It would be wrong for charges against the Texas governor to be allowed through the courts

I worry about my brother Tom. He has Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited learning disability. He can't write, read or understand money. He refers to Covid-19 as 'this bloody flu virus'.

I worry about my brother Tom. He has Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited learning disability. He can't write, read or understand money. He refers to Covid-19 as 'this bloody flu virus'.

The government on Monday asked those over the age of 70 to minimise social contact. Hodgson, 72, is the Premier League's oldest boss and is affected by the new guidelines.

October is domestic violence awareness month. Pushpa Achanta shares stories of victims of domestic violence to point out why the dilution of IPC Section 498A by the Supreme Court is a blow to the fight against domestic violence.

A simple way to claim that everyone affected by dam construction is properly rehabilitated is to make a list of affected persons - and then leave off thousands of them from the list. This has been the history of rehabilitation in the Narmada valley. Himanshu Upadhyaya notes that after many years, the game isn't quite adding up in the courts.

Since it is said that electric vehicles (EV) will be the future of mobility, automobile manufactures are focusing more on EVs. On the other hand, electric vehicles will not only save our environment as they produce zero emissions, but also save

A video clip has been shared by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, which shows Syed Salahudeen addressing a thin gathering somewhere in Pakistan.

Archives, Room Use Only - TF627.P74 1863

NFL releases 2020 schedule; no decision yet on fans in attendance.

The 2020 NFL schedule will feature football on two Saturdays in December, but we don't know specifically which games will be played. The league announced that there will be Saturday games in Weeks 15 and 16, but we don't know how many games, only that there can be "up to three" on each Saturday. The [more]

Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin claims responsibility for Handwara attack, adm...

This seems to be a very common misconception that just won’t die. I keep running into it in blog posts, Twitter discussions, and even books.

Leishiyo studies feasibility of opening police O/P at border areas

Mines Director assures timely support to complete construction of colonies

Compact X-ray sources based on inverse Compton scattering provide brilliant and partially coherent X-rays in a laboratory environment. The cross section for inverse Compton scattering is very small, requiring high-power laser systems as well as small laser and electron beam sizes at the interaction point to generate sufficient flux. Therefore, these systems are very sensitive to distortions which change the overlap between the two beams. In order to monitor X-ray source position, size and flux in parallel to experiments, the beam-position monitor proposed here comprises a small knife edge whose image is acquired with an X-ray camera specifically designed to intercept only a very small fraction of the X-ray beam. Based on the source position drift recorded with the monitor, a closed-loop feedback stabilizes the X-ray source position by adjusting the laser beam trajectory. A decrease of long-term source position drifts by more than one order of magnitude is demonstrated with this device. Consequently, such a closed-loop feedback system which enables stabilization of source position drifts and flux of inverse Compton sources in parallel to experiments has a significant impact on the performance of these sources.

The European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (EuXFEL) delivers extremely intense (>1012 photons pulse−1 and up to 27000 pulses s−1), ultrashort (<100 fs) and transversely coherent X-ray radiation, at a repetition rate of up to 4.5 MHz. Its unique X-ray beam parameters enable novel and groundbreaking experiments in ultrafast photochemistry and material sciences at the Femtosecond X-ray Experiments (FXE) scientific instrument. This paper provides an overview of the currently implemented experimental baseline instrumentation and its performance during the commissioning phase, and a preview of planned improvements. FXE's versatile instrumentation combines the simultaneous application of forward X-ray scattering and X-ray spectroscopy techniques with femtosecond time resolution. These methods will eventually permit exploitation of wide-angle X-ray scattering studies and X-ray emission spectroscopy, along with X-ray absorption spectroscopy, including resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and X-ray Raman scattering. A suite of ultrafast optical lasers throughout the UV–visible and near-IR ranges (extending up to mid-IR in the near future) with pulse length down to 15 fs, synchronized to the X-ray source, serve to initiate dynamic changes in the sample. Time-delayed hard X-ray pulses in the 5–20 keV range are used to probe the ensuing dynamic processes using the suite of X-ray probe tools. FXE is equipped with a primary monochromator, a primary and secondary single-shot spectrometer, and a timing tool to correct the residual timing jitter between laser and X-ray pulses.

