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Microwave Conductivity Of A D-Wave Superconductor Disordered By Extended Impurities: A Real-Space Renormalization Group Approach, Daniel Sheehy

Faculty Publications

Using a real-space renormalization group (RSRG) technique, the microwave conductivity of a d-wave superconductor disordered by extended impurities is calculated. To do this, a semiclassical approximation is invoked which naturally accesses the Andreev bound states localized near each impurity. Tunneling corrections (which are captured using the RSRG) lead to a delocalization of these quasiparticles and an associated contribution to the microwave conductivity. © 2003 The American Physical Society.

Granular Activated Carbons From Agricultural By-Products: Process Description And Estimated Cost Of Production (Bulletin #881), Chilton Ng, Wayne E. Marshall, Ramu M. Rao, Rishipal R. Bansode, Jack N. Losso, Ralph J. Portier

LSU AgCenter Bulletins

This bulletin is a follow-up, in part, of Bulletin #869, “Granular Activated Carbons from Agricultural By-products: Preparation, Properties and Application in Cane Sugar Refining.” An estimation of production costs for these by product-based carbons was considered prudent because of the potential interest from both bagasse and shell producers and activated carbon manufacturers based on the use of these carbons in various applications compared to commercial carbons.

Little Phillip No. 1 Bermudagrass (Research Information Sheet #106), W. D. Pitman

LSU AgCenter Research Information Sheets

A unique, naturally occurring variety of Bermudagrass was identified in an Alicia Bermudagrass hay field in Sabine Parish in 1991. This publication includes information on the comparisons of this variety with the three Bermudagrass varieties most widely planted in the area in recent years, conducted in a field plot experiment at the Rosepine Research Station.

Surface Salt Bridges Modulate Dna Wrapping By The Type Ii Dna-Binding Protein Tf1, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

The histone-like protein HU is involved in compaction of the bacterial genome. Up to 37 bp of DNA may be wrapped about some HU homologues in a process that has been proposed to depend on a linked disruption of surface salt bridges that liberates cationic side chains for interaction with the DNA. Despite significant sequence conservation between HU homologues, binding sites from 9 to 37 bp have been reported. TF1, an HU homologue that is encoded by Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SPO1, has nM affinity for 37 bp preferred sites in DNA with 5-hydroxymethyluracil (hmU) in place of thymine. On the …

Perturbative Evolution Of Particle Orbits Around Kerr Black Holes: Time-Domain Calculation, Ramón López-Alemán, Gaurav Khanna, Jorge Pullin

Faculty Publications

We consider the problem of the gravitational waves produced by a particle of negligible mass orbiting a Kerr black hole. We treat the Teukolsky perturbation equation in the time domain numerically as a 2 + 1 partial differential equation. We model the particle by smearing the singularities in the source term by the use of narrow Gaussian distributions. We have been able to reproduce earlier results for equatorial circular orbits that were computed using the frequency-domain formalism. The time-domain approach is however geared for a more general evolution, for instance of nearly geodesic orbits under the effects of radiation reaction.

Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry Generated By Loop Quantum Gravity, Gaetano Lambiase, Parampreet Singh

Faculty Publications

We show that loop quantum gravity provides new mechanisms through which observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe can naturally arise at temperatures less than GUT scale, This is enabled through the introduction of a new length scale L, much greater than Planck length (lp), to obtain semiclassical weave states in the theory. This scale which depends on the momentum of the particle modifies the dispersion relation for different helicities of fermions and leads to lepton asymmetry. © 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Maxizyme-Mediated Specific Inhibition On Mutant-Type P53 In Vitro, Xin Juan Kong, Yu Hu Song, Ju Sheng Lin, Huan Jun Huang, Nan Xia Wang, Nan Zhi Liu, Bin Li, You Xin Jin

Faculty Publications

Aim: To evaluate the specific inhibition of maxizyme directing against mutant-type p53 gene (mtp53) at codon 249 in exon 7 (AGG→AGT) in vitro. Methods: Two different monomers of anti-mtp53 maxizyme (maxizyme right MzR, maxizyme left MzL) and control mutant maxizyme (G5→A5) were designed by computer and cloned into vector pBSKU6 (pBSKU6MzR, pBSKU6MzL). After being sequenced, the restrictive endonuclease site in pBSKU6MzR was changed by PCR and then U6MzR was inserted into pBSKU6MzL, the recombinant vector was named pU6Mz and pU6asMz (mutant maxizyme). Mtp53 and wild-type p53 (wtp53) gene fragments were cloned into pGEM-T vector under the T7 promoter control. The …

