mpa Punjab Police give lyrical push to its campaign against fake news amid coronavirus pandemic By www.newkerala.com Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 13:22:01 +0530 Full Article
mpa No short-term adverse impact of Mw on COVID-19 patients, says PGIMER By www.newkerala.com Published On :: Mon, 27 Apr 2020 11:12:01 +0530 Full Article
mpa COVID-19: Punjab Police officer's son to get compassionate job By www.newkerala.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 09:14:01 +0530 Full Article
mpa Punjab Minister's campaign -- Ambassadors of Hope -- creates world record By www.newkerala.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 09:18:01 +0530 Full Article
mpa Tamil Nadu forms high level committee to assess Covid-19 impact on economy By www.business-standard.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 19:07:00 +0530 The committee shall submit its final reports to the government within three months time and also submit an interim report Full Article
mpa HDFC Asset Management Company sees flat profit growth in march quarter By www.business-standard.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 23:26:00 +0530 Fund house held sizeable market share in individual investors' segment Full Article
mpa Audit companies exploring digital options to clear lockdown hurdle By www.business-standard.com Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 00:28:00 +0530 While many companies are sharing documents digitally, some have also opened their servers to auditors to access the data they require Full Article
mpa Covid-19: Pandemic may force automobile companies to adopt more automation on shop-floor By www.thehindubusinessline.com Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 11:59:01 +0530 A digital shop-floor with specific interventions on planning and execution will become the new normal, says EY India Partner and Automotive Sector Leader Vinay Raghunath Full Article Economy
mpa Massive dust storm hits Delhi-NCR; accompanying rains bring relief from summer heat By www.dnaindia.com Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 06:40:00 GMT The change in weather and the dust storm was witnessed in areas from Noida to Rajouri Garden in West Delhi. Full Article India
mpa Expert confirms true impact of earthquakes in Devon and Cornwall - Devon Live By www.devonlive.com Published On :: Sat, 07 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMT Expert confirms true impact of earthquakes in Devon and Cornwall Devon Live Full Article
mpa Impacts on groundwater quality from abandoned hydrocarbon wells - GOV.UK By www.gov.uk Published On :: Tue, 22 Oct 2019 07:00:00 GMT Impacts on groundwater quality from abandoned hydrocarbon wells GOV.UK Full Article
mpa Compasses at Greenwich Are About to Do Something Not Observed in Over 300 Years - ScienceAlert By www.sciencealert.com Published On :: Mon, 02 Sep 2019 07:00:00 GMT Compasses at Greenwich Are About to Do Something Not Observed in Over 300 Years ScienceAlert Full Article
mpa Isle of Mull earthquake compared to low-flying jet - BBC News By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Mon, 18 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMT Isle of Mull earthquake compared to low-flying jet BBC News Full Article
mpa Syntheses, crystal structures, and comparisons of rare-earth oxyapatites Ca2RE8(SiO4)6O2 (RE = La, Nd, Sm, Eu, or Yb) and NaLa9(SiO4)6O2 By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-06-21 Six different rare-earth oxyapatites, including Ca2RE8(SiO4)6O2 (RE = La, Nd, Sm, Eu, or Yb) and NaLa9(SiO4)6O2, were synthesized using solution-based processes followed by cold pressing and sintering. The crystal structures of the synthesized oxyapatites were determined from powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) and their chemistries verified with electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). All the oxyapatites were isostructural within the hexagonal space group P63/m and showed similar unit-cell parameters. The isolated [SiO4]4− tetrahedra in each crystal are linked by the cations at the 4f and 6h sites occupied by RE3+ and Ca2+ in Ca2RE8(SiO4)6O2 or La3+ and Na+ in NaLa9(SiO4)6O2. The lattice parameters, cell volumes, and densities of the synthesized oxyapatites fit well to the trendlines calculated from literature values. Full Article text
mpa Tetra-n-butylammonium orotate monohydrate: knowledge-based comparison of the results of accurate and lower-resolution analyses and a non-routine disorder refinement By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-10-08 The title hydrated molecular salt (systematic name: tetra-n-butylammonium 2,6-dioxo-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-4-carboxylate monohydrate), C16H36N+·C5H3N2O4−·H2O, crystallizes with N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonded double-stranded antiparallel ribbons consisting of the hydrophilic orotate monoanions and water molecules, separated by the bulky hydrophobic cations. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions of the structure are joined by weaker non-classical C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. An accurate structure analysis conducted at T = 100 K is compared to a lower-resolution less accurate determination using data measured at T = 295 K. The results of both analyses are evaluated using a knowledge-based approach, and it is found that the less accurate room-temperature structure analysis provides geometric data that are similar to those derived from the accurate low-temperature analysis, with both sets of results consistent with previously analyzed structures. A minor disorder of one methyl group in the cation at low temperature was found to be slightly more complex at room temperature; while still involving a minor fraction of the structure, the disorder at room temperature was found to require a non-routine treatment, which is described in detail. Full Article text
mpa Crystal structures and comparisons of huntite aluminum borates REAl3(BO3)4 (RE = Tb, Dy and Ho) By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-02-14 Three huntite-type aluminoborates of stoichiometry REAl3(BO3)4 (RE = Tb, Dy and Ho), namely, terbium/dysprosium/holmium trialuminium tetrakis(borate), were synthesized by slow cooling within a K2Mo3O10 flux with spontaneous crystallization. The crystal structures were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) data. The synthesized borates are isostructural to the huntite [CaMg3(CO3)4] structure and crystallized within the trigonal R32 space group. The structural parameters were compared to literature data of other huntite REAl3(BO3)4 crystals within the R32 space group. All three borates fit well into the trends calculated from the literature data. The unit-cell parameters and volumes increase linearly with larger RE cations whereas the densities decrease. All of the crystals studied were refined as inversion twins. Full Article text
mpa CrystalCMP: automatic comparison of molecular structures By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-04-23 This article describes new developments in the CrystalCMP software. In particular, an automatic procedure for comparison of molecular packing is presented. The key components are an automated procedure for fragment selection and the replacement of the angle calculation by root-mean-square deviation of atomic positions. The procedure was tested on a large data set taken from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and the results of all the comparisons were saved as an HTML page, which is freely available on the web. The analysis of the results allowed estimation of the threshold for identification of identical packing and allowed duplicates and entries with potentially incorrect space groups to be found in the CSD. Full Article text
mpa Impact and behavior of Sn during the Ni/GeSn solid-state reaction By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-04-14 Ni-based intermetallics are promising materials for forming efficient contacts in GeSn-based Si photonic devices. However, the role that Sn might have during the Ni/GeSn solid-state reaction (SSR) is not fully understood. A comprehensive analysis focused on Sn segregation during the Ni/GeSn SSR was carried out. In situ X-ray diffraction and cross-section transmission electron microscopy measurements coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and electron energy-loss spectroscopy atomic mappings were performed to follow the phase sequence, Sn distribution and segregation. The results showed that, during the SSR, Sn was incorporated into the intermetallic phases. Sn segregation happened first around the grain boundaries (GBs) and then towards the surface. Sn accumulation around GBs hampered atom diffusion, delaying the growth of the Ni(GeSn) phase. Higher thermal budgets will thus be mandatory for formation of contacts in high-Sn-content photonic devices, which could be detrimental for thermal stability. Full Article text
mpa Energetics of interactions in the solid state of 2-hydroxy-8-X-quinoline derivatives (X = Cl, Br, I, S-Ph): comparison of Hirshfeld atom, X-ray wavefunction and multipole refinements By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-07-15 In this work, two methods of high-resolution X-ray data refinement: multipole refinement (MM) and Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR) – together with X-ray wavefunction refinement (XWR) – are applied to investigate the refinement of positions and anisotropic thermal motion of hydrogen atoms, experiment-based reconstruction of electron density, refinement of anharmonic thermal vibrations, as well as the effects of excluding the weakest reflections in the refinement. The study is based on X-ray data sets of varying quality collected for the crystals of four quinoline derivatives with Cl, Br, I atoms and the -S-Ph group as substituents. Energetic investigations are performed, comprising the calculation of the energy of intermolecular interactions, cohesive and geometrical relaxation energy. The results obtained for experimentally derived structures are verified against the values calculated for structures optimized using dispersion-corrected periodic density functional theory. For the high-quality data sets (the Cl and -S-Ph compounds), both MM and XWR could be successfully used to refine the