Air-dried samples of homoionic Na-, Ca-, Al-, and Fe-smectite were equilibrated with 2,6-dimethylphenol vapor for 24 hr. Infrared spectra of the complexes formed indicated that a portion of the sorbed phenol was transformed into quinone-type compounds. Both sorption and transformation were greatly influenced by the nature of the exchangeable cation and followed the order Fe ≫ Al > Ca > Na. Changes in the electron spin resonance spectra of the clays following interaction with the phenol followed the same order, indicating that these reactions are enhanced by a transition metal cation, such as Fe3+, on the exchange complex. The reaction products from the clay complexes were extracted with methanol and identified using ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry, high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mass spectrometry. The extracts contained mixtures of products including the parent phenol, di-, tri-, and tetramers of the phenol, as well as quinone and quinone dimers. The identities of these compounds were further confirmed by the coincidence of the retention times of HPLC peaks obtained from extracts of the clays with those from compounds produced by oxidation of 2,6-dimethylphenol with Ag2O.

Breakthrough Listen is a 10-yr initiative to search for signatures of technologies created by extraterrestrial civilisations at radio and optical wavelengths. Here, we detail the digital data recording system deployed for Breakthrough Listen observations at the 64-m aperture CSIRO Parkes Telescope in New South Wales, Australia. The recording system currently implements two modes: a dual-polarisation, 1.125-GHz bandwidth mode for single-beam observations, and a 26-input, 308-MHz bandwidth mode for the 21-cm multibeam receiver. The system is also designed to support a 3-GHz single-beam mode for the forthcoming Parkes ultra-wideband feed. In this paper, we present details of the system architecture, provide an overview of hardware and software, and present initial performance results.

The sorption and transformation of phenol, 2-methylphenol, 3-methylphenol, 2,6-dimethylphenol, 3,5-dimethylphenol, and 2,4,6-trimethylphenol, by homoionic Na-, H-, Ca-, Cu-, Al-, and Fe(III)-montmorillonite from both vapour and aqueous phases were examined by IR spectroscopy. All the phenols were sorbed by the clays but were modified to different degrees depending on the exchangeable cations and on the amount and type of alkyl substitution of the phenols. Sorption of 2,6-dimethylphenol from aqueous solution was irreversible, and the extent of sorption followed the order Fe- > Al- > Cu- > Ca-clay. Both transition and non-transition metal cations were effective in transforming the phenol sorbates and heating the clay/phenol complexes further enhanced transformation. The results are discussed in terms of the nature of the transformation products and the likely role of radical reactions in their formation.

1. A new semi-dominant gene called shaven (Sha) causes hairlessness in the mouse and it is closely linked to naked. Homozygous shaven mice never grow a first coat and adults grow a few short hairs only. Shaven heterozygotes grow a full coat which is greasy.

2. The percentage recombination between shaven and naked was found to be 0·8%. Three-point tests with naked and caracul showed that the order of the three loci is either N–Sha–Ca or N–Ca–Sha.

3. The failure of homozygous shaven mice to grow a coat is due to abnormal keratinization of the hairs in the follicles. The follicles were found to be deficient in sulphydryl groups.

4. The greasiness of the Sha+ coat is due to the presence of a sudanophilic fluid in the hair medullae.

5. The close linkage between the two genes with similar phenotypic effects is discussed.

The application of nano- and microfabrication to biology is an emerging area linking engineering and biology. We are using microfabrication techniques to make patterns of specific bioactive molecules on glass and silicon surfaces to study central nervous system neurons and glia. Cell adhesion and tissue reaction to implanted silicon based electronic prosthetic devices are being studied, and the methods expanded to interface neurons with integrated circuits to study their electrical properties. The number, type and distribution of cells adhering to particular portions of a substrate can be influenced by patterning amine groups, proteins or polypeptides. We are using microcontact printing as an alternative to lithography for chemical patterning.

Primary cultures of rat cortical astrocytes and hippocampal neurons, and continuous cultures of transformed astrocytes were prepared on microcontact printed patterns produced by an elastomer stamp made from a silicon master. Fig. 1 shows two such patterns prepared by depositing self-assembled monolayers of N1[3-(Trimethoxylsily)propyl] diethylenetriamine (DETA) and octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS).