain public confidence in financial relationships within the Federation. However, the commission was not given without restrictions. The Terms of Reference also state that the Review will be guided by a number of factors, including that: the long-standing practice of equalisation between States has served Australia well the GST will continue to be distributed to the States on the basis that they should have equal capacity to provide services and infrastructure to their citizens GST will be distributed as ‘untied’ payments the Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) will continue to make recommendations on the distribution of the GST.2 In addition, there is no extra Commonwealth revenue available with which to ‘buy’ reform, or smooth any transition. The Panel has therefore proceeded on the basis that States that are fiscally weaker at any given time must continue to have the capacity to provide substantially similar levels of services and infrastructure to their citizens from within the current revenue envelope

Opioid Signal Transduction in Intact and Fragmented SH-SY5Y Neural Cells

Parameters of ligand binding, stimulation of low- K m GTPase, and inhibition of adenylate cyclase were determined in intact human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and in their isolated membranes, both suspended in identical physiological buffer medium. In cells, the Μ-selective opioid agonist [ 3 H]Tyr-D-Ala-Gly(Me)Phe-Gly-ol ([ 3 H]DAMGO) bound to two populations of sites with K D values of 3.9 and 160 n M , with <10% of the sites in the high-affinity state. Both sites were also detected at 4°C and were displaced by various opioids, including quaternary naltrexone. The opioid antagonist [ 3 H]naltrexone bound to a single population of sites, and in cells treated with pertussis toxin the biphasic displacement of [ 3 H]naltrexone by DAMGO became monophasic with only low-affinity binding present. The toxin specifically reduced high-affinity agonist binding but had no effect on the binding of [ 3 H]naltrexone. In isolated membranes, both agonist and antagonist bound to a single population of receptor sites with affinities similar to that of the high-affinity binding component in cells. Addition of GTP to membranes reduced the B max for [ 3 H]DAMGO by 87% and induced a linear ligand binding component; a low-affinity binding site, however, could not be saturated. Compared with results obtained with membranes suspended in Tris buffer, agonist binding, including both receptor density and affinity, in the physiological medium was attenuated. The results suggest that high-affinity opioid agonist binding represents the ligand-receptor-guanine nucleotide binding protein (G protein) complex present in cells at low density due to modulation by endogenous GTP. Opioid receptor coupling to adenylate cyclase in intact and fragmented cells occurred with similar efficiency: DAMGO inhibited adenylate cyclase with K i , values of 11 n M in cells and 26 n M in lysates, with 30% maximal inhibition in both preparations. Receptor coupling to G protein in membranes occurred with similar parameters: DAMGO stimulated low- K m GTPase with a K s of 31 n M and an S max of 48%. Both effector responses were blocked by naloxone and were strongly impaired by rigorous cell homogenization. These results indicate that opioid signal transduction in intact SH-SY5Y cells and their appropriately isolated membranes functions with similar efficiencies involving a large reserve of uncoupled receptors.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66450/1/j.1471-4159.1992.tb10032.x.pd

Plant chlorophyll content meter

A plant chlorophyll content meter is described which collects light reflected from a target plant and separates the collected light into two different wavelength bands. These wavelength bands, or channels, are described as having center wavelengths of 700 nm and 840 nm. The light collected in these two channels are processed using photo detectors and amplifiers. An analog to digital converter is described which provides a digital representation of the level of light collected by the lens and falling within the two channels. A controller provided in the meter device compares the level of light reflected from a target plant with a level of light detected from a light source, such as light reflected by a target having 100% reflectance, or transmitted through a diffusion receptor. The percent of reflection in the two separate wavelength bands from a target plant are compared to provide a ratio which indicates a relative level of plant physiological stress. A method of compensating for electronic drift is described where a sample is taken when a collection lens is covered to prevent light from entering the device. This compensation method allows for a more accurate reading by reducing error contributions due to electronic drift from environmental conditions at the location where a hand-held unit is used

Sodium Entry during Action Potentials of Mammalian Neurons: Incomplete Inactivation and Reduced Metabolic Efficiency in Fast-Spiking Neurons

