Crystallization of threonyl-tRNA synthetase from Thermus thermophilus and preliminary crystallographic data

AbstractThreonyl-tRNA synthetase from Thermus thermophilus (ttTRS) has been overproduced in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized in solutions containing ammonium sulfate and glycerol. The crystals grew in the orthorhombic space group C2221 with unit cell dimensions a = 119.5 Å, b = 120.0 Å, c = 317.5 Å. The asymmetric unit is constituted of two monomers and the crystals contain 66% solvent. This paper reports the first crystals of ttTRS and preliminary crystallographic results since the presumed crystals of ttTRS described in a previous paper [1] were crystals of aspartyl-tRNA synthetase [2]

Enhancing gynaecological care: the obstetrics and gynaecological distress measurement scale

Background: Gynaecological patients are evaluated using a few scales that are not population-targeted, so a targeted tool was required, particularly for the Indian population where these problems are prevalent. Methods: A short interview was done after a top-down survey. Then, from the results of the pilot study, some items were retained after the deletion of others. Results: Using Cronbach's alpha, a reliability coefficient of 0.907 was obtained. With a value of 0.867, the split-half coefficient demonstrated a good degree of internal consistency. Convergent validity was 0.62. Conclusions: The OGDMS is a useful tool for detecting possible psychological distress in pregnant women. OGDMS is a standardised instrument which can be used by psychologists, physicians, and patients to pinpoint probable mental health-related problem areas

The obstetrics and gynaecological distress measurement scale: a promising tool for improving obstetrics care

Background: Screening done on obstetrics patients is based on a few scales which are not targeted towards the population, thus a need for a targeted tool was necessary especially for the Indian population where these issues are high and care provided lacks in quality. Methods: A top down survey was conducted followed by a brief interview. A pilot study was then done out of which specific items were selected. Results: Cronbach's alpha yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.907. Split-half coefficient yielded a high level of internal consistency with a value of 0.867. The convergent validity was 0.62. Conclusions: The OGDMS is a valuable tool for identifying potential psychological distress in women needing obstetrics care. OGDMS is a unified tool for doctors, psychologists, and patients to identify potential problem areas related to mental health

Design of the traction battery for a Formula SAE racing car

This paper describes the design of the traction battery for the new electric Formula SAE vehicle of the University of Pisa. A model based design methodology extended to the mechanical, electrical and thermal domains was applied to find the best trade-off between the battery weight and the maximum power available at the wheel. The designed battery configuration was validated by means of electrical and thermal simulations

An Artificially Lattice Mismatched Graphene/Metal Interface: Graphene/Ni/Ir(111)

We report the structural and electronic properties of an artificial graphene/Ni(111) system obtained by the intercalation of a monoatomic layer of Ni in graphene/Ir(111). Upon intercalation, Ni grows epitaxially on Ir(111), resulting in a lattice mismatched graphene/Ni system. By performing Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) measurements and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, we show that the intercalated Ni layer leads to a pronounced buckling of the graphene film. At the same time an enhanced interaction is measured by Angle-Resolved Photo-Emission Spectroscopy (ARPES), showing a clear transition from a nearly-undisturbed to a strongly-hybridized graphene $\pi$-band. A comparison of the intercalation-like graphene system with flat graphene on bulk Ni(111), and mildly corrugated graphene on Ir(111), allows to disentangle the two key properties which lead to the observed increased interaction, namely lattice matching and electronic interaction. Although the latter determines the strength of the hybridization, we find an important influence of the local carbon configuration resulting from the lattice mismatch.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

MAO: a Multiple Alignment Ontology for nucleic acid and protein sequences

The application of high-throughput techniques such as genomics, proteomics or transcriptomics means that vast amounts of heterogeneous data are now available in the public databases. Bioinformatics is responding to the challenge with new integrated management systems for data collection, validation and analysis. Multiple alignments of genomic and protein sequences provide an ideal environment for the integration of this mass of information. In the context of the sequence family, structural and functional data can be evaluated and propagated from known to unknown sequences. However, effective integration is being hindered by syntactic and semantic differences between the different data resources and the alignment techniques employed. One solution to this problem is the development of an ontology that systematically defines the terms used in a specific domain. Ontologies are used to share data from different resources, to automatically analyse information and to represent domain knowledge for non-experts. Here, we present MAO, a new ontology for multiple alignments of nucleic and protein sequences. MAO is designed to improve interoperation and data sharing between different alignment protocols for the construction of a high quality, reliable multiple alignment in order to facilitate knowledge extraction and the presentation of the most pertinent information to the biologist

Synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy of the oxygen modified CrCl3 surface

We investigate the experimentally challenging CrCl3 surface by photon energy dependent photoemission (PE). The core and valence electrons after cleavage of a single crystal, either in a ultra-high vacuum (UHV) or in air, are studied by keeping the samples at 150 degrees C, aiming at confirming the atomic composition with respect to the expected bulk atomic structure. A common spectroscopic denominator revealed by data is the presence of a stable, but only partially ordered Cl-O-Cr surface. The electronic core levels (Cl 2p, Cr 2p and 3p), the latter ones of cumbersome component determination, allowed us to quantify the electron charge transfer to the Cr atom as a net result of this modification and the increased exchange interaction between metal and ligand atoms. In particular, the analysis of multiplet components by the CMT4XPS code evidenced the charge transfer to be favored, and similarly the reduced crystal field due to the established polarization field. Though it is often claimed that a significant amount of Cl and Cr atomic vacancies has to be included, such a possibility can be excluded on the basis of the sign and the importance of the shift in the binding energy of core level electrons. The present methodological approach can be of great impact to quantify the structure of ordered sub-oxide phases occurring in mono or bi-layer Cr trihalides

The Moyal bracket and the dispersionless limit of the KP hierarchy

A new Lax equation is introduced for the KP hierarchy which avoids the use of pseudo-differential operators, as used in the Sato approach. This Lax equation is closer to that used in the study of the dispersionless KP hierarchy, and is obtained by replacing the Poisson bracket with the Moyal bracket. The dispersionless limit, underwhich the Moyal bracket collapses to the Poisson bracket, is particularly simple.Comment: 9 pages, LaTe