TSG101 is a tumor susceptibility gene exhibits multiple biological functions, including the regulation of vesicular trafficking, transcription, cellular growth and differentiation. The intracellular steady-state level of TSG101 was shown to under stringent control in a narrow range. Either deprivation or overexpression of mouse tsg101 in NIH3T3 cells leads to neoplastic transformation and subsequent tumorigenic potential of the transformed cells. However, the detail mechanism for regulation of TSG101 gene promoter activity is not clear. Our results indicated TSG101 is a housekeeping gene and contains a TATA-less and Sp1 binding site promoter. Here, we demonstrate in vivo binding of Sp1 transcription factor on TSG101 promoter region by chromatin immunoprecipitation(ChIP). In addition, Sp1-associated transcription regulators were purified using DNA affinity precipitation assay (DAPA) method and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and the subsequent MALDI-TOF analysis. Our results verify the biding of Sp1 transcription on the DAPA probe containing wildtype but not the mutant Sp1 biding sequence by subsequent western blotting. Our MALDI-TOF analysis of protein spots from two-dimensional gel did not reveal the binding of Sp1 protein, instead the identified a number of cellular proteins, such as U5 small nuclear RNP¡BATP-dependent DNA helicase 2 and actin of unknown significance.

In recent years, the main determinants of gold price have changed worldwide due to the increasing demand of gold. Additionally, TAIFEX provided investors with anothor trading instruments by launching US Dollar-denominated Gold Futures. Therefore, Taiwan gold market and stock market might interact more closely than before. The purpose of this study was to examine the endogenous relationship between gold price and stock price, and then analyze both markets with multi-equation simulation model and two-stage least squares method. The result shows that there is endogenous relationship between these two variables. Besides, depreciation of US dollar would lead to a rise in gold price which is denominated by US dollar. Exchange rate and stock price also moved in opposite directions. Finally, the launching of gold futures truly interested the investors and boosted the gold price.

Low temperature specific heat (LTSH) is a powerful tool to investigate the physical properties of bulk samples. For superconductivity, LTSH can probe the pairing state in superconductors and provides additional information under magnetic fields. In this thesis, I present comprehensive specific-heat studies of superconductivity in YNi2B2C, NbSe2, and CeRu2. (1) Single crystalline YNi2B2C was found to be superconducting at the superconducting transition temperature Tc ~ 13.77 K. The superconducting specific heat Ce(T) can be described by either the point-node or the two-gap model. (2) Single crystalline NbSe2 has a two-dimensional crystalline structure showing the Tc ~ 6.7 K and the anisotropy in the critical fields, Hc2¡æ/Hc2// ~3. We investigated the Ce(T) and the electronic specific heat £^(H) by the two-gap model. Obtained fitting parameters, such as gap values and the relative ratio of two gaps in both analyses (Ce(T) and £^(H)), are comparable meaning that the superconductivity of NbSe2 can be described by the two-gap scenario. (3) Finally, we studied the DC magnetic susceptibility and the specific heat of polycrystalline CeRu2 in different magnetic fields. In the bulk CeRu2, the amount of the possible impurity phase or nano-clusters was reduced after annealing. Based on the analysis results of zero-field and in-field specific heat, CeRu2 is a BCS-like superconductor with an anisotropic gap.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2002. / Bibliography: leaves169-179.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xxvii, 166 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-126).

The U.S. has implemented a two-track nuclear policy since the Cold War. The first track is non-proliferation and the second track involves securing all nuclear materials. The two-track nuclear policy has been effective, but at times non-proliferation efforts are contradicted by the US supporting nuclear programs by securing nuclear materials. The current greatest threat to nuclear security is the acquisition of nuclear materials by an extremist or terrorist organization. Can the US combat the current growing threat of loose nukes with the two-track policy? / text

