It follows letter seeking reimbursement

"If cancer could do me no harm, what can Covid do?" This was the confidence that 74-year-old Yusuf Hotelwala exuded while leaving for the Covid care centre in Vadodara after testing positive a week ago. On Saturday, Hotelwala, who suffers from peritoneal mesothelioma and has already survived two heart attacks was beaming as doctors confirmed his recovery.

The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are set to be back underway on May 16.

The resumption of the German Bundesliga next weekend amid the COVID-19 crisis will give hope to other European leagues that they can also successfully return, according to Schalke 04 coach David Wagner.

'When we talk about social distancing, it almost impossible to maintain this in slums.' 'So we had to talk to the people about cleanliness.' 'It was a task because everybody uses public toilets. So our volunteers targeted those spots to spread awareness.'

Ancient tsunami may have struck Falkland Islands  BBC News

Holderness coast: Major cliff landslides 'every six years'  BBC News

Isle of Mull earthquake compared to low-flying jet  BBC News

Ancient underwater landslides help Brit scientists predict tsunamis  Metro.co.uk

Ancient underwater landslides help predict tsunami risk  Aberdeen Evening Express

Solute carriers are a large class of transporters that play key roles in normal and disease physiology. Among the solute carriers, heteromeric amino-acid transporters (HATs) are unique in their quaternary structure. LAT1–CD98hc, a HAT, transports essential amino acids and drugs across the blood–brain barrier and into cancer cells. It is therefore an important target both biologically and therapeutically. During the course of this work, cryo-EM structures of LAT1–CD98hc in the inward-facing conformation and in either the substrate-bound or apo states were reported to 3.3–3.5 Å resolution [Yan et al. (2019), Nature (London), 568, 127–130]. Here, these structures are analyzed together with our lower resolution cryo-EM structure, and multibody 3D auto-refinement against single-particle cryo-EM data was used to characterize the dynamics of the interaction of CD98hc and LAT1. It is shown that the CD98hc ectodomain and the LAT1 extracellular surface share no substantial interface. This allows the CD98hc ectodomain to have a high degree of movement within the extracellular space. The functional implications of these aspects are discussed together with the structure determination.

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.

A tandem-double-slit optical system was constructed to evaluate the practical beam emittance of undulator radiation. The optical system was a combination of an upstream slit (S1) and downstream slit (S2) aligned on the optical axis with an appropriate separation. The intensity distribution after the double slits, I(x1, x2), was measured by scanning S1 and S2 in the horizontal direction. Coordinates having 1/sqrt e intensity were extracted from I(x1, x2), whose contour provided the standard deviation ellipse in the x1–x2 space. I(x1, x2) was converted to the corresponding distribution in the phase space, I(x1, x1'). The horizontal beam emittance was evaluated to be 3.1 nm rad, which was larger than the value of 2.4 nm rad estimated by using ray-tracing. It was found that the increase was mainly due to an increase in beam divergence rather than size.

Aerobic thermoacidophilic archaea belonging to the genus Sulfolobus harbor peroxiredoxins, thiol-dependent peroxidases that assist in protecting the cells from oxidative damage. Here, the crystal structure of the 1-Cys peroxiredoxin from Sulfolobus islandicus, named 1-Cys SiPrx, is presented. A 2.75 Å resolution data set was collected from a crystal belonging to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 86.8, b = 159.1, c = 189.3 Å, α = β = γ = 90°. The structure was solved by molecular replacement using the homologous Aeropyrum pernix peroxiredoxin (ApPrx) structure as a search model. In the crystal structure, 1-Cys SiPrx assembles into a ring-shaped decamer composed of five homodimers. This quaternary structure corresponds to the oligomeric state of the protein in solution, as observed by size-exclusion chromatography. 1-Cys SiPrx harbors only a single cysteine, which is the peroxidatic cysteine, and lacks both of the cysteines that are highly conserved in the C-terminal arm domain in other archaeal Prx6-subfamily proteins such as ApPrx and that are involved in the association of dimers into higher-molecular-weight decamers and dodecamers. It is thus concluded that the Sulfolobus Prx6-subfamily protein undergoes decamerization independently of arm-domain cysteines.

A recent study of dog bones excavated from archaeological sites on the Channel Islands of California has cast new light on the past ecology of the islands and the impact that domestic dogs--brought to the islands by Native Americans more than 6,000 years ago—may have once had on the islands’ animals and ecosystems.

The post Dog bones reveal ecological history of California’s Channel Islands appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Long before dawn on a recent morning, Katie Milton and a group of stalwart volunteers, each armed with flashlight and compass, spread out into the jungle to take up positions at 35 listening stations marked on maps of the island.