The time evolution of the electron density and the resulting time dependence of the X-ray polarizability of a crystal irradiated by highly intense XFEL femtosecond pulses is investigated theoretically. Rate equations for bound electrons and the Boltzmann equation for the unbound electron gas are used in calculations.

PLEASE REDUCE TO 1-2 SENTENCES. The capability of X-ray diffraction for the microstructure investigations of metastable systems is illustrated on the example of thin films of titanium aluminium nitrides with high aluminium content, which are supersaturated and partially decomposed. In addition to the chemical composition, the surface mobility of the deposited species was employed as a factor influencing the microstructure of the thin films. It is shown how the micromechanical properties of the partially decomposed (Ti,Al)N thin films, which were deduced from the synchrotron diffraction experiments, are related to the thin film microstructure and to the decomposition mechanism. The prominent role of the crystallographic anisotropy of the macroscopic and microscopic lattice deformations in the understanding of the micromechanical properties is addressed.

Six reaction products of ZnII and NiII with pyridine-2,6-di­carb­oxy­lic acid (H2Lig1), 4-chloro­pyridine-2,6-di­carb­oxy­lic acid (H2Lig2) and 4-hy­droxy­pyridine-2,6-di­carb­oxy­lic acid (H2Lig3) are used to pinpoint the structural consequences of crystal field stabilization by an incomplete d shell. The pseudo-octa­hedral ZnII coordination sphere in bis­(6-carb­oxy­picolinato)zinc(II) trihydrate, [Zn(C7H4NO4)2]·3H2O or [Zn(HLig1)2]·3H2O, (1), is significantly less regular than that about NiII in the isostructural compound bis­(6-carb­oxy­picolinato)nickel(II) trihydrate, [Ni(C7H4NO4)2]·3H2O or [Ni(HLig1)2]·3H2O, (2). The ZnII complexes poly[(4-chloro­pyridine-2,6-di­carboxyl­ato)zinc(II)], [Zn(C7H2ClNO4)]n or [Zn(Lig2)]n, (3), and poly[[(4-hy­droxy­pyridine-2,6-di­carboxyl­ato)zinc(II)] monohydrate], {[Zn(C7H3NO5)]·H2O}n or {[Zn(Lig3)]·H2O}n, (4), represent two-dimensional coordination polymers with chelating and bridging pyridine-2,6-di­carboxyl­ate ligands in which the coordination polyhedra about the central cations cannot be associated with any regular shape; their coordination environments range between trigonal–bipyramidal and square-pyramidal geometries. In contrast, the corresponding adducts of the diprotonated ligands to NiII, namely tri­aqua­(4-chloro­pyridine-2,6-di­carboxyl­ato)nickel(II), [Ni(C7H2ClNO4)(H2O)3] or [NiLig2(OH2)3)], (5), and tri­aqua­(4-hy­droxy­pyridine-2,6-di­carboxyl­ato)nickel(II) 1.7-hydrate, [Ni(C7H3NO5)(H2O)3]·1.7H2O or [NiLig3(OH2)3)]·1.7H2O, (6), feature rather regular octa­hedral coordination spheres about the transition-metal cations, thus precluding the formation of analogous extended structures.

Highly Brønsted-acidic boron trifluoride monohydrate, a widely used `super acid-catalyst', is a colourless fuming liquid that releases BF3 at room temperature. Com­pared to the liquid com­ponents, i.e. boron trifluoride monohydrate and 1,4-dioxane, their 1:1 adduct, BF3H2O·C4H8O2, is a solid with pronounced thermal stability (m.p. 401–403 K). The crystal structure of the long-time-stable easy-to-handle and weighable com­pound is reported along with new preparative aspects and the results of 1H, 11B, 13C and 19F spectroscopic investigations, particularly documenting its high Brønsted acidity in aceto­nitrile solution. The remarkable stability of solid BF3H2O·C4H8O2 is attributed to the chain structure established by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds of exceptional strength {O2⋯H1—O1 [O⋯O = 2.534 (3) Å] and O1—H1⋯O3i [2.539 (3) Å] in the concatenating unit >O2⋯H1—O1—H2⋯O3i<}, taking into account the mol­ecular (non-ionic) character of the structural moieties. Indirectly, this structural feature documents the outstanding acidification of the H2O mol­ecule bound to BF3 and reflects the super acid nature of BF3H2O. In detail, the C22(7) zigzag chain system of hydrogen bonding in the title structure is characterized by the double hydrogen-bond donor and double (κO,κO') hydrogen-bond acceptor functionality of the aqua ligand and dioxane molecule, respectively, the almost equal strength of both hydrogen bonds, the approximatety linear arrangement of the dioxane O atoms and the two neighbouring water O atoms. Furthermore, the approximately planar arrangement of B, F and O atoms in sheets perpendicular to the c axis of the ortho­rhom­bic unit cell is a characteristic structural feature.