The Equation Of Motion Of An Electron, R. F. O'Connell

Faculty Publications

The claim by Rohrlich that the Abraham-Lorentz-Dirac equation is not the correct equation for a classical point charge is shown to be incorrect and it is pointed out that the equation which he proposes is the equation derived by Ford and O'Connell for a charge with structure. The quantum-mechanical case is also discussed. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Global Conformations, Hydrodynamics, And X-Ray Scattering Properties Of Taq And Escherichia Coli Dna Polymerases In Solution, Allison M. Joubert, Angela S. Byrd, Vince J. Licata

Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli polymerase 1 (Pol 1) and Thermus aquaticus Taq polymerase are homologous Type I DNA polymerases, each comprised of a polymerase domain, a proofreading domain (inactive in Taq), and a 5′ nuclease domain. "Klenow" and "Klentaq" are the large fragments of Pol 1 and Taq and are functional polymerases lacking the 5′ nuclease domain. In the available crystal structures of full-length Taq, the 5′ nuclease domain is positioned in two different orientations: in one structure, it is extended out into solution, whereas in the other, it is folded up against the polymerase domain in a more compact structure. Analytical …

Generalized Q-Deformed Symplectic Sp(4) Algebra For Multi-Shell Applications, K. D. Sviratcheva, A. I. Georgieva, J. P. Draayer

Faculty Publications

A multi-shell generalization of a fermion representation of the q-deformed compact symplectic spq(4) algebra is introduced. An analytic form for the action of two or more generators of the Spq (4) symmetry on the basis states is determined and the result used to derive formulae for the overlap between number-preserving states as well as for matrix elements of a model Hamiltonian. A second-order operator in the generators of Sp q(4) is identified that is diagonal in the basis set and that reduces to the Casimir invariant of the sp(4) algebra in the non-deformed limit of the theory. The results can …

Stereoselective In Vitro Formation Of C-Type Cytochrome Variants From Hydrogenobacter Thermophilus Containing Only A Single Thioether Bond, Oliver Daltrop, Kevin M. Smith, Stuart J. Ferguson

Faculty Publications

In vitro formation of Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c 552 has previously been demonstrated (Daltrop, O., Allen, J. W. A., Willis, A. C., and Ferguson, S. J. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99, 7872-7876). Now we report that the single cysteine variants of H. thermophilus c552, which bind heme via a single thioether bond, also form in vitro. Furthermore, reaction of the apocytochromes containing either AXXCH or CXXAH in the binding motif with 2-vinyldeuteroheme and 4-vinyldeuteroheme resulted predominantly in covalent attachment between Cys-11 and the 2-vinyl moiety and Cys-14 and the 4-vinyl functionality. This observation shows that the …

Global Patterns Of Dissolved N, P And Si In Large Rivers, R. Eugene Turner, Nancy N. Rabalais, D. Justic', Q. Dortch

Faculty Publications

The concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved nitrate-N, Total-N (TN), dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved silicate-Si (DSi) and their ratios in the world's largest rivers are examined using a global data base that includes 37% of the earth's watershed area and half its population. These data were compared to water quality in 42 subbasins of the relatively well-monitored Mississippi River basin (MRB) and of 82 small watersheds of the United States. The average total nitrogen concentration varies over three orders of magnitude among both world river watersheds and the MRB, and is primarily dependent on variations …

Methacholine-Induced Airway Hyperresponsiveness Is Dependent On GαQ Signaling, Michael T. Borchers, T. Biechele, J. P. Justice, T. Ansay, S. Cormier, V. Mancino, T. M. Wilkie, M. I. Simon, N. A. Lee, J. J. Lee

Faculty Publications

Airway function in health and disease as well as in response to bronchospastic stimuli (i.e., irritants, allergens, and inflammatory mediators) is controlled, in part, by cholinergic muscarinic receptor regulation of smooth muscle. In particular, the dependence of airway smooth muscle contraction/relaxation on heterotrimeric G protein-coupled receptor signaling suggests that these events underlie the responses regulating airway function. Gαq-containing G proteins are proposed to be a prominent signaling pathway, and the availability of knockout mice deficient of this subunit has allowed for an investigation of its potential role in airway function. Airway responses in Gαq-deficient mice (activities assessed by both tracheal …

Genetic Variation Among World Populations: Inferences From 100 Alu Insertion Polymorphisms, W. Scott Watkins, Alan R. Rogers, Christopher T. Ostler, Steve Wooding, Michael J. Bamshad, Anna Marie E. Brassington, Marion L. Carroll, Son V. Nguyen, Jerilyn A. Walker, B. V.Ravi Prasad, P. Govinda Reddy, Pradipta K. Das, Mark A. Batzer, Lynn B. Jorde