atomic displacement parameters and the positions of hydrogen atoms; however, the bond lengths obtained with XWR were more precise and closer to the theoretical values. In the application to the more challenging data sets (the Br and I compounds), only XWR enabled free refinement of hydrogen atom geometrical parameters, nevertheless, the results clearly showed poor data quality. For both refinement methods, the energy values (intermolecular interactions, cohesive and relaxation) calculated for the experimental structures were in similar agreement with the values associated with the optimized structures – the most significant divergences were observed when experimental geometries were biased by poor data quality. XWR was found to be more robust in avoiding incorrect distortions of the reconstructed electron density as a result of data quality issues. Based on the problem of anharmonic thermal motion refinement, this study reveals that for the most correct interpretation of the obtained results, it is necessary to use the complete data set, including the weak reflections in order to draw conclusions. Full Article text
mpa A comparative anatomy of protein crystals: lessons from the automatic processing of 56 000 samples By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-07-10 The fully automatic processing of crystals of macromolecules has presented a unique opportunity to gather information on the samples that is not usually recorded. This has proved invaluable in improving sample-location, characterization and data-collection algorithms. After operating for four years, MASSIF-1 has now processed over 56 000 samples, gathering information at each stage, from the volume of the crystal to the unit-cell dimensions, the space group, the quality of the data collected and the reasoning behind the decisions made in data collection. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to analyse these data together, providing a detailed landscape of macromolecular crystals, intimate details of their contents and, importantly, how the two are related. The data show that mosaic spread is unrelated to the size or shape of crystals and demonstrate experimentally that diffraction intensities scale in proportion to crystal volume and molecular weight. It is also shown that crystal volume scales inversely with molecular weight. The results set the scene for the development of X-ray crystallography in a changing environment for structural biology. Full Article text
mpa A comparative study of single-particle cryo-EM with liquid-nitrogen and liquid-helium cooling By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-10-22 Radiation damage is the most fundamental limitation for achieving high resolution in electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) of biological samples. The effects of radiation damage are reduced by liquid-helium cooling, although the use of liquid helium is more challenging than that of liquid nitrogen. To date, the benefits of liquid-nitrogen and liquid-helium cooling for single-particle cryo-EM have not been compared quantitatively. With recent technical and computational advances in cryo-EM image recording and processing, such a comparison now seems timely. This study aims to evaluate the relative merits of liquid-helium cooling in present-day single-particle analysis, taking advantage of direct electron detectors. Two data sets for recombinant mouse heavy-chain apoferritin cooled with liquid-nitrogen or liquid-helium to 85 or 17 K were collected, processed and compared. No improvement in terms of resolution or Coulomb potential map quality was found for liquid-helium cooling. Interestingly, beam-induced motion was found to be significantly higher with liquid-helium cooling, especially within the most valuable first few frames of an exposure, thus counteracting any potential benefit of better cryoprotection that liquid-helium cooling may offer for single-particle cryo-EM. Full Article text
mpa 3D-MiXD: 3D-printed X-ray-compatible microfluidic devices for rapid, low-consumption serial synchrotron crystallography data collection in flow By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-01-16 Serial crystallography has enabled the study of complex biological questions through the determination of biomolecular structures at room temperature using low X-ray doses. Furthermore, it has enabled the study of protein dynamics by the capture of atomically resolved and time-resolved molecular movies. However, the study of many biologically relevant targets is still severely hindered by high sample consumption and lengthy data-collection times. By combining serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX) with 3D printing, a new experimental platform has been created that tackles these challenges. An affordable 3D-printed, X-ray-compatible microfluidic device (3D-MiXD) is reported that allows data to be collected from protein microcrystals in a 3D flow with very high hit and indexing rates, while keeping the sample consumption low. The miniaturized 3D-MiXD can be rapidly installed into virtually any synchrotron beamline with only minimal adjustments. This efficient collection scheme in combination with its mixing geometry paves the way for recording molecular movies at synchrotrons by mixing-triggered millisecond time-resolved SSX. Full Article text