The interoperability of chemical and biological crystallographic data is a key challenge to research and its application to pharmaceutical design. Research attempting to combine data from the two disciplines, small-molecule or chemical crystallography (CX) and macromolecular crystallography (MX), will face unique challenges including variations in terminology, software development, file format and databases which differ significantly from CX to MX. This perspective overview spans the two disciplines and originated from the investigation of protein binding to model radiopharmaceuticals. The opportunities of interlinked research while utilizing the two databases of the CSD (Cambridge Structural Database) and the PDB (Protein Data Bank) will be highlighted. The advantages of software that can handle multiple file formats and the circuitous route to convert organometallic small-molecule structural data for use in protein refinement software will be discussed. In addition some pointers to avoid being shipwrecked will be shared, such as the care which must be taken when interpreting data precision involving small molecules versus proteins.

Protein-engineering methods have been exploited to produce a surrogate system for the extracellular neurotransmitter-binding site of a heteromeric human ligand-gated ion channel, the glycine receptor. This approach circumvents two major issues: the inherent experimental difficulties in working with a membrane-bound ion channel and the complication that a heteromeric assembly is necessary to create a key, physiologically relevant binding site. Residues that form the orthosteric site in a highly stable ortholog, acetylcholine-binding protein, were selected for substitution. Recombinant proteins were prepared and characterized in stepwise fashion exploiting a range of biophysical techniques, including X-ray crystallography, married to the use of selected chemical probes. The decision making and development of the surrogate, which is termed a glycine-binding protein, are described, and comparisons are provided with wild-type and homomeric systems that establish features of molecular recognition in the binding site and the confidence that the system is suited for use in early-stage drug discovery targeting a heteromeric α/β glycine receptor.

The disposition of functional groups can induce variations in the nature and type of interactions and hence affect the molecular recognition and self-assembly mechanism in cocrystals. To better understand the formation of cocrystals on a molecular level, the effects of disposition of functional groups on the formation of cocrystals were systematically and comprehensively investigated using cresol isomers (o-, m-, p-cresol) as model compounds. Consistency and variability in these cocrystals containing positional isomers were found and analyzed. The structures, molecular recognition and self-assembly mechanism of supramolecular synthons in solution and in their corresponding cocrystals were verified by a combined experimental and theoretical calculation approach. It was found that the heterosynthons (heterotrimer or heterodimer) combined with O—H⋯N hydrogen bonding played a significant role. Hirshfeld surface analysis and computed interaction energy values were used to determine the hierarchical ordering of the weak interactions. The quantitative analyses of charge transfers and molecular electrostatic potential were also applied to reveal and verify the reasons for consistency and variability. Finally, the molecular recognition, self-assembly and evolution process of the supramolecular synthons in solution were investigated. The results confirm that the supramolecular synthon structures formed initially in solution would be carried over to the final cocrystals, and the supramolecular synthon structures are the precursors of cocrystals and the information memory of the cocrystallization process, which is evidence for classical nucleation theory.

X-ray diffraction studies of crystals under pressure and quantitative experimental charge density analysis are among the most demanding types of crystallographic research. A successful feasibility study of the electron density in the mineral grossular under 1 GPa pressure conducted at the CRISTAL beamline at the SOLEIL synchrotron is presented in this work. A single crystal was placed in a diamond anvil cell, but owing to its special design (wide opening angle), short synchrotron wavelength and the high symmetry of the crystal, data with high completeness and high resolution were collected. This allowed refinement of a full multipole model of experimental electron distribution. Results are consistent with the benchmark measurement conducted without a diamond-anvil cell and also with the literature describing investigations of similar structures. Results of theoretical calculations of electron density distribution on the basis of dynamic structure factors mimic experimental findings very well. Such studies allow for laboratory simulations of processes which take place in the Earth's mantle.

