Crystallization and preliminary diffraction studies of morphinone reductase, a flavoprotein involved in the degradation of morphine alkaloids

Morphinone reductase from Pseudomonas putida M10, a flavoprotein involved in the degradation of morphine alkaloids, was purified from an overexpressing strain of Escherichia coli and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Diffraction data were collected to 2.5 Å. The I-centred orthorhombic cell has a monomer in the asymmetric trait. Preliminary molecular replacement calculations have been performed using Old Yellow Enzyme as the search model

Tuning the charge-transfer energy in hole-doped cuprates

Chemical substitution, combined with strain, allows the charge-transfer energy in hole-doped cuprates to be broadly tuned. We theoretically characterize the structural and electronic properties of the family of compounds $R_2$CuO$_2$S$_2$, constructed by sulfur replacement of the apical oxygens and rare earth substitutions in the parent cuprate La$_2$CuO$_4$. Additionally, the enthalpies of formation for possible synthesis pathways are determined.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Tuberculosis vaccine strain _Mycobacterium bovis_ BCG Russia is a natural _recA_ mutant

The current tuberculosis vaccine is a live vaccine derived from _Mycobacterium bovis_ and attenuated by serial _in vitro_ passaging. All vaccine substrains in use stem from one source, strain Bacille Calmette-Guérin. However, they differ in regions of genomic deletions, antigen expression levels, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy. As a RecA phenotype increases genetic stability and may contribute restricting the ongoing evolution of the various BCG substrains, we aimed to inactivate _recA_ by allelic replacement in BCG vaccine strains representing different phylogenetic lineages (Pasteur, Frappier, Denmark, Russia). Homologous gene replacement was successful in three out of four strains. However, only illegitimate recombination was observed in BCG substrain Russia. Sequence analyses of _recA_ revealed that a single nucleotide insertion in the 5' part of _recA_ led to a translational frameshift with an early stop codon making BCG Russia a natural _recA_ mutant. At the protein level BCG Russia failed to express RecA. According to phylogenetic analyses BCG Russia is an ancient vaccine strain most closely related to the parental _M. bovis_. Our data suggest that _recA_ inactivation in BCG Russia occurred early and is in part responsible for its high degree of genomic stability, resulting in a substrain that has less genetic alterations than other vaccine substrains with respect to _M. bovis_ AF2122/97 wild type

Farm-economics of genetically improved carp strains in major Asian countries and carp seed price policy model

The study has conducted the micro level analysis of hatchery operators, fishseed-rearing farmers and carp farmers with respect to their socio-economic characteristics, infrastructural development, husbandry practices and economics returns, based on the survey and on-farm trial data collected by the research partners in six Asian countries, viz. Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The genetically-improved carp strain is economically viable and socially acceptable. The attractive profits to hatchery operators and nursery and carp farmers have created conducive environment for the dissemination of improved carp strain. Price policy models for improved strains have been developed. The premium price for fingerlings and broodstock with improved strain has been assessed. The high price of genetically-improved nuclear seed and broodstock would build self-supportive research and extension systems in the country. A business plan for Jayanti rohu has been worked out, as an example for replacement of rohu by Jayanti rohu.Livestock Production/Industries,

The Effects of Age, Gender and Job Strain on Labour Market Outflow: An Exploratory Study

The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of the causes of replacement demand and labour market outflow. A better understanding of the factors that explain why workers flow out is needed for the Netherlands because this country is faced with a particularly high labour market outflow, reflected in a very low participation rate. In our investigation, we focus on different indicators of job strain, as well as variables such as age, gender and job level. We perform both univariate and multivariate regressions to find the effects of these variables on the net flows on the labour market. The regression results reveal that age, gender and (to a lesser extent) job level have the strongest connection with and effect on outflow. The regressions also show that job strain has hardly any noticeable effect on net flow.education, training and the labour market;

Managing and Feeding Egg Strain Replacement Pullets.

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ALE-based ductile damage and fracture

Mixed methods have been used with success in finite strain elasto-plastic with damage for decades. The subsequent stage is now dealt with enrichment methods, either local such as SDA or global such as XFEM. These are only suitable for academic fracture problems. Modeling of multiple crack intersection and coalescence can more directly done by remeshing techniques. Disadvantages of these are lower mesh quality (even blade and dagger-shaped finite elements), deteriorated crack path prediction and cumbersome coding. In order to overcome these difficulties, an approach fully capable of dealing with multiple advancing cracks and self-contact is presented. This approach uses the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method (ALE) and localized remeshing at the tips (simpler than a full remeshing) and therefore mesh quality is better during crack evolution. Our nonlocal pressure-gradient element is used with full anisotropic finite strain elasto-plasticity based on smooth Mangasarian replacement functions (without return mapping). The critical crack front is identified and propagated when Strong Ellipticity is lost at each single Gauss point

Dynamics of new strain emergence on a temporal network

Multi-strain competition on networks is observed in many contexts, including infectious disease ecology, information dissemination or behavioral adaptation to epidemics. Despite a substantial body of research has been developed considering static, time-aggregated networks, it remains a challenge to understand the transmission of concurrent strains when links of the network are created and destroyed over time. Here we analyze how network dynamics shapes the outcome of the competition between an initially endemic strain and an emerging one, when both strains follow a susceptible-infected-susceptible dynamics, and spread at time scales comparable with the network evolution one. Using time-resolved data of close-proximity interactions between patients admitted to a hospital and medical health care workers, we analyze the impact of temporal patterns and initial conditions on the dominance diagram and coexistence time. We find that strong variations in activity volume cause the probability that the emerging strain replaces the endemic one to be highly sensitive to the time of emergence. The temporal structure of the network shapes the dominance diagram, with significant variations in the replacement probability (for a given set of epidemiological parameters) observed from the empirical network and a randomized version of it. Our work contributes towards the description of the complex interplay between competing pathogens on temporal networks.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Routine characterization and interpretation of complex alkali feldspar intergrowths

Almost all alkali feldspar crystals contain a rich inventory of exsolution, twin, and domain microtextures that form subsequent to crystal growth and provide a record of the thermal history of the crystal and often of its involvement in replacement reactions, sometimes multiple. Microtextures strongly influence the subsequent behavior of feldspars at low temperatures during diagenesis and weathering. They are central to the retention or exchange of trace elements and of radiogenic and stable isotopes. This review is aimed at petrologists and geochemists who wish to use alkali feldspar microtextures to solve geological problems or who need to understand how microtextures influence a particular process. We suggest a systematic approach that employs methods available in most well founded laboratories. The crystallographic relationships of complex feldspar intergrowths were established by the 1970s, mainly using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, but such methods give limited information on the spatial relationships of the different elements of the microtexture, or of the mode and chronology of their formation, which require the use of microscopy. We suggest a combination of techniques with a range of spatial resolution and strongly recommend the use of orientated sections. Sections cut parallel to the perfect (001) and (010) cleavages are the easiest to locate and most informative. Techniques described are light microscopy; scanning electron microscopy using both backscattered and secondary electrons, including the use of surfaces etched in the laboratory; electron-probe microanalysis and analysis by energy-dispersive spectrometry in a scanning electron microscope; transmission electron microscopy. We discuss the use of cathodoluminescence as an auxiliary technique, but do not recommend electron-backscattered diffraction for feldspar work. We review recent publications that provide examples of the need for great care and attention to pre-existing work in microtextural studies, and suggest several topics for future work