Microstructural Design of the Cast Iron via Laser Hardening with Defocused Beam of the Continuous Wave CO2 Laser

The cast iron is widely used in mechanical parts due to its good properties, as damping, good fluidity, resistance to deformation, excellent machinability and low cost. However, the number of its applications are reduced because its low corrosion, wear and friction resistance. The microstructure of the metallic materials has high influence on these properties. Laser hardening can improve these properties via designing of the microstructure. The evaluation of the laser parameter influence on the microstructural features is vital for a correct design of the microstructure and therefore, good improvement of the metallic material properties. Although the various laser parameter influence has been analysed on sundry papers, the influence of the distance from focal point and scan speed in the laser hardening microstructures has been rarely evaluated in the literature. Thus, the influence of this parameter on the microstructures generated through laser hardening is the subject matter of this work. The experiments were carried out with continuous wave carbon dioxide laser on samples of ground cast iron. The atmosphere was air flow at 0.7MPa, the laser operated at 100W and the scan rates were 1mm/s and 5mm/s. The distances to focal point of the laser beams ranged from 0.0mm to 5.6mm. The microstructures of the samples were revealed via nital and evaluated with optical microscopy. This work shown that the microstructure of gray iron cast can be designed by mean of laser hardening. In addition, laser hardened zones had various microstructures (e.g. austenitic, martensitic, pearlite and dendritic). The type of the microstructures in laser treated zones was determined by distance from focal point and scan speed. Moreover, the width and the depth of the laser hardened zones were generally enlarged with the increasing of the distance from focal point. Furthermore, the laser irradiation at slow rates, i.e. 1mm/s, produced laser hardened zones larger than laser scan at 5mm/s. In future works, the hardness, wear and friction resistance of the laser hardened samples will be evaluated because the literature review indicates that austenitic and martensitic microstructures show high values of these properties

Interconnectivity between volume transports through Arctic straits

Arctic heat and freshwater budgets are highly sensitive to volume transports through the Arctic‐Subarctic straits. Here we study the interconnectivity of volume transports through Arctic straits in three models; two coupled global climate models, one with a third‐degree horizontal ocean resolution (HiGEM1.1) and one with a twelfth‐degree horizontal ocean resolution (HadGEM3), and one ocean‐only model with an idealized polar basin (tenth‐degree horizontal resolution). The two global climate models indicate that there is a strong anti‐correlation between the Bering Strait throughflow and the transport through the Nordic Seas, a second strong anti‐correlation between the transport through the Canadian Artic Archipelago (CAA) and the Nordic Seas transport, and a third strong anti‐correlation is found between the Fram Strait and the Barents Sea throughflows. We find that part of the strait correlations is due to the strait transports being coincidentally driven by large‐scale atmospheric forcing patterns. However, there is also a role for fast wave adjustments of some straits flows to perturbations in other straits since atmospheric forcing of individual strait flows alone cannot lead to near mass balance fortuitously every year. Idealized experiments with an ocean model (NEMO3.6) that investigate such causal strait relations suggest that perturbations in the Bering Strait are compensated preferentially in the Fram Strait due to the narrowness of the western Arctic shelf and the deeper depth of the Fram Strait

Aminoacid zwitterions in solution : Geometric, energetic, and vibrational analysis using density functional theory-continuum model calculations

Glycine and alanine aminoacids chemistry in solution is explored using a hybrid three parameters density functional (B3PW91) together with a continuum model. Geometries, energies, and vibrational spectra of glycine and alanine zwitterions are studied at the B3PW91/6-31+G∗∗ level and the results compared with those obtained at the HF and MP2/6-31+G∗∗ levels. Solvents effects are incorporated by means of an ellipsoidal cavity model with a multipolar expansion (up to sixth order) of the solute’s electrostatic potential. Our results confirm the validity of the B3PW91 functional for studying aminoacid chemistry in solution. Taking into account the more favorable scaling behavior of density functional techniques with respect to correlated ab initio methods these studies could be extended to larger [email protected] ; [email protected]

Adaptation and validation of the Spanish version of the Strauss and Carpenter Prognostic Scale for Schizophrenia | Adaptación y validación Española de la Escala Pronóstica para la Esquizofrenia de Strauss y Carpenter

Introduction: The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Strauss and Carpenter Prognostic Scale for Schizophrenia (Strauss and Carpenter, 1977). Method: We performed a multicenter, longitudinal, descriptive study. Forward and backtranslation of the original scale was performed. The sample was composed of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia aged between 18 and 65 years. We calculated interrater reliability, construct validity according to the Global Assessment Scale (GAS), Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale (SLDS), the Global Clinical Impression-Schizophrenia (GCI) scale, The World Health. Organization Short Disability Assessment Schedule (WHO-DAS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and predictive validity at the 1-year follow-up using three criterion measures of the GCI, WHO-DAS and GAS scales. Results: The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.70. The intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.54 to 0.99, except for item 5 (resources for the current treatment), which was -0.13. The correlation between the distinct scales (measuring construct validity) was significant, with a p-value of < 0.01, except for the SLDS, which showed a higher p-value (p < 0.05). The Strauss-Carpenter score correlated with all three scores at 1 year (GCI, GAS and WHO-DAS) with an alpha of less than 0.01, showing good predictive validity. Conclusions: The Spanish adaptation of the Strauss and Carpenter prognostic scale is reliable and valid and allows a more severe disease course to be predicted. © 2009 Sociedad Española de Psiquiatría and Sociedad Española de Psiquiatría Biológica. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.Peer Reviewe

Integrated treatment of first episode psychosis with online training (e-learning): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundThe integrated treatment of first episode psychosis has been shown to improve functionality and negative symptoms in previous studies. In this paper, we describe a study of integrated treatment (individual psychoeducation complementary to pharmacotherapy) versus treatment as usual, comparing results at baseline with those at 6-month re-assessment (at the end of the study) for these patients, and online training of professionals to provide this complementary treatment, with the following objectives: 1) to compare the efficacy of individual psychoeducation as add-on treatment versus treatment as usual in improving psychotic and mood symptoms; 2) to compare adherence to medication, functioning, insight, social response, quality of life, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, between both groups; and 3) to analyse the efficacy of online training of psychotherapists.Methods/designThis is a single-blind randomised clinical trial including patients with first episode psychosis from hospitals across Spain, randomly assigned to either a control group with pharmacotherapy and regular sessions with their psychiatrist (treatment as usual) or an intervention group with integrated care including treatment as usual plus a psychoeducational intervention (14 sessions). Training for professionals involved at each participating centre was provided by the coordinating centre (University Hospital of Álava) through video conferences. Patients are evaluated with an extensive battery of tests assessing clinical and sociodemographic characteristics (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorders, Strauss and Carpenter Prognostic Scale, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, Morisky Green Adherence Scale, Functioning Assessment Short Test, World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument WHOQOL-BREF (an abbreviated version of the WHOQOL-100), and EuroQoL questionnaire), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are measured in peripheral blood at baseline and at 6 months. The statistical analysis, including bivariate analysis, linear and logistic regression models, will be performed using SPSS.DiscussionThis is an innovative study that includes the assessment of an integrated intervention for patients with first episode psychosis provided by professionals who are trained online, potentially making it possible to offer the intervention to more patients.Trial registrationNCT01783457 clinical trials.gov. Date of registration in primary registry 23 January 2013

Bridging the Divide Between Iterative Optical Polishing and Automation

Several recent business reports have described the global growth in demand for optical and photonic components, paralleled by technical reports on the growing shortage of skilled manufacturing staf to meet this demand. It is remarkable that producing ultraprecision surfaces remains so dependent on people, in contrast to other sectors of the economy, e.g., car manufacturing. Clearly, training can play some role, but ultimately, only process automation can provide the solution. This paper explores why automation is a challenge and summarizes multidisciplinary work aiming to assemble the building blocks required to realize automation

Ask yeast how to burn your fats: lessons learned from the metabolic adaptation to salt stress