SummaryWe measured the time course of sodium entry during action potentials of mouse central neurons at 37°C to examine how efficiently sodium entry is coupled to depolarization. In cortical pyramidal neurons, sodium entry was nearly completely confined to the rising phase of the spike: only ∼25% more sodium enters than the theoretical minimum necessary for spike depolarization. However, in fast-spiking GABAergic neurons (cerebellar Purkinje cells and cortical interneurons), twice as much sodium enters as the theoretical minimum. The extra entry occurs because sodium channel inactivation is incomplete during the falling phase of the spike. The efficiency of sodium entry in different cell types is primarily a function of action potential shape and not cell-type-specific differences in sodium channel kinetics. The narrow spikes of fast-spiking GABAergic neurons result in incomplete inactivation of sodium channels; this reduces metabolic efficiency but likely enhances the ability to fire spikes at high frequency

Findings of Fact

To many of us rules of procedure are nebulous and for that reason we emphasize substantive rules of law even though most of us know the importance of the former. The authors hope in the following material to remove some of this cloudiness from one limited phase of procedure, that of fact finding. This article is meant to be of assistance to trial judges on whom the final responsibility for preparation of the findings rests. It is also aimed at counsel who may assist in the preparation or who may object to the findings made by the court. Lastly, students should be aware of the fact-finding process that the trial court has gone through when studying appellate court decisions. Although the basis of the material is derived from federal procedure, the advice and the suggestions should in the main be applicable to most statute proceedings. We shall attempt to illustrate (1) the purpose of the dings, (2) when they are required, (3) how they should be prepared, (4) their effect on appeal, and (5) the effect of a failure to make the necessary findings

Reading and Upward Bound-Another Look

The major purpose of summer Upward Bound instructional programs is to assist those high school students who have the potential for succeeding in a college or university, but who otherwise would probably not be given the opportunity to enter an institution of higher learning. The generally low academic achievement of many of these students is often due to a variety of factors including poor and ineffective teaching (1), lack of motivation (8), and an environment which is far from conducive to scholarly or academic pursuits. In sum, typical school activities tend to be less than relevant for many of these bright young men and women. The Upward Bound programs are usually designed to aid participating students in overcoming their adverse reactions to learning so that they will be better prepared to further their education

Provincial and Territorial Interests in Land Use Planning and Development

Report: iv., pp.156, appendix A-G.; ill., digital file.Land use planning in Canada is in the process of undergoing a radical shift as legislation, much of which dates from the 1980s or even the 1970s, is less and less able to cope with the increasing complexity of land use issues faced in every region of the country. Growing metropolitan regions, mechanization and intensification of farming practices and a growing concern over environmental issues have radically altered the context within which planning takes place. Concerns with water quality, particularly in light of the Walkerton tragedy, as well as the advent of Intensive Livestock Operations and rapidly expanding urban fringes are at the fore of land use issues facing planners in Canada today.The Intergovernmental Committee on Urban and Regional Researc

Lateral flow microarrays: a novel platform for rapid nucleic acid detection based on miniaturized lateral flow chromatography

Widely used nucleic acid assays are poorly suited for field deployment where access to laboratory instrumentation is limited or unavailable. The need for field deployable nucleic acid detection demands inexpensive, facile systems without sacrificing information capacity or sensitivity. Here we describe a novel microarray platform capable of rapid, sensitive nucleic acid detection without specialized instrumentation. The approach is based on a miniaturized lateral flow device that makes use of hybridization-mediated target capture. The miniaturization of lateral flow nucleic acid detection provides multiple advantages over traditional lateral flow devices. Ten-microliter sample volumes reduce reagent consumption and yield analyte detection times, excluding sample preparation and amplification, of <120 s while providing sub-femtomole sensitivity. Moreover, the use of microarray technology increases the potential information capacity of lateral flow. Coupled with a hybridization-based detection scheme, the lateral flow microarray (LFM) enables sequence-specific detection, opening the door to highly multiplexed implementations for broad-range assays well suited for point-of-care and other field applications. The LFM system is demonstrated using an isothermal amplification strategy for detection of Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of anthrax. RNA from as few as two B. anthracis cells was detected without thermocycling hardware or fluorescence detection systems