Factor for inversion stimulation (Fis) is a versatile bacterial nucleoid-associated protein that can directly bind and bend DNA to influence DNA topology. It also plays crucial roles in regulating bacterial virulence factors and in optimizing bacterial adaptation to various environments. Fis from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA4853, referred to as PaFis) has recently been found to be required for virulence by regulating the expression of type III secretion system (T3SS) genes. PaFis can specifically bind to the promoter region of exsA, which functions as a T3SS master regulator, to regulate its expression and plays an essential role in transcription elongation from exsB to exsA. Here, the crystal structure of PaFis, which is composed of a four-helix bundle and forms a homodimer, is reported. PaFis shows remarkable structural similarities to the well studied Escherichia coli Fis (EcFis), including an N-terminal flexible loop and a C-terminal helix–turn–helix (HTH) motif. However, the critical residues for Hin-catalyzed DNA inversion in the N-terminal loop of EcFis are not conserved in PaFis and further studies are required to investigate its exact role. A gel-electrophoresis mobility-shift assay showed that PaFis can efficiently bind to the promoter region of exsA. Structure-based mutagenesis revealed that several conserved basic residues in the HTH motif play essential roles in DNA binding. These structural and biochemical studies may help in understanding the role of PaFis in the regulation of T3SS expression and in virulence.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, {[Mn2Sb2S5(C15H11N3)2]·4H2O}n, consists of two crystallographically independent MnII ions, two unique terpyridine ligands, one [Sb2S5]4− anion and four solvent water mol­ecules, all of which are located in general positions. The [Sb2S5]4− anion consists of two SbS3 units that share common corners. Each of the MnII ions is fivefold coordinated by two symmetry-related S atoms of [Sb2S5]4− anions and three N atoms of a terpyridine ligand within an irregular coordination. Each two anions are linked by two [Mn(terpyridine)]2+ cations into chains along the c-axis direction that consist of eight-membered Mn2Sb2S4 rings. These chains are further connected into a three-dimensional network by inter­molecular O—H⋯O and O—H⋯S hydrogen bonds. The crystal investigated was twinned and therefore, a twin refinement using data in HKLF-5 [Sheldrick (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 3–8] format was performed.

The crystal structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Fis is composed of an N-terminal flexible loop and a C-terminal helix–turn–helix motif.

The structure of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa T6SS PldB immunity protein PA5086 is reported at 1.9 Å resolution. Comparison of PA5086 with its homologs PA5087 and PA5088 showed great similarities in sequence and structure, but vast divergences in electrostatic potential surfaces.

Warming temperatures may mean more generations of monarch butterflies in North America during summer months, say scientists who recently finished experiments with monarch caterpillars and […]

The post Warming temperatures may mean more monarch generations in some areas of North America appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Spending time in a beautiful garden can be transformative. In fact, some visitors to the Smithsonian’s Mary Livingston Ripley Garden in Washington D.C. have taken […]

The post Monarch Butterflies Make the Most of the Smithsonian’s Gardens appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Although there is evidence of harmful health and ecological effects associated with exposure to high doses of chemicals known as hormonally active agents – or endocrine disrupters – little is understood about the harm posed by exposure to the substances at low concentrations, such as those that typically exist in the environment, says a new report from a National Research Council committee.

File: Western monarch butterfly in Huntington Beach; Credit: Courtesy of Huntington Beach Tree Society

A group of conservation organizations teamed up with a leading monarch butterfly scientist on Tuesday to petition for protection of the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act.

The monarch butterfly is one of the most iconic butterfly species in the country. But according to conservation group the Xerces Society, the monarch butterfly population is in trouble.

“Many scientists estimate that there are about 33 million monarchs. And just for comparison, in the past, researchers have estimated more than 1 billion monarchs,” said Sarina Jepsen, who directs the Endangered Species Program for the Xerces Society.

That’s a decline of about 90 percent in just fewer than 20 years, Jepsen said.

The main culprit in the monarch’s decline is the weed killer Roundup, Jepsen said. Most monarch caterpillars breed in the Midwest, and feed off of milkweed. While Roundup doesn’t kill genetically modified crops like soy and corn, it does kill milkweed.

“So, milkweed growing in a large agricultural landscape has largely disappeared in the last decade-and-a-half to two decades,” said Jepsen.

Other contributing factors include climate change and a general loss of habitat, Jepsen said. California’s drought might also play a role.

“There’s a real strong relationship between drought severity and the number of monarchs that we see in the winter on the California coast,” said Jepsen. “In years when droughts are worse, there are fewer monarchs.”

Thousands of the butterflies gather on California’s coast each winter. Spots locally includeLeo Carrillo Beach in Malibu and Doheny Beach in Dana Point, though the Xerces Society has observed a large decline in the butterflies at these locations in the last several decades.

More on the drought’s effect on the monarch population will be known around Thanksgiving, when a group of so-called "citizen scientists" with the Xerces Society perform an annual count of the monarchs.

Along with the Xerces Society, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food and Safety and leading monarch butterfly scientist Dr. Lincoln Brower filed the petition.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has 90 days to decide whether to go forward with a further review to potentially classify the monarch butterfly as threatened or endangered. 

