Court confirms award of ₹9.05 lakh to parents of 7-year-old accident victim

A 23-year-old woman who was reported missing on Wednesday was found dead inside All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday morning, the polic

Two earthquakes felt by residents in Lochaber  Press and Journal

Residents speak of shock after being woken by EARTHQUAKE in early hours of morning  Hartlepool Mail

The title compound, C13H24O9·H2O, a structural model for part of bacterial O-anti­gen polysaccharides from Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli, crystallizes with four independent disaccharide mol­ecules and four water mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. The conformation at the glycosidic linkage joining the two rhamnosyl residues is described by the torsion angles φH of 39, 30, 37 and 37°, and ψH of −32, −35, −31 and −32°, which are the major conformation region known to be populated in an aqueous solution. The hexo­pyran­ose rings have the 1C4 chair conformation. In the crystal, the disaccharide and water mol­ecules are associated through O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a layer parallel to the bc plane. The layers stack along the a axis via hydro­phobic inter­actions between the methyl groups.

Fragment-based molecular-replacement methods can solve a macromolecular structure quasi-ab initio. ARCIMBOLDO, using a common secondary-structure or tertiary-structure template or a library of folds, locates these with Phaser and reveals the rest of the structure by density modification and autotracing in SHELXE. The latter stage is challenging when dealing with diffraction data at lower resolution, low solvent content, high β-sheet composition or situations in which the initial fragments represent a low fraction of the total scattering or where their accuracy is low. SEQUENCE SLIDER aims to overcome these complications by extending the initial polyalanine fragment with side chains in a multisolution framework. Its use is illustrated on test cases and previously unknown structures. The selection and order of fragments to be extended follows the decrease in log-likelihood gain (LLG) calculated with Phaser upon the omission of each single fragment. When the starting substructure is derived from a remote homolog, sequence assignment to fragments is restricted by the original alignment. Otherwise, the secondary-structure prediction is matched to that found in fragments and traces. Sequence hypotheses are trialled in a brute-force approach through side-chain building and refinement. Scoring the refined models through their LLG in Phaser may allow discrimination of the correct sequence or filter the best partial structures for further density modification and autotracing. The default limits for the number of models to pursue are hardware dependent. In its most economic implementation, suitable for a single laptop, the main-chain trace is extended as polyserine rather than trialling models with different sequence assignments, which requires a grid or multicore machine. SEQUENCE SLIDER has been instrumental in solving two novel structures: that of MltC from 2.7 Å resolution data and that of a pneumococcal lipoprotein with 638 residues and 35% solvent content.

Double-sided Fresnel zone plates are diffractive lenses used for high-resolution hard X-ray microscopy. The double-sided structures have significantly higher aspect ratios compared with single-sided components and hence enable more efficient imaging. The zone plates discussed in this paper are fabricated on each side of a thin support membrane, and the alignment of the zone plates with respect to each other is critical. Here, a simple and reliable way of quantifying misalignments by recording efficiency maps and measuring the absolute diffraction efficiency of the zone plates as a function of tilting angle in two directions is presented. The measurements are performed in a setup based on a tungsten-anode microfocus X-ray tube, providing an X-ray energy of 8.4 keV through differential measurements with a Cu and an Ni filter. This study investigates the sources of the misalignments and concludes that they can be avoided by decreasing the structure heights on both sides of the membrane and by pre-programming size differences between the front- and back-side zone plates.

An online knowledge base on the alternate conformations adopted by main-chain and side-chain atoms in protein structures solved by X-ray crystallography is described.

To understand the effects of road salting on ants, Michael Kaspari of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Oklahoma led a team that looked at how ant colonies are affected by these conditions; their research is published in a recent issue of the journal Ecological Entomology.

The post Study reveals road salt may promote health and well-being of roadside ant colonies appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new computer simulation by Gurtina Besla of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and her colleagues now shows that the Magellanic Stream resulted from a past close encounter between two dwarf galaxies rather than effects of the Milky Way.

