804 research outputs found
An Extended Model for the Evolution of Prebiotic Homochirality: A Bottom-Up Approach to the Origin of Life
A generalized autocatalytic model for chiral polymerization is investigated
in detail. Apart from enantiomeric cross-inhibition, the model allows for the
autogenic (non-catalytic) formation of left and right-handed monomers from a
substrate with reaction rates and , respectively. The
spatiotemporal evolution of the net chiral asymmetry is studied for models with
several values of the maximum polymer length, N. For N=2, we study the validity
of the adiabatic approximation often cited in the literature. We show that the
approximation obtains the correct equilibrium values of the net chirality, but
fails to reproduce the short time behavior. We show also that the autogenic
term in the full N=2 model behaves as a control parameter in a chiral symmetry-
breaking phase transition leading to full homochirality from racemic initial
conditions. We study the dynamics of the N -> infinity model with symmetric
() autogenic formation, showing that it only achieves
homochirality for , where is an N-dependent
critical value. For we investigate the behavior of
models with several values of N, showing that the net chiral asymmetry grows as
tanh(N). We show that for a given symmetric autogenic reaction rate, the net
chirality and the concentrations of chirally pure polymers increase with the
maximum polymer length in the model. We briefly discuss the consequences of our
results for the development of homochirality in prebiotic Earth and possible
experimental verification of our findings
Altered thymic differentiation and modulation of arthritis by invariant NKT cells expressing mutant ZAP70
Various subsets of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells with different cytokine productions develop in the mouse thymus, but the factors driving their differentiation remain unclear. Here we show that hypomorphic alleles of Zap70 or chemical inhibition of Zap70 catalysis leads to an increase of IFN-gamma-producing iNKT cells (NKT1 cells), suggesting that NKT1 cells may require a lower TCR signal threshold. Zap70 mutant mice develop IL-17-dependent arthritis. In a mouse experimental arthritis model, NKT17 cells are increased as the disease progresses, while NKT1 numbers negatively correlates with disease severity, with this protective effect of NKT1 linked to their IFN-gamma expression. NKT1 cells are also present in the synovial fluid of arthritis patients. Our data therefore suggest that TCR signal strength during thymic differentiation may influence not only IFN-gamma production, but also the protective function of iNKT cells in arthritis
Driven coherent oscillations of a single electron spin in a quantum dot
The ability to control the quantum state of a single electron spin in a
quantum dot is at the heart of recent developments towards a scalable
spin-based quantum computer. In combination with the recently demonstrated
exchange gate between two neighbouring spins, driven coherent single spin
rotations would permit universal quantum operations. Here, we report the
experimental realization of single electron spin rotations in a double quantum
dot. First, we apply a continuous-wave oscillating magnetic field, generated
on-chip, and observe electron spin resonance in spin-dependent transport
measurements through the two dots. Next, we coherently control the quantum
state of the electron spin by applying short bursts of the oscillating magnetic
field and observe about eight oscillations of the spin state (so-called Rabi
oscillations) during a microsecond burst. These results demonstrate the
feasibility of operating single-electron spins in a quantum dot as quantum
bits.Comment: Total 25 pages. 11 pages main text, 5 figures, 9 pages supplementary
materia
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Risk preference and choice stochasticity during decisions for other people
In several contexts, such as finance and politics, people make choices that are relevant for others but irrelevant for oneself. Focusing on decision-making under risk, we compared monetary choices made for oneβs own interest with choices made on behalf of an anonymous individual. Consistent with the previous literature, other-interest choices were characterized by an increased gambling propensity. We also investigated choice stochasticity, which captures how much decisions vary in similar conditions. An aspect related to choice stochasticity is how much decisions are tuned to the option values, and we found that this was higher during self-interest than during other-interest choices. This effect was observed only in individuals who reported a motivation to distribute rewards unequally, suggesting that it may (at least partially) depend on a motivation to make accurate decisions for others. Our results indicate that, during decision-making under risk, choices for other people are characterized by a decreased tuning to the values of the options, in addition to enhanced risk seeking
Usefulness and acceptability of a standardised orientation and mobility training for partially-sighted older adults using an identification cane
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Orientation and mobility (O&M) training in using an identification (ID) cane is provided to partially-sighted older adults to facilitate independent functioning and participation in the community. Recently, a protocolised standardised O&M-training in the use of the ID cane was developed in The Netherlands. The purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness and acceptability of both the standardised training and the regular training for participants and O&M-trainers in a randomised controlled trial (NCT00946062).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The standardised O&M-training consists of two structured face-to-face sessions and one telephone follow-up, in which, in addition to the regular training, self-management and behavioural change techniques are applied. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data on the trainingβs usefulness, e.g. the population reached, self-reported benefits or achievements, and acceptability, e.g. the performance of the intervention according to protocol and participantsβ exposure to and engagement in the training.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Data was collected from 29 O&M-trainers and 68 participants. Regarding the self-reported benefits, outcomes were comparable for the standardised training and the regular training according the trainers and participants e.g., about 85% of the participants in both groups experienced benefits of the cane and about 70% gained confidence in their capabilities. Participants were actively involved in the standardised training. Nearly 40% of the participants in the standardised training group was not exposed to the training according to protocol regarding the number of sessions scheduled and several intervention elements, such as action planning and contracting.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The standardised and regular O&M-training showed to be useful and mostly acceptable for the partially-sighted older adults and trainers. Yet, a concern is the deviation from the protocol of the standardised O&M-training by the O&M-trainers regarding distinguishing elements such as action planning. Overall, participants appreciated both trainings and reported benefit.</p