Current data collection strategies in electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) record multiframe movies with static optical settings. This limits the number of adjustable parameters that can be used to optimize the experiment. Here, a method for fast and accurate defocus (FADE) modulation during movie acquisition is proposed. It uses the objective lens aperture as an electrostatic pole that locally modifies the electron beam potential. The beam potential variation is converted to defocus change by the typically undesired chromatic aberration of the objective lens. The simplicity, electrostatic principle and low electrical impedance of the device allow fast switching speeds that will enable per-frame defocus modulation of cryo-EM movies. Researchers will be able to define custom defocus `recipes' and tailor the experiment for optimal information extraction from the sample. The FADE method could help to convert the microscope into a more dynamic and flexible optical platform that delivers better performance in cryo-EM single-particle analysis and electron cryo-tomography.

Afamin, which is a human blood plasma glycoprotein, a putative multifunctional transporter of hydrophobic molecules and a marker for metabolic syndrome, poses multiple challenges for crystallographic structure determination, both practically and in analysis of the models. Several hundred crystals were analysed, and an unusual variability in cell volume and difficulty in solving the structure despite an ∼34% sequence identity with nonglycosylated human serum albumin indicated that the molecule exhibits variable and context-sensitive packing, despite the simplified glycosylation in insect cell-expressed recombinant afamin. Controlled dehydration of the crystals was able to stabilize the orthorhombic crystal form, reducing the number of molecules in the asymmetric unit from the monoclinic form and changing the conformational state of the protein. An iterative strategy using fully automatic experiments available on MASSIF-1 was used to quickly determine the optimal protocol to achieve the phase transition, which should be readily applicable to many types of sample. The study also highlights the drawback of using a single crystallographic structure model for computational modelling purposes given that the conformational state of the binding sites and the electron density in the binding site, which is likely to result from PEGs, greatly varies between models. This also holds for the analysis of nonspecific low-affinity ligands, where often a variety of fragments with similar uncertainty can be modelled, inviting interpretative bias. As a promiscuous transporter, afamin also seems to bind gadoteridol, a magnetic resonance imaging contrast compound, in at least two sites. One pair of gadoteridol molecules is located near the human albumin Sudlow site, and a second gadoteridol molecule is located at an intermolecular site in proximity to domain IA. The data from the co-crystals support modern metrics of data quality in the context of the information that can be gleaned from data sets that would be abandoned on classical measures.

Digitonin has long been used as a mild detergent for extracting proteins from membranes for structure and function studies. As supplied commercially, digitonin is inhomogeneous and requires lengthy pre-treatment for reliable downstream use. Glyco-diosgenin (GDN) is a recently introduced synthetic surfactant with features that mimic digitonin. It is available in homogeneously pure form. GDN is proving to be a useful detergent, particularly in the area of single-particle cryo-electron microscopic studies of membrane integral proteins. With a view to using it as a detergent for crystallization trials by the in meso or lipid cubic phase method, it was important to establish the carrying capacity of the cubic mesophase for GDN. This was quantified in the current study using small-angle X-ray scattering for mesophase identification and phase microstructure characterization as a function of temperature and GDN concentration. The data show that the lipid cubic phase formed by hydrated monoolein tolerates GDN to concentrations orders of magnitude in excess of those used for membrane protein studies. Thus, having GDN in a typical membrane protein preparation should not deter use of the in meso method for crystallogenesis.

Subjects watched demonstrators for varying amounts of time. When given the pipe, each of the subjects in both groups opened the door on their first attempt using the method they had seen demonstrated.

The post Lemurs exhibit ability for social learning in zoo experiment appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Depending on where the fish disperse from, the use of ‘stepping stones', flotsam or simply being an adult can help in the journey to find a new home.