[EN] Here, we review and update the recent advances in the metabolic control during the adaptive response of budding yeast to hyperosmotic and salt stress, which is one of the best understood signaling events at the molecular level. This environmental stress can be easily applied and hence has been exploited in the past to generate an impressively detailed and comprehensive model of cellular adaptation. It is clear now that this stress modulates a great number of different physiological functions of the cell, which altogether contribute to cellular survival and adaptation. Primary defense mechanisms are the massive induction of stress tolerance genes in the nucleus, the activation of cation transport at the plasma membrane, or the production and intracellular accumulation of osmolytes. At the same time and in a coordinated manner, the cell shuts down the expression of housekeeping genes, delays the progression of the cell cycle, inhibits genomic replication, and modulates translation efficiency to optimize the response and to avoid cellular damage. To this fascinating interplay of cellular functions directly regulated by the stress, we have to add yet another layer of control, which is physiologically relevant for stress tolerance. Salt stress induces an immediate metabolic readjustment, which includes the up-regulation of peroxisomal biomass and activity in a coordinated manner with the reinforcement of mitochondrial respiratory metabolism. Our recent findings are consistent with a model, where salt stress triggers a metabolic shift from fermentation to respiration fueled by the enhanced peroxisomal oxidation of fatty acids. We discuss here the regulatory details of this stress-induced metabolic shift and its possible roles in the context of the previously known adaptive functions.The work of the authors was supported by grants from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (BFU2011- 23326 and BFU2016-75792-R).Pascual-Ahuir Giner, MD.; Manzanares-Estreder, S.; Timón Gómez, A.; Proft ., MH. (2017). Ask yeast how to burn your fats: lessons learned from the metabolic adaptation to salt stress. Current Genetics. 64(1):63-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-017-0724-5S6369641Aguilera J, Prieto JA (2001) The Saccharomyces cerevisiae aldose reductase is implied in the metabolism of methylglyoxal in response to stress conditions. Curr Genet 39:273–283Albertyn J, Hohmann S, Thevelein JM, Prior BA (1994) GPD1, which encodes glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, is essential for growth under osmotic stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and its expression is regulated by the high-osmolarity glycerol response pathway. Mol Cell Biol 14:4135–4144Alepuz PM, Jovanovic A, Reiser V, Ammerer G (2001) Stress-induced map kinase Hog1 is part of transcription activation complexes. Mol Cell 7:767–777Alepuz PM, de Nadal E, Zapater M, Ammerer G, Posas F (2003) Osmostress-induced transcription by Hot1 depends on a Hog1-mediated recruitment of the RNA Pol II. EMBO J 22:2433–2442Ansell R, Granath K, Hohmann S, Thevelein JM, Adler L (1997) The two isoenzymes for yeast NAD+-dependent glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase encoded by GPD1 and GPD2 have distinct roles in osmoadaptation and redox regulation. EMBO J 16:2179–2187Babazadeh R, Lahtvee PJ, Adiels CB, Goksor M, Nielsen JB, Hohmann S (2017) The yeast osmostress response is carbon source dependent. Sci Rep 7:990Bender T, Pena G, Martinou JC (2015) Regulation of mitochondrial pyruvate uptake by alternative pyruvate carrier complexes. EMBO J 34:911–924Berry DB, Gasch AP (2008) Stress-activated genomic expression changes serve a preparative role for impending stress in yeast. Mol Biol Cell 19:4580–4587Bilsland-Marchesan E, Arino J, Saito H, Sunnerhagen P, Posas F (2000) Rck2 kinase is a substrate for the osmotic stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase Hog1. Mol Cell Biol 20:3887–3895Brewster JL, Gustin MC (2014) Hog 1: 20 years of discovery and impact. Sci Signal 7:re7Clotet J, Posas F (2007) Control of cell cycle in response to osmostress: lessons from yeast. Methods Enzymol 428:63–76Clotet J, Escote X, Adrover MA, Yaakov G, Gari E, Aldea M, de Nadal E, Posas F (2006) Phosphorylation of Hsl1 by Hog1 leads to a G2 arrest essential for cell survival at high osmolarity. EMBO J 25:2338–2346Cook KE, O’Shea EK (2012) Hog1 controls global reallocation of RNA Pol II upon osmotic shock in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genes Genomes Genetics 2:1129–1136de Nadal E, Posas F (2015) Osmostress-induced gene expression—a model to understand how stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs) regulate transcription. FEBS J 282:3275–3285de Nadal E, Alepuz PM, Posas F (2002) Dealing with osmostress through MAP kinase activation. EMBO Rep 3:735–740de Nadal E, Casadome L, Posas F (2003) Targeting the MEF2-like transcription factor Smp1 by the stress-activated Hog1 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Mol Cell Biol 23:229–237de Nadal E, Zapater M, Alepuz PM, Sumoy L, Mas G, Posas F (2004) The MAPK Hog1 recruits Rpd3 histone deacetylase to activate osmoresponsive genes. Nature 427:370–374Duch A, de Nadal E, Posas F (2013a) Dealing with transcriptional outbursts during S phase to protect genomic integrity. J Mol Biol 425:4745–4755Duch A, Felipe-Abrio I, Barroso S, Yaakov G, Garcia-Rubio M, Aguilera A, de Nadal E, Posas F (2013b) Coordinated control of replication and transcription by a SAPK protects genomic integrity. Nature 493:116–119Escote X, Zapater M, Clotet J, Posas F (2004) Hog1 mediates cell-cycle arrest in G1 phase by the dual targeting of Sic1. Nat Cell Biol 6:997–1002Ferreira C, van Voorst F, Martins A, Neves L, Oliveira R, Kielland-Brandt MC, Lucas C, Brandt A (2005) A member of the sugar transporter family, Stl1p is the glycerol/H+ symporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Biol Cell 16:2068–2076Gonzalez R, Morales P, Tronchoni J, Cordero-Bueso G, Vaudano E, Quiros M, Novo M, Torres-Perez R, Valero E (2016) New genes involved in osmotic stress tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Front Microbiol 7:1545Ho YH, Gasch AP (2015) Exploiting the yeast stress-activated signaling network to inform on stress biology and disease signaling. Curr Genet 61:503–511Hohmann S (2015) An integrated view on a eukaryotic osmoregulation system. Curr Genet 61:373–382Hohmann S, Krantz M, Nordlander B (2007) Yeast osmoregulation. Methods Enzymol 428:29–45Hong SP, Carlson M (2007) Regulation of snf1 protein kinase in response to environmental stress. J Biol Chem 282:16838–16845Li SC, Diakov TT, Rizzo JM, Kane PM (2012) Vacuolar H+-ATPase works in parallel with the HOG pathway to adapt Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to osmotic stress. Eukaryot Cell 11:282–291Maeta K, Izawa S, Inoue Y (2005) Methylglyoxal, a metabolite derived from glycolysis, functions as a signal initiator of the high osmolarity glycerol-mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and calcineurin/Crz1-mediated pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Biol