mpa Comparing serial X-ray crystallography and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) as methods for routine structure determination from small macromolecular crystals By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-02-26 Innovative new crystallographic methods are facilitating structural studies from ever smaller crystals of biological macromolecules. In particular, serial X-ray crystallography and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) have emerged as useful methods for obtaining structural information from crystals on the nanometre to micrometre scale. Despite the utility of these methods, their implementation can often be difficult, as they present many challenges that are not encountered in traditional macromolecular crystallography experiments. Here, XFEL serial crystallography experiments and MicroED experiments using batch-grown microcrystals of the enzyme cyclophilin A are described. The results provide a roadmap for researchers hoping to design macromolecular microcrystallography experiments, and they highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the two methods. Specifically, we focus on how the different physical conditions imposed by the sample-preparation and delivery methods required for each type of experiment affect the crystal structure of the enzyme. Full Article text
mpa Comparing the backfilling of mesoporous titania thin films with hole conductors of different sizes sharing the same mass density By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-02-12 Efficient infiltration of a mesoporous titania matrix with conducting organic polymers or small molecules is one key challenge to overcome for hybrid photovoltaic devices. A quantitative analysis of the backfilling efficiency with time-of-flight grazing incidence small-angle neutron scattering (ToF-GISANS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements is presented. Differences in the morphology due to the backfilling of mesoporous titania thin films are compared for the macromolecule poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexyl)-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-)-2-carboxylate-2-6-diyl)] (PTB7-Th) and the heavy-element containing small molecule 2-pinacolboronate-3-phenylphenanthro[9,10-b]tellurophene (PhenTe-BPinPh). Hence, a 1.7 times higher backfilling efficiency of almost 70% is achieved for the small molecule PhenTe-BPinPh compared with the polymer PTB7-Th despite sharing the same volumetric mass density. The precise characterization of structural changes due to backfilling reveals that the volumetric density of backfilled materials plays a minor role in obtaining good backfilling efficiencies and interfaces with large surface contact. Full Article text
mpa Probing the structural pathway of conformational polymorph nucleation by comparing a series of α,ω-alkanedicarboxylic acids By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-03-26 Herein the nucleation pathway of conformational polymorphs was revealed by studying the relationships and distinctions among a series of α,ω-alkanedicarboxylic acids [HOOC–(CH2)n−2–COOH, named DAn, where n = 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15] in the solid state and in solution. Their polymorphic outcomes, with the exception of DA5, show solvent dependence: form I with conformation I crystallizes from solvents with hydrogen-bond donating (HBD) ability, whereas form II with conformation II crystallizes preferentially from solvents with no HBD ability. In contrast, form II of DA5 does not crystallize in any of the solvents used. Quantum mechanical computation showed that there is no direct conformational link between the solvents and the resultant polymorphic outcomes. Surprisingly, solute aggregates were found in no-HBD solvents by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and only monomers could be detected in HBD solvents, suggesting stronger solvation. Furthermore, it was found that all six compounds including DA5 followed the same pattern in solution. Moreover, crystal-packing efficiency calculations and stability tests stated that dimorphs of DA5 bear a greater stability difference than others. These suggest that the rearrangement from conformation II to I could not be limited by hard desolvation in HBD solvents, where form I was also obtained. In other systems, metastable II was produced in the same solvents, probably as a result of the rearrangement being limited by hard desolvation. In this work, a comparative study uncovers the proposed nucleation pathway: difficulty in desolvation has a remarkable effect on the result of rearrangement and nucleation outcome. Full Article text
