The new very small angle neutron scattering spectrometer at Laboratoire Leon Brillouin

The design and characteristics of the new very small angle neutron scattering spectrometer under construction at the Laboratoire Leon Brillouin is described. Its goal is to extend the range of scattering vectors magnitudes towards 2x10{-4} /A. The unique feature of this new spectrometer is a high resolution two dimensional image plate detector sensitive to neutrons. The wavelength selection is achieved by a double reflection supermirror monochromator and the collimator uses a novel multibeam design

The quality effects of agency staffing in residential aged care.

OBJECTIVES: In Australia, temporary agency workers are a relatively small but enduring component of the residential aged care workforce. However, evidence from other countries suggests reliance on agency workers has a detrimental effect on the quality of care (QoC). We examined whether QoC outcomes differ for Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs) based on their reliance on agency care staff. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted using de-identified datasets obtained under the legal authority of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Regression analysis was conducted using data comprising 6221 RACF-year observations, across 5 years (2015-2019), from 1709 unique RACFs in Australia. RESULTS: After controlling for other determinants of QoC, RACFs with a greater reliance on agency care staff have poorer QoC outcomes, with significantly higher rates of complaints, missing persons, reportable assaults, hospitalisations, and accreditation flags. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with international evidence, we found that the QoC of Australian RACFs is sensitive to the reliance on agency staff in delivering direct care to residents. These findings illustrate the importance of workers' employment conditions, alongside other workforce characteristics, in driving the quality of residential aged care

Family meshworks: children’s geographies and collective ambulatory sense-making in an immersive mathematics exhibition

© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. We present a video-based study of family visits to Taping Shape, an immersive exhibition that allows visitors to explore the inside of geometric objects. The exhibition was designed to support embodied sense-making, intimacy, and material encounter with mathematical objects. This study builds on research on walking and movement as forms of place- and sense-making. We draw on the notion of a meshwork to examine how children and their families co-produce, develop familiarity with, and assemble meanings for the exhibition space. This case study focuses on 4-year-old Easton and his extended family, exploring how Easton’s talk and movements are part of an intergenerational meshwork that weaves together an emergent and distributed sense of place within the built geometries of Taping Shape. Our findings further considerations of embodiment and materiality in children’s geographies

Kinetic power of quasars and statistical excess of MOJAVE superluminal motions

The MOJAVE survey contains 101 quasars with a total of 354 observed radio components that are different from the radio cores, among which 95% move with apparent projected superluminal velocities with respect to the core, and 45% have projected velocities larger than 10c (with a maximum velocity 60c). Doppler boosting effects are analyzed to determine the statistics of the superluminal motions. We integrate over all possible values of the Lorentz factor the values of the kinetic energy corresponding to each component. The calculation of the mass in the ejection is carried out by assuming the minimum energy state. This kinetic energy is multiplied by the frequency at which the portions of the jet fluid identified as "blobs" are produced. Hence, we estimate the average total power released by the quasars in the form of kinetic energy in the long term on pc-scales. RESULTS. A selection effect in which both the core and the blobs of the quasar are affected by huge Doppler-boosting enhancement increases the probability of finding a jet ejected within 10 degrees of the line of sight >~40 times above what one would expect for a random distribution of ejection, which explains the ratios of the very high projected velocities given above. The average total kinetic power of each MOJAVE quasar should be very high to obtain this distribution: ~7E47 erg/s. This amount is much higher than previous estimates of kinetic power on kpc-scales based on the analysis of cavities in X-ray gas or radio lobes in samples of objects of much lower radio luminosity but similar black hole masses. The kinetic power is a significant portion of the Eddington luminosity, on the order of the bolometric luminosity, and proportional on average to square root of the radio luminosity, although this correlation might be induced by Malmquist-like bias.Comment: Published in A&A; v2: minor changes to fit the published versio

K30, H150, and H168 Are Essential Residues for Coordinating Pyridoxal 5′-Phosphate of O-Acetylserine Sulfhydrylase from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS) is a key enzyme involved in the pathway of the cysteine biosynthesis. The gene of OASS from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 was cloned and expressed in E. coli, the soluble protein was purified by one-step affinity chromatography to apparent homogeneity. Colors and UV–vis scanning results of the recombinant protein confirmed that it was a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-containing protein. Sequence alignment and site-directed mutation of the enzyme revealed that the cofactor PLP is covalently bound in Schiff base linkage with K30, as well as the two residues H150 and H168 were the crucial residues for PLP binding and stabilization

Membrane proteins: always an insoluble problem?