The post Census reveals 1,200 howler monkeys living on Barro Colorado Island appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute conducted three different kinds of genetics tests and all yielded the same result—the Galapagos seabirds have been genetically different from the magnificent frigatebirds elsewhere for more than half a million years.

The post Genetic surprise: Magnificent frigatebird living on Galapagos Islands is distinct species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has unveiled a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way--a finding likened in terms of scale to the discovery of a new continent on Earth. The feature, which spans 50,000 light-years, may be the remnant of an eruption from a supersized black hole at the center of our galaxy.

The post Astronomers find giant, previously unseen structure in our galaxy appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal, staff members are taking down a network of seven tall Automated Radio Telemetry System towers used to track animals wearing radio-transmitters. Scientists on the island are switching to GPS and camera trap systems to produce more data with less infrastructure.

The post GPS and camera traps to replace radio antennas in tracking animals on Barro Colorado Island appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

National Zoo lion keeper Rebecca Stites, at right in photo, was joined by Georgie Henley, at left in photo, and Skandar Keynes, actors in the […]

The post Zoo lion cub named “Aslan” by actors Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Evidence for a diversified sea-based economy among North American inhabitants dating from 12,200 to 11,400 years ago is emerging from three sites on California's Channel Islands.

The post New archaeological evidence reveals California’s Channel Islands as North America’s earliest seafaring economy appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian scientists have discovered hundreds of new species around the world. To mark this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity, May 22, here is a […]

The post Slideshow: Species discovered by Smithsonian researchers the past decade appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers have probed into the distant universe and discovered that galaxies display one of two distinct behaviors: they are either awake or asleep, actively forming stars or are not forming any new stars at all.

The post Astronomers find that galaxies are either asleep or awake appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new study on the dodo’s island home of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, paints a picture of this unusual bird as an intrepid survivor on par with the giant tortoise for its resiliency.

The post Dodo bird a resilient island survivor before the arrival of humans, study reveals appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New observations by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, show there are significantly fewer near-Earth asteroids in the mid-size range than previously thought.

The post Infrared survey reveals fewer near-Earth asteroids than previously thought appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The first DNA barcoding survey of crustaceans living on samples of dead coral taken from the Indian, Pacific and Caribbean oceans suggests that the diversity of organisms living on the world’s coral reefs—one of the most endangered habitats on Earth—is seriously underestimated.

The post New DNA study suggests coral reef biodiversity is seriously underestimated appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Two new species of blind snakes found living on small, low-lying atolls in the Caroline Islands, are an unexpected discovery that is quite difficult to explain,

The post Not on a plane, but how did blind snakes ever get to the Pacific’s Caroline Islands? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and their colleagues at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies have invented a new computational approach that can accurately follow the birth and evolution of thousands of galaxies over billions of years.

The post Recreating a slice of the universe appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are recommending that Panama adopt revised traffic patterns and slower speeds for vessels crossing the Gulf of Panama to reduce the risk of collisions between ships and whales.

The post Ships need to slow down for whales in Gulf of Panama, scientists advise appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists and collaborators have found that the island scrub-jay’s population on Santa Cruz Island—its only habitat—is significantly smaller than previously believed […]

The post New count reveals scrub-jay on Santa Cruz Island is among rarest bird species in the U.S. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

This past summer, Laura Walker became the first scientist to collect slime molds from soils at the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Panama, a reserve administered by the Smithsonain since 1946.

The post Panama’s slime molds get attention from Arkansas University grad student 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.

Striking Caribbean sunsets occur when particles in the air scatter incoming sunlight. But a particulate shadow over the sea may have effects underwater. A research […]

The post Human shadow cast over the Caribbean slows coral growth appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Unique among Earth’s creatures, turtles are the only animals to form a shell on the outside of their bodies through a fusion of modified ribs, […]

The post Discovery: Turtle shells appeared 40 million years earlier than previously believed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Mortlock Islands flying fox, a large, breadfruit-eating bat native to a few remote and tiny Pacific islands, has long been regarded as one of […]

The post Scientists shine light on world’s least-studied bat: Mortlock Islands flying fox appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Here at Smithsonian Science we are celebrating Sloth Week with four little-known facts about sloths, some of which we found in the Smithsonian’s very own […]

The post Discover sloths in a whole new way! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

It is related to one of the world’s most destructive invasive species, and possibly the slimiest. Thirty-five pounds of live giant West African snails (Archachatina […]

The post Slimy invaders, giant snails: Q&A with mollusk expert Ellen Strong appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Size isn’t the only thing that’s small about the pygmy sloth―its population is too. But scientists at the Smithsonian say things may be looking up […]

