Dynamic Recognition of the mRNA Cap by Saccharomyces cerevisiae eIF4E

SummaryRecognition of the mRNA 5′ m7G(5′)ppp(5′)N cap is key to translation initiation for most eukaryotic mRNAs. The cap is bound by the eIF4F complex, consisting of a cap-binding protein (eIF4E), a “scaffold” protein (eIF4G), and an RNA helicase (eIF4A). As a central early step in initiation, regulation of eIF4F is crucial for cellular viability. Although the structure and function of eIF4E have been defined, a dynamic mechanistic picture of its activity at the molecular level in the eIF4F⋅mRNA complex is still unavailable. Here, using single-molecule fluorescence, we measured the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae eIF4F factors, mRNA secondary structure, and the poly(A)-binding protein Pab1p on eIF4E-mRNA binding dynamics. Our data provide an integrated picture of how eIF4G and mRNA structure modulate eIF4E-mRNA interaction, and uncover an eIF4G- and poly(A)-independent activity of poly(A)-binding protein that prolongs the eIF4E⋅mRNA complex lifetime

Passive sorting of asteroid material using solar radiation pressure

Understanding dust dynamics in asteroid environments is key for future science missions to asteroids and, in the long-term, also for asteroid exploitation. This paper proposes a novel way of manipulating asteroid material by means of solar radiation pressure (SRP). We envisage a method for passively sorting material as a function of its grain size where SRP is used as a passive in-situ ‘mass spec-trometer’. The analysis shows that this novel method allows an effective sorting of regolith material. This has immediate applications for sample return, and in-situ resource utilisation to separate different regolith particle sizes

Attractor Metadynamics in Adapting Neural Networks

Slow adaption processes, like synaptic and intrinsic plasticity, abound in the brain and shape the landscape for the neural dynamics occurring on substantially faster timescales. At any given time the network is characterized by a set of internal parameters, which are adapting continuously, albeit slowly. This set of parameters defines the number and the location of the respective adiabatic attractors. The slow evolution of network parameters hence induces an evolving attractor landscape, a process which we term attractor metadynamics. We study the nature of the metadynamics of the attractor landscape for several continuous-time autonomous model networks. We find both first- and second-order changes in the location of adiabatic attractors and argue that the study of the continuously evolving attractor landscape constitutes a powerful tool for understanding the overall development of the neural dynamics

The spirit of sport: the case for criminalisation of doping in the UK

This article examines public perceptions of doping in sport, critically evaluates the effectiveness of current anti-doping sanctions and proposes the criminalisation of doping in sport in the UK as part of a growing global movement towards such criminalisation at national level. Criminalising doping is advanced on two main grounds: as a stigmatic deterrent and as a form of retributive punishment enforced through the criminal justice system. The ‘spirit of sport’ defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as being based on the values of ethics, health and fair-play is identified as being undermined by the ineffectiveness of existing anti-doping policy in the current climate of doping revelations, and is assessed as relevant to public perceptions and the future of sport as a whole. The harm-reductionist approach permitting the use of certain performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) is considered as an alternative to anti-doping, taking into account athlete psychology, the problems encountered in containing doping in sport through anti-doping measures and the effect of these difficulties on the ‘spirit of sport’. This approach is dismissed in favour of criminalising doping in sport based on the offence of fraud. It will be argued that the criminalisation of doping could act as a greater deterrent than existing sanctions imposed by International Federations, and, when used in conjunction with those sanctions, will raise the overall ‘price’ of doping. The revelations of corruption within the existing system of self-governance within sport have contributed to a disbelieving public and it will be argued that the criminalisation of doping in sport could assist in satisfying the public that justice is being done and in turn achieve greater belief in the truth of athletic performances

Drawing the Line: How African, Caribbean and White British Women Live Out Psychologically Abusive Experiences

The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Violence Against Women, 19 (9):1104-32, Sept 2013 by SAGE Publications Ltd, All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2013. The online version of this article can be found at: http://vaw.sagepub.com/content/19/9/110

Band termination in the N=Z Odd-Odd Nucleus 46V

High spin states in the odd-odd N=Z nucleus 46V have been identified. At low spin, the T=1 isobaric analogue states of 46Ti are established up to I = 6+. Other high spin states, including the band terminating state, are tentatively assigned to the same T=1 band. The T=0 band built on the low-lying 3+ isomer is observed up to the 1f7/2-shell termination at I=15. Both signatures of a negative parity T=0 band are observed up to the terminating states at I = 16- and I = 17-, respectively. The structure of this band is interpreted as a particle-hole excitation from the 1d3/2 shell. Spherical shell model calculations are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental results.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

The state of professional practice and policy in the English further education system: a view from below

This paper addresses a recurring theme regarding the UK’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) policy in which Further Education (FE) and training are primarily driven by employer demand. It explores the tensions associated with this process on the everyday working practices of FE practitioners and institutions and its impact on FE’s contribution to the wider processes of social and economic inclusion. At a time when Ofsted and employer-led organisations have cast doubt on the contribution of FE, we explore pedagogies of practice that are often unacknowledged by the current audit demands of officialdom. We argue that such practice provides a more enlightened view of the sector and the challenges it faces in addressing wider issues of social justice, employability and civic regeneration. At the same time, the irony of introducing laissez-faire initiatives designed to remove statutory qualifications for FE teachers ignores the progress made over the past decade in raising the professional profile and status of teachers and trainers in the sector. In addressing such issues, the paper explores the limits and possibilities of constructing professional and vocational knowledge from networks and communities of practice, schools, universities, business, employers and local authorities, in which FE already operates

The Physics of Heavy Flavours at SuperB

This is a review of the SuperB project, covering the accelerator, detector, and highlights of the broad physics programme. SuperB is a flavour factory capable of performing precision measurements and searches for rare and forbidden decays of $B_{u,d,s}$, $D$, $\tau$ and $\Upsilon({\mathrm{nS}})$ particles. These results can be used to test fundamental symmetries and expectations of the Standard Model, and to constrain many different hypothesised types of new physics. In some cases these measurements can be used to place constraints on the existence of light dark matter and light Higgs particles with masses below $10GeV/c^2$. The potential impact of the measurements that will be made by SuperB on the field of high energy physics is also discussed in the context of data taken at both high energy in the region around the \Upsilon({\mathrm{4S}})$, and near charm threshold.Comment: 49 pages, topical review submitted to J. Phys

Performance over professional learning and the complexity puzzle: lesson observation in England’s further education sector

Attempts to measure the quality of teaching and learning have resulted in an overreliance on quantitative performance data and the normalisation of a set of reductionist practices in England’s further education sector in recent years. Focusing on lesson observation as an illustrative example and drawing on data from a national study, this article examines the application of observation and its impact on further education teachers’ practice. In viewing lesson observation through a complexity theory lens and contextualising it against the wider neoliberal backdrop of the marketisation of education, we seek to critique the inadequacies of current reductionist approaches to teacher evaluation, whilst simultaneously opening up a debate regarding the consequences of seeing classrooms as complex adaptive systems. In focusing on performative models of lesson observation in particular, the article exposes what we perceive as some of the epistemological and methodological shortcomings of neoliberalism in practice, but also offers an alternative way forward in dealing with the contested practice of evaluating the quality of teaching and learning