Chem 280:253–260Manzanares-Estreder S, Espi-Bardisa J, Alarcon B, Pascual-Ahuir A, Proft M (2017) Multilayered control of peroxisomal activity upon salt stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Microbiol 104:851–868Mao K, Wang K, Zhao M, Xu T, Klionsky DJ (2011) Two MAPK-signaling pathways are required for mitophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Cell Biol 193:755–767Martinez-Montanes F, Pascual-Ahuir A, Proft M (2010) Toward a genomic view of the gene expression program regulated by osmostress in yeast. OMICS 14:619–627Martinez-Pastor M, Proft M, Pascual-Ahuir A (2010) Adaptive changes of the yeast mitochondrial proteome in response to salt stress. OMICS 14:541–552Mas G, de Nadal E, Dechant R, Rodriguez de la Concepcion ML, Logie C, Jimeno-Gonzalez S, Chavez S, Ammerer G, Posas F (2009) Recruitment of a chromatin remodelling complex by the Hog1 MAP kinase to stress genes. EMBO J 28:326–336Mettetal JT, Muzzey D, Gomez-Uribe C, van Oudenaarden A (2008) The frequency dependence of osmo-adaptation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Science 319:482–484Molin C, Jauhiainen A, Warringer J, Nerman O, Sunnerhagen P (2009) mRNA stability changes precede changes in steady-state mRNA amounts during hyperosmotic stress. RNA 15:600–614Nadal-Ribelles M, Conde N, Flores O, Gonzalez-Vallinas J, Eyras E, Orozco M, de Nadal E, Posas F (2012) Hog1 bypasses stress-mediated down-regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II redistribution and chromatin remodeling. Genome Biol 13:R106Pastor MM, Proft M, Pascual-Ahuir A (2009) Mitochondrial function is an inducible determinant of osmotic stress adaptation in yeast. J Biol Chem 284:30307–30317Petelenz-Kurdziel E, Kuehn C, Nordlander B, Klein D, Hong KK, Jacobson T, Dahl P, Schaber J, Nielsen J, Hohmann S, Klipp E (2013) Quantitative analysis of glycerol accumulation, glycolysis and growth under hyper osmotic stress. PLoS Comput Biol 9:e1003084Posas F, Chambers JR, Heyman JA, Hoeffler JP, de Nadal E, Arino J (2000) The transcriptional response of yeast to saline stress. J Biol Chem 275:17249–17255Proft M, Struhl K (2002) Hog1 kinase converts the Sko1-Cyc8-Tup1 repressor complex into an activator that recruits SAGA and SWI/SNF in response to osmotic stress. Mol Cell 9:1307–1317Proft M, Struhl K (2004) MAP kinase-mediated stress relief that precedes and regulates the timing of transcriptional induction. Cell 118:351–361Proft M, Pascual-Ahuir A, de Nadal E, Arino J, Serrano R, Posas F (2001) Regulation of the Sko1 transcriptional repressor by the Hog1 MAP kinase in response to osmotic stress. EMBO J 20:1123–1133Proft M, Mas G, de Nadal E, Vendrell A, Noriega N, Struhl K, Posas F (2006) The stress-activated Hog1 kinase is a selective transcriptional elongation factor for genes responding to osmotic stress. Mol Cell 23:241–250Ratnakumar S, Young ET (2010) Snf1 dependence of peroxisomal gene expression is mediated by Adr1. J Biol Chem 285:10703–10714Regot S, de Nadal E, Rodriguez-Navarro S, Gonzalez-Novo A, Perez-Fernandez J, Gadal O, Seisenbacher G, Ammerer G, Posas F (2013) The Hog1 stress-activated protein kinase targets nucleoporins to control mRNA export upon stress. J Biol Chem 288:17384–17398Rep M, Krantz M, Thevelein JM, Hohmann S (2000) The transcriptional response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to osmotic shock. Hot1p and Msn2p/Msn4p are required for the induction of subsets of high osmolarity glycerol pathway-dependent genes. J Biol Chem 275:8290–8300Rep M, Proft M, Remize F, Tamas M, Serrano R, Thevelein JM, Hohmann S (2001) The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sko1p transcription factor mediates HOG pathway-dependent osmotic regulation of a set of genes encoding enzymes implicated in protection from oxidative damage. Mol Microbiol 40:1067–1083Rienzo A, Poveda-Huertes D, Aydin S, Buchler NE, Pascual-Ahuir A, Proft M (2015) Different mechanisms confer gradual control and memory at nutrient- and stress-regulated genes in yeast. Mol Cell Biol 35:3669–3683Romero-Santacreu L, Moreno J, Perez-Ortin JE, Alepuz P (2009) Specific and global regulation of mRNA stability during osmotic stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RNA 15:1110–1120Roy A, Hashmi S, Li Z, Dement AD, Cho KH, Kim JH (2016) The glucose metabolite methylglyoxal inhibits expression of the glucose transporter genes by inactivating the cell surface glucose sensors Rgt2 and Snf3 in yeast. Mol Biol Cell 27:862–871Ruiz-Roig C, Noriega N, Duch A, Posas F, de Nadal E (2012) The Hog1 SAPK controls the Rtg1/Rtg3 transcriptional complex activity by multiple regulatory mechanisms. Mol Biol Cell 23:4286–4296Saito H, Posas F (2012) Response to hyperosmotic stress. Genetics 192:289–318Sekito T, Thornton J, Butow RA (2000) Mitochondria-to-nuclear signaling is regulated by the subcellular localization of the transcription factors Rtg1p and Rtg3p. Mol Biol Cell 11:2103–2115Silva RD, Sotoca R, Johansson B, Ludovico P, Sansonetty F, Silva MT, Peinado JM, Corte-Real M (2005) Hyperosmotic stress induces metacaspase- and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Microbiol 58:824–834Sole C, Nadal-Ribelles M, de Nadal E, Posas F (2015) A novel role for lncRNAs in cell cycle control during stress adaptation. Curr Genet 61:299–308Tamas MJ, Luyten K, Sutherland FC, Hernandez A, Albertyn J, Valadi H, Li H, Prior BA, Kilian SG, Ramos J, Gustafsson L, Thevelein JM, Hohmann S (1999) Fps1p controls the accumulation and release of the compatible solute glycerol in yeast osmoregulation. Mol Microbiol 31:1087–1104Teige M, Scheikl E, Reiser V, Ruis H, Ammerer G (2001) Rck2, a member of the calmodulin-protein kinase family, links protein synthesis to high osmolarity MAP kinase signaling in budding yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:5625–5630Timon-Gomez A, Proft M, Pascual-Ahuir A (2013) Differential regulation of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier genes modulates respiratory capacity and stress tolerance in yeast. PLoS One 8:e79405Vanacloig-Pedros E, Bets-Plasencia C, Pascual-Ahuir A, Proft M (2015) Coordinated gene regulation in the initial phase of salt stress adaptation. J Biol Chem 290:10163–10175Warringer J, Hult M, Regot S, Posas F, Sunnerhagen P (2010) The HOG pathway dictates the short-term translational response after hyperosmotic shock. Mol Biol Cell 21:3080–3092Wei CJ, Tanner RD, Malaney GW (1982) Effect of sodium chloride on bakers’ yeast growing in gelatin. Appl Environ Microbiol 43:757–763Westfall PJ, Patterson JC, Chen RE, Thorner J (2008) Stress resistance and signal fidelity independent of nuclear MAPK function. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105:12212–12217Ye T, Garcia-Salcedo R, Ramos J, Hohmann S (2006) Gis4, a new component of the ion homeostasis system in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Eukaryot Cell 5:1611–1621Yoshida A, Wei D, Nomura W, Izawa S, Inoue Y (2012) Reduction of glucose uptake through inhibition of hexose transporters and enhancement of their endocytosis by methylglyoxal in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Biol Chem 287:701–71