The post Milky Way sidelined in galactic tug of war appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Two scientists at the Smithsonian Institution have been honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for their innovative research and scientific leadership. It is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

The post President Barack Obama recognizes outstanding scientists at the Smithsonian appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

"X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out," is a new exhibition of striking x-rays that reveal the complex bone structure of fishes in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

The post New exhibition looks at fishes from the “Inside Out” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new X-ray study of the remains of an exploded star indicates that the supernova that disrupted the massive star may have turned it inside out in the process.

The post Remains of exploded star indicate supernova turned it inside out appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The crustaceans are much more effective when they fight together than when they fight alone, a process McKeon calls the Multiple Defender Effect. “It is a clear example of synergy, and one that underscores the importance of biodiversity in the ocean.”

The post Preventing home invasions means fighting side-by-side for coral-dwelling crabs and shrimp appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Accumulations of drifting snow are the most plausible explanation for the presence of a number of puzzling alluvial fan deposits found inside large impact craters on Mars

The post Melting snow likely created fan deposits inside Martian craters, geologists say appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Using echolocation alone the bats found, identified and captured insects perched motionless and silent on the leaves of plants.

The post Common tropical bat uses echolocation with precision previously considered impossible, new experiments reveal appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The largest fully preserved great ape collection in the world is about to make its online debut.

The post Unlocking secrets–technology allows scientists to peer inside great apes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A newly-discovered species of ant supports a controversial theory of species formation. The ant, known to live only under a single eucalyptus tree on the […]

The post Deadbeat ant species branched off as parasite inside its own colony appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Imagine sitting down at your favorite restaurant when something under the table begins painfully pinching and snipping at your toes. This is basically how T. […]

The post Diversity of resident crabs is key to coral survival appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Parasites such as nematodes, tapeworms, flukes, ticks and lice are normal in nature and can even be beneficial for animals, including humans, says Anna Phillips, […]

The post What squirms inside a tiny bird? Odd new tapeworm species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Throughout 2015 the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Md., has marked its 50th year of operation. Now there’s another reason for SERC to […]

The post Smithsonian lab receives GreenGov Presidential Award appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On September 14, 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes 29 and 36 times the […]

The post Ligo’s Twin Black Holes Might Have Been Born Inside a Single Star appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

President Jimmy Carter, an avid birder, talks about the importance of bird conservation and why birds really matter. Step outside your house in the morning […]

The post Why Birds Really Matter: President Jimmy Carter appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

There’s something exciting and strange about having an idea. It can come suddenly. Unexpectedly. Randomly. Intensely. Ideas can uninvitingly appear full-forced and bright—like the cliché […]

The post Making the Smithsonian’s New “Sidedoor” podcast series a reality appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In a new study in which one of humankind’s most high-tech tools was used to analyze one of its most primitive, scientists have uncovered evidence […]

The post Laser beams unveil secrets locked inside primitive stone spear points appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In the early 20th century, Canada geese were considered endangered in the U.S. So in the 1950s and 1960s, birds from the Midwest were released […]

The post Study of bacteria inside guts of wild Canada geese shows greater danger than earlier studies exposed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Kristina Drizyte-Miller, Jing Chen, Hong Cao, Micah B. Schott, and Mark A. McNiven

Epithelial cells such as liver-resident hepatocytes rely heavily on the Rab family of small GTPases to perform membrane trafficking events that dictate cell physiology and metabolism. Not surprisingly, disruption of several Rabs can manifest in metabolic diseases or cancer. Rab32 is expressed in many secretory epithelial cells but its role in cellular metabolism is virtually unknown. In this study, we find that Rab32 associates with lysosomes and regulates proliferation and cell size of Hep3B hepatoma and HeLa cells. Specifically, we identify that Rab32 supports mTORC1 signaling under basal and amino acid stimulated conditions. Consistent with inhibited mTORC1, an increase in nuclear TFEB localization and lysosome biogenesis is also observed in Rab32-depleted cells. Finally, we find that Rab32 interacts with mTOR kinase and that loss of Rab32 reduces the association of mTOR and mTORC1 pathway proteins with lysosomes, suggesting that Rab32 regulates lysosomal mTOR trafficking. In summary, these findings suggest that Rab32 functions as a novel regulator of cellular metabolism through supporting mTORC1 signaling.

Get a look behind the scenes as we installed “Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-vehicular Activity,” a new exhibition on view at the Museum […]

The post “Outside the Spacecraft,” a new exhibition at the Air and Space Museum appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Known around the world for personal and culturally inspired choreography, Dana Tai Soon Burgess has been named the Smithsonian’s first choreographer-in-residence at the National Portrait […]

The post Meet Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Smithsonian Choreographer-in-residence appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post President Trump press conference at National Museum of African American History and Culture appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults, but where public view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers […]

The post Sidedoor Season Two appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The chief appeal of The Anatomy of Palms is some 800 color photographs that document the extent of palm anatomical diversity.

The post With 800 color photographs, new book takes a fascinating look inside palms appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well,” Virginia Woolf once said. Woolf’s sentiment is one that the staff […]

The post Behind the scenes in the restaurant kitchen that feeds the National Zoo’s residents appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The positional change of nitro­gen-7 of the RNA constituent guanosine to the bridgehead position-5 leads to the base-modified nucleoside 5-aza-7-de­aza­guanosine. Contrary to guanosine, this mol­ecule cannot form Hoogsteen base pairs and the Watson–Crick proton donor site N3—H becomes a proton-acceptor site. This causes changes in nucleobase recognition in nucleic acids and has been used to construct stable `all-purine' DNA and DNA with silver-mediated base pairs. The present work reports the single-crystal X-ray structure of 7-iodo-5-aza-7-de­aza­guanosine, C10H12IN5O5 (1). The iodinated nucleoside shows an anti conformation at the glycosylic bond and an N conformation (O4'-endo) for the ribose moiety, with an anti­periplanar orientation of the 5'-hy­droxy group. Crystal packing is controlled by inter­actions between nucleobase and sugar moieties. The 7-iodo substituent forms a contact to oxygen-2' of the ribose moiety. Self-pairing of the nucleobases does not take place. A Hirshfeld surface analysis of 1 highlights the contacts of the nucleobase and sugar moiety (O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O). The concept of pK-value differences to evaluate base-pair stability was applied to purine–purine base pairing and stable base pairs were predicted for the construction of `all-purine' RNA. Furthermore, the 7-iodo substituent of 1 was functionalized with benzo­furan to detect motional constraints by fluorescence spectroscopy.

Kristina Drizyte-Miller
Apr 15, 2020; 0:jcs.236661v1-jcs.236661
Articles

Insufficient evidence exists to support claims that taking megadoses of dietary antioxidants, such as selenium and vitamins C and E, or carotenoids, including beta-carotene, can prevent chronic diseases, says the latest report on Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

President Barack Obama reiterated his strong support for science and technology today in a speech to members of the National Academy of Sciences at its 150th annual meeting.

Cardiac arrest strikes almost 600,000 people each year, killing the vast majority of those individuals, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Every year in the U.S., approximately 395,000 cases of cardiac arrest occur outside of a hospital setting, in which less than 6 percent survive.

We thank the organizers of our International Summit on Human Gene Editing for their thoughtful concluding statement and welcome their call for us to continue to lead a global discussion on issues related to human gene editing.

Today President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum to address climate change and national security. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine look forward to taking the lead in engaging the academic community in efforts to guide this initiative, and are well-positioned to tap the broad, multidisciplinary expertise of researchers across the nation.

In President Trump’s address to Congress, he cited a National Academies report on the economic consequences of immigration.

Today during the National Academy of Sciences 154th annual meeting, in her first speech to the members of the Academy, NAS President Marcia McNutt stressed the ongoing vitality of America’s scientific enterprise, and called on the country to strengthen its support for science and to continue to turn to science for solutions to the nation’s and the world’s most pressing challenges.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of State, the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine expressed concern that a proposal to add supplemental questions for visa applicants.