The post Ability to raft with flotsam and use non-reef habitats helps tropical fish journey to new places, study finds appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

How did the earliest birds take wing? Did they fall from trees and learn to flap their forelimbs to avoid crashing? Or did they run […]

The post Baby bird study proves innate ability for midair maneuvers appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Tiny Anolis lizards preserved since the Miocene in amber are giving scientists a true appreciation of the meaning of community stability. Dating back some 15 […]

The post Trapped in Amber: Ancient fossils reveal remarkable stability of Caribbean lizard communities appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Crustaceans that thrive in the vastness of the open ocean have no place to hide from their predators. Consequently, many creatures that live at depths […]

The post Tiny ocean crustaceans wear invisibility cloak of living bacteria appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Only the Wing is a new book by Russell Lee that recounts Horten's epic quest to stabalize and control the all-wing aircraft.

The post New Book: “Only the Wing: Reimar Horten’s Epic Quest to Stabilize and Control the All-Wing Aircraft” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Eric Peterman, Mindaugas Valius, and Rytis Prekeris

During mitotic cell division, the actomyosin cytoskeleton undergoes several dynamic changes that play key roles in progression through mitosis. While the regulators of cytokinetic ring formation and contraction are well-established, proteins that regulate cortical stability during anaphase and telophase have been understudied. Here, we describe a role for CLIC4 in regulating actin and actin-regulators at the cortex and cytokinetic cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. We first describe CLIC4 as a new component of the cytokinetic cleavage furrow that is required for successful completion of mitotic cell division. We also demonstrate that CLIC4 regulates the remodeling of sub-plasma membrane actomyosin network within the furrow by recruiting MST4 kinase and regulating ezrin phosphorylation. This work identifies and characterizes new molecular players involved in regulating cortex stiffness and blebbing during late stages of cytokinetic furrowing.

Laura O'Regan, Giancarlo Barone, Rozita Adib, Chang Gok Woo, Hui Jeong Jeong, Emily L. Richardson, Mark W. Richards, Patricia A.J. Muller, Spencer J. Collis, Dean A. Fennell, Jene Choi, Richard Bayliss, and Andrew M. Fry

EML4-ALK is an oncogenic fusion present in ~5% non-small cell lung cancers. However, alternative breakpoints in the EML4 gene lead to distinct variants with different patient outcomes. Here, we show in cell models that EML4-ALK variant 3 (V3), which is linked to accelerated metastatic spread, causes microtubule stabilization, formation of extended cytoplasmic protrusions and increased cell migration. It also recruits the NEK9 and NEK7 kinase to microtubules via the N-terminal EML4 microtubule-binding region. Overexpression of wild-type EML4 as well as constitutive activation of NEK9 also perturb cell morphology and accelerate migration in a microtubule-dependent manner that requires the downstream kinase NEK7 but not ALK activity. Strikingly, elevated NEK9 expression is associated with reduced progression-free survival in EML4-ALK patients. Hence, we propose that EML4-ALK V3 promotes microtubule stabilization through NEK9 and NEK7 leading to increased cell migration. This represents a novel actionable pathway that could drive metastatic disease progression in EML4-ALK lung cancer.

Olga Kopach, Noemi Esteras, Selina Wray, Dmitri A. Rusakov, and Andrey Y. Abramov

Frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism (FTDP-17) caused by the 10+16 splice-site mutation in the MAPT provides an established platform to model tau-related dementia in vitro. Human iPSC-derived neurons have been shown to recapitulate the neurodevelopmental profile of tau pathology during in vitro corticogenesis as in the adult human brain. However, the neurophysiological phenotype of these cells has remained unknown, leaving unanswered questions over the functional relevance and the gnostic power of this disease model. Here we used electrophysiology to explore the membrane properties and intrinsic excitability of the generated neurons to find that human cells mature by ~150 days of neurogenesis to become compatible with matured cortical neurons. In earlier FTDP-17, neurons, however, exhibited a depolarized resting membrane potential associated with increased resistance and reduced voltage-gated Na⁺- and K⁺-channel-mediated conductance. The Na_v1.6 protein was reduced in FTDP-17. These led to a reduced cell capability of induced firing and changed action potential waveform in FTDP-17. The revealed neuropathology may thus contribute to the clinicopathological profile of the disease. This sheds new light on the significance of human models of dementia in vitro.