Transcripts of a gene, GIRK4, that encodes for a 419-amino-acid protein and shows high structural similarity to other subfamily members of G-protein-activated inwardly rectifying K+ channels (GIRK) have been identified in the human hippocampus. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, GIRK4 yielded functional GIRK channels with activity that was enhanced by the stimulation of coexpressed serotonin 1A...

Members of the K(2P) potassium channel family regulate neuronal excitability and are implicated in pain, anaesthetic responses, thermosensation, neuroprotection, and mood. Unlike other potassium channels, K(2P)s are gated by remarkably diverse stimuli that include chemical, thermal, and mechanical modalities. It has remained unclear whether the various gating inputs act through separate or comm...

Experimental research on Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) has generally focused on democratic groups whose members typically share the same objectives. In organizations, however, there are many situations where groups have a leader who has the power to override the group’s recommendation, the objective of the leader may not be the same as the objective of each member, and not everyone may ...

Voltage-gated sodium channels are members of a large family with similar pore structures. The mechanism of opening and closing is unknown, but structural studies suggest gating via bending of the inner pore helix at a glycine hinge. Here we provide functional evidence for this gating model for the bacterial sodium channel NaChBac. Mutation of glycine 219 to proline, which would strongly favor b...

Team cognition can be observed in the flow of communications among team members. This is shown in the context of a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle ground control station. Automatic measures of low-level team communication flow were used to assess high-level constructs of team cognition. Measures show support for the expected results of manipulations in this task. Co-location and channel degra...

Hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HOPP) is a rare disease characterized by reversible attacks of muscle weakness accompanied by episodic hypokalemia. Recent molecular work has revealed that the majority of familial HOPP is due to mutations in a skeletal muscle voltage-dependent calcium-channel: the dihydropyridine receptor. We report a 13-yr old boy with HOPP from a family in which 6 members are ...

PURPOSE Labor unions are a largely unevaluated channel for health promotion interventions for working class populations, who are at increased risk for smoking and poor diet. We conducted qualitative and quantitative research to understand the meaning and function of union membership in workers' lives and applied this information to health promotion intervention design. METHODS Cross-sectional...

The paper provides a framework to help the weak retailer delineate the circumstances that allow him to benefit from an alliance between the dominant retailer and the common manufacturer. We use a game-theoretic model to determine the optimal pricing and service strategies when channel members act independently then when the dominant retailer forms an alliance with the manufacturer. We find that...

Members of the voltage-gated ion channel superfamily (VGIC) regulate ion flux and generate electrical signals in excitable cells by opening and closing pore gates. The location of the gate in voltage-gated sodium channels, a founding member of this superfamily, remains unresolved. Here we explore the chemical modification rates of introduced cysteines along the S6 helix of domain IV in an inact...

Porins are proteins that form water-filled channels across the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria and thus make this membrane semipermeable. There are four types of porins: general/nonspecific porins, substrate-specific porins, gated porins, and efflux porins (also called channel-tunnels). The recent publication of the genomic sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 has dramatically incr...