Unmasking the Annexin I Interaction from the Structure of Apo-S100A11

AbstractS100A11 is a homodimeric EF-hand calcium binding protein that undergoes a calcium-induced conformational change and interacts with the phospholipid binding protein annexin I to coordinate membrane association. In this work, the solution structure of apo-S100A11 has been determined by NMR spectroscopy to uncover the details of its calcium-induced structural change. Apo-S100A11 forms a tight globular structure having a near antiparallel orientation of helices III and IV in calcium binding site II. Further, helices I and IV, and I and I′, form a more closed arrangement than observed in other apo-S100 proteins. This helix arrangement in apo-S100A11 partially buries residues in helices I (P3, E11, A15), III (V55, R58, M59), and IV (A86, C87, S90) and the linker (A45, F46), which are required for interaction with annexin I in the calcium-bound state. In apo-S100A11, this results in a “masked” binding surface that prevents annexin I binding but is uncovered upon calcium binding

Entangled Electronic States in Multiple Quantum-Dot Systems

We present an analytically solvable model of $P$ colinear, two-dimensional quantum dots, each containing two electrons. Inter-dot coupling via the electron-electron interaction gives rise to sets of entangled ground states. These ground states have crystal-like inter-plane correlations and arise discontinously with increasing magnetic field. Their ranges and stabilities are found to depend on dot size ratios, and to increase with $P$.Comment: To appear in Physical Review B (in press). RevTeX file. Figures available from [email protected]

Statistical evolution of isotope composition of nuclear fragments

Calculations within the statistical multifragmentation model show that the neutron content of intermediate mass fragments can increase in the region of liquid-gas phase transition in finite nuclei. The model predicts also inhomogeneous distributions of fragments and their isospin in the freeze-out volume caused by an angular momentum and external long-range Coulomb field. These effects can take place in peripheral nucleus-nucleus collisions at intermediate energies and lead to neutron-rich isotopes produced in the midrapidity kinematic region.Comment: 14 pages with 4 figures. GSI preprint, Darmstadt, 200

Perinatal outcomes following Helping Babies Breathe training and regular peer-peer skills practice among village midwives in Sudan.

Over 80% of deliveries in Sudan occur in rural areas, attended by village midwives (VMWs). To determine the impact of Helping Babies Breathe training and regular peer-peer skills practice (HBBT(+RPPSP)) on VMW resuscitation practices and outcomes. In a prospective community-based intervention study, 71/82 VMWs, reporting to six East Nile rural medical centres, with previous experience in community health research, consented to HBBT(+RPPSP). Outcomes included changes in the resuscitation practices, fresh stillbirths (FSB) and early neonatal deaths <1 week (ENND). There were 1350 and 3040 deliveries before and after HBBT(+RPPSP), respectively, with no significant differences between the two cohorts regarding maternal age, education or area of birth. Drying of the newborn increased almost tenfold (8.4%, n=113 to 74.9%, n=1011) while suctioning of the mouth/nose decreased fivefold (80.3%, n=2442 to 14.4%, n=437) following HBBT(+RPPSP). Pre-HBBT(+RPPSP)9/18 (50%) newborns who had mouth-to-mouth ventilation died, compared with 13/119 (11%) who received bag-mask ventilation post-HBBT(+RPPSP). Excluding 11 macerated fetuses, there were 55 perinatal deaths: 14 FSB/18 ENND (6 months pre-HBBT(+RPPSP)) and 10 FSB/13 ENND (18 months post-HBBT(+RPPSP)). FSB rates decreased from 10.5 to 3.3 per 1000 births ((χ(2))=8.6209, p=0.003), while ENND rates decreased from 13.5 to 4.3 per 1000 live births ((χ(2))=10.9369, p=0.001) pre-HBBT(+RPPSP) and post-HBBT(+RPPSP), respectively. In a selected group of VMWs, HBBT(+RPPSP) was associated with improvements in newborn resuscitation and perinatal outcomes. HBBT(+RPPSP) could have immense benefits if propagated nationally to all 17 000 VMWs in Sudan.This study was funded by the Irish Aid Civil Society Grant scheme

Practice patterns of radiation therapy technology in Australia: results of a national audit