mpa Structural comparison of protiated, H/D-exchanged and deuterated human carbonic anhydrase IX By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-08-22 Human carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) expression is upregulated in hypoxic solid tumours, promoting cell survival and metastasis. This observation has made CA IX a target for the development of CA isoform-selective inhibitors. To enable structural studies of CA IX–inhibitor complexes using X-ray and neutron crystallography, a CA IX surface variant (CA IXSV; the catalytic domain with six surface amino-acid substitutions) has been developed that can be routinely crystallized. Here, the preparation of protiated (H/H), H/D-exchanged (H/D) and deuterated (D/D) CA IXSV for crystallographic studies and their structural comparison are described. Four CA IXSV X-ray crystal structures are compared: two H/H crystal forms, an H/D crystal form and a D/D crystal form. The overall active-site organization in each version is essentially the same, with only minor positional changes in active-site solvent, which may be owing to deuteration and/or resolution differences. Analysis of the crystal unit-cell packing reveals different crystallographic and noncrystallographic dimers of CA IXSV compared with previous reports. To our knowledge, this is the first report comparing three different deuterium-labelled crystal structures of the same protein, marking an important step in validating the active-site structure of CA IXSV for neutron protein crystallography. Full Article text
mpa Antibody fragments structurally enable a drug-discovery campaign on the cancer target Mcl-1 By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-10-31 Apoptosis is a crucial process by which multicellular organisms control tissue growth, removal and inflammation. Disruption of the normal apoptotic function is often observed in cancer, where cell death is avoided by the overexpression of anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) family, including Mcl-1 (myeloid cell leukaemia 1). This makes Mcl-1 a potential target for drug therapy, through which normal apoptosis may be restored by inhibiting the protective function of Mcl-1. Here, the discovery and biophysical properties of an anti-Mcl-1 antibody fragment are described and the utility of both the scFv and Fab are demonstrated in generating an Mcl-1 crystal system amenable to iterative structure-guided drug design. Full Article text
mpa Versatile compact heater design for in situ nano-tomography by transmission X-ray microscopy By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-04-16 A versatile, compact heater designed at National Synchrotron Light Source-II for in situ X-ray nano-imaging in a full-field transmission X-ray microscope is presented. Heater design for nano-imaging is challenging, combining tight spatial constraints with stringent design requirements for the temperature range and stability. Finite-element modeling and analytical calculations were used to determine the heater design parameters. Performance tests demonstrated reliable and stable performance, including maintaining the exterior casing close to room temperature while the heater is operating at above 1100°C, a homogenous heating zone and small temperature fluctuations. Two scientific experiments are presented to demonstrate the heater capabilities: (i) in situ 3D nano-tomography including a study of metal dealloying in a liquid molten salt extreme environment, and (ii) a study of pore formation in icosahedral quasicrystals. The progression of structural changes in both studies were clearly resolved in 3D, showing that the new heater enables powerful capabilities to directly visualize and quantify 3D morphological evolution of materials under real conditions by X-ray nano-imaging at elevated temperature during synthesis, fabrication and operation processes. This heater design concept can be applied to other applications where a precise, compact heater design is required. Full Article text
mpa Comparative study of the around-Fermi electronic structure of 5d metals and metal-oxides by means of high-resolution X-ray emission and absorption spectroscopies By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-04-14 The composition of occupied and unoccupied electronic states in the vicinity of Fermi energies is vital for all materials and relates to their physical, chemical and mechanical properties. This work demonstrates how the combination of resonant and non-resonant X-ray emission spectroscopies supplemented with theoretical modelling allows for quantitative analysis of electronic states in 5d transition metal and metal-oxide materials. Application of X-rays provides element selectivity that, in combination with the penetrating properties of hard X-rays, allows determination of the composition of electronic states under working conditions, i.e. non-vacuum environment. Tungsten metal and tungsten oxide are evaluated to show the capability to simultaneously assess composition of around-band-gap electronic states as well as the character and magnitude of the crystal field splitting. Full Article text
mpa High-efficiency ultra-precision comparator for d-spacing mapping measurement of silicon By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-03-13 This article describes a high-efficiency experimental configuration for a self-referenced lattice comparator with a `brush beam' of synchrotron radiation from a bending magnet and two linear position-sensitive photon-counting-type X-ray detectors. The efficiency is more than ten times greater compared with the `pencil-beam' configuration and a pair of zero-dimensional detectors. A solution for correcting the systematic deviation of d-spacing measurements caused by the horizontal non-uniformity of the brush beam is provided. Also, the use of photon-counting-type one-dimensional detectors not only improves the spatial resolution of the measurements remarkably but can also adjust the sample's attitude angles easily. Full Article text
mpa A comparison of gas stream cooling and plunge cooling of macromolecular crystals By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-08-23 Cryocooling for macromolecular crystallography is usually performed via plunging the crystal into a liquid cryogen or placing the crystal in a cold gas stream. These two approaches are compared here for the case of nitrogen cooling. The results show that gas stream cooling, which typically cools the crystal more slowly, yields lower mosaicity and, in some cases, a stronger anomalous signal relative to rapid plunge cooling. During plunging, moving the crystal slowly through the cold gas layer above the liquid surface can produce mosaicity similar to gas stream cooling. Annealing plunge cooled crystals by warming and recooling in the gas stream allows the mosaicity and anomalous signal to recover. For tetragonal thermolysin, the observed effects are less pronounced when the cryosolvent has smaller thermal contraction, under which conditions the protein structures from plunge cooled and gas stream cooled crystals are very similar. Finally, this work also demonstrates that the resolution dependence of the reflecting range is correlated with the cooling method, suggesting it may be a useful tool for discerning whether crystals are cooled too rapidly. The results support previous studies suggesting that slower cooling methods are less deleterious to crystal order, as long as ice formation is prevented and dehydration is limited. Full Article text
mpa In meso crystallogenesis. Compatibility of the lipid cubic phase with the synthetic digitonin analogue, glyco-diosgenin By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-03-25 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. Full Article text
mpa In-house texture measurement using a compact neutron source By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-03-25 In order to improve the instrumental accessibility of neutron diffraction techniques, many emerging compact neutron sources and in-house neutron diffractometers are being developed, even though the precision level of neutron diffraction experiments performed on such instruments was thought to be incomparable with that of large-scale neutron facilities. As a challenging project, the RIKEN accelerator-driven compact neutron source (RANS) was employed here to establish the technical environment for texture measurements, and the recalculated pole figures and orientation distribution functions of an interstitial-free steel sheet obtained from RANS were compared with the results from another two neutron diffractometers well established for texture measurement. These quantitative comparisons revealed that the precise neutron diffraction texture measurement at RANS has been realized successfully, and the fine region division of the neutron detector panel is invaluable for improving the stereographic resolution of texture measurements. Moreover, through selectively using the parts of the obtained neutron diffraction patterns that exhibit good statistics, the Rietveld texture analysis improves the reliability of the texture measurement to a certain extent. These technical research results may accelerate the development of other easily accessible techniques for evaluation of engineering materials using compact neutron sources, and also help to improve the data-collection efficiency for various time-resolved scattering experiments at large-scale neutron facilities. Full Article text
mpa Diffracting-grain identification from electron backscatter diffraction maps during residual stress measurements: a comparison between the sin2ψ and cosα methods By journals.iucr.org Published On :: The sin2ψ and cosα methods are compared via diffracting-grain identification from electron backscatter diffraction maps. Artificial textures created by the X-ray diffraction measurements are plotted and X-ray elastic constants of the diffracting-grain sets are computed. Full Article text
mpa The Philosophy of Science – A Companion. Edited by Anouk Baberousse, Denis Bonnay and Mikael Cozic. Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. 768. Price GBP 64.00. ISBN-13 9780190690649. By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Book review Full Article text
mpa Impact and behavior of Sn during the Ni/GeSn solid-state reaction By journals.iucr.org Published On :: A comprehensive analysis focused on Sn segregation during the Ni/GeSn solid-state reaction was carried out. It was demonstrated that Sn is soluble in the various Ni/GeSn intermetallic phases and that, when the temperature increases, the Sn segregation occurs first at grain boundaries, which can hamper Ni diffusion and delay the intermetallic formation. Full Article text
