3,767 research outputs found
Wobbling excitations at high spins in A~160
We found that in 156Dy and 162Yb the lowest odd spin gamma-vibrational states
transform to the wobbling excitations after the backbending, associated with
the transition from axially-symmetric to nonaxial shapes. The analysis of
quadrupole electric transitions determines uniquely the sign of the
gamma-deformation in both nuclei after the transition point.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Force Dynamics in Weakly Vibrated Granular Packings
The oscillatory force F_b^ac on the bottom of a rigid, vertically vibrated,
grain filled column, reveals rich granular dynamics, even when the peak
acceleration of the vibrations is signicantly less than the gravitational
acceleration at the earth's surface. For loose packings or high frequencies,
F_b^ac 's dynamics are dominated by grain motion. For moderate driving
conditions in more compact samples, grain motion is virtually absent, but
F_b^ac nevertheless exhibits strongly nonlinear and hysteretic behavior,
evidencing a granular regime dominated by nontrivial force-network dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Measurement of gamma p --> K+ Lambda and gamma p --> K+ Sigma0 at photon energies up to 2.6 GeV
The reactions gamma p --> K+ Lambda and gamma p --> K+ Sigma0 were measured
in the energy range from threshold up to a photon energy of 2.6 GeV. The data
were taken with the SAPHIR detector at the electron stretcher facility, ELSA.
Results on cross sections and hyperon polarizations are presented as a function
of kaon production angle and photon energy. The total cross section for Lambda
production rises steeply with energy close to threshold, whereas the Sigma0
cross section rises slowly to a maximum at about E_gamma = 1.45 GeV. Cross
sections together with their angular decompositions into Legendre polynomials
suggest contributions from resonance production for both reactions. In general,
the induced polarization of Lambda has negative values in the kaon forward
direction and positive values in the backward direction. The magnitude varies
with energy. The polarization of Sigma0 follows a similar angular and energy
dependence as that of Lambda, but with opposite sign.Comment: 21 pages, 25 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
Logarithmic Corrections in Dynamic Isotropic Percolation
Based on the field theoretic formulation of the general epidemic process we
study logarithmic corrections to scaling in dynamic isotropic percolation at
the upper critical dimension d=6. Employing renormalization group methods we
determine these corrections for some of the most interesting time dependent
observables in dynamic percolation at the critical point up to and including
the next to leading correction. For clusters emanating from a local seed at the
origin we calculate the number of active sites, the survival probability as
well as the radius of gyration.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Structure-based directed evolution improves S. cerevisiae growth on xylose by influencing in vivo enzyme performance
Background: Efficient bioethanol production from hemicellulose feedstocks by Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires xylose utilization. Whereas S. cerevisiae does not metabolize xylose, engineered strains that express xylose isomerase can metabolize xylose by converting it to xylulose. For this, the type II xylose isomerase from Piromyces (PirXI) is used but the in vivo activity is rather low and very high levels of the enzyme are needed for xylose metabolism. In this study, we explore the use of protein engineering and in vivo selection to improve the performance of PirXI. Recently solved crystal structures were used to focus mutagenesis efforts. Results: We constructed focused mutant libraries of Piromyces xylose isomerase by substitution of second shell residues around the substrate- and metal-binding sites. Following library transfer to S. cerevisiae and selection for enhanced xylose-supported growth under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, two novel xylose isomerase mutants were obtained, which were purified and subjected to biochemical and structural analysis. Apart from a small difference in response to metal availability, neither the new mutants nor mutants described earlier showed significant changes in catalytic performance under various in vitro assay conditions. Yet, in vivo performance was clearly improved. The enzymes appeared to function suboptimally in vivo due to enzyme loading with calcium, which gives poor xylose conversion kinetics. The results show that better in vivo enzyme performance is poorly reflected in kinetic parameters for xylose isomerization determined in vitro with a single type of added metal. Conclusion: This study shows that in vivo selection can identify xylose isomerase mutants with only minor changes in catalytic properties measured under standard conditions. Metal loading of xylose isomerase expressed in yeast is suboptimal and strongly influences kinetic properties. Metal uptake, distribution and binding to xylose isomerase are highly relevant for rapid xylose conversion and may be an important target for optimizing yeast xylose metabolism
Percolation Threshold, Fisher Exponent, and Shortest Path Exponent for 4 and 5 Dimensions
We develop a method of constructing percolation clusters that allows us to
build very large clusters using very little computer memory by limiting the
maximum number of sites for which we maintain state information to a number of
the order of the number of sites in the largest chemical shell of the cluster
being created. The memory required to grow a cluster of mass s is of the order
of bytes where ranges from 0.4 for 2-dimensional lattices
to 0.5 for 6- (or higher)-dimensional lattices. We use this method to estimate
, the exponent relating the minimum path to the
Euclidean distance r, for 4D and 5D hypercubic lattices. Analyzing both site
and bond percolation, we find (4D) and
(5D). In order to determine
to high precision, and without bias, it was necessary to
first find precise values for the percolation threshold, :
(4D) and (5D) for site and
(4D) and (5D) for bond
percolation. We also calculate the Fisher exponent, , determined in the
course of calculating the values of : (4D) and
(5D)
Atomic Resolution Structure of the Oncolytic Parvovirus LuIII by Electron Microscopy and 3D Image Reconstruction.
LuIII, a protoparvovirus pathogenic to rodents, replicates in human mitotic cells, making it applicable for use to kill cancer cells. This virus group includes H-1 parvovirus (H-1PV) and minute virus of mice (MVM). However, LuIII displays enhanced oncolysis compared to H-1PV and MVM, a phenotype mapped to the major capsid viral protein 2 (VP2). This suggests that within LuIII VP2 are determinants for improved tumor lysis. To investigate this, the structure of the LuIII virus-like-particle was determined using single particle cryo-electron microscopy and image reconstruction to 3.17 Å resolution, and compared to the H-1PV and MVM structures. The LuIII VP2 structure, ordered from residue 37 to 587 (C-terminal), had the conserved VP topology and capsid morphology previously reported for other protoparvoviruses. This includes a core β-barrel and α-helix A, a depression at the icosahedral 2-fold and surrounding the 5-fold axes, and a single protrusion at the 3-fold axes. Comparative analysis identified surface loop differences among LuIII, H-1PV, and MVM at or close to the capsid 2- and 5-fold symmetry axes, and the shoulder of the 3-fold protrusions. The 2-fold differences cluster near the previously identified MVM sialic acid receptor binding pocket, and revealed potential determinants of protoparvovirus tumor tropism
Molecular evidence for a single origin of ultrafiltration-based excretory organs
Under embargo until: 2021-06-23Excretion is an essential physiological process, carried out by all living organisms, regardless of their size or complexity.1, 2, 3 Both protostomes (e.g., flies and flatworms) and deuterostomes (e.g., humans and sea urchins) possess specialized excretory organs serving that purpose. Those organs exhibit an astonishing diversity, ranging from units composed of just few distinct cells (e.g., protonephridia) to complex structures, built by millions of cells of multiple types with divergent morphology and function (e.g., vertebrate kidneys).4,5 Although some molecular similarities between the development of kidneys of vertebrates and the regeneration of the protonephridia of flatworms have been reported,6,7 the molecular underpinnings of the development of excretory organs have never been systematically studied in a comparative context.4 Here, we show that a set of transcription factors (eya, six1/2, pou3, sall, lhx1/5, and osr) and structural proteins (nephrin, kirre, and zo1) is expressed in the excretory organs of a phoronid, brachiopod, annelid, onychophoran, priapulid, and hemichordate that represent major protostome lineages and non-vertebrate deuterostomes. We demonstrate that the molecular similarity observed in the vertebrate kidney and flatworm protonephridia6,7 is also seen in the developing excretory organs of those animals. Our results show that all types of ultrafiltration-based excretory organs are patterned by a conserved set of developmental genes, an observation that supports their homology. We propose that the last common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes already possessed an ultrafiltration-based organ that later gave rise to the vast diversity of extant excretory organs, including both proto- and metanephridia.acceptedVersio
- …