Introduction: This article presents the results of a single-day census of radiation therapy (RT) treatment and technology use in Australia. The primary aim of the study was to ascertain patterns of RT practice and technology in use across Australia. These data were primarily collated to inform curriculum development of academic programs, thereby ensuring that training is matched to workforce patterns of practice. Methods: The study design was a census method with all 59 RT centres in Australia being invited to provide quantitative summary data relating to patient case mix and technology use on a randomly selected but common date. Anonymous and demographic-free data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Overall data were provided across all six Australian States by 29 centres of a possible 59, yielding a response rate of 49% and representing a total of 2743 patients. Findings from this study indicate the increasing use of emerging intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image fusion and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) technology in Australian RT planning and delivery phases. IMRT in particular was used for 37% of patients, indicating a high uptake of the technology in Australia when compared to other published data. The results also highlight the resource-intensive nature of benign tumour radiotherapy. Conclusions: In the absence of routine national data collection, the single-day census method offers a relatively convenient means of measuring and tracking RT resource utilisation. Wider use of this tool has the potential to not only track trends in technology implementation but also inform evidence-based guidelines for referral and resource planning

The Experience of Participation in Suicide Research from the Perspective of Individuals with Bipolar Disorder

© Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. Reasons underlying the elevated prevalence of suicide in bipolar disorder remain underresearched and poorly understood. Participation in suicide-focused research may pose a risk to vulnerable groups, such as those with bipolar disorder. Participants were asked to provide feedback about their experience of participating in a suicide-focused qualitative research interview. The data set was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Qualitative themes were (1) talking about suicide was not distressing, (2) negative interview expectations, (3) personal benefits, (4) value of suicide research, (5) interview advice, and (6) talking about suicide was difficult. Suicide-focused research can be conducted with minimal participant distress. Sufficient procedures must be in place, both to identify those at risk of experiencing distress and to efficiently deal with any distress that might occur

Defeat and Entrapment in Bipolar Disorder: Exploring the Relationship with Suicidal Ideation from a Psychological Theoretical Perspective

© 2017 The American Association of Suicidology Contemporary psychological theoretical models of suicide hypothesize that defeat and entrapment underlie the development of suicidal ideation. This hypothesis has never been tested in people who experience bipolar disorder. Regression analysis revealed that defeat and entrapment significantly predicted suicidal ideation at 4-month follow-up. The relationship between defeat and suicidal ideation was mediated by total entrapment and internal entrapment, but not external entrapment. Results suggest that perceived defeat and entrapment underlie the development of prospective suicidal ideation in bipolar disorder. Findings could potentially improve the assessment of suicide risk in people who experience bipolar disorder

Quantitative magneto-optical investigation of superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures

We present a detailed quantitative magneto-optical imaging study of several superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures, including Nb deposited on top of thermomagnetically patterned NdFeB, and permalloy/niobium with erasable and tailored magnetic landscapes imprinted in the permalloy layer. The magneto-optical imaging data is complemented with and compared to scanning Hall probe microscopy measurements. Comprehensive protocols have been developed for calibrating, testing, and converting Faraday rotation data to magnetic field maps. Applied to the acquired data, they reveal the comparatively weaker magnetic response of the superconductor from the background of larger fields and field gradients generated by the magnetic layer.Comment: 21 pages, including 2 pages of supplementary materia

Collision Dynamics and Solvation of Water Molecules in a Liquid Methanol Film

Environmental molecular beam experiments are used to examine water interactions with liquid methanol films at temperatures from 170 K to 190 K. We find that water molecules with 0.32 eV incident kinetic energy are efficiently trapped by the liquid methanol. The scattering process is characterized by an efficient loss of energy to surface modes with a minor component of the incident beam that is inelastically scattered. Thermal desorption of water molecules has a well characterized Arrhenius form with an activation energy of 0.47{\pm}0.11 eV and pre-exponential factor of 4.6 {\times} 10^(15{\pm}3) s^(-1). We also observe a temperature dependent incorporation of incident water into the methanol layer. The implication for fundamental studies and environmental applications is that even an alcohol as simple as methanol can exhibit complex and temperature dependent surfactant behavior.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure