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The transcriptional activity of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP), adsorbed on mica, is observed using tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). Sequential AFM images show unidirectional translocation of DNA template by RNAP on addition of ribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates (NTPs). An NTP concentration of five micro M is used to keep the rate of transcription low. The rate of transcription at this NTP concentration is 0.5 bases/s to two bases/s. The transcription rate is low due to the adsorption of RNAP on mica and exposure to Zn2+.

Visualizing individual data, empirical distributions, and summary statistics for small to moderate sized samples (≤ 500) is critical in early phases of drug research. We developed a customized SAS® macro, %HangingDotPlot, which displays dot plots with parametric or distribution-free descriptive statistics and confidence intervals simultaneously on the same page for multiple groups of data. Potential statistical outliers are identified with a fence rule adapted from an adjusted box plot for skewed distributions, which incorporates the medcouple, a robust measure of skewness. WIREs Comput Stat 2013, 5:62-67. doi: 10.1002/wics.1241 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A comprehensive questionnaire designed to assess the full spectrum of potential human papillomavirus (HPV)-related psychosocial effects in women does not exist. The HPV Impact Profile (HIP) was developed to determine the psychosocial impact of HPV infection and related interventions., Research Design and Methods: Draft instrument items and domains were developed using a literature review and cognitive debriefing interviews with women who had experienced HPV-related conditions. An importance rating questionnaire guided item ranking and reduction. A draft questionnaire was pilot-tested for comprehension and ease of completion. Psychometric evaluation of the final HIP was conducted in a survey of 583 women. Data quality, item acceptability, scale acceptability, reliability, and discriminate construct validity were assessed., Outcome Measure: The final HIP contained 29 items rated on a 0-10 point discretized visual analog scales grouped into seven hypothesized domains., Results: Total HIP scores ranged from 0 (no impact) to 100 (worst impact). Data quality was high, with missing data for items ranging from 0 to 0.7% and over 99% of the scores were computable. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.64 to 0.90 and was > or =0.7 for 5/7 domains. Discriminant construct validity was demonstrated. Appropriate modifications could potentially be made to improve some aspects of the HIP, including modification to include other HPV diseases such as head and neck, anal, and vulvovaginal cancers and HPV disease in men., Conclusions: The disease-specific HIP has favorable reliability and construct validity and a good ability to discriminate among disease severity.