mpa CrystalCMP: automatic comparison of molecular structures By journals.iucr.org Published On :: New developments in the program CrystalCMP are presented, and the program is tested on a large number of crystal structures extracted from the Cambridge Structural Database. Full Article text
mpa Dark-field electron holography as a recording of crystal diffraction in real space: a comparative study with high-resolution X-ray diffraction for strain analysis of MOSFETs By journals.iucr.org Published On :: A detailed theoretical and experimental comparison of dark-field electron holography (DFEH) and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) is performed. Both techniques are being applied to measure elastic strain in an array of transistors and the role of the geometric phase is emphasized. Full Article text
mpa Great Sichuan earthquake of 2008 had little impact on of China’s wild takins By insider.si.edu Published On :: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:27:51 +0000 Data from a recent study of wild takins in the high-altitude forests of the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in southeast China has shown that the […] The post Great Sichuan earthquake of 2008 had little impact on of China’s wild takins appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Research News Science & Nature biodiversity endangered species mammals Smithsonian's National Zoo
mpa Giant impact may explain origin of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos By insider.si.edu Published On :: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:31:16 +0000 The Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, may have been the result of a giant impact that sent rocks and debris into orbit around Mars, instead of asteroids that were captured by the planet’s gravity as previously thought. The post Giant impact may explain origin of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Research News Science & Nature Space asteroids astronomy astrophysics geology National Air and Space Museum
mpa New Mathias Lab at Environmental Research Center will have low environmental impact By insider.si.edu Published On :: Mon, 09 May 2011 12:35:20 +0000 The expanded and remodeled Mathias Laboratory, named in honor of U.S. Senator Charles "Mac" Mathias Jr. (1922-2010) (R-Md.) will have a low environmental impact on all fronts, from where it gets its power to where it gets its materials. The post New Mathias Lab at Environmental Research Center will have low environmental impact appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Research News Science & Nature biodiversity conservation conservation biology Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
mpa Study reveals environmental impact of American Indian farms centuries before Europeans arrived in North America By insider.si.edu Published On :: Mon, 09 May 2011 15:48:44 +0000 The new research reveals that from the period between 1100-1600 small agricultural settlements up and down the Delaware River Valley caused a 50-percent increase in sediment runoff into the Delaware River. The post Study reveals environmental impact of American Indian farms centuries before Europeans arrived in North America appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Anthropology Research News Science & Nature archaeology climate change conservation National Museum of Natural History
mpa Report paints a new picture of early human impact on the Amazon River Basin By insider.si.edu Published On :: Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:28:21 +0000 The newly reported reconstruction of Amazonian prehistory by a Smithsonian scientist, Dolores R. Piperno, and her colleagues suggests that large areas of western Amazonia were sparsely inhabited. The post Report paints a new picture of early human impact on the Amazon River Basin appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Anthropology Dinosaurs & Fossils Research News Science & Nature biodiversity National Museum of Natural History Peru South America Tropical Research Institute
mpa Scientists find impact of open-ocean industrial fishing within centuries of bird bones By insider.si.edu Published On :: Mon, 13 May 2013 19:28:27 +0000 The impact of industrial fishing on coastal ecosystems has been studied for many years. But how it affects food webs in the open ocean―a vast […] The post Scientists find impact of open-ocean industrial fishing within centuries of bird bones appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Dinosaurs & Fossils Marine Science Research News Science & Nature biodiversity birds conservation conservation biology endangered species fishes fossils National Museum of Natural History osteology prehistoric squid
mpa Effects of human impact are long lasting for forests in Northeast U.S. By insider.si.edu Published On :: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:48:31 +0000 Grow fast, die young is not a lifestyle normally associated with trees. But in the forests of the Northeastern United States the red maple follows […] The post Effects of human impact are long lasting for forests in Northeast U.S. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Research News Science & Nature biodiversity birds carbon dioxide climate change conservation conservation biology insects Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