Synthesis and Structure of Trinuclear W3S4 Clusters Bearing Aminophosphine Ligands and Their Reactivity toward Halides and Pseudohalides

The aminophosphine ligand (2-aminoethyl)- diphenylphosphine (edpp) has been coordinated to the W3(μ- S)(μ-S)3 cluster unit to afford trimetallic complex [W3S4Br3(edpp)3]+ (1+) in a one-step synthesis process with high yields. Related [W3S4X3(edpp)3]+ clusters (X = F−, Cl−, NCS−; 2+−4+) have been isolated by treating 1+ with the corresponding halide or pseudohalide salt. The structure of complexes 1+ to 4+ contains an incomplete W3S4 cubane-type cluster unit, and only one of the possible isomers is formed: the one with the phosphorus atoms trans to the capping sulfur and the amino groups trans to the bridging sulphurs. The remaining coordination position on each metal is occupied by X. Detailed studies using stopped-flow, 31P{1H} NMR, and ESI-MS have been carried out in order to understand the solution behavior and the kinetics of interconversion among species 1+, 2+, 3+, and 4+ in solution. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been also carried out on the reactions of cluster 1+ with the different anions. The whole set of experimental and theoretical data indicate that the actual mechanism of substitutions in these clusters is strongly dependent on the nature of the leaving and entering anions. The interaction between an entering F− and the amino group coordinated to the adjacent metal have also been found to be especially relevant to the kinetics of these reactions