Membrane proteins play crucial roles in cellular processes and are often important pharmacological drug targets. The hydrophobic properties of these proteins make full structural and functional characterization challenging because of the need to use detergents or other solubilizing agents when extracting them from their native lipid membranes. To aid membrane protein research, new methodologies are required to allow these proteins to be expressed and purified cheaply, easily, in high yield and to provide water soluble proteins for subsequent study. This mini review focuses on the relatively new area of water soluble membrane proteins and in particular two innovative approaches: the redesign of membrane proteins to yield water soluble variants and how adding solubilizing fusion proteins can help to overcome these challenges. This review also looks at naturally occurring membrane proteins, which are able to exist as stable, functional, water soluble assemblies with no alteration to their native sequence

Right cranial lung lobe torsion after a diaphragmatic rupture repair in a Jack Russell terrier

A seven-year-old male Jack Russell terrier was presented with a history of coughing, generalised weakness and lethargy 10 days after an abdominal coeliotomy to repair a large diaphragmatic rupture. Thoracic radiographs demonstrated a soft tissue mass in the midcaudal right thoracic cavity. Ultrasonographic studies, bronchoscopy and subsequent exploratory thoracotomy confirmed a diagnosis of a right cranial lung lobe torsion (LLT), with an anomalous caudodorsal displacement of the affected lobe. LLT should be considered as a differential diagnosis for respiratory tract disease following diaphragmatic rupture repair

A Critical Tryptophan and Ca2+ in Activation and Catalysis of TPPI, the Enzyme Deficient in Classic Late-Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis

Tripeptidyl aminopeptidase I (TPPI) is a crucial lysosomal enzyme that is deficient in the fatal neurodegenerative disorder called classic late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL). It is involved in the catabolism of proteins in the lysosomes. Recent X-ray crystallographic studies have provided insights into the structural/functional aspects of TPPI catalysis, and indicated presence of an octahedrally coordinated Ca(2+).Purified precursor and mature TPPI were used to study inhibition by NBS and EDTA using biochemical and immunological approaches. Site-directed mutagenesis with confocal imaging technique identified a critical W residue in TPPI activity, and the processing of precursor into mature enzyme.NBS is a potent inhibitor of the purified TPPI. In mammalian TPPI, W542 is critical for tripeptidyl peptidase activity as well as autocatalysis. Transfection studies have indicated that mutants of the TPPI that harbor residues other than W at position 542 have delayed processing, and are retained in the ER rather than transported to lysosomes. EDTA inhibits the autocatalytic processing of the precursor TPPI.We propose that W542 and Ca(2+) are critical for maintaining the proper tertiary structure of the precursor proprotein as well as the mature TPPI. Additionally, Ca(2+) is necessary for the autocatalytic processing of the precursor protein into the mature TPPI. We have identified NBS as a potent TPPI inhibitor, which led in delineating a critical role for W542 residue. Studies with such compounds will prove valuable in identifying the critical residues in the TPPI catalysis and its structure-function analysis

Future therapeutic targets in rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by persistent joint inflammation. Without adequate treatment, patients with RA will develop joint deformity and progressive functional impairment. With the implementation of treat-to-target strategies and availability of biologic therapies, the outcomes for patients with RA have significantly improved. However, the unmet need in the treatment of RA remains high as some patients do not respond sufficiently to the currently available agents, remission is not always achieved and refractory disease is not uncommon. With better understanding of the pathophysiology of RA, new therapeutic approaches are emerging. Apart from more selective Janus kinase inhibition, there is a great interest in the granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor pathway, Bruton's tyrosine kinase pathway, phosphoinositide-3-kinase pathway, neural stimulation and dendritic cell-based therapeutics. In this review, we will discuss the therapeutic potential of these novel approaches

Exceptional AGN-driven turbulence inhibits star formation in the 3C 326N radio galaxy

We detect bright [CII]158μm line emission from the radio galaxy 3C 326N at z=0.09, which shows weak star formation (SFR⊙~yr−1) despite having strong H2 line emission and 2×109M⊙ of molecular gas. The [CII] line is twice as strong as the 0-0S(1) 17μm H2 line, and both lines are much in excess what is expected from UV heating. We combine infrared Spitzer and Herschel data with gas and dust modeling to infer the gas physical conditions. The [CII] line traces 30 to 50% of the molecular gas mass, which is warm (70−3. The [CII] line is broad with a blue-shifted wing, and likely to be shaped by a combination of rotation, outflowing gas, and turbulence. It matches the near-infrared H2 and the Na D optical absorption lines. If the wing is interpreted as an outflow, the mass loss rate would be larger than 20M⊙/yr, and the depletion timescale shorter than the orbital timescale (108yr). These outflow rates may be over-estimated because the stochastic injection of turbulence on galactic scales can contribute to the skewness of the line profile and mimic outflowing gas. We argue that the dissipation of turbulence is the main heating process of this gas. Cosmic rays can also contribute to the heating but they require an average gas density larger than the observational constraints. We show that strong turbulent support maintains a high gas vertical scale height (0.3-4kpc) in the disk and can inhibit the formation of gravitationally-bound structures at all scales, offering a natural explanation for the weakness of star formation in 3C 326N. To conclude, the bright [CII] line indicates that strong AGN jet-driven turbulence may play a key role in enhancing the amount of molecular gas (positive feedback) but yet can prevent star formation on galactic scales (negative feedback)