PART I. A modified Hadamard transform has been developed and applied to the analysis of biologically active species using capillary electrophoresis. Hadamard transformations, a matrix based multiplexing technique, when coupled with a capillary electrophoresis instrument capable of rapid sample injection, provides a means to semi-continuously inject samples. The multiple injections separate, interpenetrate, and are detected as the summation of the multiple injections. Deconvolution of the multiplexed signal by multiplication with the inverse of the injection matrix yields a single injection electropherogram that exhibits improved S/N. In modified Hadamard transform capillary electrophoresis (mHTCE), an injection sequence of half the length as conventional HTCE (cHTCE) is utilized. Modifying the manner in which the raw data is manipulated before deconvolution facilitates the reduced injection sequence. When coupled with software, mHTCE can reduce the collection time for a Hadamard sequence by up to 48%. The substantial time reduction afforded by mHTCE is utilized to demonstrate the first time-resolved application of Hadamard transformations for the analysis of neurotransmitters. Additionally, mHTCE has been demonstrated as a means to improve the sensitivity for analysis of amino acids and proteins including gamma-aminobutyric acid, dopamine, and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) with picomolar detection limits.Part II. Two-photon excitation provides a means to activate chemical and physical processes with high spatial resolution and improved depth penetration compared to one-photon excitation. When combined with three-dimensional lithographic microfabrication (3DLM), these advantages provide a means to fabricate complex structures through radical and cationic two-photon induced polymerization (TPIP). A strategy for realizing high-fidelity microstructures is reported that considers the inherent structural limitations of acrylate monomers. Utilizing this strategy, a series of high-fidelity microstructures is reported for application in microfluidic devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and microoptical devices such as photonic bandgap (PBG) crystals. Improved periodicity is reported here for f.c.c. PBG crystals compared to earlier examples through addition of micromechanical supports that provide increased strength to the high-aspect ratio crystals. To extend TPIP to cationic polymerization, a series of two-photon activatable photoacid generators has been developed. The new PAGs exhibit one to two orders of magnitude lower polymerization threshold intensities than conventional ultraviolet-sensitive initiators.

Certain numerical methods have been well developed for solving one-dimensional two-phase flow (e.g. gas and liquid) problems in the literatures during the last two decades. Based on the existing methods, the present work compares the computational efficiency, accuracy, and robustness of various numerical schemes by predicting the numerical solutions of fluid properties for a specific case to find the proper numerical method. One of the numerical schemes introduced in this work is a practical, semi-implicit upwind method used for fluid flow simulations in different flow patterns,stratified flow and slug flow. This method implements the iterative and non-iterative schemes using a two-fluid model that consists of sets of non-hyperbolic equations. A numerical error term is applied in the pressure equation to maintain the volume balance of the two-phase flow model. If the temperature varies, the discretised energy equations use similar error terms as in the pressure equation. In some cases, the small values of the numerical errors are negligible and do not influence the numerical results. These errors are, however, important factors to consider when maintaining the stability and robustness of the above numerical schemes for strong non-linear cases. The computational efficiency ofthe non-iterative scheme, where the inner iterations are deactivated, is better than the iterative scheme. Different grid arrangements are compared with respect to computational accuracy and efficiency. A staggered structured grid implements the same semi-implicit upwind method as in the non-iterative scheme; the non-staggered grid arrangement uses an existing flux-splitting scheme (Evje and Flåtten, 2003) as a reference. All the above schemes produce numerical solutions with a single precision that normally satisfy the requirements of computational accuracy of industrial two-phase pipe flows. However, if one pursues a higher-order accuracy scheme, e.g. a Roe-averaged algorithm, the governing equations should be strictly a hyperbolic system of partial differential equations, which is achieved by introducing the nonviscous force terms in the two-fluid model (LeVeque, 2002).By properly incorporating the non-conservative terms in the formulation of the numerical fluxes, the capability of the Roe-averaged algorithm is demonstrated by capturing shock waves. Results from the present research include the following. A one-dimensional scheme that solves a system of discretised equations with the staggered semi-implicit upwind method is presented and validated for its computational efficiencyand robustness. This scheme can be widely used in the industry with sufficient accuracy. The other first-order semi-implicit numerical schemes producestable numerical results, especially in the dynamic cases of two-phase flow, except when the gas phase nearly disappears or appears in pipes. The Roe-averaged algorithm is recommended due to the high-resolution numerical results obtained, but at the costs of computational time and effort.

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The purification of pepsinogen from the stomach of red perch using aqueous two phase systems (ATPS) formed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and salt at 4°C was optimized. Salt type, salt concentration, PEG molecular weight and PEG concentration had significant effects on total volume (TV), volume ratio (VR), enzyme activity (AE), protein content (CP), specific activity (SA), purification fold (PF) and recovery yield (RY). (NH4)2SO4 at 15% w/w concentration was selected as the optimum salt type and concentration. PEG 1500 at 18% w/w concentration was selected as the optimum PEG molecular weight and concentration. 15% (NH4)2SO4-18% PEG 1500, the optimal ATPS, was compared with ammonium sulfate fractionation (ASF). ATPS gave better partition of pepsinogen (SA of 5.40 U/mg, PF of 5.20 and RY of 86.6%) than ASF (SA of 2.55 U/mg, PF of 2.46, RY of 70.4%). / This is the electronic copy of partition of pepsinogen in aqueous two phase system method.