mpa Study: Bleaching events impair long-term coral reproduction By insider.si.edu Published On :: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 23:59:00 +0000 A new study by Florida State University and Smithsonian Institution biologists shows that bleaching events brought on by rising sea temperatures are having a detrimental […] The post Study: Bleaching events impair long-term coral reproduction appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Animals Marine Science Research News Science & Nature biodiversity carbon dioxide Caribbean climate change conservation conservation biology coral reefs endangered species fishes National Museum of Natural History Tropical Research Institute
mpa A Purple Accident and Its Vibrant Impact on the Modern World By insider.si.edu Published On :: Wed, 23 Mar 2016 12:07:49 +0000 If you were an average person in the 18th and early 19th centuries, chances are your wardrobe was 50 shades of beige, with maybe a […] The post A Purple Accident and Its Vibrant Impact on the Modern World appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Art History & Culture Science & Nature chromatics National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Libraries
mpa Peacock bass invasion Had devastating, long-term impact on Panama’s Fish By insider.si.edu Published On :: Mon, 12 Dec 2016 18:21:20 +0000 In 1969, 60 to 100 peacock bass imported from Buga, Colombia, were introduced into a pond in Panama for sport fishing. Several individuals escaped. By […] The post Peacock bass invasion Had devastating, long-term impact on Panama’s Fish appeared first on Smithsonian Insider. Full Article Animals Marine Science Research News Science & Nature Spotlight invasive species Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
mpa Compartmentalization of adenosine metabolism in cancer cells and its modulation during acute hypoxia [RESEARCH ARTICLE] By jcs.biologists.org Published On :: 2020-04-21T05:32:09-07:00 Karolina Losenkova, Mariachiara Zuccarini, Marika Karikoski, Juha Laurila, Detlev Boison, Sirpa Jalkanen, and Gennady G. YegutkinExtracellular adenosine mediates diverse anti-inflammatory, angiogenic and vasoactive effects and becomes an important therapeutic target for cancer, which has been translated into clinical trials. This study was designed to comprehensively assess adenosine metabolism in prostate and breast cancer cells. We identified cellular adenosine turnover as a complex cascade, comprised of (a) the ectoenzymatic breakdown of ATP via sequential nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase-1, ecto-5’-nucleotidase/CD73 and adenosine deaminase reactions, and ATP re-synthesis through counteracting adenylate kinase and nucleoside diphosphokinase; (b) the uptake of nucleotide-derived adenosine via equilibrative nucleoside transporters; and (c) the intracellular adenosine phosphorylation into ATP by adenosine kinase and other nucleotide kinases. The exposure of cancer cells to 1% O2 for 24 hours triggered ~2-fold up-regulation of CD73, without affecting nucleoside transporters, adenosine kinase activity and cellular ATP content. The ability of adenosine to inhibit the tumor-initiating potential of breast cancer cells via receptor-independent mechanism was confirmed in vivo using a xenograft mouse model. The existence of redundant pathways controlling extracellular and intracellular adenosine provides a sufficient justification for reexamination of the current concepts of cellular purine homeostasis and signaling in cancer. Full Article
mpa OPTN recruitment to a Golgi-proximal compartment regulates immune signalling and cytokine secretion [RESEARCH ARTICLE] By jcs.biologists.org Published On :: 2020-05-06T08:30:40-07:00 Thomas O'Loughlin, Antonina J. Kruppa, Andre L. R. Ribeiro, James R. Edgar, Abdulaziz Ghannam, Andrew M. Smith, and Folma BussOptineurin (OPTN) is a multifunctional protein involved in autophagy, secretion as well as NF-B and IRF3 signalling and OPTN mutations are associated with several human diseases. Here we show that, in response to viral RNA, OPTN translocates to foci in the perinuclear region, where it negatively regulates NF-B and IRF3 signalling pathways and downstream pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. These OPTN foci consist of a tight cluster of small membrane vesicles, which are positive for ATG9A. Disease mutations linked to POAG cause aberrant foci formation in the absence of stimuli, which correlates with the ability of OPTN to inhibit signalling. Using proximity labelling proteomics, we identify the LUBAC complex, CYLD and TBK1 as part of the OPTN interactome and show that these proteins are recruited to this OPTN-positive perinuclear compartment. Our work uncovers a crucial role for OPTN in dampening NF-B and IRF3 signalling through the sequestration of LUBAC and other positive regulators in this viral RNA-induced compartment leading to altered pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Full Article