Cruel to be kind but not cruel for cash : harm aversion in the dictator game
People regularly take prosocial actions, making individual sacrifices for the greater good. Similarly, people generally avoid causing harm to others. These twin desires to do good and avoid harm often align, but sometimes they can diverge, creating situations of moral conflict. Here, we examined this moral conflict using a modified dictator game. Participants chose how much money to allocate away from a recipient who was designated as an orphan, creating a sense of harm. This money was then reallocated to either the participant or a charity. People were strongly prosocial: they allocated more money away from the orphan for charity than for themselves. Furthermore, people left more money with the orphan when the harm was framed as a means (taking) than as a side effect (splitting). As is predicted by dual-process theories of moral decision making, response times were longer with the take action and were positively correlated with the amount taken from the orphan. We concluded that just as people take positive actions for the greater good, they are similarly more willing to cause harm when it benefits others rather than themselves
Magnetism, FeS colloids, and Origins of Life
A number of features of living systems: reversible interactions and weak
bonds underlying motor-dynamics; gel-sol transitions; cellular connected
fractal organization; asymmetry in interactions and organization; quantum
coherent phenomena; to name some, can have a natural accounting via
interactions, which we therefore seek to incorporate by expanding the horizons
of `chemistry-only' approaches to the origins of life. It is suggested that the
magnetic 'face' of the minerals from the inorganic world, recognized to have
played a pivotal role in initiating Life, may throw light on some of these
issues. A magnetic environment in the form of rocks in the Hadean Ocean could
have enabled the accretion and therefore an ordered confinement of
super-paramagnetic colloids within a structured phase. A moderate H-field can
help magnetic nano-particles to not only overcome thermal fluctuations but also
harness them. Such controlled dynamics brings in the possibility of accessing
quantum effects, which together with frustrations in magnetic ordering and
hysteresis (a natural mechanism for a primitive memory) could throw light on
the birth of biological information which, as Abel argues, requires a
combination of order and complexity. This scenario gains strength from
observations of scale-free framboidal forms of the greigite mineral, with a
magnetic basis of assembly. And greigite's metabolic potential plays a key role
in the mound scenario of Russell and coworkers-an expansion of which is
suggested for including magnetism.Comment: 42 pages, 5 figures, to be published in A.R. Memorial volume, Ed
Krishnaswami Alladi, Springer 201
TbPIF5 Is a Trypanosoma brucei Mitochondrial DNA Helicase Involved in Processing of Minicircle Okazaki Fragments
Trypanosoma brucei's mitochondrial genome, kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), is a giant network of catenated DNA rings. The network consists of a few thousand 1 kb minicircles and several dozen 23 kb maxicircles. Here we report that TbPIF5, one of T. brucei's six mitochondrial proteins related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA helicase ScPIF1, is involved in minicircle lagging strand synthesis. Like its yeast homolog, TbPIF5 is a 5β² to 3β² DNA helicase. Together with other enzymes thought to be involved in Okazaki fragment processing, TbPIF5 localizes in vivo to the antipodal sites flanking the kDNA. Minicircles in wild type cells replicate unidirectionally as theta-structures and are unusual in that Okazaki fragments are not joined until after the progeny minicircles have segregated. We now report that overexpression of TbPIF5 causes premature removal of RNA primers and joining of Okazaki fragments on theta structures. Further elongation of the lagging strand is blocked, but the leading strand is completed and the minicircle progeny, one with a truncated H strand (ranging from 0.1 to 1 kb), are segregated. The minicircles with a truncated H strand electrophorese on an agarose gel as a smear. This replication defect is associated with kinetoplast shrinkage and eventual slowing of cell growth. We propose that TbPIF5 unwinds RNA primers after lagging strand synthesis, thus facilitating processing of Okazaki fragments
Punctuated Chirality
Most biomolecules occur in mirror, or chiral, images of each other. However,
life is homochiral: proteins contain almost exclusively levorotatory (L) amino
acids, while only dextrorotatory (R) sugars appear in RNA and DNA. The
mechanism behind this fundamental asymmetry of life remains an open problem.
Coupling the spatiotemporal evolution of a general autocatalytic polymerization
reaction network to external environmental effects, we show through a detailed
statistical analysis that high intensity and long duration events may drive
achiral initial conditions towards chirality. We argue that life's
homochirality resulted from sequential chiral symmetry breaking triggered by
environmental events, thus extending the theory of punctuated equilibrium to
the prebiotic realm. Applying our arguments to other potentially life-bearing
planetary platforms, we predict that a statistically representative sampling
will be racemic on average.Comment: 13 pages, 4 color figures. Final version published in Origins of Life
and Evolution of Biospheres. Typos corrected, figures improved, and a few
definitions and word usage clarifie
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