The post Study reveals more Pygmy Sloths, But There Still Aren’t Many appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Like other kids at summer camp, a group of youngsters in the cities of Miami, Okla. and Fort Wayne, Ind. play games, work on crafts […]

The post Digitized, Searchable Archives Help Revive ‘Sleeping’ Languages appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

California’s Channel Islands are located dozens of miles west of the state’s coast and surrounded by Pacific waters, yet they too are experiencing the same […]

The post Drought slows wildlife reproduction on California’s Channel Islands appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Thirty years after the scimitar-horned oyrx were driven to extinction, the desert antelope will return to the last-known place it existed: Chad’s Sahelian grasslands. The […]

The post Extinct-in-the-Wild Antelope Return to the Grasslands of Chad appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A one-cubic-foot approach to studying biodiversity as showcased in the new Biocube exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has led to the […]

The post New parasitic crab species discovered during Smithsonian Biocube work in Solomon Islands appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Victor J. F. Kitano, Yoko Ohyama, Chiyomi Hayashida, Junta Ito, Mari Okayasu, Takuya Sato, Toru Ogasawara, Maki Tsujita, Akemi Kakino, Jun Shimada, Tatsuya Sawamura, and Yoshiyuki Hakeda

Osteoporosis is associated with vessel diseases attributed to hyperlipidemia, and bone resorption by multinucleated osteoclasts is related to lipid metabolism. In this study, we generated low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)/lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) double knockout (dKO) mice. We found that, like LDLR single KO (sKO), LDLR/LOX-1 dKO impaired cell-cell fusion of osteoclast-like cells (OCLs). LDLR/LOX-1 dKO and LDLR sKO preosteoclasts exhibited decreased uptake of LDL. The cell surface cholesterol levels of both LDLR/LOX-1 dKO and LDLR sKO osteoclasts were lower than the levels of wild-type OCLs. Additionally, the amount of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) on the cell surface was attenuated in LDLR/LOX-1 dKO and LDLR sKO pre-OCLs, while the PE distribution in wild-type OCLs was concentrated on the filopodia in contact with neighboring cells. Abrogation of the ATP binding cassette G1 (ABCG1) transporter, which transfers PE to the cell surface, caused decreased PE translocation to the cell surface and subsequent cell-cell fusion. The findings of this study indicate the involvement of a novel cascade (LDLR~ABCG1~PE translocation to cell surface~cell-cell fusion) in multinucleation of OCLs.

Tara L. Mastro, Vishnu P. Tripathi, and Susan L. Forsburg

Translesion synthesis polymerases (TLSPs) are non-essential error-prone enzymes that ensure cell survival by facilitating DNA replication in the presence of DNA damage. In addition to their role in bypassing lesions, TLSPs have been implicated in meiotic double strand break repair in several systems. Here we examine the joint contribution of four TLS polymerases to meiotic progression in the fission yeast S. pombe. We observed the dramatic loss of spore viability in fission yeast lacking all four TLSPs which is accompanied by disruptions in chromosome segregation during meiosis I and II. Rec8 cohesin dynamics are altered in the absence of the TLSPs. These data suggest that the TLSPs contribute to multiple aspects of meiotic chromosome dynamics.

Mei Wang, Luping Yu, Shu Wang, Fan Yang, Min Wang, Lufan Li, and Xin Wu

RNA-binding protein LIN28A is required for maintaining tissue homeostasis, including the reproductive system, but the underlying mechanisms on how LIN28A regulates germline progenitors remain unclear. Here, we dissected LIN28A-binding targets using high-throughput sequencing of RNAs isolated by crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP) in the mouse testes. LIN28A preferentially binds to CDS or 3'UTR regions through these sites with GGAG(A) sequences enriched within mRNAs. Further investigation of Lin28a null mouse testes indicated that meiosis-associated mRNAs mediated by LIN28A were differentially expressed. Next, ribosome profiling revealed that the mRNA levels of these targets were significantly reduced in polysome fractions, and their protein expression levels decreased in the Lin28a null mouse testes, even when meiotic arrest in null mouse testes was not apparent. Collectively, these findings provide a set of binding targets that are regulated by LIN28A, which may potentially be the mechanism for the prominent role of LIN28A in regulating mammalian undifferentiated spermatogonia fates and male fertility.

The geologic faults responsible for the rise of the eastern Andes mountains in Colombia became active 25 million years ago—18 million years before the previously accepted start date for the Andes’ rise.

The post Andes Mountains Are Older Than Previously Believed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.