Faculty Publications

We examine the distribution and structure of human genetic diversity for 710 individuals representing 31 populations from Africa, East Asia, Europe, and India using 100 Alu insertion polymorphisms from all 22 autosomes. Alu diversity is highest in Africans (0.349) and lowest in Europeans (0.297). Alu insertion frequency is lowest in Africans (0.463) and higher in Indians (0.544), E. Asians (0.557), and Europeans (0.559). Large genetic distances are observed among African populations and between African and non-African populations. The root of a neighbor-joining network is located closest to the African populations. These findings are consistent with an African origin of modern …

Louisiana Agriculture Summer, 2003, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Contributions Of Atmospheric Co And Hydrogen Uptake To Microbial Dynamics On Recent Hawaiian Volcanic Deposits, Gary M. King

Faculty Publications

A series of sites were established on Hawaiian volcanic deposits ranging from about 18 to 300 years old. Three sites occurred in areas that supported tropical rain forests; the remaining sites were in areas that supported little or no plant growth. Sites >26 years old consumed atmospheric CO and hydrogen at rates ranging from about 0.2 to 5 mg of CO m-2 day-1 and 0.1 to 4 mg of H2 m-2 day-1, respectively. Respiration, measured as CO2 production, for a subset of the sites ranged from about 40 to > 1,400 mg of CO2 m-2 day-1. CO and H2 accounted for …

Common And Distinguishing Regulatory And Expression Characteristics Of The Highly Related Korb Proteins Of Streptomycete Plasmids Pij101 And Psb24.2, Matthew J. Ducote, Gregg S. Pettis

Faculty Publications

The conjugative plasmid pIJ101 of the spore-forming bacterium Streptomyces lividans contains a regulatory gene, korB, whose product is required to repress potentially lethal expression of the pIJ101 kilB gene. The KorB protein also auto-regulates korB gene expression and may be involved in control of pIJ101 copy number. KorB (pIJ101) is expressed as a 10-kDa protein in S. lividans that is immediately processed to a mature 6-kDa repressor molecule. The conjugative Streptomyces cyanogenus plasmid pSB24.1 is deleted upon entry into S. lividans to form pSB24.2, a nonconjugative derivative that contains a korB gene nearly identical to that of pIJ101. Previous evidence …

Decoherence In Nanostructures And Quantum Systems, R. F. O'Connell

Faculty Publications

Decoherence phenomena are pervasive in the arena of nanostructures but perhaps even more so in the study of the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and quantum computation. Since there has been little overlap between the studies in both arenas, this is an attempt to bridge the gap. Topics stressed include (a) wave packet spreading in a dissipative environment, a key element in all arenas, (b) the definition of a quantitative measure of decoherence, (c) the near zero and zero temperature limit, and (d) the key role played by initial conditions: system and environment entangled at all times so that one must …

Evidence Of An Association Among Age-Related Changes In Physical, Psychomotor And Autonomic Function, Robert H. Wood, Jan M. Hondzinski, C. Matthew Lee

Faculty Publications

Background: autonomic modulation of the heart, as measured by heart rate variability, is directly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and inversely associated with all-cause mortality. The extent to which cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate variability are related in older adults is difficult to ascertain due to difficulties in assessing physical fitness among older age groups. Objective: to examine heart rate variability and measures of physical function, thereby allowing for the inclusion of a greater cross-section of older adults than can be tested using traditional fitness tests. Methods: 39 older adults (mean age: 73.2±8.1 years; range=60-93 years) underwent evaluation of short-term (5 …

Bowen Fluorescence From The Companion Star In X1822-371, J. Casares, D. Steeghs, R. I. Hynes, P. A. Charles, K. O'Brien

Faculty Publications

We present clear evidence for the motion of the companion star in the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) X1822-371. We detect N III λ4640 emission moving in antiphase with the radial velocity curve of the neutron star and produced on the X-ray-heated hemisphere of the donor star. From the motion of this feature we derive a lower limit to the radial velocity semiamplitude of the companion star, K2 ≥ 300 ± 8 km s-1, which, combined with a previous determination of the inclination angle and the pulsar's radial velocity curve, yields M2 ≥ 0.36(2) M ⊙ and M1 ≥ 1.14(6) M⊙. …

Faculty Senate Resolution 03-10, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

LSU Faculty Senate Publications

Faculty Senate Resolution on the PS-36 addendum; tabled, not adopted.

Feature Essay, David Madden

Civil War Book Review

Who wrote the unwritten war?

Writing The War, Colleen H. Fava

Civil War Book Review

Two segments included in this issue of Civil War Book Review directly address the fact that the Civil War has been the focus of an enormous amount of literary and scholarly attention. In his Rediscovering Civil War Classics column, David Madden takes a look at The Unwritten War: American Writers ....