A Yeast Model of FUS/TLS-Dependent Cytotoxicity

FUS/TLS is a nucleic acid binding protein that, when mutated, can cause a subset of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). Although FUS/TLS is normally located predominantly in the nucleus, the pathogenic mutant forms of FUS/TLS traffic to, and form inclusions in, the cytoplasm of affected spinal motor neurons or glia. Here we report a yeast model of human FUS/TLS expression that recapitulates multiple salient features of the pathology of the disease-causing mutant proteins, including nuclear to cytoplasmic translocation, inclusion formation, and cytotoxicity. Protein domain analysis indicates that the carboxyl-terminus of FUS/TLS, where most of the ALS-associated mutations are clustered, is required but not sufficient for the toxicity of the protein. A genome-wide genetic screen using a yeast over-expression library identified five yeast DNA/RNA binding proteins, encoded by the yeast genes ECM32, NAM8, SBP1, SKO1, and VHR1, that rescue the toxicity of human FUS/TLS without changing its expression level, cytoplasmic translocation, or inclusion formation. Furthermore, hUPF1, a human homologue of ECM32, also rescues the toxicity of FUS/TLS in this model, validating the yeast model and implicating a possible insufficiency in RNA processing or the RNA quality control machinery in the mechanism of FUS/TLS mediated toxicity. Examination of the effect of FUS/TLS expression on the decay of selected mRNAs in yeast indicates that the nonsense-mediated decay pathway is probably not the major determinant of either toxicity or suppression.Fidelity Biosciences (Firm)Fidelity Biosciences (Firm) (Research Inititative)ALS Therapy AllianceNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH 1RC1NS06839)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH U01NS05225-03)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH R01NS050557-05)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH 1RC2NS070342-01)Pierre L. de Bourgknecht ALS Research FoundationNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (NS614192