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

These religious structures have been sitting atop cliffs and mountains for centuries now with no easy way to get to them.

Use fresh, seasonal cherries to make a simple syrup for this fruity cocktail.

It's widely planted to slow the butterflies' decline, but a recent study suggests monarchs' misfortune goes well beyond milkweed loss.

10-year-old Alyssa De La Sala set up a drink stand, and the response was overwhelming.

Video shows Monarch Butterflies stopping in Colorado at John Martin Reservoir State Park as they migrate to Mexico.

The western monarch population may be on the verge of collapsing.

Monaco is a tiny, independent city-state on the Mediterranean, surrounded by the French Riviera. It is famous for its glitzy casinos, Grand Prix race and imposs

Odds are, your kid's lemonade stand is illegal in most states. But Texas and Utah have changed their laws with a more common sense approach.

A big upset like job loss can provide a shift of perspective-- an opportunity to take stock. What is really important? What do you want to pursue at this point in your life? Is being your own boss the way to go? I spoke with several silverbacks to share their wisdom gleaned from these life changes with a new member of the pack.

The sound of 'Indian Trap' is a blend of cultural roots of Punjabi, Bhangra and Bollywood music, infused with Hip-Hop and Trap elements.

Crow writes meticulously researched, entertaining novels of romance, history and mystery in an engaging you-are-there style that allows readers to live the history.

Research Highlights: Researchers have found a specific bacterial profile in the gut of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a chronic and progressive disease that causes constriction of arteries in the lungs. The unique bacterial profile...

MONA HUCKSTADT
Cedar Falls

Mona Huckstadt, 84, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, died Sunday, May 3, 2020, at her home. She was born May 21, 1935, to Ella and Phillip Sedlmayr. Mona was united in marriage with Roger Huckstadt on June 18, 1954.
Surviving Mona are her husband, Roger Huckstadt of Cedar Falls, Iowa; two daughters, Vicki Bishop of Marion and Jan Huckstadt of Cedar Falls; two granddaughters, Lindsey (Josh McDermott) Bishop and Lauren (Chavez Clayton) Bishop; one great-grandson, C.J. Clayton; two sisters, Phyllis Millin and Linda Sedlmayr; one brother, Wayne (Carol) Sedlmayr; one sister-in-law, Joan Sedlmayr; and one brother-in-law, Dick Huckstadt.
Mona was preceded in death by her parents, Ella and Phillip Sedlmayr; and one brother, Norman Sedlmayr.
Due to state and federal guidance on gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the family will not be having a public memorial at this time.
A private family service and burial will be held.
Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Monona, Iowa, is helping the family with arrangements.

Mona Kuhn
AD 6309, Joshua Tree, California, 2013/2014 (winter)
Website - MonaKuhn.com

Mona Kuhn is best known for her large-scale, dream-like photographs of nudes. Her work often reference classical themes with a light and insightful touch. Kuhn’s approach to her photography is unusual in that she usually develops close relationships with her subjects, resulting in images of remarkable naturalness and intimacy, and creating the effect of people naked but comfortable in their own skin.

Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. She received her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1996. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debut by Steidl in 2004; immediately followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), and Bordeaux Series (2011). Mona's upcoming book is titled Private (release 2014).

Mona Kuhn's work has been exhibited and/or included in the collections of The Louvre Museum in France, The J.Paul Getty Museum, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Pérez Art Museum in Miami, The Museum of Photographic Art in San Diego, The George Eastman House, the Griffin Museum in Boston, Miami Museum of Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, Georgia Museum of Art, The International Center of Photography in NYC. In Europe, her work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Art in London England, Le Louvre in France, Deichtorhallen in Hamburg Germany, Musée de l'Élysée in Switzerland, Centre d'art Contemporain at Musée Chaleroi in France, the Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, and the Australian Center for Photography in Sydney. Currently, Mona lives and works in Los Angeles.

Monadic second order logic can be used to express many classical notions of sets of vertices of a graph as for instance: dominating sets, induced matchings, perfect codes, independent sets or irredundant sets. Bounds on the number of sets of any such family of sets are interesting from a combinatorial point of view and have algorithmic applications. Many such bounds on different families of sets over different classes of graphs are already provided in the literature. In particular, Rote recently showed that the number of minimal dominating sets in trees of order $n$ is at most $95^{frac{n}{13}}$ and that this bound is asymptotically sharp up to a multiplicative constant. We build on his work to show that what he did for minimal dominating sets can be done for any family of sets definable by a monadic second order formula.

We first show that, for any monadic second order formula over graphs that characterizes a given kind of subset of its vertices, the maximal number of such sets in a tree can be expressed as the extit{growth rate of a bilinear system}. This mostly relies on well known links between monadic second order logic over trees and tree automata and basic tree automata manipulations. Then we show that this "growth rate" of a bilinear system can be approximated from above.We then use our implementation of this result to provide bounds on the number of independent dominating sets, total perfect dominating sets, induced matchings, maximal induced matchings, minimal perfect dominating sets, perfect codes and maximal irredundant sets on trees. We also solve a question from D. Y. Kang et al. regarding $r$-matchings and improve a bound from G'orska and Skupie'n on the number of maximal matchings on trees. Remark that this approach is easily generalizable to graphs of bounded tree width or clique width (or any similar class of graphs where tree automata are meaningful).

A method for cultivating Monarda fistulosaincludes planting seeds at rates between about 2.5 and about 5 pounds per acre, preferably about 4 pounds per acre. Fuel costs are reduced because seeding, mowing the first season, and harvesting in seasons thereafter are all that is required. Reduction in herbicide use results from the heavy rate of planting, improved germination attributed to rolling, and the plant's natural herbicides which are more highly effective when seeded at the higher rate. The method includes seeding, mowing during a first growing season, and harvesting each season thereafter. This method results in oil without weed contamination and carvacrol levels are high.

The present invention provides spreading agents based on sequence-specific oligomers comprising a peptoid, a peptide-peptoid chimera, a retropeptoid or a retro(peptoid-peptide) chimera, and methods for using the same, including for the treatment of respiratory distress of the lungs. The spreading agents are sequence-specific oligomers, including retrosequence-specific oligomers, based on a peptide backbone, that are designed as analogs of surfactant protein-B or surfactant protein-C.

A system for treating heart disease, such as pulmonary hypertension or right heart failure, including an implantable component and external components for monitoring the implantable component is provided. The implantable component may include a compliant member, e.g., balloon, coupled to a reservoir via a conduit. Preferably, the compliant member is adapted to be implanted in a pulmonary artery and the reservoir is adapted to be implanted subcutaneously. The external components may include a clinical controller component, monitoring software configured to run a clinician's computer, a patient monitoring device, and a mobile application configured to run on a patient's mobile device.

This disclosure relates to combination therapies comprising anti-Pseudomonas Psl and PcrV bispecific binding molecules and related compositions, for use in prevention and treatment of Pseudomonas infection.

The invention provides diagnostic and therapeutic targets for pulmonary disease, in particular, fibrotic lung disease. The inventors have found that a genetic variant MUC5B gene is associated with increased expression of the gene, increased risk of developing a pulmonary disease, and an improved prognosis and survival among those developing the pulmonary disease.

Zemyran Prater created a lemonade delivery service to help pay the bills and finance his career in music. Then the business took off. If you want lemonade delivered to your door, Zemyran Prater is your guy. Mere months into his new business, Prater is selling one of the most coveted beverages in the Bay: the home-brewed "Zemonade," packaged with fresh strawberries and blueberries in every jar.…

Compositions and methods for detecting Trichomonas vaginalis are provided.

Seit seinem Wechsel von Eintracht Frankfurt zu Real Madrid ging es für Luka Jovic bergab. Der Stürmer steht vor einem Wechsel. Nun zog er sich eine schwere Verletzung zu. In den eigenen vier Wänden.

Now, more than ever, are we sacrificing privacy online for connection? The changes in online dating behaviour during lockdown, and ruminations on aging when you still feel 28. Plus a song for its namesake.

The Coalition contest to choose a candidate for the Eden-Monaro by-election is rapidly descending into farce.

MORNING BRIEFING: NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro is considering a switch to federal politics, after the resignation of Labor backbencher Mike Kelly triggers a by-election in the seat of Eden-Monaro.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has endorsed Bega Valley Shire Mayor Kristy McBain after she nominated for pre-selection to contest the Eden-Monaro by-election.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance is expected to announce he will contest the federal seat of Eden-Monaro after NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro decided not to run.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has announced he will not run for the federal seat of Eden-Monaro

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says he has passion for the federal seat of Eden-Monaro and will bring "something special" as he seeks Liberal pre-selection for the by-election.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has announced he will seek Liberal pre-selection for the Eden-Monaro by-election

The NRL's integrity unit launches an investigation after a video posted on social media appears to show Melbourne Storm's Nelson Asofa-Solomona swinging punches during a brawl outside a nightclub.

The Melbourne Storm's Nelson Asofa-Solomona will be available to play in the opening round of the NRL next season, despite being handed a three-match suspension after a violent altercation while on holiday in Bali.

The NRL is accused of treating players like "products" rather than people over its decision to ban New Zealand prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona for three Tests despite acknowledging he was provoked.

The Eden Aboriginal community don't just talk about closing the gap they make it happen. The Monaroo Bubberer Gudu Keeping Place is an impressive symbol of the Aboriginal community's determination to find their own solutions for preserving and teaching their culture, and creating education and employment opportunities.

Two local leaders who rose to national prominence during the summer bushfires will likely slug it out for the major parties in the Eden Monaro by-election in southern New South Wales.

The National Party is again embroiled in bitter infighting after Andrew Constance abandoned his bid for Liberal pre-selection for the seat.

Voters in Eden Monaro are still waiting to find out who the Liberal candidate will be for the by-election in the marginal seat.

Gary Nairn was the Federal Liberal MP for Eden Monaro from 1996 to 2007.

Rare insights into leading authors with Radio National's Ramona Koval.